Epilogue 1
Ten Years Later
402 Archer Heights, Delhi – Sunday, 9 am
Crash! Clang! Smash! Thud!
Pihu jerked awake at the noises and thuds coming from the room beside her. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, as she climbed out of bed. It was a weekend, and she wanted to sleep in. But clearly that idea was out the window now.
Giving up on the notion of extra sleep, she drowsily walked into her bathroom to brush her teeth. After a quick shower, she browsed through her closet for a pair of clothes.
Ruhi didi's old skirts and dresses were hanging on plastic hangers, which she brushed aside as always. Despite her elder sister's insistence, Pihu would never wear skirts or dresses. She never wore pink or entertained Barbie dolls or danced ballet. She was more the type to wear gray sweatpants, cut her hair short, and choose to skateboard instead of dance.
Eventually, Pihu got dressed in a pair of comfortable denim shorts and a blue T-shirt. She tied her shoulder-length hair into a ponytail and headed downstairs. As she stepped down the staircase, her vision landed on the photos and memories mounted on the adjoining wall. It was her favorite part of the duplex.
She and her family had been moved into this building eight years ago, after Romi and Sarika's son Rohit was born. Her father had secured a set of apartments in Archer Heights for everyone, so that the family could stay close together but also have their privacy.
Raman, Ishita, Adi, Ruhi, and Pihu lived in a duplex apartment connected by an indoor staircase on the fourth and fifth floor. Romi, Sarika, Rohit, and his grandmother Ratanjot lived on the ground floor, on account of the latter's muscle weakness. Toshi and Omprakash had their own space in a flat on the second floor where Rinki lived with them until she got married two years ago. The Bhalla grandparents split their time between Raman and Romi's flats, with frequent visits to Rinki and Simi's place, to stay close with their five grandkids.
Meanwhile, the Iyers continued to live at Akash Ganga. Despite Raman's insistence, Madhu and Vishwa had refused a flat in Archer Heights from his behalf.
"Hum log sirf dus minute dur rehte hai, Raman. Har hafte aaya karenge. Is bahaane is umar mein humaari walk hi ho jaayegi," Madhu had remarked. "Kabhi hum log aaya karenge, kabhi tum log aaya karna."
Vandu and Bala continued to live at their university-sanctioned flats with Shravu and Kshitija, while Mihir and Mihika had moved to a house closer to their twins' school. Madhu and Vishwa split their time between the three daughters' houses to stay close with all seven of their grandkids.
Pihu walked down the stairs, browsing through the pictures, taking a stroll down memory lane.
There were pictures of Adi bhaiya's football wins and his trophies mounted in wall. He was the most sought after player for the Delhi regional championships. There were photos of Ruhi didi's dance recitals. She had mastered ballet and was a skilled choreographer too now. There were snapshots of Pihu's own violin concerts and competitions. She was pretty proficient at the violin now, if she said so herself.
She took another step, gazing at the family picnic photos that barely captured their huge, boisterous family in a single frame. They had made many trips, some with the Bhallas, some with the Iyers, some with both.
There was the family journey to their ancestral village in Punjab at Toshi's behest. There was the visit to Mumbai's best water park where Ruhi and Adi had their biggest fight after she broke his favorite inflatable pool float. There was the summer they spent in Chennai with Madhu and Soumya when Mihika's twins were born.
Their travels weren't just limited to India however.
There was the trip to Tokyo at Mr. Takahashi's invitation. They had visited the Tokyo Skytree and the Sensoji Temple with Mihir, Mihika, Romi, and Sarika. There was the recent Christmas vacation to Paris with Mr. Moreau and Mr. Dubois. They had clicked a photo with a snowy Eiffel Tower in the background. There was the London trip with the Tandons and their kids. It was the first time Ishita had let the kids go exploring on their own with the Tandons' kids.
Pihu took a few more steps downstairs.
