Chapter 5

23 days ago

Tanya

@TashaForever

Feelings
~Chapter 5~

Vidushi flopped down on the floor beside her bed. She looked lost, yet somehow, lacking emotion, expressionless and motionless. Tears welled up in her eyes but refused to fall.

*Flashback*

Last Night

Vidushi scurried of to her room and donned a piece of rag which she called a 'Skirt''. It looked more like a piece of cloth used for pocha(Wet cloth to sweep floor) to Sanyukta and the others xP She quickly ran towards the boys hostel, bumping with Parth on the way.

V: Arre Parth! Mai tumhe hi dhoond rahi thi! Chalo mere saath.

P: Vidushi. Tum yaha, itni raat ko?

Vidushi silenced Parth by placing her finger on his lips, and fragged him inside the nearest classroom.

'Vidushi aaj hi voh din hai. Maar de mauke pe chauka! Bol de usse apni dil ki baat. Aakhir Parth toh kehne se raha...toh tu hi keh de! Vaise bhi voh bhi tujse pyaar karta hai toh bas ek baar tu keh de, toh tum dono apne sapno ki duniya saja sakte ho...do teen bachche paal sakte ho!'', the devil that had appeared on her left shoulder, spoke, making her blush furiously.

Vidushi pulled Parth into the classroom and locked the door.

P: Arre Vidushi tum yeh kya...

Vidushi again shut him up by placing her hand on his mouth. Parth shifted uncomfortably. He felt something wrong was going to happen.

V: Umm Parth. Voh mujhe tumse kuch kehna hai. Parth maine tumhaari aakho mein voh dukh aur akelapan dekha hai jo mai mehsoos karti hu. Bhale hi tum Sanyukta aur baakiyo ke saath khush hone ka naatak karke gul mil sakte ho, par mere saamne tum yeh akelapan, yeh dard nahi chipa sakte. Parth mai bhi akeli mehsoos karti hu. Aur mai jaanti hu ki tumhe bhi ek insaan, ek ladki ki jaroorat mehsoos hoti hai apni zindagi mein. Parth...I love you. Mai jaanti hu ki tum bhi mujhse pyaar karte ho. Toh ab aao hum dono ek dusre se yeh akelapanti ki feeling soor hatta de.

Saying so, Vidushi leaned in to hug Parth but Parth immediately stumbled back.

P: Vidushi nahi. I mean, haan tum ek bahut achi ladki ho aur mai tumhe bahut pasand karta hu par ek dost ke jaise. Tum galat samajh rahi ho...mai tumse pyaar nahi karta...kabhi kar bhi nahi sakta kyunki...

V: (Cutting him off and screaming wildly now with tears falling from her eyes) Kyunki tum uss Sanyukta se pyaar karte ho? Haina!! Mai jaanti thi. Voh Sanyukta meri khushi bardaash hi nahi kar sakti!

P: Nahi Vidushi. Aisa kuch nahi hai. Sanyukta ki iss sab mein koi galti nahi hai aur mai naa tumse naa usse pyaar karta hu! Dekho Vidushi mai tumhe ek dost ke nazariye se dekhta hu aur tumhe sahi mein bahut pasand karta hu, ek dost ki tarah. Vidushi I am really sorry...

V: Parth just GET OUT!! LEAVE ME ALONE!

Vidushi pushed Parth out of the classroom and locked herself inside it.

Parth sensing the sensitivity of the situation, and the need for Vidushi to be alone, walked away silently.

Vidushi cried her heart out for one hour or so. She then finally gathered the courage and stood up, strong-willed, ready to go back to her room and catch some sleep. But as she picked up her purse she saw Parth's bag lying on the floor. She had pushed him out and he had forgotten his bag here. She looked at the laptop inside his bag and then back at the envelope in her bag. The dark, heartbroken and evil side inside her, arose and consumed her. She tore open the envelope, switched on the laptop, transferred all the FITE dream team money into the CITE account and trudged out of the room. This just didn't seem right to her but her broken heart told her, it was right. She threw the envelope and the laptop into the dustbin, erasing every trace of evidence that proved that she was involved in this misdeed. She then left Parth's bag lying in the classroom, right where it had been, and walked off to her room just as the first rays of sunlight shone.

*Flashback End*

Vidushi's tears broke free as she realized what a huge mistake she had made. She visioned Parth's bruised body in her mind and the tears flowed faster, refusing to stop.

----------In Randhir's room-------------

Randhir sat beside his room window, which had become his favorite spot by now. He thought about Sanyukta's apology, then their encounter in her room with her totally inebriated. He had a soft smile playing on his lips as these thoughts played out in his mind. And then out of nowhere, he visioned Parth carrying Sanyukta in his arms, and then Sanyukta tending to his wounds and hugging him. The smile disappeared as a lost, lonely, and sad look plastered itself upon Randhir's handsome face.

