FF: Destiny-III (Note- Pg 145; Aug 24th)

Chapter 86

Solitude had never been highly estimated on her list of wants from life. And yet, Meher felt that she would have given up anything for an hour of being on her own, in someplace not so quiet, where she could watch others going about their lives without expecting any kind of contribution from her. Is this what happened when you have been on your own for too long? She loved her family to death, but with the way things were at home right now, she felt like she had walked into a never ending play and found herself in the lead role, no less! Although, finding out about Heer di's pregnancy had been the best thing, for more reasons than one. Everyone at home now had something else to focus on other than picking the differences between the old and new Meher.

So it was with a great feeling of anticipation that woke her up on the morning Meher was due to begin working for Prem. She had been looking forward to all week and was up and ready before anyone, already on her second cup of coffee when her sister walked in.

"You are ready?" Heer asked. "I suppose you are excited about going to work." Meher had to suppress a grin at the desolate expression. Everyone knew about the curfew Prem had levied. It had been surprising, but no one had dared to argue with the steely tone in which he had announced that and their move downstairs. Lalit and Gayatri were in whole hearted agreement. Personally she thought that it was a tad too much, but at the same time could not really blame him for being protective.

"I am," Meher said, standing up to pull out a chair for Heer. "But my work is no where near as important as yours is, which is to take care of my niece or nephew." She poured out a cup of tea for her sister. "Shouldn't you rest for some more time?"

Heer accepted the cup and smiled. "I can always do the resting later."

Meher took the seat next to hers. "If mummy papa were here today, they would be so thrilled, na didi?" She was sure it would have been a proud moment for her parents. "Isn't it weird that I remember them when I am happy, wishing they were with me to share it. And when I am sad, I feel oddly relieved that they are not around to see it. Does that make sense?" Looking up, she saw Heer watching her, like she had never seen her before. "Di…?"

"Tu kitni badi ho gayi ha, Meher." Loving fingers stroked her cheek and tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. "I thought that it was just the hair and the way you carry yourself that had changed," her sibling was saying. "But now I see it goes much deeper than that." Heer was looking a little sad and resigned at the same time. Meher smiled, now feeling self conscious, and turned away and almost let out a sigh of relief when Prem walked in, glad that this conversation was not going any further.

"Good morning," he said, smiling at them both. "I thought I was going to have to send someone to wake you up." The last was directed at Meher.

She grinned. "I wouldn't want to be late on my first day at work. I mean, what kind of impression would I be giving my boss, uh?"

Prem only smiled back, proceeding to pour himself a cup of coffee and she noticed, not for the first time, that his usual cache of smart retorts seemed to be empty. Meher mulled over that bit of observation, while they were joined by the rest of the family, except Preet.

Heer walked with Meher to the front door, wishing her good luck on her first day and watched as the younger girl walked towards the car to wait for Prem.

"Remember what I told you," her husband told her, bending to kiss her cheek, a moment later. "I'll call you around lunch," he added with a smile when she nodded.

Heer watched him stride away, wondering if anyone dared disobey one of his edicts. As the car disappeared from view, she went back inside, only to be shooed away to her room by Gayatri. The inactivity was making her listless and irritable, not that she would even dream of complaining to her husband. She had another thought that was bothering her more.

Prem, since their announcement to the family, had been curiously tight lipped about discussing the baby. Heer was not so blind so as not to notice the slight tensing of his body every time someone made a reference to the new arrival. Or the way he sat through the dinner time conversations, when Meher, Sanjana and Preet made boisterous plans for their niece or nephew, almost as if he had them all tuned out. He had yet to even acknowledge their child, let alone the changes it was going to bring in their lives.

Heer hadn't expected him to be over the moon about her pregnancy, considering the threat that hung over their heads, but surely he couldn't possibly resent their child…could he?

She could not even bear thinking about. There had to be a reasonable, valid explanation. Problem was, she found herself oddly reluctant to ask him, afraid of what she was going to find out. But ask she would, for it was only a matter of time before someone else would notice his distance and then what?

"Heer," Sanjana called from the door, before walking inside the room. "I am leaving now. Do you want anything before I go?"

"I would really appreciate it if you could all stop treating me like an invalid," she muttered.

Sanjana laughed as she came to sit beside her on the bed. "Get used to it." She peered closely. "Are you still feeling sick?"

"It comes and goes. I feel better now."

"Are you craving for anything?" Sanjana asked her eyes wide with curiosity. "I have heard women get these urges to eat the weirdest things. I can always stop and pick up whatever you are in the mood for."

It was Heer's turn to laugh. "I will let you know."

