Hello everybody,
She stared long and hard at the mirror trying to decipher its reflection. She saw a beautiful woman, with long tresses encasing a heart shaped face adorned by delicate features - almond shaped warm brown eyes that were framed by long thick lashes that curled upwards in an elegant curve, fair smooth skin that stretched across the expanse of her face, her cheeks tinted a rosy hue and a soft rosebud of a mouth. It was ironical that her own reflection was a mockery of her existence. Enslaved to an identity enforced on her upon her birth she was bound by the shackles of a vow she had pledged to her mother.
She will be Mannu Pawaniya for the rest of her life, the Shah of their family - a privilege that her legacy had granted to the man of the house. But the woman inside her fought hard to break free of the chains and embrace her true self - her womanhood, her identity and above all, love.
Love - that had stormed into her life without a premonition in the form of her long lost best friend Raj. The only friend she ever had. His love had given her the courage to hope for the wings of flight it promised to set her free from this wretched life of hers. But how could she forsake the woman who had sacrificed all her life just to protect her from her grandmother who would have never let her see the light of dawn when she was born? Protected her from the watchful eyes of her own family and that of the world and fought hard for her rights? She would never do that to her mother. Even though her mother had not been the same ever since her Simmi di was humiliated by the Bajwas on the pretext of getting her married to Raman Bajwa, Harjeet Bajwa's eldest son and Raj's older brother.
Her peace loving mother had turned into a hard hearted woman and had joined hands with her Jagan chacha who had never let go of an opportunity to throw Mannu and her family out. Her chacha had only been too ecstatic to comply with her mother's terms, so long as her anger fueled his vengeance for the Bajwas. But this fire had nearly consumed the strong, unshakeable bond Mannu and Raj shared. A bond which had transcended the walls of rivalry and hatred between the two warring families. Mannu and Raj had guarded their friendship ferociously till the day Mohini had framed Mannu for Raman's murder. Raj had walked away from her life leaving her all alone to deal with the rising enmity of their families all alone and though Mannu did not approve of her mother's actions, she never protested, being the faithful daughter she was but she never gave up on her father's ideals to bring about peace in Gaguwal. Unbeknownst to her, Raj had come back to her and her joy knew no bounds. Till the fateful day when Raj had fallen for Preet, the woman inside her that Mannu had managed to conceal from the world. She had tried her best to dissuade him from his insane pursuit but what of her heart that had slowly but steadily succumbed to Raj's relentless love?
She recalled the day Simran had teased her about marrying Raj so that Mannu and Simmi could be together forever. Back then she had been a child and she had easily brushed it aside but now it all came back to haunt her and how she wished it could be true? But she knew she was nursing a futile hope. Just like how her Simmi di would never come back to her, there was no possibility of a future for Raj and Preet. And that finality sunk in making her resolve stronger but yet she could do nothing to stop the tear that fell from her eye cascading down to her fair cheeks. She hurriedly swiped at it with the back of her hand lest someone caught her in that vulnerable act. She was a boy and boys never cried she told herself firmly.
With a deep sigh, she gathered her hairs and tied them up in a bun as always placing the turban on her head that was adorned by the Pawaniya heirloom - a shahi kalgi. Today was a big day for the Pawaniyas. Her sister Gunjan was getting married to Aman Pahuja. Their mansion was decked up like a bride and her mother had ensured that the wedding would be the talk of the village for a long time to come.
"Get your act together woman! I will not have you messing around with anything today and will you keep a check on that boy of yours? All he does is strut around stuffing his mouth like a pig and that wretched girl! The day she came into this world she has brought nothing but bad luck along with her," Jagan cursed and walked away as a meek Raavi stood there in silence enduring it all. She felt a stab of sympathy for her aunty and her cousin Bubbly. Sweet innocent Bubbly who craved for nothing more than her father's affection but would remain deprived of it just because she was born a girl. Was this the fate her mother had shielded her from?
"Chachi..."
"It's all right Mannu. Your chacha's wrath is nothing new. Don't worry about me, I am fine," she assured her but the freshly formed tears brimming in her eyes said otherwise.
"Where is parjayi by the way?" she asked her trying to deviate the topic.
"I don't know chachi. Even I have been looking for her but mummy is not to be seen. The baarat would be arriving any time now," Mannu replied casting a furtive glance at the bustling throng of guests and workers alike who were flitting around the place setting everything in place. Everything was perfect. Raj had left no stone unturned to make this marriage happen by helping her unite Gunjan and Aman. Despite being a Bajwa, he had helped her family thwart the vicious schemes of his evil step mother Mohini but in the process had paid a very heavy price for doing so. She knew there was nothing she could do to ease his pain or make it go away but she had to try.
*********
Harjeet Bajwa stared into nothingness, too numb to react. The mansion rang of a deep silence - a silence that was left behind by a raging storm that destroyed everything in its wake. He sat all alone in the dark veranda whose only source of light was the bleak firelight coming from the grate. He didn't mind the dark, for once it offered him solace. His drink lay untouched on the table beside him as he idly swirled it in his hand reflecting on all the events that had landed him where he was today. Never had he realized nor valued what he possessed till the time he lost it. He had never bothered to hold on to it while it lasted instead he had allowed it to slip past his fingertips like sands of time.
