#2 Arshi FF: Smitten By The Neighbour ~New thread link on Page 140~ - Page 4

It is love, tested by tragedies that bring us together. This love brings people together to help each other out, and then it is realised that there is still some goodness left in this world. We are not so different, common experiences shared bind souls together, all with the gossamer threads of love. This very same love was binding Garima and Arnav. Both of them were parents and both knew the pain of watching their little one's hurt. Pain brought them together. Garima began to see her own Rishi in Arnav. And Arnav felt that no one could understand his pain better than Garima.

The next morning, Arnav, who was on the way to the ICU to see Sam, found Garima sitting in the same place as he saw yesterday. She looked calm, yet he could tell that there was a storm beneath that brave face she put up. With a small smile, he walked up to her and sat next to her. He kept his hand on hers and she opened her eyes with a start. It took her a few seconds to realise she was in the hospital. Looking at Arnav, she smiled with genuine affection and concern. "Good morning Aunty" he said and handed a cup of coffee to her that he had brought with him from the cafeteria. She greeted him back and took the coffee, not before thanking him for it. "How is Samrat?" she asked him and he smiled with relief, "He has been better. And doctors have sedated him since he started crying in pain, last night" She nodded with understanding. After a small pause, he asked her, "How is... Khushi?" She took a deep breath. "Doctors said that there is no brain damage detected, nor does she have any genetic disorder. Trauma must have triggered the seizure" she said looking at the cup of coffee in her hand. Arnav did not know what to say. He just nodded. Both of them sat there in absolute silence. The corridors of the hospital were silent too. Cutting through the quietude, Arnav cleared his throat and Garima looked at him. "A thought came to my mind, last night" Garima stared at the young man, waiting for him to continue. "Isn't it strange, Aunty? Many a times, we may think no one understands the pain we are in, but they do. All we have to do is reach out a hand, share, and we find many hands, hearts and souls who not only understand, but have gone through much the same life experiences as we have. The more open and loving we are, the more comes our way to love." She smiled at the truth in his words, while he continued, "And that is a good thing, right? So in reality, in our deepest selves, we are not very different from one another. We are all the same, journeying in the same boat."

"Very wise thoughts, Arnav", Garima appreciated, "Fate has its own way of bringing people together. Sometimes, through love, and sometimes through pain. And all we need to do is accept the things to which fate binds you; Love the people with whom fate brings you together. And when you do it, do so with all your heart." He nodded as both of them took a sip from their cups of coffee. "Aunty, then why can't everyone just stay together and live in harmony and love? Why do fights happen? Why do people wage wars? Isn't it human weakness? It is an inevitable part of being human!" She smiled. The man next to her was young and had his own way of seeing things, but he was too young to know the lessons of life that come with age and experience. She had learnt some; he hadn't. Her greying hair was a sign of wisdom she acquired through hardships of life. "Because, love alone isn't enough, Arnav. The world needs a little more of empathy, more than sympathy. But we humans aren't as good as we should be, in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others beings on Earth. Imagine how different the world would be if people were taught to read, write and calculate empathy! When you hear about what someone else is going through, you are unable to keep yourself away from it. You tend to empathize and are inspired to actually do something. These are moments to learn from." Arnav nodded in astonishment. Her words provided him warmth like a blanket of finest wool on a cold night. Garima chuckled, "You better get going, or else I am going to bore you with my old-lady talk!" Arnav grinned and he looked at his empty cup. "I'll see you around" he said and nodded his head before he walked away.

"Epilepsy?" Payal repeated when Ratna told her about Khushi's condition as they were seated in the hospital cafeteria. She had only one confidante to whom she could confide anything- Payal. She had told her everything about Khushi and how attached Samrat was to the younger woman. Payal had been the most excited about it. She treated Arnav like her own younger brother and to see him getting settled in life again was something that she had always hoped for. But now, Payal wasn't so sure. "But Ma, isn't that sort of a mental illness? I mean, what if she is... you know..." She hesitated to complete her sentence. "No Payal. I found out about it. It's got nothing to do with being mentally challenged. It a completely different thing." Payal pursed her lips. She had heard from Ratna and even Samrat as to how wonderful Khushi was. But, Arnav getting settled with an epileptic patient was something she did not imagine. "I'm not sure, Ma" Payal said to her, as she blew over her cup of hot tea. Ratna shook her head. "Payal, don't you see how much Samrat and Khushi love each other? And this was just one episode of seizure. I do not think it makes any difference to her love for him. And moreover, both, Khushi and Arnav are lonely. Who can understand each other's pain, better?" Payal agreed, but was still not at ease with the prospect of Khushi- a person suffering from epilepsy, and Arnav coming together for Samrat. "As you wish, Ma" she said, knowing that Ratna would know the best. Ratna knew she had to put her plan into action. Her next target was Garima.