The other woman nodded. "I mean you can hardly expect the guys to understand."

"You seem very knowledgeable. Are you hiding something?"

"What?" Sanjana turned puzzled eyes and then a faint flush crept up her cheeks. "No, nothing like that," she said, smiling. "I am watching and learning from you, before I go down this path myself, sort of like an advance warning of what to expect."

"Is that why you waited?" The gesture still had the power to overwhelm her.

"Oh believe me I had selfish reasons," Sanjana said, sliding an arm around Heer. "I mean, I spent a good number of years hankering after this guy and I really wanted him all to myself before presenting him with a kid to shower all his attention to." Heer smiled, still not completely convinced. With that, Sanjana stood up. "I think I better go…"

There was a knock on the door and both women glanced up to see Harman standing there. "Do you still want me to drop you off or not?" he asked his wife with slight exasperation. He gestured the pile of books in his hand and added to Heer. "These are for you."

"Ok, ok," Sanjana muttered, hurrying forward, and Heer followed.

"This is a six part series on Ramses II, written by a French archeologist. I hope you like it," he said. "It is pretty good." He smiled as he handed the books to her.

"Thank you," Heer said. "If you've liked it, I am sure I will too," she added, really meaning it.

Sanjana only looked from one to the other, resignedly. "I'll see you later," she said and left.

Walking back to the bed, Heer settled down to read, thinking that she was going to have to get used to this routine, like it or not.

Ok, so this is it for today! See you Wednesday!

Hai,

Just read the update & before i go into my comments regarding it,

First Thing : Hearty Congratulations on entering the third thread for this ff. Seriously, no other ff has this credit to itself. Urs is the first. And on this occasion, I would like to say that ur writing deserves a huge round of applause. I just love ur style of writing that pulled me to be an ardent reader of this ff & u see the result - i don't miss a single part of it & manage to read it that same day. Now Mondays, wednesdays & fridays are days that i wait eagerly to reach home in the evenings & first thing to do is open the computer? thanks to ur ff. Plz do not consider this as any way of flattering u ? it's a serious token of aapreciation for ur piece of work. Wanted to tell u this since long but felt that this is the perfect moment to say this. If writing, until now, is a mere passtime for u, then plz consider it seriously bcos u have a bright future in it. Don't 4get to inform me when ur first book is released, I'll make sure to get one copy of it. Truly.

Now moving over to 2day's update:

Loved the sisterly talk in the beginning.

So,Heer's pregnancy helped Meher in a way, as it captured the attention of all those at home, who had begun to notice the change in Mher from what she was 3 years ago. But how long she manages to escape is a thing to watch out for.

Meher's to join her Jiju at work ? great. Again she successfully managed to ward off Heer's thoughts that Meher had changed not just in her clothes, way of conduct but also in every manner ? she had grown & Heer's worry over the reason for this complete change in Meher. But I'm sure that she's also aware that her sister is someone who would not keep such things at bay especially when it concerns her only sister.

So, all at home are aware of Prem's clear cut instructions ? well, Meher has considered it as over-protectiveness of her Jiju towards her sister & their soon-to-be-born baby for now. Wonder what her reaction would be on knowing the actual reason. Bcos, she has begun to notice the slight changes in her Jiju as u've mentioned abt the absence of any quick & witful retorts/remarks of his to any of her comments, as he did previously.

Heer obeying sweetly her hubby's words- well, she wouldn't risk disobeying them & be the object of his anger for doing the same, but loved her irritation on not being allowed to do any work at home by anyone.

Love the lines below from ur ff: (beautifully written ? loved the wordings & it explains by itself every concern of Prem regarding Heer's health at every mention of the baby & Heer's concern over his not mentioning/talking anything abt the baby) :

"Prem, since their announcement to the family, had been curiously tight lipped about discussing the baby. Heer was not so blind so as not to notice the slight tensing of his body every time someone made a reference to the new arrival. Or the way he sat through the dinner time conversations, when Meher, Sanjana and Preet made boisterous plans for their niece or nephew, almost as if he had them all tuned out. He had yet to even acknowledge their child, let alone the changes it was going to bring in their lives.

Heer hadn't expected him to be over the moon about her pregnancy, considering the threat that hung over their heads, but surely he couldn't possibly resent their child?could he? "

Loved Sanju-Heer part as well. So, is Sanju up with another good news? Seems to be having quite a good knowledge abt matters concerning this. Let's wait & see. Harman & his books are surely a way of comfort for Heer in her boredom. I like Harman in ur ff ? very, very sweet( very unlike the one on show).

There, that was a very long analysis, wasn't it?But couldn't help. Waiting for next update.

Vrinda.

