Another Parud FF - Clear blue skies I(upto Chapter 50) - Page 13

He saw them arrive at the airport, hand in hand with eyes shining at each other, Major Rudra Pratap Ranavat and his wife, Parvati. They were here earlier than expected. He had been following the soldier's career closely. He knew he will be receiving an award in two days. The two people who had taken away the most important thing in his life away were happy, too happy. He would rob them of it. They didn't deserve it. Not when he was doomed to live like this. Their smiles and soft caresses will be soon gone with the wind. He saw a man uniform greet them and lead them out. He grabbed his backpack and followed. He had been waiting for the right opportunity for months now. With luck, his labours will soon be over.

Rudra was restless as the jeep took them out of the city. He wasn't very comfortable in social events unlike his wife. She had no idea how the rituals during their almost wedding drove him crazy. He had initiated it to torture her into submission but ended up affected by it himself. He was glad the second time around he was able to please her with a simple and intimate ceremony. He looked over at her and smiled. She had fallen asleep. She had been so nervous about her first trip so far from home that she never slept the previous night. And he had concealed the part about flying to prevent her from scaring her further. He had red marks round his wrists where her fingers dug in, when the plane took off. He held her wrists gently and caressed it thinking of all the times his hold had bruised her. "How much further?" he asked the constable driving them. Another 5 kilometres, came the reply. He nodded, his Paro will be well rested before they reached Aman's residence.

Across the country, in Chandangarh, the general patiently waited for the former Thakurain of Birpur to be brought to his chambers. Danveer Ranavat had found a small house where she might be able to stay comfortably. The general approved and wanted to talk to her before letting her go. Mala was escorted in and asked to take a seat. "Mrs. Tejawat, your husband has claims that you were not aware of his dealings. And that you are innocent of the crimes you have been accused of," he told her directly. He watched her face carefully for signs of guilt but saw only remorse. She regretted something but of what he couldn't guess. Mala looked at her lap. She knew this was wrong. She had promised to stay by his side n matter how tough things were. But he wanted her to reconcile with her son and not to concern herself with him. Maybe it was for the best, she would be able to help him better from outside the walls of the BSD prison. She took a breathe before telling him that she was always under the impression that he inherited his wealth and not acquired it by illegal means. The general's instinct warned him of falsehood but he ignored it. "Maybe it would been better if I had paid more attention to his work. All those girls might be alive right now, just like Paro bhaisa" she stopped as she noticed the general's hand clenching a paper weight. She had touched a nerve but she still ventured, Paro might be able to help her husband's case. She wanted to know where Paro resided these days wanting to get reacquainted with the young woman. A radiant bride circling the havan with the man she loved promising a lifetime of happiness came to his mind. He had promised himself that his niece's joy will remain undiminished. "She was very broken during the baraat massacre. It has taken a lot of effort for her to come out of that and rebuild her life. It would be very selfish of you to remind her of her past now. I wouldn't advise you to try and meet her," he said firmly. She thought about it for a moment. She was being selfish, but she needed to prove that her husband's crime was only the arms deal. They never meant for those girls to be forced into prostitution. She wanted to prove that desperately. It may help reduce his sentence once the trial starts.

"Are you familiar with the Ranavats of Chandangarh?" he asked next. Her heart skipped a beat. Had her son come forward? Is he ready to accept her as his mother again? The general elaborated, "Constable Danveer Ranavat claims that you grew up alongside with his wife in the same village. He has made arrangements for your stay nearby during the course of the trial. Since we have no proof of your involvement, we cannot hold you in our custody anymore." He went on to explain the terms and conditions of her stay. Constable Ranavat was then summoned and asked to escort her to her new abode. "Devarjisa," she asked as they drove up to a small cottage. "Did Rudra ask you to do this? I knew he won't be angry with me for too long," she smiled to herself as she alighted from the jeep. He shook his head, "He doesn't know. Nobody knows." He folded his hands and asked, "Please we have shared a lot of secrets over the years. Let's keep this to ourselves too. I like having Bhaisa and Rudra living with us and I would hate for them to move out because I have chosen to help you. I'm supposed to be your Jijosa aren't I? Its my duty to make sure that you are alright. But please stay away from my family." She felt spent as he walked out. She shouldn't be surprised at him supporting his brother. She wondered if her sister will support her the same way. Or will she turn her back on her too.

At the nation's capital, Rudra woke up his wife as they drove up to an apartment complex. Paro was surprised to see the tall buildings surrounded by well manicured lawns. There was several paths leading towards different areas. There was a fountain surrounded by small benches. There was a little park where kids were chasing each other around a swing set. She even saw some butterflies reminding her of Rukmini. Suddenly the car went underground. Before the darkness bothered her, car halted and she smiled to see Aman open the door. "Sorry, there are power fluctuations today so this area is not well-lit at the moment," he apologized. The constable took their luggage towards the elevator when he stopped the couple. "Sir, most of the guests are housed in the guest suites on the other side of this complex. But Ma insists that since Paro is like a sister to me, we should offer you the spare room in our home itself" he told Rudra. Paro beamed but she wondered if her husband will be alright with this arrangement. Rudra however suprised them both and said, "You're a part of our family Aman. We will stay wherever you want us to."

Paro and Rudra saw Aman's mother, Deepa, as soon as they entered the house. She seemed to be standing in front two portraits and talking softly. Aman explained that she was missing his father, Amanvir Singh and sister Parvati. "So you are named after your father," Rudra asked trying to keep the awkwardness at bay. Their hostess turned and smiled, "Isn't that what all men want? To have sons bearing their name. But I didn't agree. After all I was the one who went through the strenuous pregnancy and laboured to bring him into the world. So we compromised and combined both are names, arriving at Amandeep." Paro thought it was a very cute idea but Rudra felt the awkwardness creep back in. He wasn't used to strangers being open with him. He excused himself and followed Aman towards the room they were allotted. Paro wanted to laugh at her husband, who was behaving like a shy child. She just shook his head and followed the older woman. She wanted to help out as much as she can in her brother's wedding. Deepa was pleased with the lovely young lady who called her son, brother. "All right beta, let's quickly finish our lunch and head out to the clubhouse," she said fondly holding Paro's shoulder.