SS: Sometimes there is no right way! - PART 5 updated on Page 10 - Page 4

PART 3

ISHITA -

"Paithyam... Idiot... don't know how to drive a car but think that they own the road... blind fools..." I honk really hard at the driver in front of me... if the fiasco at home wasn't enough, I am not stuck in this horrendous Delhi traffic... and to top it off... it's raining... when does it ever rain in June??? Especially in Delhi??? It is just not my day...

I can feel Adi's tension... he is fidgety... he is nervous... poor kid... a neurotically over protective mother and a fire-breathing Raavan Kumar for a father... he must really be cursing destiny... he gets a chance to choose his mom... and ends up with me!!! I want to make him understand... I really want him to know that my intentions were good... just the execution was messed up... but what do I say??? How do I tell my 12 year old that his Ishima messed up??? That the sensible, balanced, polite Dr. Ishita Iyer Raman Bhalla becomes a complete emotional, impulsive momma tiger when it comes to her kids... that the fact that they are not a fruit of my womb makes me fear that I will lose them... that someday, somewhere, someone will be able to rip them away from me... my son is 12... he shouldn't be burdened with his mother's baggage... but unfortunately, somehow he is facing the consequences of that baggage... While I am still gathering my thoughts, I hear Adi call me... "Ishima... I am so sorry... I am so sorry... it is because of me that you and Papa are fighting... I am the cause for this..."

I immediately stop the car and gather my little boy in a hug as he cries... I let him cry while I try to take in his words... he thinks that he is the reason for our fight... he is scared that I will leave him... he thinks that if I leave then his father will again become a stranger to him... may be even force him to live with Shagun... my heart breaks for this little child... Aiyyo Murugan... what a mess Raman and I have created... my poor baby... I slowly wipe Adi's tears and tell him... "Adi... look at me... I am your Ishima... I will always be your Ishima... and this is not just because I am your father's wife... yes... there was a time when you were my son only because you were my husband's son... at that time I was your step mother and I was ok with that... but now... in the last few months... our relationship has changed... we have changed... we have forged our own bond... I may not have given birth to you... but I did give you a new life... you may not have been raised by me till now... but you chose to come to me with your problems... you chose to discuss your concerns with me... and coming to your Papa... let me make this very clear to you... your Papa and I... we love each other a lot... but at the same time we are two different people... with very strong opinions and a lot of faults... so we will fight... we will always fight... but we are NEVER going leave each other... we are not a perfect couple... even after a year we are still learning to live with each other... but there is one thing that is true... that WE LOVE EACH OTHER and WE LOVE OUR ADI AND RUHI... so don't you worry... hamara toh chalta rahega...". I then begin to drive...

I can see the relief in Adi's eyes... I can see that naughty childish spark back in his eyes... just like the one his father has... before I lose the moment I apologize to Adi... I say that I am sorry for the Detective Momma routine that I pulled... that I should have directly spoken to him about my worries and that it was wrong and uncalled for... the way I breached his privacy... Adi asks me if it was ok to miss his swimming classes... that if I would take him for my favourite Dosa joint for breakfast... apparently the drama at home meant that everyone forgot about his breakfast... and in his own words... Even Ishima was not there to remember and force him to eat!!! I begin to smile... I ask him to call up home and inform that he is going out with me and not for his swim classes... he immediately calls home... it is Raman that he is speaking to... I guess Raman wanted to speak to me because Adi passes over the phone to me... right now... I cannot... I cannot talk to him... the wound of his words is just too raw... so I cut the call... Adi looks worried... I assure him that this is temporary... that his Papa and I are both really angry with each other and if we speak... there are going to be fireworks... so it is better if we just take a step back... cool down a little... he looks apprehensive but still nods... to distract him I let him know a secret... "you know Adi... the place that we are going to today...is very special... no one knows about it... not my parent... not my sisters... certainly not your Papa... even Rooh doesn't know about it"... Suddenly Adi looks interested... and I realize something... this is our first mother and son secret... yes... we did have a secret about Raman's job... but Raman was a part of it... but this... this is special... something only between me and my son... No Ruhi... No Raman papa... only Adi and his Ishima...

I go on to tell him how this small Dosa joint on the banks of river Yamuna was my solace... that every time the going got tough I would come here... a cup of hot filter coffee and hot, steaming Dosas... my comfort food... we get down and walk to the stall... I introduce Adi to the "Dosa Anna" as I call him... we each order a plate of Dosa... I also order a glass of filter coffee for me and Horlicks for Adi... we take our breakfast and move towards the river bank to sit under one of the umbrellas on two rickety old folding tin chairs... there is a slight drizzle... As I take a sip of the coffee I hear Adi ask me..."Why??? Ishima... why did you do it??? I mean... with Ruhi I have never seen you like this... in fact when Papa shouts at her... you protect her... then why is it like this with me???"

