Chapter 1 - Commencement.
Hazuri Road, Ludhiana.
Sahiba Kaur Monga
"Ye lijiye! Yeh raha aapka order!"
Sahiba Kaur Monga was a dedicated and determined woman of twenty-two years, who ran her own shop. An artist made out of need, not many would be able to say there was a tired woman behind the smiling face.
"Sahiba Di!"
Sahiba turned to face her younger sister, Keerat Kaur Monga. Sahiba smiled, raising an eyebrow in question as she sat down to paint another pot.
"Wo...." Sahiba looked up at the hesitating look on Keerat's face, saying as she glided the brush on the plain pot, "Ki hoya? Admission done? That's where you went, right? How much is the fees?"
She saw the flicker of an unnamed emotion on Keerat's face before a fake smile appeared on her face, "I-It's f-four thousand rupees per semester. A total of e-eight thousand a year."
Sahiba did not hesitate to chirp a cheery 'Alright.' Although, her heart shuddered at having to pay eight thousand more on top of everything that had been tying her down.
She glanced at Keerat, a small smile on her face at the tensed look on her little sister's face. Meeting Keerat's eyes, Sahiba said "Kya hua, Keerat? Why so tensed?"
"I-I was thinking that perhaps I-I" Keerat hesitation was apparent on her face, "I-I should quit my studies?"
Sahiba's smile disappeared within seconds. Keerat rubbed her hand where she received a tight slap from her fuming sister. "If I hear another word about such actions, Keerat, Raab de vaastey, I will never ever speak with you."
She felt arms wrap around her waist, as Keerat hugged her from behind. "Aise gaal maat karo, mainu heart attack aa jana hai!" Keerat tightened her arms, squeezing her eyes shut, "Di, you already know of the financial crunches we are facing because of that Santosh Monga and her elder daughter, now these extra..."
"Mummy hai wo humari Keerat."replied Sahiba, but even those words felt hollow to her own ears.
Mother, a word that should be special, was anything but that. Sahiba had never felt such tired in her life till now. Not even when her mother prioritized her elder sister over everything. Even above the troubles all of them were facing.
"Tu jaa," Sahiba shooed her away, hiding her overwhelming emotion, "Main sambhal lungi."
After Keerat left, Sahiba exhaled. Her entire posture was coiled in a tight rope of frustration. The onslaught of tears stung as helplessness engulfed her already overwrought emotions.
Proceeding towards the back store of her small shop, she sunk down on the messy floor. Tears spilled, damp eyes shut as the emotions within her created a hurricane. Tightening her arms around her knees, soft sniffles changed into heartbreaking sobs.
Sahiba would never say it out loud but she was tired. Tired of being the older one, even after having parents, guardians and an elder sister. She was tired of being the only breadwinner of the family. She was tired of taking responsibilities, especially when her efforts were not appreciated.
She huffed a breath, a sense of utter loss coursing through her. Even when it was her, who arranged the passes for Brar's event, she wasn't much appreciated. Instead, another demand was kept in front of her. When she tried to save her Seerat Di, she got humiliated by that man!
Paraye logo se kya farak parta hai jab aapne hi saath na ho!
And the worst of all, her own sister and mother let her get humiliated with no fault of her own. Yes, she had made mistakes. She had taken bad decisions whose consequences she was experiencing now. She had trusted her own family blindly.
Perhaps she should have protested instead of trying to feed the unending need to please her mother. A humorless laugh escaped her lips. She was never the favored daughter to her mother. She tried to not be jealous. But at the end of the day, the chasm of want within her grew just a bit more. She did not want to be the favorite but surely she deserved at least a bit more pampering and attention.
In her want to earn her mother's attention, she became the breadwinner of the family. Later on, she got the attention from her ailing father and aunt. But for her mother, she was the person who would work hard so they could enjoy. The bank that would supply them money to fulfill all their wishes. All the emotional words, those tears, those hugs and care had not much values any longer. Not after what happened in these two months.
Sahiba rubbed her cheeks raw, trying to wipe the spilling tears. She did not know why she was remembering all these things that she had tried to let go. All she wanted was to go far away from all these responsibilities; to fly and spread her wings.