His wife Amrit - docile and loving. Never had she ever sought anything for herself. All her life she had given herself to their marriage, their children and his home. Raman - his oldest son and his true heir, who had always been pure at heart unlike himself. Raj - his youngest boy whom he had despised for as long as he could remember and now thinking about him he felt a strange dull ache in his heart. If it was not bad enough that fate had played a dirty trick by rendering him handicapped, he had not spared a single opportunity to taunt that little boy reminding him that he was nothing but a liability. Though he had long given up on that child, Raj had never deserted him. For Raj, he had always been the hero he never was and for him, he would now be the son he had never known or will ever know, Mohini had seen to that. That wench, he cursed inwardly tightening the grip on the glass he was holding and flung it across the room where it smashed across the wall with a resonating sound.
He had come face to face with Mohini's reality a few days ago when he had received news of Amrit and Raj's death in a tragic road accident. He would have believed it even had it not been for Rajveer Singh, the Pawaniyas wedding planner who had exposed Mohini and her son Nihaal's evil deeds before Gaguwal. Mohini had managed to track Amrit in Delhi and later sent goons over to her place who had killed her and her son's crippled friend Aslam whom they had mistaken to be Raj. Raj's identity still remained hidden from the world but the truth about Mohini's crimes was out finally. Not just the conspiracy behind Amrit's death but also Raman's murder. That it was not Mannu Pawaniya but Mohini who had dealt the fatal shot that had claimed Raman's life. To add to the piling list of crimes committed by Mohini, another one was turning Rohan, Harjeet's second son into an alcoholic so that her own son Nihaal could succeed Harjeet as the shah of the Bajwas. Harjeet had avenged his family by killing Nihaal and banishing Mohini from Gaguwal but he knew vengeance would never be able to fill the void in his life left behind by Amrit's death. For once he wished he could go back in time and make amends for every ounce of pain he had given her. But Amrit would never come back to him. She had left him like Raman taking Raj along with her. He wondered if there could ever be a redemption for all the mistakes he had committed in life. Rohan was beyond help but if he could bring him back on the right path with the help of rehab and care, maybe he still stood a chance to earn Amrit's forgiveness.
A sharp beam of light cut through his vision breaking him out of his reverie and he had half a mind to yell at whoever had turned the lights on but the words died down in his mouth when his eyes caught sight of the intruder. He shrugged slinking back on the couch and tried to reach out for the glass on the table when he realized with disdain that he had broken it a moment ago.
Once upon a time, he had cherished the sight of her and she was the one thing he had desired above all else and the one thing he would never get. He did not know what it was about her that had attracted him to her but she had always been an enigma, one of her kind - Amba Pawaniya.
He knew she had come there to rub salt on his wounds but he made no move to stop her as she approached him. But the look on her face was not that of triumph nor of anger. There was a vacant look in them that mirrored in his own anguish and he could not fathom why she had come to see him.
"Have you come here to reiterate your dead husband's words? He loved it, didn't he? To remind people that he was always right? Now it's your turn to say I told you so'. Go ahead, I won't stop you," he said in a resigned voice.
"Today I am not going to say that," Amba replied in an emotionless tone.
"Stop playing games with me Amba. I know you are here to take a dig at me. Go on," he goaded her as she smirked mirthlessly.
"You have always been your worst enemy Harjeet but you assumed the rest of the world was conspiring against you," she said in a calm tone.
"You say that like you were my well-wisher but I know for a fact that you are rejoicing Amba. You got what you wanted. You got your revenge," he replied bitterly.
"And what did this revenge fetch us? I lost my Simmi and you, your family. You spent your entire life scheming against the Pawaniyas without realizing that you had given shelter to a snake in your own home. And that snake ensured that we had nothing to snatch from you."
"I get it! You regret you didn't get your chance? Go ahead, take your pick," he sighed in defeat. "Pick any weapon of your choice and do whatever it is you wish to do to me. If this quenches your thirst for vengeance so be it. And if that doesn't offer any solace to you, burn this place down so that there is no trace of the Bajwa clan. I am your culprit. I was responsible for Charan's death and I killed your daughter with my bare hands and probably my own family too. Grant me my one wish Amba. Relieve me from this misery, I beg you," he pleaded her going down on his knees as that admission broke down the feeble wall that was his pride but Amba stood there, impassive as ever.
"You can't kill somebody who is already dead Harjeet. As for my grudge it was for the man for had killed my daughter in cold blood, not a man grieving for his family. We all need to go back to our own private hell. There is no escaping that but can we agree on one thing?" she asked him never taking her eyes off him.
She took his silence for acceptance.
"The age old animosity between our families will never be laid to rest but what we can do, is not let it grow any further. We have both lost our loved ones to this hatred but let us hold on to what little is left to us. Would you be able to do that?"
After what seemed like an eternity and a great deal of effort Harjeet turned up to look at Amba and gave a small nod of his head.
P. S: Yes, yes I know there is no RajPreet but worry not the 2nd half will be only about them 😳 Please don't forget to leave your comments.
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