I look at my son and realize something... my son may be only twelve years old, but the turbulence in his life has forced him to grow up... I can see it in his eyes... the maturity... the understanding... he has grown up and I can't do anything about it... so while still mourning the loss of my son's innocence, I decided to talk to him like a grown up...

"You know Adi... every girl just assumes that she is going to grow up... meet her prince charming... have babies and becoming a good mother... I also had the same dreams... and then... everything changed... I found out that I may not be able to have a baby of my own... when I was really young... I fell ill... the doctors managed to save me... and don't get me wrong... I am grateful to them for doing so... but in the process my body became too weak to have a baby of my own... when everyone came to know about my problem... the person I thought was the closest to me abandoned me... I realized that people saw me differently... then I met Ruhi... She and I had a different connection... we never needed a third person or a reason to become each other's family... we both chose each other even when there was no known relation between us... with her it just happened... and she was so young... I was the only mother she knew... then I met your Papa... we fought... we got married... we fought... we became friends... and we still fought... and now... we are in love... and we are still fighting..." I say with a wink and smile...

I ask him to drink his Horlicks... telling him how it is a beverage found in most hotels in the south... and then I continue... "Adi... you and I... we did not have a cosmic connection... we came in each other's lives because of Raman and Ruhi... we learnt to co-exist in the same house because of Raman and Ruhi... we even managed to have a cordial relationship because of Raman and Ruhi... well you because you wanted to keep your Papa happy... and I because I wanted Ruhi to have a healthy relationship with her brother... slowly our relationship changed... and then... you made a choice... to make me your Ishima... I became Ishima from Ishita Aunty... and to me... that is a privilege... to most women... becoming a mother is a natural progression of life... but not for me... with Ruhi... it was destiny... but with you... it was a choice... you did not have to make me your Ishima... and that makes it special... so special that I want to just keep you for myself... protect you from the whole world... make up for all the pain in your past... and somewhere behind all this... is a fear... a fear that one day you will regret having me as your Ishima... that one day you will be ripped from my arms because I did not give birth to you... also... I want you to be great... I want you to be like your dad... reaching for success without compromising on you principles... so I go kind of over board..."

"Kind of Ishima??? You went all SpyMom on me..." he grins back... "Ishima... I love you... I will always love you... so relax... oh! And one more thing... I know you love to lecture... and I wouldn't mind an occasional dose... but definitely not in front of my friends... I promise that I am not gonna hide anything from you... I am going to get into trouble... but only informed trouble... trouble which would lead to may be grounding... no more of the police-dropping-me-home or the friend's-parents-complaining kind of trouble... I promise..."

We both laugh and walk towards the car... the ride back home is much more relaxed... Adi seems to be skirting around the issue of forgiveness... I recall the counselor's words and suddenly understand what he means... so I decide to catch the bull by the horns... "Adi... I think it is OK if in the future you decide to forgive your Shagun Mamma... everyone deserves another chance... especially a mother... after all we mothers can be all kinds of crazy... After all Adi, you and I both need to be grateful to her... after all... if it wasn't for her... you wouldn't be here... and there would not have been an Ishima and her Baccha party... so... if you ever want to have a shot at a relationship with your Shagun mamma... your Ishima is always there to talk"... I see Adi's smile and realize that today we have moved ahead in our relationship... we have become friends...

I park the car in the apartment complex and get out with Adi... I can see Raman standing at the window looking at us... I decide to ignore him... Adi also looks at the window and then turns towards me... "Ishima... Please don't make papa suffer too long... keep the punishment short" he smiles at me... I smile back... Adi may be a grown up in many things but he is still a child when it comes to his parents... he does not realize the depth of hurt in his father's words... and I am OK with that... because I never ever want my children to be disappointed of their father... I pull his ear and ask him to go home... he runs away... but not before yelling - "Ishima... it is ok if sometimes you want to... you know... kind of keep tabs on me... just try not to do it in front of my friends... oh! And the NannyCam-SpyMom thing... Not cool! That is a strict no..." I nod my head and laugh while walking back to the car... I reverse my car and begin to drive to towards the exit when I see Raman in the rear mirror... I may have sorted out the mess with my son... but He is another matter... and right now... I don't have the energy to deal with it... so I leave...

Originally posted by: nitii

i want this on the Show badly..too good yaar..

what..Raman was tipsy???

i hope ishita interacts well with Adi and make him understand the current issues..also apologize on being over-protective towards him..denying privacy

Raman realized his part of blunder now atleast..

whatever..he has to work hard now..afterall convincing Ishita is easy..but not JKR right😆

Ishita staying at vandita's house isn't going to help him either..all the best for Raman..

i really want ishita to be the hard nut to crack..Raman can't escape always right..😡

love your writing..😳

pls update soon

P.S i loved how everyone ignored him..which they never did in the show at difficult times👏