Parts 5A & 5B
His eyes yearned to see his Ruhi and Adi who would light up the house with their mere presence. A tear trickled down his right eye which he firmly wiped, gritting his jaw as the happenings from the past few days coursed through his mind. Every word that Raman had uttered echoed through his mind, the memories of his son's fury, the spiteful egoistic words he had spoken, the authority he had taken while making decisions and passing judgments. And his heart thumped hard again, more painfully than ever.
Where Shagun had uprooted him from his family, Ishita had threaded them together. She had bought Raman out of the self induced isolation and awakened the father and son in him that lay suppressed.
He had slowly and gradually become the one person everyone relied on... It wasn't that he hadn't been the one to fall back on before, but with Ishita standing by his side and shouldering the weight of his duties equally, as her own...they had both become the soul of the house.
What he had never dreamt of had happened. He had heard Raman emphasize many a time that this house was his and his decisions would be the last word. But it had never bothered him before, like it did when he exclaimed it recently.
He had done what he hadn't even when Shagun had tried so hard for it to happen. He had left his home, taken his' family in tow and walked out, shunning them all, his every responsibility and association with his own people. And Ishita had done nothing to stop it. She had walked out with him, hand in hand... breaking him and his faith even further.
Raman's words had battered his ego
@bold-blue: Says it all. I remember our conversation on Bhalla Ji's thoughts, about why he felt what he felt. It's not that he was entirely at fault either. The man's in an age where he's surrounded by insecurities galore about his and his wife's survival, his kids' (majority of which were still unsettled, either financially or emotionally), his grandkids and the demons they'd had to face, his pending responsibilities. In such an age, man begins to lose sight of the pragmatic approach, rather begins trusting his scene-in-sight vision more strongly, and tries to match it with all his fears for his old age. Bhalla has always been a principled man, proud of the values he imparted to his family, but did he really provide the said values? This entire incident shakes him up and makes him question his parenting. He's even ready to accept his flaws as a father when it comes to Romi and Rinky, but what he expects from Raman and Ishita is a bit more than they can give, and here, he has been a little short-sighted to truly figure out the cause behind their moving out. Mr. Bhalla is almost always right, this is the rare occasion when he's not, and since he's currently clouded by his judgement, it'll take him a while to understand the crux of the matter and resolve it. What hurts more is that despite witnessing Raman's love for his siblings, depsite knowing Ishita's person, he chooses to believe only what he sees and not what he sees deep down inside. You have penned his inner turmoil so well, that I can't help but feel a little sorry for him too, in addition to being angry on her.
@bold-red: Why IshRa are, and will always be the soul and sole of the house. Pun intended 😉
Mr Bhalla stated, irked at how happy Simmi looked on having spent time with her brother and his family, even more agitated that Raman had dropped her home but hadn't come inside the house.
He's irked because he wants to see Raman with his own eyes and make sure he's ok, but will never accept in this moment. Subtle indication of a father's love for his kid and his unmet expectations. Wonderfully weaved in Anku 👏 👏
My happiness matters the most to him and unfortunately I've let him down once again. I can see the same anger and defeat in his eyes for me like I did before. But even this time, I can't apologize. Not because I am too big enough for it, but because I can't feel sorry for standing up for my wife, for the woman who DOES deserve that I do so for her. Toh jab woh mujhe samajh payenge, aur mujhe maaf kar payenge...I'll come back. Till then, maybe staying away from him is the punishment I bear for hurting him
@bold-purple: 👏 👏 👏 That's the man, the Raman I fell in love with. Thank you for bringing him back ❤️
"Don't take me wrong Raman. But Mummy ji and Papa ji are everyone's responsibility. We're never going to wash our hands off them, never stop doing what we do. But do you realize that because we do everything, the others don't bother doing anything at all? Romi is so careless, even Rinki is growing to be so self- absorbed. They need to learn the true meaning of a family. Shayad kuch waqt humare kuch nahi karne se woh sab kuch karna seekh jaye. It's a bitter pill to swallow, and it may hurt to right now... but eventually it might turn out to be the best for everyone. Your little siblings need to finally grow up and this is the only chance... If that means we have to be in the wrong for them to learn to be in the right... so be it."
@bold-green: 👏 👏 👏 Like the old Raman, you also brought back the old Ishita, who loves and cares the utmost, but thinks practically about the future and what qualities do individuals in the family need to embibe to be a family. This Ishita reminds me of the Ishita of accident case, who wanted Adi to learn the implications of what he had done. Thank you for bringing her back too ❤️
Kids and Raman ready and helping Ishita
It is such an endearing sight. The small, happy family, in all senses of the word. Everyone understands the chores and shoulders them to the best of their abilities, so that the little home has a soul. The kids could teach a thing or two to their useless chachu and bua.
Support from Amma and Vandu
Goes on to show once again that how the values that Iyers have instilled in their kids are equally distributed, and much needed to navigate through the maze of their lives. Despite knowing the troubles their daughter and SIL had to go through, despite wanting them to stay and take care of the family, they did not intervene, because not only they understand the real matter at hand, but also the fact that a thin line should be maintained between the two families. Each home has it's own problems, and despite worrying for their daughter, they chose to support her silently because they respect hers and her husbands decision of doing what seems best for everyone.
Mrs Bhalla slumped on the couch in Ishita and Raman's bedroom. Her heart clenched and head throbbed in pain as she absorbed the ghastly tale that Simmi was re-counting. She had been away for just a few weeks and had returned to a broken, warring home...A home without the two people she trusted the most.
I can understand the plight of her mind at this point in time. Being the mother of the house, returning to a broken nest, only to find that the two cuckoos sustaining the foundation flew away (for whatever reasons) is as haunting as it can get for a mother. Like Mr. Bhalla, I can understand her predicament, and looking forward to how you handle things 😃 😃
I've said it numerous times, and I'll say it again. You and Neets are doing such a fab job with this story 👏 👏 She perceives the family situations realistically, and you frame them in words that make them instantly come alive. Your words have that soothing effect on the mind, that even your most angst-ridden piece, will only give calm to the readers.
And now that I'm at par with the updates in terms of comments, you can be assured I'll follow the story timely 😃
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