It was a usual day where the sun came up from the east and spread warmth across the world. Smiling faces, sad faces, angry faces, confused faces, bored faces, sleepy faces, and most of all "normal faces" woke up to live yet another day.
There was a similar situation in the Bhalla household as the day started. Ishita woke up early as usual, freshened up, got ready and was out in the kitchen making breakfast. Little Ruhi was still asleep as it was her holiday today (yayyy!). On the other hand Raman Kumar Bhalla, CEO of the year also got up to the sound of his alarm and went off to get ready for office. But not before kissing his daughter's sleeping form. It was a habit now.
He came out of his room in hurry grabbing a sandwich from the table and quickly moving towards the door as he was getting late for a meeting.
"Raman, nashta to kar ke jaiye"
"Mein Office mein kuch kha loonga."
"Par Office me apko time nahi milega. Waise bhi half the time you are "busy" with your work, work and work."
"Hogaya tumhara. Please mein aaj lecture ke mood mein bilkul nahi hoon. Is liye mujhe baksh do"
Saying that he went out the door leaving Ishita with a frown as always.
"Ravan Kumar. Huh" She mumbled to herself and got on with her chores.
After finishing all the work Ishita decided to visit her Amma and Appa as it had been a while since she had met them. Plus Ruhi was also asleep so she had a bit of time to spare.
She started walking towards the door and suddenly she heart Ruhi call out "Ishima! Ishima! App kahan ho?" Forgetting about the plan she made she hurried towards the room.
"Kya hua Ru? Mein yahi hoon."
Ruhi was cutely standing on the bed with her hands on her hips.
"App kahan chaley gay the. Pata hai na ki mujhe sabse pehle apko kissi deni hoti hai when I wake up. To phir app aaj mere paas kyun nahi the?"
"Aww my baby. Aaj Ishima ko maaf kar do. I had a lot of work na bacha. Next time I won't leave I promise!"
"Ruhi promise?"
"Haan baby Ruhi Promise"
"Okay!" She gave a sweet kiss on Ishita's cheek and quickly ran off to get freshened up. Here Ishita has a sweet smile on her face.
~Half and hour later ~
Ruhi had finished her breakfast and Ishita had cleaned the table. That's when she realized that she had planned to go to her parent's house before Ruhi got up. She went upto Ruhi and asked, "Ruhi how would you like to go you pati's today?"
"Really? Yayyy! We will go to Pati's placeee! Yayyy! " She started jumping on the sofa and Ishita smiled yet again. Oh little Ruhi never failed to bring a smile on anyone's faces.
Hand in hand the mother and daughter duo went next door, ringed the doorbell and waited for them to open up. And their wait was short as Amma opened up and was delighted to see her daughter and grand daughter together.
"Ayyoo Ishu! Kaisi hai?" She hugged Ishu as she said that.
"Ek dam mast Amma! Aur aap?"
"Mein bhi achhii hoon. And Ruhi...How is my little angle doing?"
Ruhi jumped up and hugged her Pati saying, "I am doing great Pati! I am so excited to see youuu!" Ruhi cooed.
Madhu smiled at that and lifted Ruhi up in her arms as she led Ishita inside.
"Amma, Appa kahan hai?"
"Vo society meeting thin a aaj to bas wahi attend karne gaye hai. Bas thodi der mein aa jayenge tum baito na"
The mother and daughter ventured off into their little talks as Ruhi was busy drawing out her imagination on paper. They talked about everything, the elections, the weather, Mihika's new job, Pooja's newborn baby and how Ishu helped a great deal with that. Then suddenly the conversation shifted to Ishu's childhood and how she used to make Madhu run behind her for eating food. They shared a good laugh on that memory.
"Ayooo Ishu! Baaton Batoon mein to mein bhool gayi ki mein chula par idli rakhi thi. Kahin wo kharab na hogayi ho. Mein dekh kar aati hoon haan"
"No worries Amma aap jao. I'll sit here"
As Madhu left Ishita peeked over Ruhi's shoulder to see what she was busy drawing but Ruhi quickly covered it up.