Pictures of Ishita's dentistry awards and research accomplishments came into view; when she had presented her research at the international level; when she had won the award for Exceptional Dental Service. Just alongside them were photos of Raman and his company's success parties; when they opened offices in Bangalore and Pune; when they made the Forbes India Top 100 Companies.
The corner of Pihu's mouth turned upwards, as she marveled at the real power couple in her life. Brad and Angelina had nothing on her mom and dad.
As she approached the bottom of the stairs, her favorite picture came into view. It was a polaroid of her, her brother, and her sister eating mint chocolate chip ice cream under a fort of blankets in their old room. It wasn't the picture itself, but the story behind it that made that memory her favorite.
Flashback from six months ago
"It doesn't make sense!" Pihu yelled in frustration, slamming her science notebook on the kitchen table. "How is it possible?!"
"Welcome to my world," Ruhi chuckled from the kitchen, stirring a cup of hot cocoa. She was in college for an arts degree, but she would never forget the tortures of calculus and chemistry from high school.
Unlike her elder siblings however, Pihu had always been a prodigy at math and science. So the rare instances where she couldn't understand science concepts made her crazy. Even if she was just in the sixth standard.
Adi towered over Pihu from behind her chair to peek at her notebook. Even though he worked as an editor at a publishing company, he had a double major in psychology and literature. Maybe he could help with his science background.
"What's going on Pihu? Can I help?" he asked.
"Sure bhaiya, let me take science advice from the writer," Pihu spat sarcastically.
Adi gasped. Ruhi choked on her cocoa. Raman's head whipped from the TV console to the kitchen. Ishita stopped her needlework, almost poking herself.
"Pihu!" Ishita spoke up. "That is not a very nice thing to say! Bhaiya ko sorry bolo. Right now!"
"Sorry bhaiya," Pihu gulped. "I didn't mean to hurt you." She had inherited her father's sharp tongue and sometimes she didn't know the limit.
"It's okay Pi."
Adi ruffled her hair with a smirk, and Pihu swatted his hand away.
"How many times have I told you? Don't. Call. Me. Pi!"
There was a time when Pihu had insisted everyone find a nickname for her. Ruhi didi was Ru, Aditya bhaiya was Adi, even mom and dad had cute nicknames for each other. Only Pihu didn't. But when Ruhi and Adi came up with a nickname that sounded like 'pee,' she regretted her demand instantly.
"What do you need help with, Pihu?" Ishita asked, before another fight broke out.
"It's these genetics problems, mom."
Pihu brought over her notebook to her mother on the sofa.
"We're looking at dominant and recessive traits in family members. Now, I'm looking at cleft chins, which is a dominant trait. Me, you, and papa don't have a cleft chin. Which makes sense, because if both parents don't have a cleft chin, then the child can't have one."
"So what is the confusion?"
"The fact that Ruhi didi and Adi bhaiya both have a cleft chin!" Pihu exclaimed. "How is that possible when neither of you have one?!"
At that moment, every single face in the room paled. Adi, Ruhi, Ishita, and Raman all exchanged glances and questions.
Pihu doesn't know about Shagun.
Should we tell her?
Won't it confuse her?
She's our family. She deserves to know.
Eventually, it was decided that they would tell her together. The four of them sat Pihu down and revealed that Adi and Ruhi were the biological children of Raman's first wife, Shagun (who indeed did have a cleft chin). They didn't reveal Shagun's misdeeds. All they revealed was her existence, but maintained that it was Ishita who was their mother in every way that mattered.
That day Pihu had shrunk into herself. She had just found out that didi and bhaiya were only her half-siblings, that there was another woman in Papa's life before Mumma. Her entire world had been disoriented.
That night, when Pihu went to bed after dinner, refusing to talk to anyone, Ruhi and Adi had pulled her out of bed for a late night movie under a fort of blankets and pillows with their favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream. Ruhi had even let her pick the movie, but Pihu was in no mood.