No, Sahiba. You can't give up. Have you forgotten Keerat depends on you? Have you forgotten about Papaji and Tayi ji? You have a long way to go before you can rest.
The pep talk seemed to help, as Sahiba stood up with a determined look. When she glanced at the broken mirror in her shop, her damp eyes betrayed the fragility that layer within.
Sahiba made a promise to her Raab, that no matter what, she wouldn't make the same mistake twice. This time, she won't listen to Santosh unless her words had merit.
Keerat Kaur Monga
Aap kehti nehi hai, par mujhe sab samaj aata hai, Sahiba Di.
Keerat's eyes lingered on her Sahiba Di for a while longer; watching her enter the back room. She grimaced, eyes closing for a few seconds to hide her frustrations. Keerat loved her elder sister; but she was as exasperated with her. The woman, who would roar at any injustice like a true lioness, would turn into a little cat within moments when confronted by their mother and sister.
Keerat loved Sahiba but she was very well aware of her shortcomings. The entire ongoing drama of Seerat's wedding would blow up in their face; Keerat was sure of that. The web of lies her darling mother had created would make sure of that.
She was the youngest of the family yet circumstances had taught her much. She shook her head, blinking due to the harsh sunlight. Slowly moving away from the populated streets, she took the way towards home.
"Keerat!"
She turned to find a man in sunglasses waving at her. She blinked before exhaling. An exasperation taking over her features. What was the third heir of the Brar's doing in the middle of Hazuri road?
She went near his black car, taking note of his shiny vehicle driven usually by a chauffeur; today the man himself was at the driving wheel. Keerat rolled her eyes at his bright smile, "Kya chahiye apko? Ek baat batao, koi common sense nehi hai aap ke iss dimag mei?"
"Arey arey Keerat, thand rakh. I was just passing by and then I saw you." Veer Singh Brar gave an amused smile, raising an eyebrow playfully, "By the way, why did you scold me this time? What did I do?"
Keerat exhaled before entering the front seat, beside him. She saw him raise both of his eyebrows in surprise but he drove them towards her home.
"Brar ho aap. Paparazzi naam ki aafat aapko follow karti hai. Mistake se bhi kisi ne dekh liya ki aap yeha ho, toh satyanaash ho jayga!"
Keerat blinked, a bit annoyed at Veer's booming chuckle at her words. She folded her hands, glaring at him.
"Keerat, this is not the first time I have gone out to local places. I know how to avoid them."
"Dekh ke lagta na hai." Keerat raised an eyebrow, eyes furrowing as she replied to him.
"Wo sab chodo, Sahiba ji dikhi nehi apne shop mei. Kahi gyi hai kya? Kuch kaam tha unse."
"Kya kaam hai aapko Sahiba Di se?"
Veer seemed to frown for a moment before exhaling softly. He stopped the car a lane away from her house. Keerat was rather surprised that he remembered the way. She opened the door of the car to go out, but stopped when Veer called out. He seemed to be hesitating before he looked her in the eyes with a determined expression.
"Mujhe pata hai, Angad paaji ko Sahiba ji kuch khaas pasand nehi karti. Par, ek request hai. Mere Angad Paaji ka vyaah pakka hogya hai. Unse kehna ki mai chahta hu ki Angad paaji ka sehra ka design wo khud kare. "
''Congrats to your brother,'' Keerat shook her head at the irony of the situation at hand, ''I will tell her what you said. I am sure she will call you back regarding the offer.''
''Offer nehi hai, request hai.'' Veer asserted gently, "Phir bhi baata diyo."
''Alright.'' Keerat waved, as she stepped down from the car, "Bye!"
"Suno!"
"Ab kya hai?"
There was a sudden intensity in Veer's eyes that surprised Keerat. He asked, voice still gentle, "Kuch chupa rhi ho mujhse Keerat?"
Keerat wanted to give a smart-ass reply but she refrained seeing the sudden presence of a grave seriousness in his eyes.
"Haa." Keerat left without waiting for his reply. If she had waited she would have seen the contemplative expression on his face.
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A bit different from the characters we see in the show, but still relatable I hope.
How did you find it?
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Edited by mirai07 - 10 months ago
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