Chapter 32 Facing the reality
Yash saw Mickey and Arya's face. They were calm, almost relieved as if some huge mess has been sorted out. But why? Isnt his confession supposed to stir their mind then why they are so calm about it. It could only mean one thing, they already knew everything about his plan, they only wanted to hear it out from his mouth today. But why....unless....oh o... Yash frantically looked around the room to notice if anyone else heard what he just said. There was no one around. He sighed in relief that Neil didnt listen to any of it.
"Itne khush hone ki zarurat nahi hai uncle. Bhale hi Neil aur Mini is room mein nahi hai par unhone sab kuch sun liya hai." Mickey guessed what might be going through Yash's mind and he smirked when Yash looked shocked.
"What do you mean? There is no one here." Yash asked in confusion.
"Just wait and watch." Mickey replied and gestured Arya to bring Mini and Neil from the back stage.
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Arya came and noticed both Mini and Neil were standing in silence. Their faces were tear stained, eyes looked hollow and both of them appeared as lifeless souls who lost their address and has been wandering off ever since. Arya controlled her own tears seeing both of them so shattered and heart broken. First all those memories of their night together and then this horrible truth must have took a toll on them.
"Neil, sis, you dont want to confront that man who did this to you guys. He is in next room. Come with me and show him that he didnt win. You two are still together, still love each other." Arya encouraged them and took Neil's hand to gesture him to come.
Neil stood up from his place and followed Arya looking all lost. Mini also followed them not knowing what else to do.
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"Neil, my son. How are you? You know I missed you a lot. Come with me to Mumbai, your home. We will spend some time together....father and son bonding over some drinks....what say huh?" Yash acted as if nothing has happened. But Neil didnt reply.
"Have you lost your mind? We hid microphones here, both of them have heard all your trickery and planning and you are behaving as if nothing happened." Mickey asked feeling disgusted from Yash.
"So what? He is my son. Whatever I did was for his betterment and he is definitely better off without this gold digger girl and her clingy little charity case sister." Yash said confidently.
"I know Neil, I have hurt you. We had our disagreement over your choice of career but you but look at you now, at the end, you are successful and rich and I am happy with that. You dont need these fake friends around you. You need your family...me. Dont listen to all that crap I said earlier, this Mickey and Arya manipulated me into saying all that." Yash again tried to take advantage of emotionally vulnerable Neil.
"Come to you! You...my father...who supposed to taking care of me, guiding me to the right path,be there for me when I fall down and what you have actually done from all these things? You have cheated me, tricked me into believing that my true love was nothing but a charade for getting my wealth. You know what...I would have forgiven you if you really had done all this for me as you claim but no....you did this for yourself, for that f***king deal with Mehras, for money, for power. You never once considered what it will cost your son, how badly it will impact my life. And still I would have consider to forgive all this but your treachery not only took away her family from Mini and Arya and made them orphans but it killed my mom too. And you dare to say this in front of my face that you did all that for me! Have some shame Mr. Yash Oberoi." Neil shouted finally breaking silence.
"Neil listen to me...." Yash tried to say something but Neil didnt let him complete.
"You know what I hate myself, I want to cut my veins and take out every drop of my blood, it makes me feel nauseated thinking you are my dad, its your blood running through my veins. You are no father to me. You have done what even a enemy would not do to me. You are dark blotch in the name of fatherhood, humanity. Get away from my sight before I lose my mind." Neil almost pushed Yash and he staggered backwards dumbfounded by the intensity of his anger.
"Neil, I was just...whatever I did..." Yash struggled to form some coherent sentences but Neil walked close to him angrily. He stared in Yash's eyes and held his collar. "You made me believe that mom died because of me. All these years I was hating myself for that thinking how terrible son I was when in reality it was you....a terrible husband, a terrible father, a terrible human being....just go from here Yash Oberoi and never show your face to me again if you have a little self respect and humanity left in you." Neil said with gritted teeth and message was loud and clear to Yash that he has indeed lost his everything. He is defeated and now he cant do anything about it.
Yash couldnt remember if he had seen this much hatred for himself in anyone's eyes and seeing it now in his own son's eyes. He finally realized his acts must have broken him beyond repair. For the first time in his life, he didnt has anything to say. He left from there without uttering any word.
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"Its been three days since Yash's truth was out but nothing happened as Mickey and Arya expected. Mini and Neil hadnt even seen each others face forget about having heart to heart talk. Needless to say, the concert that day was cancelled as Neil couldn't perform and performances and programs lined up for the whole week had been rescheduled much to the chagrin of other band members.
"What is happening yaar Mickey? Wo organizers ka phone aaya tha. Why we are delaying again and again? Its not good for our image." Jazz asked after their practice session ended.
"Itni mushkil se to sab kuch theek hua tha ab phir se ye Neil ko kya ho gaya hai. Bar bar delays, time par nahi aana, misbehaving with producers and media." Preet questioned.
"Tumne to kaha tha ki Mini ke aane se sab theek ho jayega leking ye to sab ulta hi ho gaya. Maine to pehle kaha tha ki soch lo kahi Mini ko kaam par rakhna, itni badi zimmedari dena sahi hoga ya nahi...leking tumne meri nahi suni...ab results dekh lo. Neil to phir purani aadaton par wapis aa hi gaya hai aur ab Mini bhi apna kaam theek se nahi kar rahi." Bobby commented and Mini who was coming into the room, heard everything.
"Guys kya ho gaya hai tum logo ko? Neil aur Mini hamare friends hain. Unki life mein itna kuch ho gaya hai aur tum logo ko sirf kaam ki padi hai. Arent you being selfish?" Mickey asked getting annoyed b their constant refusal to see all this from different perpective.