"I thought mumma was papa's soulmate," Pihu whispered dejectedly. "And now I find out that another woman... I don't like it."
In the next moment, guilt seeped into her heart. That other woman was still Ruhi didi and Adi bhaiya's mom.
"Sorry didi, sorry bhaiya... I didn't mean to be rude to your mom."
"No Pihu." Ruhi insisted. "Shagun is not our mom. Only Ishimaa is. Giving birth is not what makes someone a mother. It takes much more than that."
"And Ishimaa is papa's soulmate," Adi added. "You don't always get marriage right on the first try, you know? Just because she is his second wife doesn't mean she isn't his soulmate. Did you know even Ishimaa was almost engaged to someone else before papa?"
The three of them stayed up late that night sharing stories, watching movies, and munching and slurping on ice cream. It was then that Pihu realized it was foolish to get caught up in semantics. Who cared for genetics? Of course they were siblings. Real siblings.
The next day, when Ishita discovered ice cream stains on their blankets, she made her kids wash them manually. Granted, all they had to do was throw them in the washing machine, it was still hard work. It was then that Pihu thought, of course they were Ishita's children. Only her children.
Flashback ends
"Pihu?"
The eleven-year-old was brought out of her musings when she heard her father call her from the kitchen table. She jumped down the final steps and hopped towards the kitchen for breakfast.
"Aap itni jaldi uth gaye?" Raman asked, sipping his morning coffee.
"Of course uth gayi. The woman is at it again upstairs," Pihu complained. "At this rate, she's going to demolish her room."
Raman sighed. "Yesterday your mother cleaned this kitchen spotless in anxiety."
"And today, didi is going to destroy her own room. I'm scared to up there, dad. I hate messes."
"Just like your mother," Raman smiled.
Pihu poured herself a bowl of cereal and milk and joined her father at the table. He turned over a newspaper page and bit into a piece of toast.
"Why is she so anxious anyway?" Pihu asked. "I don't get it."
"Ruhi didi's admission results come out today. And your sister and mom are both nervous about it."
"I know that. What I meant was, what reason does she have to be nervous? She's an amazing dancer. New York would be lucky to have her."
Ruhi had finished her bachelors in arts a month ago, and she had decided that she would pursue her career as a professional dancer. She had applied to dance academies all over India for training, but her dream was to get into the New York Metropolitan Dance Academy. It was a long shot, but results came out today and she hoped beyond hope that she would get in.
"I agree," Raman said. "Par tumhaari maa aur behen ko kaun samjhaaye?"
"Speaking of maa, where is she?" Pihu asked, crunching her cereal.
"Emergency surgery. She left early this morning. Someone came in with head trauma and the trauma surgeon needed a dental consult."
When Pihu started school, Ishita had contacted Dr. Batra again for a job. To her delight, Dr. Batra actually hired her for his own replacement as he was nearing retirement. Today, Ishita was the head of the dentistry department at Batra Medical Center.
In response, Raman had taken an extended sabbatical (as promised) and then subsequently cut back on his hours when he did return to work. It was only when Mihir and Romi had their own babies that he took on the primary role again.
"Is your brother still sleeping?" Raman asked, folding the newspaper and emptying his coffee mug.
Pihu shook his head in the negative. "He went to an early morning football match. Apparently the new book his company is going to publish is 'as boring as a bag of rocks' and he needed to clear his head. His words not mine."
Raman chuckled.
After Adi's childhood struggles with mental health and the solace he gained from books, he had decided to pursue a joint degree in psychology and literature with a football scholarship. He now worked as an editor in a publishing company that specialized in children's and teen's novels. His love for reading had now translated into a passion for writing, and he hoped to publish his own book one day.
"Um... Uh-huh..."
Pihu cleared her throat knowingly and scooched forward in her chair. Raman raised an eyebrow at his daughter.
"Do you need something?" Raman asked.
"Well... um... the thing is..."
"Just spit it out Pihu."
