ISHRA OS # 2 - Light and dark

Light and dark

Raman was relieved seeing the sleeping form of his wife and daughter cuddled on his bed after he let himself into the house. Ruhi his doll. A ghost of a smile spread across his face when he observed little Ruhi's posture. She was all sprawled with her head on her pillow facing the celling. Ruhi's right arm was curled around Ishita's neck while her head was turned facing Ruhi almost looking up at her angelic face, Again a small smile playing on her lips while Ishita had her free arm holding Ruhi calf muscle like she was massaging it when she dropped off to sleep. "In dono mae na, ma koun hai aur beti kaun kal poochna hai inse" he let out a surreal chuckle; "Humari ma bante jaa rahi hai yeh Ruhi mothers day ka gift isse dena tha mujhe". He let himself down next to his darling daughter, leaned in to observe her face closely from the little light that was streaming in through the drawn curtains. He touched her cheeks and bent down to drop a feather light kiss on his little girls cheek. Almost as a reflex he stretched a little further and kissed Ishita too lightly on her cheek. Instantaneously something snapped in him. He quietly slinked out of bed and headed to the shower. It was months since he had done that. But today was really heavy on his soul. The visit to the hospital and Adi asking for his arrest and Shagun's suicide attempt, and the effect all this would have on his son tore his insides. The desperation a father feels when he cannot reach out to his own child was gnawing. All his success in the world, even his loving daughter and angelic wife could not help fill the hole that was there in his heart. He stood under the shower crying and hoping that the flowing water could take his agony with it.

The sound of the water woke Ishita. She looked around to find Raman's mobile on the bedside table. She was too angry to pick up the muffled sobs. She was too caring not to get off her bed and lay out a small meal after all it was almost midnight now and she was sure he left the sagai in such haste ate nothing thereafter. She went over to the kitchen heated up Raman's meal set in on the table and would have headed back into the bedroom if she had not rammed into Raman one more time. His body felt different she thought. Raman walked past her and headed straight to fix himself a drink. The freshly showered Raman looked every inch the CEO Raavan Kumar Bhalla as he sat down on the sofa cradling his drink. The man appeared completely in control. She stood still where ever she was and followed his movements trying to understand what was different between now and the last time she rammed into him a few hours earlier. She was cross with him , for leaving the event hall without letting her finish her speech, for not taking her calls after he left, for not letting her know why he left the way he did. Romi had told her about how Raman had got to him record her speech for him , so she knew that it did matter to him. But all the same she meant to give him a downsizing. The man's arrogance deserved it.

She walked over to him. Hands on her hips she started her tirade on him. He realized how she yelled at him in a low husky voice; so that the rest of the family was not disturbed. He never thought that was possible for someone to yell the way she was yelling - with so much concern and anger! He was watching her nothing that she said reached his brain. He only saw flashes of anger, disappointment and affection in her eyes. He did not react. Ishita paused when see realised that he was silent. His eyes all puffy , it seemed like he had just cried. She hurriedly fell to her knees, kneeled in front of him so that she was eye to eye with him. She put away his drink held his hands, crinkled her eye brows and asked him kya hua Raman?' The concern in her voice made him break his hands free and hug her hard. " Ishita chahe kuch bhi ho jaye ; agar tumhe apna pyar...tumhe mujhe chodke jaana hai toh promise me Ishita tum khabhi bhi Ruhi se meri bhurayee nahi karogi...Adi toh gaya mere haath se par Ruhi...mai uske aur tumhare bina nahi reh sakta hoon." " kya hua Raman' she asked him again completely taken aback at the hug and the tears that seemed to be falling on her shoulder blades. She held him like she would hold Ruhi - with all her heart. She moved back to raise her hands to his face and wipe his tears away. She turned reached for his drink and handed it back to him. Got up and sat on the arm of his sofa and asked him " would you like to tell me what's going on?"

She then pulled him up and asked him to go over to the table and finish his meal. Drink after you finish your meal she plucked his drink back from his hand and led him to the table. He followed suit and took in the warmth of the food and the woman who had pulled up a chair and was sitting at his elbow. He finished his meal in silence ..looked at Ishita and told her "Shagun over dosed herself on her sleeping pills. Adi had rushed her to the hospital, he called me from there! The police were there too and he wants me arrested for causing her mental torture and abetting her suicide. She was okay, she called me in to threaten me that she could have me arrested anytime if i did not pay listen to her." Ishita was aghast. She bit her trembling lip and told him " Raman wo jaanti nahi hai iss new improved Raman Kumar Bhalla ko. Aapko thang kar saki hai par bhigad nahi sakti. Don't worry Ramn puttar kuch nahi hoga...she's a coward Raman a desperate coward. Don't get me wrong Adi is a child but he is selfish. The day he knows that Shagun and Ashok are using him in different ways and his future is secure only with you his dad he will realise what you are. Let's see how to get him to see that. There must be someone outside of Ashok and Shagun that he trusts. We are in this together. Biwi hai aapki takkar ki remember." and she slammed into his shoulder. Raman turned to look at her and smiled this time again from his heart. Ishita cleared the table while Raman walked over to the sink to pour his drink down the drain.

He smiled at Ishita and they walked to their bedroom. Ruhi in her sleep seemed to have drifted off closer to Ishita' end of the bed. When he got to her he was in the middle of the bed. He gently tucked her into him and waited for her to throw her leg over his torso. Sure enough she did that and he smiled again. He saw Ishita walk up to the window and close the curtains. She walked to Raman's side of the bed to slip under the cover. She lay down next to him. Turned his head to her and whispered like lovers do " Raman humari story ulti chaal rahi hai. Pehle bacchi hui, phir shaadi uske baad. Aabi abhi aapne line marna, gifts dena shuru kiya. Aage aapko muhje patana, mere lecture sunna padega, propose karna hai aur phir honeymoon pe lekhe jaana. Poori zindagi jehlna padega mujhe." she smiled. He looked into her eyes in the darkness "gladly" he smiled before he closed his eyes. Raman felt good again, the two souls that trusted him next to him. Life was livable.