"NO! Ishimaa no cheating meine kaha tha na ki mein aapko ye pura hone ke baad dikhaungi."
"Ok baba! I am sorry. Chalo continue drawing mein abhi ati hoon."
"Okay" and Ruhi got busy with her drawing again as Ishita ventured off towards the kitchen to help her Amma.
As she was walking towards the kitchen though she saw that the storeroom door was left open. Curiosity getting the better of her, her steps started moving forward in the direction of the storeroom. Entering the room the first thing that caught her eye was the big blob covered with a white sheet. She couldn't help herself with removing the cloth and discovering her old piano that she used to play in her college days. It didn't take long for her to drown in the past memories seeing that piano.
Not finding Ishu where she left her Madhu went in search of her and Ruhi followed suit. That's when she noticed that the storeroom door was open and Ishu was standing near the piano lost in her thoughts with a smile on her face.
"Ayoo Ishu ye piano...yaad hai college ke dino mein tumhe piano play karna ktina pasand tha. Aur tumne talent show mein bhi part liye tha and you got first prize for playing the piano and singing along."
Madhu's voice snapped Ishita out of her thoughts and she replied, "Haan Amma mujhe yaad hai."
"Ishima Apko piano play karna ata hai!" Ruhi's voice boomed from the door as she came running on t Ishita's lap.
"Haan Baby! Ishimaa ko piano play karna ata hai"
"Please play kar ke sunao na! Please and haan play karte karte gaana bhi gana! Please Ishimaaa! Please"
"Par Ruhi..."
"Ishu Gao na! Wo kitna plead kar rahi hai. C'mon mujhe bhi arsa hua hai tumhe bajate hua sun ke"
"Ok Amma." Ishita said a bit hesitantly. It had been years since she had touched the piano. She wasn't sure is she was still that good but she agreed for the sake of her Ruhi and Amma.
She sat down on the piano with Ruhi on her lap and kept her fingers on the keys and inhaled a breath and just started playing.
{listen to this song while reading this particular part : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t2uDhrVEA4#aid=P93Kq7WyXhY}
~Piano music~
Mere bina main rehne laga hoon
Teri hawa mein behne laga hoon
Jaane main kaise, tera hua hoon
Mujhe toh lagta hai main shayad tere dil ki dua hoon haan
Tujhko jo paaya
Toh jeena aaya
Ab yeh lamha thehar jaaye tham jaaye bas jaaye hum dono ke darmiyaan haan
Tujhko jo paaya aha
Toh jeena aaya
Ab yeh lamha thehar jaaye tham jaaye bas jaaye hum dono ke darmiyaan haan
Ishita's fingers moved skillfully on the piano as if she had been playing it for years. Madhu sat on the chair nearby and was enjoying the song while looking at the piano keys moving as Ishita's fingers touched each one of them fascinated little Ruhi.
Pehle se zyada
Main jee raha hoon
Jabse main tere, dil se juda hoon
Raahon pe teri, main toh chala hoon
Tu meri manzil hai tere kadmon pe bas rukne laga hoon haan
Tujhko jo paaya
Toh jeena aaya
Ab yeh lamha thehar jaaye tham jaaye bas jaaye hum dono ke darmiyaan haan
Tujhko jo paaya
Toh jeena aaya
Ab yeh lamha thehar jaaye tham jaaye bas jaaye hum dono ke darmiyaan haan
Ishita couldn't help but relate to the chorus. "Tujko jo paya toh jeena aaya" wasn't that what had happened with her and Ruhi. When she married Raman she got the real reason to live her life. She kissed Ruhi on her forehead while singing these lines.
~Piano music~
teri nazar mein nayi si adaa hai
naya sa nasha bhi ghula hai
kayi dinon se bandha tha baadal jo
tere hi baalon mein khula hai
teri hadon me meri basar hai
ab tujhe bhi
jaana kidhar hai
jahan rahe tu main wo jahan hoon
jise jiye tu main wo sama hoon
teri wajah se naya naya hoon
pehle kaha na maine ab ye tumse kehne laga hoon..