"There's a party next weekend... Tanya's birthday. And it's a slumber party. Can I go?"
"Slumber party? So a late-night party?"
"Yeah... like a sleepover. But it's just girls, my friends actually. You've met them."
"Okay, I'll talk to your mother and let you know."
"But dad-"
"Pihu... No arguments."
"Fine," Pihu sighed.
The front door chimed open, and Ishita and Adi walked in. Ishita was dressed in a simple blue saree with her stethescope and white coat sticking out of her tote bag. Her 24-year-old son almost towered behind her, donning a gray and black track suit.
"Tum dono saath mein kaise aaye?" Raman asked them.
"I called mom for a ride," Adi answered. "Didn't want to take the bus after practice."
"How was your surgery Ishita? Is the patient going to be okay?"
"Yeah, he'll be fine. Won't be able to have solid foods until-"
Thud! Clunk!
Noises of furniture moving around above cut Ishita off mid-sentence.
"Is Ruhi still stressing out?" Adi asked.
Pihu nodded.
Ishita sighed. "I'll go talk to her."
"Wait." Adi stopped her. "Did you have breakfast yet?"
"No but-"
"Then sit here and eat, mom. I'll go talk to her."
"Did you-"
"Yes, I already ate. I had waffles after practice with the boys."
"Wow... You play football for an hour, then eat waffles covered in syrup and whipped cream. Really healthy bhaiya," Pihu commented.
Adi flicked her in the head before heading upstairs to his other pain-in-the-behind sister.
He cautiously opened Ruhi's door and blinked in shock. Her cabinet was practically empty. Her clothes were strewn all over the room. Her dresser and desk were both moved to a different location. And her bed was drowning in a pile of unkempt pillows.
"Ru...?" Adi said cautiously, knocking on her door.
Ruhi turned around and sighed at her brother. "I think I have a problem."
"I think you have a big problem kiddo."
Adi walked in, gingerly avoiding the mess strewn across the room. "You have a plan to clean this up? Because Ishimaa and Pihu won't even step into this place until you do."
"I'll figure it out. As soon as I get the admission result... I hope I get in... But what if I don't? Maybe I just shouldn't read the email. That way I'll never get rejected."
"Technically then you'll never get accepted either."
Ruhi glared at her brother. "Thanks bhaiya. That really helps. Thank you so much," she said sarcastically.
"Okay, just calm down. Come here. Sit with me."
Adi pushed the pillows aside and sat on the bed, patting a spot beside him. Ruhi plopped down beside her brother.
"Look..." Adi brought an arm around Ruhi's shoulders. "You're a good dancer. I think you'll get in. But, in the off-chance that you don't, you have your whole life ahead of you to try again. You have a million ways to become a dancer, and you're going to be a great one. I know it."
He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and she took a deep calming breath.
"Thanks bhaiya."
Just then, Adi's phone chimed with an email notification. He slid it out of his pocket and gave the screen a quick glance before sliding it right back in. But not before Ruhi caught a peek as well. And then she was mad for a whole other reason.
"What the hell was that?!" she asked angrily.
"What?"
"That email! Why the hell are you getting an email from [email protected]?!"
Adi sighed and dropped his head into his hands. Shagun had reached out a couple months back via email. He didn't even know how she found his email address. Apparently, she wanted to get in touch again. He had read the emails, but never had the courage to reply back.
"Ru, she... she wants to get in touch with me again," Adi explained. "She's in Australia and she says she misses me-"
"No," Ruhi said sternly. "Absolutely not."
"I haven't decided whether I want to return the gesture, but-"
"How can you even think about that, bhaiya?! After what that woman did!"
"I know Ru, but it's not that simple for me! That woman raised me for ten years!"
"And Ishimaa raised you for fourteen more!"
