Sultan sat on a plush arm chair in his study. The lights were off casting a dark shadow in the room from the lights in the hall ' dark, just as he liked it. In his hand he nursed a glass of Scotch on the rocks, while on the table in front of him rested his most trusted side kick, a semi-automatic handgun.
As he took another swing of the golden liquid in his glass a sound reached his ears. It was a sound that was once lost but had now been a most common sound. It was a sound that he had done away with himself, but he was powerless to banish it now. It was a sound that, though was music to his ear, he refused to let resonate inside the four walls of his dark fortress. It was the sound of joy and ecstasy. It was the sound of hope and innocence. It was the sound of love and life. Only one sound could mean so much to Sultan ' the sound of Aryan's laugh.
It has been three months since that fateful night when Madhubala had come into their lives. And in those three months there have been significant changes in Sultan's house. For years, nothing changed in his house or his life without his permission. Yet here he was sitting, listening to a sound he never thought he'd wanted to hear.
Going through his treasure chest of memories, Sultan could pin point the exact moment that things had shifted and brought along the change that had now taken over his life.
*~* Flashback *~*
Seeing the condescending attitude in her eyes as she entered his house, clapping, was enough to make his palm itch to pull the trigger. Immediately he sent Aryan out of the room with Kaka, and not a moment too soon because her rant began just seconds after Aryan was out of sight.
When she began speaking, he had to fight against his will to put his hand over her mouth and shut her up from spewing her nonsense. He didn't know why she was there. After her last encounter with Aryan, Sultan was sure that it was the last time he'd be seeing her. If it had been up to him, he wound have only had to deal with Madhubala the first night when she has become unconscious while trying to save his son. However, seeing his son lying sick in his bed made Sultan's dark heart beat just a little ' enough to bring his son what seemed to be the elixir to his ailment. He thought he'd seen the last of her but here she was standing in front of him with anger radiating from her.
"Kyun aayi ho?" he asked matter-of-factly.
And so began her speech of how horrible, disrespectful, inconsiderate and despicable Sultan was. She went on to talk about how unfeeling, unfit and unloving he was as a father. For him, it was in one ear and out the other because it's not as if he hadn't heard those very same accusations countless times. Whether it was his enemies, partners, or his servants, he knew what people said about him, and in all honesty, he couldn't care less. Gone were the days when Sultan cared about what others had to say about it.
There was, however, something in her ravings that hit Sultan more so than he'd have liked it to. She pointed her finger at him for being responsible for her character, integrity and honor coming into question. She blamed him for the heart ache she'd had to face on account of his anger. For himself, he'd done what was needed. Aryan is his life and no one has the authority to ridicule and torment his son ' no one.
Sultan was not a man who made mistakes, and on the rare occasion that he did, he never made excuses for it or apologized for it. However, there was something in Madhubala's eyes that convinced him he needed to rectify what he'd done. The pain from her emotional wound pulled at his conscious like nothing ever had. For the first time in ages he'd listened to his heart and not his mind ' the consequences were in front of him.
He was hoping his interactions with Madhubala were coming to an end, but that was not the case. Aryan had grown attached to the woman in the short span of a few days. Sultan had tried to dissuade him but Aryan was having none of it. Sultan almost had lost his temper but then remembered what she'd told him'
"Joh insaan aapne bache ka bachpan nahin samaj sake'dusroon ka dard, takleef kya samjega'"
Begrudgingly Sultan allowed Aryan to continue to associate with Madhubala. It had started out as just a few times a week but gradually worked its way up to daily visits. Sultan would send a driver to pick her up from the studios after her shift concluded and the driver would drop her off at home once she'd gotten Aryan to bed.
Sultan had made it a habit to stay away while Madhubala was in his house entertaining Aryan. He found some work to do and if he had nothing, he would hole up in the farthest corner of his house away from the duo. But, as was natural with Madhubala, Sultan's life took another turn just three short weeks ago.
His driver had a family emergency so that required Sultan to go and pick up Madhubala from the studio one evening. She recognized the car and walked towards it as she exited the studio. Opening the back door she slid in quietly.
"Samne baito'driver nahin hoon tumhara," Sultan said with more callousness than he intended.
She jumped slightly as the sound of his voice and looked up at him ' clearly she had been expecting his driver and not him. It was then that he saw tears swimming in her eyes. He was surprised at the sudden prick of pain that he felt from seeing those tears. Without saying anything, she got out and slid into the passenger seat. The drive back to his house was silent except from the occasional sniffle that came from Madhubala.
Once home, she gathered herself, wiped her tears and plastered a smile on her face before going to meet with Aryan. As soon as she entered Aryan threw himself at her and held her for a few seconds before releasing her. And so their play date began.
It was almost time for Madhubala to leave when Sultan over heard the conversation she had with Aryan as she said goodbye.
"App roh rahi thi aaj?" Aryan asked.
Sultan's lips played a small smile at his son's attention to detail.
"Haan toh'" she said, not ashamed to admit the truth.
"Sultan kehta hai ke joh rota hai woh kamzoor hota hai," Aryan offered.
