Chapter 29

unicornwriter

@unicornwriter

CHAPTER 28 : OWNING THE GAME

"Yeh mera ghar. Tum log yeh kya kar rahe ho?" Mr Deshmukh tried stopping them.

"yeh tumhara ghar tha ab yeh hamara hai." came a voice from the door turning around Raghav saw Aaji, Aai and Baba standing with a smirk on their faces.

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"Aaji." Raghav was stunned to see the trio at the door.

"Rakesh samaan andar rakho hamara." Aaji instructed one of the worker who gladly nodded in approval and started bringing in their bags along with the others. The entire Deshmukh family along with the Rao's were stunned at the sudden reveal. 

"Aaji yeh aap kya kar raha hai?" he asked coming out of the sudden shock.

"Apni bachchi ke liye uska naya ghar tayyar karwa rahi hoon. Main nahin chahti ki kisi ki bhi manhoos puraani yaad uski khushi kharaab krde." replied Aaji who crossed the threshold along with Aai and Baba , as they stood by her side.

"Par Aaji yeh toh Deshmukhs ka ghar hai na." Farhad said.

"Unka ghar tha badaa par yeh ab hamara hai. Samazla. " Aai replied with authority.

"Yeh ghar kabhi inka tha hi nahin. Illegal atreeke se galat papers istemaal karke inhe mila tha. Yeh mere pati ka ghar tha jisse aaj main wapas leti hoon." Aaji stunned everyone by her statement as Mr Deshmukh's face turned pale.

"Par yeh ghar to hume Jitesh dada ne diya tha na. Haina aho?" Sharda Aai asked her husband.

"Han. Yeh kaise ho sakta hai?" Mr Deshmukh was equally shocked.

"Woh sab ab hum nahin jaante. Ab yeh hamara ghar hai toh niklo yahan se. Uthao apna yeh third class boriya bister aur nikal jao mere ghar se." Baba said in a stern voice throwing away one of Mrs Deshmukhs vase.

"Dada yeh kya keh rhe hai." , "Kaka" said Sulachona kaku and Mansi together. 

"Mujhe kuch samajh nahin aa raha hai" Mr Deshmukh held his head as he sat down with a thud. Raghav ran to him along with everyone as he got the man up and seated on the sofa.

"Sanki buddhe tum pareshaan nakko honeka. Main hai na, main dekhta hai." Raghav assured the old man.

"Toh ab tum inka saath doge Raghav. Hume toh pehle hi samajh jaana chahiye tha aakhir hamari bachchi ki zindagi barbaad krne main tumhara itna bada haath jo hai." baba taunted him.

"Dekho kaka main jaanta hai ki tum log sach janne ke baad naraaz hai magar aise jaldbaazi main tum galat faisla le raha hai." Raghav tried to reason them.

"Faisal toh hamara tab galat tha jab maine tujhe apne ghar main jagah di. Tujhe meri bachchi ki zindagi main wapas aane ka raasta diya." Aaji said, her eyes oozing anger.

"Aaji." but the anger soon was replaced by softness when they heard a voice. there stood Pallavi at the door beside Shiva who had just gotten back after signing a few forms.

"Yeh sab kya ho raha hai aur hum yahan kyun aaye hain?" asked a confused Pallavi as she saw the distorted Deshmukhs on one side and her angered family on one while Raghav stood in the middle of them.

"Kyunki yeh hamara ghar hai Pallu. Tere aazoba ka ghar jo abse tera hai. Aaja andar." Aaji said making Pallavi even more confused.

"Par hamara ghar kaise Aaji. Yeh toh-" Pallavi started questioning until she realized the truth, "Yeh azoba ki family property." the realisation struck her like a lightening. Indeed the world was too small.

"Ho meri bachchi. Isliye toh ab yeh hamari hai. Chal jali se apne shubh kadam hamari laxmi ke roop main andar rakh. Shiva andar la isko." aaji spoke in a tender voice before turning to face the Deshmukhs, 'Aur tum log, tumahara samaan bahar daal diya hai toh nikal jao mere ghar se." she commanded to them.

"Aai! Kaka ! Aap mere saath chaliye. Main sab ambhaal lega." Raghav held Aai's hand as he assured her that until he's here, he'll never let anything happen to them, turning to Farhad he ordered, "Farhad hamara lawyer ko bula. Mereko urgently yeh matter solve krna hai."

Pallavi was too stunned to react as she kept looking at the threshold of this house. It was the same threshold where months back she was dragged out of as she begged. The haunting memories of that unfateful night flashed like a painful stab infront of her eyes as she remembered each and every word spoken by her so called family members, as they questioned her character, called her names and what not just because an outsider had stated some ill statements. Instead of trusting the women they had known to call their daughters, they painted her pure attire in black and cold words as she fell over Mr Deshmukh's feet.

Sensing his best friends pain, Shiva lightly clasped her palm into his as he blinked his eyes in assurance at her. Pallavi looked at him and then at the family that Raghav held, as he started getting them out of the house. At one point when they reached closer to the threshold together, their hands almost touchign each others, Pallavi felt the electricity shoot through her body but one look into the eyes of Mr Deshmukh and she remembered how exactly her fate had turned his cards as she walked inside the house, she was once thrown out of while at the exact same moment the ones who had so proudly neglected her every hardwork to keep this house intact had to walk out of it. That's what karma is. Isn't it?

Aaji stopped her by the steps as she did her aarti along with Aai and Baba while the now homeless family looked at them from the porch outside. Aai hugged Raghav not believing that they had been disowned by their own daughter, forgetting who had actually started the game before.

"Aai aap pareshaan mat ho. Main hai na, Main sab theek kardega." Raghav assured the women as he seated her inside the car. Meanwhile Amma too reassured Sharda Aai.

"Han Sharda Ji. yeh pakka koi bahut bada misunderstanding hai." Amma said.

"Anna maine lawyer ko bula diya hai. woh on the way hai. Hume nikalna chahiye." Farhad informed.

'Hmm. Farhad tu baaki sabko dusri gaadi main laa. Main Amma, Amruta aur Aai ko lekar aata hoon." Raghav said.

Suddenly a wave of satisfaction or relief passed through him like a wind as he turned and found Pallavi on the terrace looking at them. she somehow looked a little distorted yet confused with the entire outlook.

"Main jaanta hai mera saree ka dukaan ki tum na chah kar bhi inka care karna nahin chhod sakta hai. I promise main yeh sab bahut jaldi hi theek kardega." he thought still looking at her before he drove away.

"Mujhe kuch samajh nahin aa raha Raghav ki yeh sab itna complicated kaise ho gaya hai. Apne confused emotions ki wajah se main apni family ke efforts, unki khushi nahin barbaad kar sakti hoon. Lekin dil main ek baat yeh bhi hai ki, mujhe pata hai ki mera ghamandi rao sab theek kardega." Pallavi thought as she watched him go away. The web she was running away from had gotten her entangled even more. The simpler life she wanted, the more it got complicated. It wasn't just about herself anymore. It was about two families fighting for and against her now.

I know i've taken too long and i am very sorry for that. Had been having a writer's block since the show went offair. I hope the story hasn't lost it's charm yet.