Singing these lines Ishita couldn't help but remember Raman. The way he stood up for her in front of Subbu's mom that day in the anniversary party, the way he had try to apologize for the incident that took place in the restaurant. Even though it was only for Ruhi it still was sweet of him. The way he had been concerned for her on the day of the riots. Maybe it wasn't love yet but it was definitely more that just being Ruhi's parents, it was more that taunting each other cause somewhere in those taunts there was concern, care, and innocence. Maybe they fight a lot but even in those fights there is respect for each other. It might not seem that way but when a broken heart is mended it's not perfect. It still has scars and it takes time to heal. That's how their relationship was two broken hearts trying to mend each other, maybe not in the best way but at least they were trying.
tujhko jo paaya ahan
to jeena aaya
ab ye lamha theher jaye tham jaye bas jaye hum dono ke darmiyaan
tujhko jo paaya ahan
to jeena aaya
ab ye lamha theher jaye tham jaye bas jaye hum dono ke darmiyaan
And Ishita sung the last part with as much feeling as possible. It was truly her heart singing more than her mouth. Ruhi was looking at her Ishima with a spark in her eyes and Madhu had tears of joy in her eyes seeing her daughter playing after so long.
~Piano music~
As Ishita ended with a final soft hit on the keys she ended a beautiful song. Both Ruhi and Madhu burst into an applaud, which made Ishita smile wide.
~A few minutes before Ishita started the song~
Raman had forgotten his red file at home and came running up the stairs of the complex to retrieve it. As he came up he heard soft piano music coming from the Iyer's house and he couldn't help but wonder who could be playing such an enticing tune.
He saw that the front door was open so he entered quietly without making any noise and as he neared the room from where the tune was coming from he heard a sweet voice singing an equally sweet song.
When he finally saw who it was, saying he was surprised would be an understatement. It was Jhansi ki Rani! He didn't his wife-who-loves-giving-lectures could also sing so sweetly and play the piano at the same time.
He saw her kissing Ruhi's forehead as the chorus came up and his face relaxed a bit. He observed her carefully. Her face showed a serene expression while her eyes had a twinkle in them. Her lips that were moving like the keys on the piano. Her fingers danced across the piano as if she was a professional. The way she closed her eyes every time she sang the chorus. It was as if time had frozen for a moment and it was only him looking at her while she sang like a nightingale. This woman who was a doctor, a dentist to be more precise could manage to be a daughter to her parents, a daughter-in-law to his parents and family, a great mother to his child, and a wife to him. Maybe it wasn't the ideal husband and wife relationship but it was something.
Something that made them both hold onto the hope that this relationship had a chance. There were a lot of flaws but nobody is perfect right. And he believed that they really did have a chance at this. There maybe a lot of fights and taunts but coming so close to losing her that day of the curfew made him realized that he would rather listen to her lectures life long than not have her at all. And it wasn't just that, it was also because she was his child's mother. A perfect mother to be precise.
Observing her like this, so calm and serene made her look even more beautiful. Yes, his wife was very beautiful. Probably the most beautiful women he had come across in his life. Especially her long hair that slid down her back and uska ghussa jo hamesha uski naak pad chada hota hai. He smiled at that thought and snapped out of his thoughts as he head Amma and Ruhi clapping frantically.
Before he could stop himself his hands went up on their own accord and he started clapping with a smile.
Hearing a third person clap Ishita looked towards the doorway and saw Raman standing there with a smile on his face and clapping. As in actually clapping with a smile. Now it was her turn to be surprised.
Realizing what he had done, Raman stopped clapping, turned around and started walking towards the door. But he turned around as if someone was calling him and indeed there stood Ishita smiling wide at him. He couldn't help but give a small smile back as well. With that he walked out the front door.
Maybe it wasn't love yet but it was the start of something new in both Raman and Ishita's life.
~The End~
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Well Until later peeps! 😎
Cricket
Anupamaa
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