Chapter 4

IshqKaRang

@IshqKaRang

Chapter 4 Teri ungaliyon se jaa uljhe

Morning tea had become an unusually quiet affair for the Pandyas, disrupted occasionally only by Rishita Bhabhi’s chatter. Even Krish, who always had a quip or two ready at any instant, had gone quieter. No one said anything out loud, but Shiva knew that Raavi leaving had left a silent void in everyone’s hearts. She had been a part of their lives for so long and now.. there was no sign of her. 

It had been a week since that fateful night when he had saved her from those goons. The very next day, his lawyer had informed him that Raavi had signed the divorce papers and they were now filed in court, awaiting a date. And then, his existence seemed to have turned into an endless void filled with a wait. A wait for what? He did not know. Nevertheless every night, he sat below her window sill, out of sight, watching her as she slept.

A knock on the door took everyone by surprise. “I’ll go see,” Dhara said, setting her cup of tea aside. “Itni subah subah kaun aa gaya?” Suman wondered out loud. 

“Maamaji? Aap?”

Shiva was the first one on his feet and at the door. His first thought had been Raavi. “Raavi.. Raavi theek hai na?” Shiva asked, his heart thumping so loudly with foreboding that he was afraid no one would be able to hear his voice above it. 

Mamaji simply nodded his head at Shiva and turned to Dhara. “Kya main motiben se do minute mil saktha hoon, please?” He asked Dhara with folded hands. “Of course Mamaji! Please come in!” “Nahi, Dhara beta. Main yahin theek hoon,” Maamaji replied. The resignation and dejection in his voice was missed by neither Dhara or Shiva. Suman appeared behind them and Krish pushed her forward as Dhara and Shiva moved out of her way. “Andar aa jaa,” Suman said softly. “Nahi Motiben. Main yahin theek hoon,” Maamaji insisted.

“Motiben,” he looked towards Shiva nervously for a second. 

“Divorce ke paper file ho chuke hain. Ab kuch nahi ho sakta,” Shiva interjected, assuming that Maamaji was here in a last ditch effort to save Raavi’s and his marriage. 

“Jaanta hoon, beta,” was Maamaji’s response. “Motiben, main Raavi aur Shiva ke baare mein baath karne nahi aaya. Sirf Raavi ke baare mein baath karne aaya hoon.” Everyone looked at him curiously as Maamaji gathered his courage. 

“Raavi.. woh.. Darasal.. Motiben aap tho jaanti hai na.. Phool jaisi bachchi hai humari.. abhi uski umar hi kya hai? Aur uss bachchi ke saath itna kuch.. itna kuch ho gaya ki..” Maamaji seemed to be struggling to say something.

Everyone waited with bated breath. Wondering what Maamaji was getting at. Maamji’s eyes kept darting towards Shiva and Shiva had an overwhelming urge to go shake him to get him to spit out whatever he wanted to say. 

Maamaji finally let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and said in one go, “Prafulla chaahthi hai ki Raavi ki doosri shaadi..” he gulped nervously as silence hung heavily in the air. 

“Aur Raavi?” Dhara asked, “woh kya chaahthi hai?”. Instinctively, she laid a protective hand on Shiva’s shoulder as if she were preparing him for the blow he was about to get. 

“Raavi maan gayi hai,” Maamaji said quietly and Shiva felt as if he had been punched in his solar plexus. Raavi had agreed to get married again? He started to see spots dance in front of his eyes and had to blink quite a few times to see clearly again. 

“Raavi bhabhi maan gayi?” Krish asked, shocked. “I mean, Raavi maan gayi? Ab tho woh bhabhi nahi..” Before he could finish his sentence though, Dev smacked him on the back of his head asking him to keep quiet. 

“Raavi maan gayi?” Suman asked softly, finding it hard to believe. 

Suman had always liked Raavi. The girl was all heart and soul and she knew without a shred of doubt that the love and devotion she had towards the family was sincere. She’d always marveled how the girl had remained untouched by the absolute vileness that she’d lived with all her life, Prafulla. She had hoped that maybe Raavi would bring in some love and light into her Shiva’s life. Of all her sons, Suman was acutely aware that her Shiva had taken the hardest hit with everything that had happened in their lives. Her son had lost his childhood and had grown up overnight. The only times she saw a spark back in her Shiva’s eyes was when he fought and bickered with Raavi. Despite all the hatred he openly expressed towards Raavi, Suman was his mom and she knew that there was a lot more behind those walls he had created around his heart. She had been counting on Raavi’s kindness and strength to break through and reach him. But maybe, she was wrong to expect that from Raavi. Why should Raavi choose this life for herself? Raavi had every right to expect love and happiness in her life, just the way she spread it everywhere around her.

“Sahi kaha tu ne. Uske paas uski puri zindagi padi hai. Shayad ye hi Baba Somnath ki ichcha hai,” Suman finally said. 

“Baba Somnath kya chahthe hain ye tho wo hi jaante hain, Motiben..” Maamaji paused. “Patha nahi aur kitni takleefein aur kitne dukh likhe hain meri bachchi ke zindagi mein. Par aap jaanthi hain, Motiben? Pichle kuch dino mein maine usme pehle waali Raavi ki jhalak dekhi hai. Mujhe samajh nahi aa rahi hai ki itne dukh jhelne ke baad bhi, woh.. Usmein.. Ek ajeeb tarah ka tehrav, ek sukoon, ek khushi jaise hai uske chehre par.”

Shiva turned away at that. It shattered his heart into a million pieces to hear that Raavi was happy or content moving on in her life. But it also assured him that whatever he had done was right. Raavi had finally found freedom from a marriage that had been forced on her. And in her freedom and joy, he would find his happiness, somehow, anyhow.

“Lekin, Motiben. Main fir se aaj tujhse haath jodhkar apni bachchi ki zindagi ki bheek maangne aaya hoon,” Maamaji said.

“Mujhse? Main kya..” Suman asked, wondering what he was getting at.

“Woh.. Raavi..” Maamaji started hesitantly.

“Raavi kya Maamaji?” Gaumbi asked.

 “Raavi ki ek sharth hai.”

“Kaisi sharth?” Dhara asked.

“Woh chaahthi hai ki uske liye ladka Shiva dhoonde.”