"Let me be clear Ruhi. I will never – ever – turn by back on Ishimaa. It's just... if I can maybe at least be civil with Shagun mom-"
"Bhaiya, the last time she was here, she broke you. Literally broke you. I have never ever seen you like that in my life. If she comes back in your life, she'll break you again. We're not gonna let that happen."
Ruhi didn't believe in second chances. Not with people like Shagun. She had inherited her father's policy of keeping firm boundaries and being fiercely protective of family.
"It's not like that, Ru," Adi countered. "Shagun mom said she's doing better. She's been seeing a therapist for narcissistic personality disorder. She's even been in alcoholics anonymous, and now she's been sober for over a year. She's been trying."
Adi had a different policy than his sister. He, in fact, believed in kindness and forgiveness like his mother. He had the habit of trusting people, of believing the best in people.
And Shagun, no matter what she did, was still the woman who had birthed and raised him during his early childhood. His mother was only Ishimaa. But if he could have a civil relationship with Shagun mom, then the last tear in his life would be sealed.
"Are you actually thinking of getting back in touch with her?" Ruhi asked, realizing the depth in her brother's eyes.
"I... I honestly don't know what to do," he replied.
This time, Ruhi brought her hands around his shoulders and squeezed.
"Bhaiya, if you do decide to reply, then can you promise me something?"
"What?"
"Tell us first. Tell papa and mumma before you decide to entertain that woman."
Adi gave her a solemn smile and ruffled her hair. "As you say."
Pihu came up minutes later and knocked on the door.
"Didi, just know that we all love and support you, no matter what," she said.
"Awww... thanks kiddo," Ruhi smiled.
"That being said, if you don't clean this mess up, my personal love and support will be cut in half. So please... clean it up."
Ruhi gasped at the audacity.
"I love you Ruhi chuhi, but Pihu is right. This mess is getting on my nerves too now."
"You two are the worst!" Ruhi shrieked.
She grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at her siblings, who ducked in response. Adi was quick to grab a nearby cushion and toss it at her in retaliation, while Pihu joined the pillow fight.
By the time they fell on her bed in heaps of giggles and laughter, Ruhi had forgotten all about her anxiety.
.....................................................................................................................
Raman buttoned up his shirt and ran a comb through his hair in front of the dresser mirror. He ran a wad of cream through his beard, shaping and moisturizing it. He was 47 now, but he had maintained himself very well. His muscles were bulkier, his beard was thick and prickly, and to his delight, Ishita loved it.
Speaking of whom, the bedroom door creaked open and his wife came in.
Ishita adjusted her saree as she walked in and tossed her tote bag onto the couch. She hadn't changed much in the last ten years, meaning she was just as homely yet graceful. Except for a couple grey hairs and a few wrinkles between her eyes, no one could tell she was 43.
After she had put away her stethescope and white coat, she came towards the dresser and, to Raman's surprise, she wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"Ishita?" Raman asked, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion. "What's up?"
"Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?"
"For everything. For those three tykes fighting in the other room. For all the love and happiness that I had never imagined I'd have."
Raman sighed and smiled. "I should be the one thanking you madrasan."
He clasped Ishita's hand on his chest and laid a kiss on her wrist on his new favorite spot. As was on her bucket list, she had gotten a tattoo there, and Raman loved it. It was a dove, symbolizing peace and love; perfect for someone who was free as a bird.
Raman prised Ishita's arms from around his torso and turned to face her.
"You get a lot more credit for all this than I do," he said.
"Let's just agree to say it's a team effort," she chuckled.
"Speaking of team effort, Pihu asked me to go to Tanya's slumber party next weekend."
"Don't tell me aapne already permission de di."
"No, I didn't yet," Raman chuckled. "I remember what happened the last time. I wasn't going to let another kid fool us."
"Adi ne jaan nikaal di thi us din," Ishita recalled. "Maine use uski party mein jaane se manaa kiya toh mujhe bina bataaye aapse permission le li. Aur to aur, mujhe bina bataaye party mein bhi chalaa gaya! I lost my mind thinking he'd snuck out!"