Moments later, the nurse came to talk to Garima. "Mrs. Gupta, your daughter-in-law is conscious. You may meet her" Garima, who hurriedly followed the young nurse inside the room, was shocked to see her girl. Numerous wires were attached to her head. Khushi's eyes were open and she was blankly staring at the ceiling while was lying down, completely unaware of Garima's presence. The nurse sat at a distance from them, while Garima walked up to the bed and sat on a chair beside her. She gently touched Khushi's forearm and patted her head. "Khushi..." she lovingly called her, but did not receive any response from her, not even a blink. "Khushi, say something?" she spoke again and had to look very closely at Khushi's still form if her little girl was breathing. Khushi's dry lips parted and Garima heard a soft sound of breath. "S... Samrat?" was her first word. Garima smiled through her tears on hearing her voice. "He's perfectly fine. He's been asking for you. I'll take you to him once you get better." Garima said wiping her tears. Much to her shock, Khushi shook her head in a No. "Khushi, don't you want to see Samrat?" "No" came the reply in a whisper. "But why?" Khushi was silent and she closed her eyes. "I want to sleep" she said. That meant end of discussion. "Khushi, but at least tell me..." "Madam!" the nurse's voice drew Garima's attention. "The patient wants to rest. Please don't disturb" Garima knew that the nurse was only doing her duty, and Khushi was only pretending to sleep so that she did not have to talk. She sighed in defeat and went outside.

Garima was pleasantly surprised to see Ratna Raizada waiting outside, who was alarmed looking at her tears. "How is she?" she asked, and Garima nodded her head. "She's been better" Pausing for a while, she smiled and said, "Would you believe if I told you that Samrat was the first person she asked about?" She skipped telling about Khushi not wanting to see Samrat, on purpose. Ratna gave her a knowing smile. "To tell you the truth, Garima ji, I wouldn't be surprised. Samrat loves her and looks up to her, just like a son looks up to a mother" she said, hoping Garima would get a hint. Garima, unaware of what was happening inside Ratna's head, smiled and said, "Khushi too loves him a lot. And who wouldn't? He is adorable!" Ratna sat at the bench and asked Garima to be seated too. Taking a deep breath, she said to her, "Garima ji, I know that this is not the right time to talk about it, but I had to speak something very important to you." Garima frowned at her apprehension. "What is it, Ratna ji?" "Please do not take it in the wrong way, and please do not overreact. Please?" Garima's worry began to increase. "Garima ji, we all have seen how close Samrat and Khushi are. Both seem to brighten each other's world and make each other smile" "Yes, they do" Garima was confused as to where this conversation was leading. Ratna prayed to the Lord for forgiveness for the lie that she was going to say to Garima, but it was required. "Garima ji, Samrat told me that he wants Khushi as his Mommy" she said to her, while Garima only stared at her, with no reaction.

Samrat was chatting away with the nurse, when he saw his Daddy enter the ICU. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" he said, with one glance at the nurse. "Daddy, you're here! I missed you!" he said, successfully diverting the topic. Arnav bent down and kissed his forehead. "How are you feeling today?" he said, as he brushed his index on his tiny hand. "I'm fine. When will we go home?" Arnav looked at the nurse who looked amused at the little boy's hurry to go away from the hospital. "A few more days, buddy. Then we'll go" Samrat frowned and pouted. "At least, get me out of this room. No one comes to see me here." Arnav grinned and looked at the nurse. She told him that the doctor would come and let them know when the boy could be shifted to the room. In a few minutes, she left from there. "When is Miss Khushi coming to see me?" Sam asked. Arnav heaved a sigh and looked into his eyes. "She cannot come, Sam" Sam's face fell in disappointment. "But why?" Arnav knew there was no point in lying. "Miss Khushi is sick, Sam. She is admitted in the hospital here" he told the boy, whose eyes filled with tears. "What happened to her? Did a car hit her too?" Arnav shook his head. How on earth was he supposed to spell it out for Sam. "Will you be mad at Daddy?" he asked the little boy. "Not if you didn't do anything" he said, imitating the words Arnav used to say to him. Arnav smiled wearily, "Samrat, when I learnt that Miss Khushi said some rude things to you, I got angry and said some rude things to her. She fell sick after that" Samrat curled his lips and soft sobs escaped his lips. "Why would you do such a thing Daddy?" Arnav had no answer, except for silence. "Will she be alright?" "It depends, Samrat. Do you want to see her get better?" He nodded his head with all honesty. "Then she will. God always listens to small children. Pray for her, alright?" Arnav wiped his baby's tears and assured him that she would get well soon. She had to!