"We...we are being selfish? And what about Neil, ever since he has become star he always treats us like second class citizens. This band's success has been a team work but all the limelight always falls on Neil. We somehow made our peace with this but his personal problems are getting in way of our band, our work. This we cant tolerate. You better take care of his issues or else we will be forced to take drastic step." Preet warned.
"What do you mean?" Mickey raised his eyebrow in suspicion.
"We all have talked about this and reached a unanimous conclusion that we are better off without Neil. Either Neil change his ways or we will break up this band. Then he can do whatever pleases him and we will be able to focus more on work." Jazz announced and all the other nodded in approval.
Mickey was shocked from their decision and before he could even give it thought he noticed Mini standing at the door. By her expressions, it was clear that she has heard everything.
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"Its ok Mickey, stop giving me explanations. I very well understand what others think about me, about my equation with Neil and they have every right to say those things if its adversely affecting their career." Mini assured to Mickey who had come to give explanation.
"No, you dont understand Mini, its not that simple. The others....I mean I know Neil behaves unprofessionally sometimes but their problems with him is not just because of it...for sometime now I am noticing that other members are somewhat jealous from Neil's popularity. You leaving us will neither do any good to the band nor to your relationship with Neil." Mickey tried to explain her when he found out that Mini was going to give her resignation.
"Whatever...I am no one to interfere in band's matters and as far as my relationship with Neil is concerned, did you really forget that we broke up long ago...now there is nothing left to save." Mini answered honestly.
"That is not true, not at least after Yash uncle's truth is out. Come on, you heard yourself how he manipulated both of you, how he was the main culprit and still you dont want to give your relation a chance. iska matlab toh phir yahi hua na ki even after Yash uncle's truth is out, he still won. He is successful in breaking you up." Mickey complained.
"Its not that simple Mickey. Even after knowing everything I cant just forgive Neil and move on..." Mini tried to explain her pov but was cut short by Neil who came in room and heard everything.
"Yeah! like I can forgive you for what you did. To hell with it." Neil commented.
"What do you mean Neil. It was not my fault. For what you will forgive me? I only stood with my parents, did all that to protect my family but what you did? Acted like a kid, impulsively decided to get engaged to Isha. You ruin everything Neil...everything." Mini accused getting angry.
"Yeah! I ruined everything and you didnt do anything. Let me remind you, it was your genius idea which landed us here. If you have just decided to trust me instead of playing that stupid game of false engagement. You made big promises, claims of true love but when the time came you couldnt trust your love. So you have ruined everything and now acting like you are the biggest victim here." Neil gave equally caustic reply.
"Really Neil Oberoi, as if everything is not enough now you want to start blame game also? Ok, I admit that I should have trusted you but in return of that one mistake you gave me lifetime of misery. You were here all gloating in your success, having a bash and you know what was I doing? Struggling every day to get money for my sister, praying to God that please dont let Arya's condition deteriorate anymore and give me enough time to have money. I was working my a** off like a damn slave each day. Just because you didnt give me chance to explain this when I wanted." Mini almost screamed repeatedly wiping her tears.
"Oh yeah right! Like financial problems are the greatest problems in the world and emotional, physical or any other kind of pain doesnt even matter. You think I was having a blast, living my life to the fullest. Do you even get it what I was going through or still facing. I used to drown myself in alcohol and drugs till I lost every sense of mine. At times I couldnt even remember many days of my life, how it passed, where was I, with whom, what I was doing? I felt like a zombie, passing days after days. There was this constant pain in my heart, in my head screaming of your betrayal, it almost felt like a heart attack everytime only difference was I couldnt even die from it. All of this because you thought breaking up with me in most horrific way possible was the greatest plan ever." Neil shouted venting out his frustration.
"And I lost my parents because of you." Mini put another accusation.
"And I lost my mother because of you." Neil was quick with answer.
"Shut up both of you! Cant you see? What that man has done to you? Even after knowing the truth you two are fighting like cats and dogs. This is what he wanted, to break you apart and you are just fulfilling that man's dreams." Arya shut them up when she came in the room and heard their argument.
"This is what I was saying, you both are fools. That man did all the planning and scheming and you both fell for it. I know both of you have done some mistakes but it doesnt mean that you did them willingly. You thought you were doing right, now that it turns out that you were wrong, so whats big deal in accepting it?" Mickey made a point.
"Exactly, your fights wont serve the purpose. It wont cure your pain which you both have endured so long. It wont make things right. What has happened, happened. Done, gone, its past now. Now accept it and make amends. Your love holds the key to cure all your pain. Ye ek dusre se bhagne se kuch nahi hoga. Sis, tum kitna bhi resign karke Neil se dur ho jao aur Neil, tum kitna bhi Mini ko avoid karo...tumhara dard kam nahi hoga na hi pyar kam hoga. You both still love each other. Accept it and move on." Arya tried her best to explain.
"Galat kaha Arya, kuch dard kabhi kam nahi hote, kuch zakhm kabhi nahi bharte...galafemiyan dur hone ke baad bhi nahi." Mini announced her final decision and gave her resignation to Mickey.
"Arya, Mickey you both are fighting for lost cause. Mini is right, kisi kisi kahani ke naseeb mein happy ending nahi hoti. Whatever my father did, doesnt change the fact that we had our chances to set it right, not just one time but multiple times...even now but I guess we have drifted way far then making amends now. The pain is too much that even love wont be enough to soothe it. Its over....all over between us....long ago." Neil concluded and left behind disappointed Mickey and Arya who thought they have failed in their attemtps inspite of everything they did. Mini and Neil have finally faced the reality and it shook them to the core, it broke them.
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to be continued.....
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