"Nahin nahin'aaisa toh nahin hai," Madhubala started. "Rona kamzoori nahin hai, rona toh takat hai."
"Woh kaise?"
"Aap kaab rote ho?" she asked.
"Main toh khabi nahin rota."
"Aacha? Tik hai. Magar main toh roti hoon. Jaab mujhe dard hota hai ya koi mujhe daard deta hai tab main roti hoon. Lekin, rone ke baad maan halka hojata hai aur dard kam hojata hai," Madhubala said. "Rone ke baad himmat vapas aajata hai ke koi kuch bhi kare, main haar nahin manungi."
"Saachi?" Aryan asked.
"Muchi," Madhubala said as she placed a kiss on top of his head.
The next day when, his driver returned, against his better judgment, Sultan asked about Madhubala crying. It didn't sit well with him knowing that her crying was a daily occurrence. Everyday she sat in the car with tears in her eyes ' some days falling and other days not. He knew, from her own admission, that Madhubala was no longer married to RK. He also knew that she worked on the same set that he was on, but for some reason he never put two and two together. He found out that daily on sets RK ridiculed her and mocked her because RK was under the impression that Madhubala was having an affair with Sultan.
*~* Back to Present *~*
It's Not Much Of A Live You're Livin'
As he took the last swig of his drink, he couldn't help but think of the kind of life Madhubala was living.
Despite being tormented and verbally harassed at work by her ex-husband, she refused to quit. She didn't want to give RK the satisfaction of getting under her skin and making small cracks in her cement armor ' cracks that seemed to grow with each passing day. She put out an air of not caring and not being effected by RK's actions, but Sultan knew better. He had been observing her since he found her crying in his car. When she was with anyone other than Aryan, her smile never reached her eyes. When she spoke to anyone other than Aryan, it was only the bare minimum ' nothing more, nothing less. He recognized these signs because that's how he had been just years ago.
It was ironic that as he watched, who he assumed was a once vibrant and confident young woman, turn into stone, he himself was becoming more and more human. So much so that he could no longer distance himself from her. When once he stayed far away from her, he now found himself just a few feet away. When once he was annoyed at the pride and conviction in her voice, he now welcomed it.
His heart ' whatever was left of it ' went out to her. Life was a cold son-of-a-b*tch. It was a lesson he'd learned years ago. Much like Madhubala, he too had been left behind to pick up the pieces of what remained of his life after the heartbreak he'd suffered. He understood that try as hard as you might, some things were just out of control for one to fix.
It's Not Just Something You Take, It's Given
It all came down to Fate. She decided how your life would turn out. She decided what path one walked. She decided what pitfalls and hurdles one would face ' some you over came, others over came you. She dealt you cards and you had to make the best of it.
It seemed like Sultan and Madhu had been dealt the same hand from Fate. Both had been given heartbreak, pain, betrayal and tears. Both had been given a life void of happiness and there was nothing they could do about it. Try as they may, happiness wasn't something that one could take at will.
"Goodnight Aryan," Madhubala's voice came stirring Sultan out from his thoughts.
Putting his glass down on the table he picked up his gun and put it in his jeans, before walking out of the study.
Not Sure How I Feel About It'Something In The Way You Move
He waited in the hall outside Aryan's room and watched her silently. Aryan lay with his eyes closed as Madhubala stood. She picked up her purse from the chair next to the bed but didn't turn to leave quite yet. She went back to the bed and hovered over Aryan's sleeping figure. A small smile played on her lips as she gently ran her hand over his head, careful not to wake him.
Makes Me Feel Like I Can't Live Without You'
It Takes Me All The Way
Sultan felt a tug at his heart strings as he watched Madhubala lean in and kiss Aryan's forehead. The look of adoration and love in her eyes is something he had always wanted to see. Since the day he was left with Aryan to care for, all Sultan ever wanted was to give his son the love that only a mother could give. Sultan knew that Madhubala was not Aryan's mother, nor would she ever be, but in the moment, his precious son was able to enjoy the love that Madhubala was showering on him.
The clock chimed indicating that it was already 10 o'clock at night. He knew that Madhubala could stand there and just watch Aryan sleep ' much like he did on most nights ' but he knew he had to get her home.
"Chalein?" he asked in a softer-than-usual tone.
I Want You To Stay
She turned and looked at him and they shared a moment ' like they did every night when she left. He could see in her eyes that she was happy in this world that she'd created with Aryan in his house. He could see in her eyes that all she wanted to do was lock the door and just stay inside the bubble that included Aryan, his laughter and his innocence.
He knew she wanted to stay. All she had to do was say it and he'd make it come true. He didn't know what it was about her but her presence put him at ease and peace.
Sultan was at war - at war with himself. His mind scolded him for having such thoughts about Madhubala. His mind reminded him of the fact that they were two different people on two different paths in life ' paths that never met. His heart, on the other hand, his heart was drawn to her smile, to her tears and to her pain. His heart kept telling him that though there were on different paths now, it didn't mean that those two paths didn't come together sometime later.
"Chalein," she answered positively as she walked out of the room and towards the main door.
Sultan's mind cheered in its victory, while his heart stilled at its loss repeating only one thing'
I Want You To Stay
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