#1| IshRa : Meherbaan FF | Thread One - Complete. Moved to Thread Two. - Page 4

C H A P T E R 3 K Y A Y E H I P Y A A R H A I

Chapter Edited by Dhara (@dsgirl)

"Ishita ko kitna accha pati mila hai. Kisne socha tha ki bechari ka ghar bhas jayega. Kitni kush hai wo. Waise, kya karta hai uska pati? Shadi mein toh bulaya hi nahi Vandita ki maa ne. [Ishita has fetched herself such a good husband. Who would have thought that the poor child would have a family of her own. Anyways, what does her husband work as? No one invited us to her wedding.]"

"Arreh. Kaise bulate, lafanga se shadi jo ki hai. Ek toh accha gun hai toh batao uss admi mein. Apni pehli patni ke pallu mein banda hua hai. Humari bechari Ishu, kaise admi se shaadi ki hai uske pita ne uski. Beti toh humare ghar ki hai na. Ab kuch hoga toh humein hi dekhna padega. Aur bhai toh uska hai nahi jo uske pati ko do laga de. Badtameez. Aur yeh bechari uske ghar, parivar, baccha aur apne clinic sambhalne mein lagi rehti hai. [Oh. How would she call you, she married an useless loafer. A guy without any good qualities. A guy whose decisions are still bound to his ex-wife. Our poor Ishita, her father married her off no horribly. She is our daughter, isn't she? Now, if anything goes wrong we have to look out of her, don't we? The poor child doesn't have any brother to look out for her either. Manner less. And this poor girl looks after his house, family, kids and her clinic too.]" Vandita's mother-in-law initiated her usual drama. "Aur uski beti, kitni badtameez hai. Bado se baat karne ki tameez hi nahi. Aur pati, uski kam(less) kahein toh, utna hi behtar hoga. [And his daughter, how manner less can that child even be. She speaks like an adult, with no hint of manners at all. And on her husband, the less I say, the better] "

"Nahi, toh. Main mili thi usse. Jab Madhavi ka accident hua tha toh usse lekar aaya tha. Kitna pyara ladka hai. Aur Ishita ka bohot khyal rakh leta hai. Jab Mihika and woh ladka usse ched rahe the toh voh chup chap unka kehna mann raha tha. Aur waha car park mein Ishita se kaise hass ke bath kar raha tha. [I completely disagree. I met that guy. He arrived with Madhavi a few days after her accident. What a loving guy. And he takes so much care of Ishita. Even when Mihika and that guy teased them he sat there quietly and allowed their teasing. And in the car park, he spoke to Ishita so lovingly, in smiles.] " Madhavi's friend contradicted.

"Arreh, itna pyaar toh aayega na. Apni pehli biwi se chakkar jo chala raha tha. Aur accident bhi toh uske gyarah sal ke bete ne kiya tha. [It would cost him that kuch love, wouldn't it? During that time he had an affair with his ex-wife and the accident was caused by his eleven year old son.]" Bala's mother attempted to "control" the situation.

"Kya bol rahi ho, woh toh itna chota dikhta hai. Uska aur gyarah saal ka beta.[What are you saying, he looks so young. How can he have a eleven year old son?]"

"Arreh. Uske pehli biwi ko deka, supermodel ki tarah dekhti hai. Supermodel toh kya, har waqt newspapers mein hota hai. [Ah. Did you even meet his first wife? She resembles a supermodel. Forget supermodels, she makes headlines all the time.]" Bala's mother smirked as she realised that she finally had their attention. "Arre. Wahi, Shagun. Shagun Mehta."

"Kya bol rahi ho. Shagun Mehta ka ex-husband to ek billionaire hai. Ishita ki shadi itne bade admi ke saath nahi ho sakti. Kaun hai woh, jisne abhi abhi uss badi electronics company ko khareed liya. Naam nahi aa raha. [What the hell are you on about? Shagun Mehta's ex-husband is a billionaire. Ishita can't possibly marry such a guy. Who was he again, the guy who just took over a certain popular electronics company.]"

"Haan. Woh toh. Joh har waqt news mein atta hai. Mera beta jab uske buisiness news ke channels pe guss jata hai, tab wo boy ke interview sab log rapt attention mein dekhte hai. Madhavi and Vishwanathan ki itni pohonch nahi ki woh Ishita jaise ladki koh aside admi ke saath kar sakte hai. [Yes. That guy. The guy who is forever in the news. Whenever my son watched his business news, that boy's interview is watched in rapt attention by most people.]"

"Jaise app samjhe." Bala's mother tried to calm the situation. There were no chances that Raman would come here, if Raman didn't come here Subbu wouldn't know about him and nor would anyone else, that was better. Why did she have to go and dig her own grave?

"Arreh. Bala ki ma, aise toh nahi ki Ishita ne apke Subbu ko chhod diya. Ab woh finally 7 years ke baad laut aayi hai. Aisa toh nahi ki woh uss ladke ke pyaar mein apke bete ko bhoola gayi, after all un dono ki choti si beti hai. Aur aaj subah dekha nahi, kitni pyaari si beti hai. [Ah. Bala'a mother, are you sure that it wasn't Ishita who dumped your son. Now, she returns seven years later. Isnt it that she she fell in love with that guy and forgot all about your son, after all they have a little girl. You observed it in the morning, such a cute child.]"

"Aur utna ki khadoos bap hai uss baccha ka." Bala's mother muttered. And hurried to change the topic the topic as she saw her younger son enter with his wife. Unknown to her, her son had heard the last bit of the conversation and had forced a nonchalant smile on his face as he walked into the room. "Subbu, Nalini, beta how did you'll sleep? Mera Abhilan kaha hai?"