"I'm not saying that it has to happen now, Garima ji" Ratna said to Garima, who looked away from her, "I'm just asking you to give it a thought, please?" Garima turned to Ratna, who expected her to lash out at her."Ratna ji, do you realise that my daughter is inside, suffering? And here, you're talking about getting her married to your son? How can you even think of such a thing?  I mean... she is... just... how could you?" Ratna wanted to say something, but Garima asked her to leave her alone. Before leaving, Ratna looked back at Garima. "I know you are worried for Khushi, but trust me she'll get well soon. And I hope you will think about what I said. We both know that our children are lonely. Both of them love Samrat, and Samrat too loves them both. I really hope you will give it some thought. And after that, whatever be your decision, I will respect that" Ratna got up and walked away. Garima did not even look at the woman going away. Somehow, she felt that Khushi and Arnav could never come together. Khushi was still stuck in her past.  She did not even come to terns that Rishi is truly gone! How would she agree to step into another relationship? She promised herself that she would not think of it again, but Ratna had sown this thought into her head and she knew that this thought would pop up in her mind the moment Arnav or Samrat would come in front of her. With a sigh, she left fate to play its games and make decisions.

A week passed by. Samrat was given permission to go home, but only on one condition from the doctor- that he would be on bed rest for at least a month. Samrat was overjoyed and sad at the same time. Overjoyed because it had been decided that he, along with his Daddy, would be staying at the Raizada Mansion along with his Daadaji, Daadi, Chachu, Chachi, Kavya, and the most wonderful friend of his- Bruno. He was sad because he would not be able to see Miss Khushi. His Daddy told him that she was really sick and no one, except the doctor, was allowed to see her. Sam kept praying for her, every single day, that she would get well soon. At least then, he would be allowed to see her. However, much to the little boy's oblivion, the story was quite different.

After Khushi had gained consciousness, Garima had tried to talk to Khushi, but in vain. Khushi stopped responding normally, just like she had stopped one year back. Arnav even went to meet her and apologised. "I forgive you Arnav. I have nothing against you" she had said to him, just as how Garima had predicted. But when he asked if she would want to see Samrat, she refused. "But he's been waiting to see you since a week, Khushi!" "I am getting over-attached to Samrat, Arnav. And we all know what happens to people whom I get attached to. They all leave me." She smiled bitterly, "Please take Samrat away from me. I would not be able to bear if something were to happen to him" Arnav felt guilty when she served him back his own words. "I'm sorry Khushi. I never meant all that. It was all said in anger" he had said to her, but she refused to listen to any explanations. "But Khushi, Sam loves you!" he had told her. "I don't deserve to be in company of an angel like Samrat. Samrat loves me today. Tomorrow, when he gets a new teacher, he'll love her too. Slowly, I'll fade away from his memory. He's going to forget about me. And one day, even if I stand face to face with him, he may not even recognise me." Pausing for a minute, she continued, "Please don't make it more difficult for me, Arnav. Please keep him away from me. It's a request" Arnav did not argue. He was scared if she would suffer again, if he were to argue. Without another word of argument, he had left from there.

After the discharge, Arnav had agreed to stay at the Raizada Mansion only because there was no one else to take care of Samrat at his house. He could not stay at home for a month to take care of his son. Obviously, he needed some help and who better than Sam's own grandmother, Ratna. Of course, Arnav only agreed when Arvind asked him to come home. In his gruff tone, without looking at his son, he had said, "there is no need to be so arrogant. Bring Samrat home so that we... I mean, your mother can look after him. Stay for a month. After that, you can go. No one will force you to stay beyond a month" Arnav was elated but did not express his joy. After all, he had his father's stubbornness in him. The positive change in Arvind surprised everyone, even Ratna. Arvind was glad that his grandson would be there with him under one roof for a month. However, he did not let the joy appear on his face. And so, he still pretended to not care. He could not let his son think that he had been forgiven so easily. "Let him ask for pardon, only then I will forgive him" he had thought to himself. But, in all truth, nothing else mattered more to him apart from the fact that his grandson was to stay with him.

Khushi was discharged two days after Samrat left the hospital.  She got out of the taxi, which stopped below her building, and went straight to the elevator, without waiting up for Garima. The older woman hurried up and joined Khushi. Both of them went up to their floor in complete silence. The elevator doors opened and Khushi walked outside, towards her house. When she reached the door, she turned around to see if Samrat was there. It had been more than a week since she had seen him. And quite frankly, she was missing him even though she pretended otherwise. Looking at the huge lock on the door, Khushi was taken by surprise. However, Garima remained calm even when she saw visible changes in Khushi's expression. She had spoken to Arnav a day earlier, where he told her that Samrat and he wouldn't be staying in their flat for almost a month, until Sam got better. They would be at the Raizada Mansion, since Ratna had offered to take care of Sam while he went to office. Arnav even asked Garima to call him up if she needed any assistance of any kind, and Garima thanked him. After that, he had said his goodbye, and told her that he would see her after a month.