Hi Smitha,

First of all once again congratulations for the 3rd thread. Only ff in the IF to have achieved this status & the cherishable fact is the story is still spellbinding & gripping even now, right from that 1st chapter when Prem walks in & sees clumsy Heer sprawled on the sofa only to scurry off in a haste seeing him. And even today after they r married with a kid on their way its still enthralling. Kudos to u! 👏👏

Oh I took ur advice, I wrote in word doc. & later pasted it here. Much better than losing everything & slapping myself instead to remember what I wrote & type it down all over again!!

Ok Meher is all grown up now, just for a guy! What a person can do with his reflexive attitude! 😆 But I will say solitude could never be expected as Meher's cup of tea. And all that attention about herself was making her nervous, & also annoying her I guess. She must have been happy when the attention shifted to Heer for being pregnant & her joining work. It was nice to see her mental growth & also the family scenario from her point of view. We now know nobody objected to any of Prem's instructions, actually orders, when he gave them in that steely no-nonsense attitude. I was wondering maybe G mom will herself suggest that Heer stay downstairs instead of using the stairs so many times. Knowing about her earlier case they will be extra careful. But Prem only made the decisions. But it showed Meher is still in the dark about the miscarriage earlier!!

Again loved the sisterly love they have for each other. Heer noticed Meher's maturity which goes way deeper than the surface she portrays & Meher sharing her philosophical views about her parent's absence, I liked that a lot. Obviously this ought to surprise Heer, such intense talks coming from Meher! Another instance of Meher's observation skill in noticing Prem's lack of smart repartees. This girl has learnt a lot when she was away.

Now about Prem-Heer!! I could so well understand them in this situation. Obviously they have to talk but this present scenario is so grave! Heer knows he is torn between his love for her & his fear about her life. She is grateful he accepted her decision & is willing to go through the pregnancy supporting her but at the same time she wants him to openly care, love & accept the baby. She wants him to feel like her about the baby.

And I can understand Prem also here, he is a person who just doesn't give way to emotions without certain parameters. He is waiting for this doctor's appointment before letting himself go with happiness about the baby. Once he knows that Heer is fine, there r no risks involved or risks that can be taken care of only then he will let himself loose. Its his love for her that is restricting him from feeling the overjoy. We all know even in situation beyond his control he likes to be in control & once that assurance is back he will be happy about the pregnancy. He reminds me of myself to some extent here. He prefers not to get carried away without having the sealed proof in his hands, once he finds everything to be normal & as it ought to be he will then celebrate. So Heer will have to wait for that moment to come.

But yeah the family will notice the indifference if it continues for long. So a heart to heart talk is to be awaited for.

And that line where u wrote Heer reluctant to find that out from him also made me feel so emotional! I could so well understand. She just didn't want to burst that bubble of tranquility that overcame their relationship after Prem accepted her decision to carry on with the pregnancy. She wanted to carry on with the peace that she felt & just didn't want to spoil the mood if he did say that he is unhappy with the baby. She doesn't want to hear that from him, so its a case of turning a blind eye & a deaf ear to this situation knowingly. As long as she can hold on to her baby & Prem together she will take it I guess! I am sure knowing Prem's concern over her he must be curbing all his needs & wants as well, right? He must be keeping her at an arm's length unless he gets the green signal from the doctor.

Loved the interaction between Sanjana & Heer! Smitha u always manage to weave such lovely intricate scenarios in ur story as far as the family is concerned. Seriously we all would love to be a part of such family where every1 looks out for each other, is always giving, helpful, concerned & loving! Its so unreal in today's world & that is why its all the more appealing! Loved their chitchat! Heer still feels overwhelmed with their gesture to wait for a kid & Sanjana trying to evade it by saying they wanted to wait until they r ready, which sounds very logical to me. I am so happy Heer has the full support & care from her family starting from her in-laws to her sister & her husband.

Even Harman comes with books to keep her occupied & entertained. So enchanting! Which reminds me u did refer this book to me long time back, I will have to get my hands on it. Will search Amazon.

And yes she better get used to it, its after all for her upcoming baby for whom she is willing to sacrifice anything to hold it in her arms. So she will rest & relax for the next 6 months without lifting her fingers if that will keep the baby safe & sound.

Smitha, wonderful update as usual. Loved the delicacy of the situation & the intricacy of the plot line alongwith the involved interactions between the family members. Only positive feelings & vibes can be experienced after reading about the Junejas in Destiny. Again all logical, sensible & consistent. Loved it. Will look forward to the next update & oh, to some flashbacks as well, of u know who!! 😉😃

Tc, will catch u later.

Lana.