*Flashback*

Randhir was only ten years old. He came running into the house, breathing heavily, with tears flowing inexorably from his eyes. He screamed, sobbing, 'Maa! Maa! Suno naa!''.

Renuka Sanyal was seated on her desk in the study. She seemed to be getting ready for a conference that was going to take place at her office in 30 minutes. She sighed and tiredly replied, 'Kya hua beta, jaldi bolo. Mujhe dair ho rahi hai.''

'Maa voh mera best friend hai naa, Karan? Uske papa ka transfer hogaya! Voh yeh shehr chodkar jaa raha hai maa! Boohoo...'' Randhir softly spoke before breaking into tears yet again.

'Beta yeh koi rone vaali baat hai? Naye dost ban jaaege. Koi baat nahi. Tum jaao aur video games khelo, maine tumhaare liye ek Car racing game rakha hai.'' Renuka replied, smiling.

'Par maa...voh mera best friend hai!! Voh kaise jaa sakta hai. Maa atleast ek baar mujhe usse milne le jaao na.'', little Randhir cried.

Renuka was getting impatient now. She, as sweetly as possible, retorted, 'Dekho beta. Mumma ko kaam hai. Chaaho toh Ramu kaka tumhe lekar jaaenge par mai nahi jaa sakti''.

Saying so, Renuka shouted for Ramu kaka to come and take Randhir away.

Ramu kaka immediately rushed in and took little Randhir away. Randhir cried as Ramu kaka bandaged his wound. In his hurry to reach home and talk to his mom, Randhir had tripped over a stone on the graveled road. He had bruised his knee and elbows but Renuka Sanyal had even failed to notice that.

Just then Randhir's father staggered inside, intoxicated already, yet holding a bottle of alcohol in his right hand.

'Arre Randhir..bach..chaa..aagayeee tumm!'', Mr.Shekhawat, slurred before tilting the bottle of alcohol and gulping a few more drops from it.

In this process, Mr.Shekhwat unknowingly hurt Randhir. When he tilted the bottle, a few drops of the liquor, fell on Randhir---to be exact, on his wound. Randhir shrieked in pain as the alcohol landing on his bruised knee, hurt him. Ramu kaka immediately lifted Randhir in his arms and took him to his room as Renuka strode into the drawing room and fought with her husband.

This wasn't something new. This had become a daily routine for Randhir. His mother always busy with work while his father always busy drinking, and visiting bars. They'd hardly have time for the poor kid but they had enough time to fight with each other...shouting, slapping, uttering foul words, without caring about the fact, that not only the neighbors but even a tiny boy in his room, could hear their shouts.

*Flashback Ends*

Before the tears could escape Randhir's eyes, he rushed into the washroom and splashed water onto his face, trying to rid himself of such horrendous thoughts of his past.

--------In an empty classroom---------

Parth took of his shirt and looked at his bruises. He had deep cuts on his chest and whip marks on his arms and shoulder. Sanyukta had applied ointment to each of his wounds but nobody could tend or cure the wounds that had managed to gash through his soul, through his past.

*Flashback*

Parth picked up the polish and walked towards the tap near the tunnel. He had lost the shoe duster and had thus had to polish all shoes today, using his bare hands...God only knew how he did it. Infact, due to using his hands, the job was pretty untidily done and thus he'd been spat at by various businessmen. Some had refused to pay him even. He washed his hands and then walked into the public school. The watchman there, was his friend and thus allowed him to enter the compound.

He sneaked up behind the bushes and peeped into one of the classrooms. Math class was going on there and he hid behind the window and listened carefully to everything that was being taught. Soon he felt hungry and walked back home. His frail mother sat in the little straw hut, washing clothes. No they were not their clothes, they didn't own more than a pair of shorts, a vest, a slipper and a saree. She was washing clothes of other people. His mom and he would do odd jobs to make a living. His mother would sometimes be a washerwoman and wash clothes and at other times she would go to the fields and work as a tenant farmer. She would even act as a cook and a nanny at rich people's houses. They lived a really tough life. His mother saw him come in and hugged him. She was a really pretty woman, but overload of work and stress had indeed spoiled her beauty. Now her face had dark scars and sun burns, her once fair face was totally dark now and her glimmering eyes now had a tired look with dark bags under them. He ate the lone piece of bread that she served him and went outside again, to polish shoes and earn some money. He couldn't see his mother like this. Doing work despite her ill health.

Little Parth, rushed to the street and begged to people for money. This was not a life he wanted. But yet this was the life god had gifted him with and he had to live with it. After 2 hours he'd received enough money to buy a new shoe duster. He quickly bought one and went back to polishing shoes. Even after polishing shoes with the duster, many men kicked him off in anger and spat at him. However, as the moon came up, with twinkling stars, he walked home, a small smile playing on his lips, for he had managed to earn enough to feed his mother well tonight and give her medicines.

*End Flashback*

Parth smiled a sad little smile. He didn't have tears in his eyes...just sadness. He took of his shoes and started practicing Tai-Chi, to calm his mind, body and soul.

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