"We slept fine. Abhilan is sleeping." Replied Nalini. "Ma, isn't that Vaishnavi, and her daughter Tamanna? Subbu, Vaishnavi, your boss's sister. Her daughter studies in that hot shot school and her husband holds a very good position in Delhi. He's quite powerful and she liked me. We are friends. Let's say, hi. But what is she doing here?"

"Wait a second, nashta toh karle. Please."

"Sure, Subbu. I was just saying. After all, making connections is good in anyone line of job." Nalini retorted.

"Ishita, beta yaha ao." Vishwa's maternal grandmother who had just walked in called out to her grandchild. "You are looking beautiful. Ethereal. Kisi ki nazar na lage meri bacchi ko." She said kissing Ishita's forehead as they sat on the nearby swing. "Waise, aapka, kya bulaya karti ho tumhe, yes, kud kud Kumar, kaha hai woh. I'm waiting to meet him. Shravan bata raha tha and then Vadhu joined in. Kya tum aur Ruhi sach mein usse boycott karte ho? Shravan, was suggesting that they do they same to Bala. Vandita refused."

"Kud Kud Kumar? Paati. Woh."

"I know. Shravan, Vandu ko uske appa ke liye "cool wala petname" rakhne ko keh raha tha, jaise chitti Ruhi ke papa ko Kud Kud Kumar kehti hai. Ishi, seven years. What did we do that you refused to contact us for seven years. Subbu ne apse rishta toda toh hum bhi paraye ho gaye kya. You got married and are a mother. You didn't even tell us, nor did Bala, Vandita or anyone else. It was that Shravan visited for the first time and he happened to overhear our conversation about you that he revealed everything. If it wasn't for Shravan would we even know where you were? And if it wasn't for Vishwa's wedding would you even come here." Paati whispered almost on verge of tears. "Tell me about them, I want to atleast know my great grand daughter before I meet her. I told Akshita to get your laptop. Take this, you must have pictures."

Ishita booted her MacBook and proceeded to introduce her brats to the woman who loved her unconditionally, the only she would like to keep in dark about her medical condition. It wasn't that Paati wouldn't love Ruhi because she wasn't blood related to Ishita. Ruhi meant more to Ishita than any biological child could mean to any mother. If it was Aditya for Raman, Ruhi was the reason Ishita lived. Her bundle of joy who lit her world. Ishita could do anything for Ruhi. Anything, per se. But paati, paati wouldn't be able to deal with the fact that Ishita went through all that alone. If paati had forgiven Ishita for her absence, Ishita was certain she wouldn't forgive her for hiding. Ishita would introduce paati to her daughter. Her first child - Ruhanika.

"Yeh hai Kud Kud Kumar. Har waqt nak pe gussa savar hota hai iske. The residential angry young man. Aur yeh hai Ruhanika, humari beti. Five years old. Meri jaan basti hai ismein. Raman kehta hai, ki yeh sabki dadi amma hai. Paati, she is too wise to be a five year old. Kitni pretty hai na. Yeh hai jab Ruhi paida hui thi, mera golu sa baccha. Yeh jab isne pehle kadam liya tha. Jab uske pehle daant aye the. Raman kitna disgusting hai, uske pehle potty ka bhi picture liya hai usne. Yeh hai Ruhi ke first steps. Yeh jab usne solid food khana suru kiya tha. Aur jab wo pehli bar ro rahi thi. Jab Ruhi paida hui thi to Raman se doctor ko Ruhi ke bum pe slap karne rok liya tha, until use bahar nikal gaya tha. aur ye hai Ruhi ka fourth birthday one year ago. Raavan ne chashma pehna hua hai, yeh Raman ke award function pe."

Ishita chocked on her own voice. How could she explain it to her Paati that she too had lived through the first three and a half years of Ruhi's life through various other home videos like these.

"Aur apke shaadi ke photo. Apke shaadi ka photo? Yeh, kya hai?"

"Paati, wo videos hai jo mujhe humare family ne diye the yaha anne se pehle. Pehle photos dekhte hai and then videos."

At another corner of the nation a mischievous five year old packed her bags with her Mikku Akka and partner in crime. Her hawk like gaze preparing to search for her mother in a while. When Ruhi said that she loved her Ishima, that was an understatement. The minute Ruhi overheard that her Mama was visiting her ancestral house for a long time and was planning on leaving her favourite R's behind she had deviced a plan. After tormenting and attacking her father to confirm that he had nothing to do with her mother's long trip (which has been a shocker to her father himself) they had deviced a plan to protect Ishima. Ruhi had agreed to be the first pataka - her Ishima's angel covered in eternal love. So after catching hold of two senior boys who had cowered upon hearing Adi bhaiyas name and with a little help from Adi bhaiya himself, Ruhi had successfully paved her way out of school and into a vacation with her Ishima. It cost alot of promises, talks and pouts when it came to her father too. But in the end her plan had been successful. Ruhi squinted her eyes as she tried to recollect the list of all the important belongings that she needed to pack.

When men said that they had undivided freedom when their wife and kid was away, Raman Bhalla concluded that they lied. And if they didn't, those men didn't deserve to be called as men. They were pipsqueaks. No, Raman didn't miss his wife and heck no, he didn't love her. There were no blowing winds reminding him of his 'tanhai' or anything else for example the urge to meet her. He just felt immensely protective of her, if she was going to be be surrounded by those Madrasans and those silly cousins of hers, she would come back worse. Mihika was enough influence on her, adding a whole herd of cousins to her list of influences was a bad deal. Raman Bhalla recognised good deals and bad one. And the only way to save his deal from going bad and his life from getting any "worse" than it already was, was if he followed his daughter to her mother. He picked his cell phone up and dialled his managers number, "Mihir, let's wrap up this month's important quota that needs my immediate attention within this week. We have a wedding to attend."