"Ma, Samrat... left?" Khushi asked Garima with a surprised tone. "Yes, Khushi. Samrat and Arnav left. They said they'll be back in a month" Khushi did not say anything else. She just walked into the house and went inside her room. "Do you want some water?" Garima asked, but Khushi did not reply. Garima quietly followed her, only to see that she was seated on the edge of the bed, backing the door, holding Rishi's photo in her hand. Khushi did not notice her standing at the threshold. She held his photo close to her chest and lied down on the bed. In few minutes, she fell asleep. Garima only hope that Khushi would get better with time.

But as time passed by, Garima began to lose hope. She used to keep an eye on Khushi all the time, but Khushi seemed to be lost in her own world. She resigned from her job as a teacher, with a reason that she was unable to continue her work due to ill-health. She spent most of her time in her room, sleeping.

Two weeks later, Garima happened to pass by Khushi's room and she saw Khushi talking to Rishi's photo. "Rishi, Samrat left me. He actually left me. Arnav took him away, for real. Samrat did not even call me up." Garima had tears in her eyes when she saw a tear on Khushi's cheek. Khushi wiped her cheek and smiled at the picture. "But, it's good in a way, right? At least I won't cause him pain. Samrat will be happy without me." Pausing for a minute, she asked her ever-smiling Rishi, "Will he really be happy without me? Will he forget me Rishi? Has he already forgotten me? Am I so easy to forget, that no one remembers me?" Garima's heart contracted with pain. Khushi had never spoken so openly about her feelings, and now, here she was, speaking to the picture of her dead husband, "Maybe it is! Because I cause pain in everyone's life. That's why even Dad left me and walked away." Looking straight at the wall ahead, she said to the picture, "I still remember that scene. He just left me at the hostel, sat in his car and went away. He did not even turn back to see me. I kept waving out to him, even after the car was out of my sight. He never turned back to see me, Rishi. He forgot me, immediately." Her breath turned rapid, "And then even you left me. You were my best friend, my soul-mate, my love, my everything. You promised you'd stay. Why did you go? Why aren't you coming back? I have a lifetime to live, Rishi, and I have to live it all alone. Even Samrat went away. What am I supposed to do? How will I live alone? I feel like I am drowning, and there's no one to save me. I am suffocating and getting choked but I just cannot stop drowning. I'm scared, Rishi." she held the photo close to her chest and cried bitterly.

Garima walked away from there. She had begun to worry even more for her girl. Is something were to happen to her, who would take care of Khushi? Her Khushi could not live her entire life alone. This was not what she wanted for Khushi, ever. She was lonely and bitter because she did not have anyone in her life. Khushi needed someone to be her support, her companion, her friend for life. She needed someone like Rishi.

Ratna's words rang in Garima's ears. Could Khushi really get a second chance and start a new chapter of her life? Was Samrat really sure of his decision of making Khushi as his mother? But what would he know? He was just an innocent child of mere five years. He could probably see a mother in every woman who gave him love. But if he really wanted Khushi as his mother, how would Arnav react to it? Would he forget his first wife- his first love? Would he really want to accept an epileptic patient as his wife? Was he ready to leave his past and move ahead? And even if he agreed, would Khushi agree to move ahead in life, leaving Rishi's memories far behind?

Garima couldn't believe that she was actually giving a thought to Ratna's words. No. She had to get that rubbish idea out of her head. She went back to have a look at what Khushi was doing. As always, she was sleeping, which seemed really odd, since that was the only things Khushi was doing since she was back from the hospital. Instantly, Garima realised what was happening. Khushi was not drowsy or tired or sleepy. She was depressed. That was why she was oversleeping! Of course! Why hadn't she noticed earlier? One of the signs of depression was oversleeping! She went to the living room and sat at the sofa. She couldn't let Khushi drown into depression. There had to be a way out of this.  But, what way? Not knowing what else to do, she blankly picked the phone, looked into the yellow pages and dialled a number from the phone directory. "Hello, Ratna Raizada, Garima Gupta here. I needed to talk to you, about Khushi, Samrat and Arnav, if you're free" Ratna said something to her and after a brief conversation, she cut the call. Garima looked up heavenward, "I don't know whether I am right or wrong", she said to the Almighty with her eyes closed, "But I just want to see my daughter happy. And I am ready to do anything for that!"