"You grounded him for a month after that so I'd say he learned his lesson."
Raman sat down on the bed and grabbed his wristwatch from the dresser.
"So, about Pihu?" Raman put his watch around his wrist. "What do you say?"
"I'll take her." Ishita sat down beside her husband. "I haven't met Tanya's mom in a while, so isi bahaane usse mulakat ho jaayegi."
"Tanya... Isn't she the one whose sister's wedding we went to a few months ago? Ruhi choreographed all the sangeet dances?"
"No, that was Ruhi's friend Arpita's sister."
"Oh yeah, I remember. She put together four different Bollywood dances."
"I still wish she hadn't given up bharatanatyam," Ishita expressed. "She had eight years of training. She was so good at it!"
Raman chuckled and shook his head.
When she turned fourteen, Ruhi had decided to drop classical dance training, choosing to focus on semi-classical, ballet, hip-hop, and contemporary instead. Ishita was severely disappointed, hoping she'd continue with the art form that connected her to her Tamilian roots. Their disagreement had manifested as a huge fight between the mother and daughter.
Ruhi had been joined with her mother at the hip when she was a kid, but when her teen years struck, she had found her own path, bringing a whole new cause of friction in the family dynamic. As Ishita had predicted years ago, Ruhi's teen years had truly been difficult.
"Enough about the kids madrasan. Your husband demands some of your attention now."
Raman banded his arms around Ishita's waist and pulled her closer. Ishita stroked Raman's face, running her fingers through his beard. It was longer than his usual stubble, and to her delight, it had turned their late night 'adventures' all the more exciting.
Raman leaned forward and Ishita closed her eyes but before they could go any further, their bedroom door burst open and the couple sprung apart.
"Pihu! Give that back!" Ruhi yelled.
Pihu ran in, waving Ruhi's phone in the air, with her older siblings at her heels.
"What is going on?" Raman asked, watching Ruhi chase Pihu around the room, as Adi doubled over in laughter.
"Pihu won't give my phone back! I want to check my email!" Ruhi cried. "The New York school emailed me!"
Raman snatched the phone out of Pihu's hands and handed it to Ruhi.
"Papa, come on," Pihu groaned. "Kitna mazaa aa raha tha."
"I agree dad," Adi added.
"Okay enough, you two," Raman said sternly. "Go ahead Ru, check your email."
Ruhi took a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. She unlocked her phone and went to open her email app, but her hands froze.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
"We're right here with you, beta," Ishita said reassuringly. "Whatever happens, we'll always love you and be proud of you."
A corner of Adi's mouth turned upwards. Their mother had said the same thing when he was awaiting his own college results.
Pihu rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a wimp di. Just read the email. Or I'll do it for you."
But Ruhi didn't move. She didn't want to open the email. What if she was rejected?
Adi groaned impatiently. He snatched the phone out of her hand and handed it to Pihu.
"Go on Pi, read it."
Pihu glared at her brother (she hated that nickname), but opened the email app anyways.
"You got in."
"What?!"
"Are you serious?"
"This better not be your idea of a prank, Pihu."
"It's not a prank di." Pihu handed her sister the phone. "You got into the New York school. Look."
Ruhi's eyes skimmed over the email at warp speed. Adi craned his neck over her shoulder and read aloud from the screen.
"Ms. Ruhi Raman Bhalla, it is our pleasure to invite you to the New York Metropolitan Dance Academy. We were pleased with your application and dance prowess, and we believe you would be a great addition to our school..."
Cheers and excitement broke out amongst the family of five!
Adi and Pihu high-fived each other before congratulating their sister. Raman hugged Ruhi tight, as Ishita dropped a kiss on her forehead.
They were so proud of all of their children. Ruhi was on her way to becoming a great dancer and choreographer on an international level. Adi was a hotshot writer and editor, working to branch out on his own. And Pihu was a math and science whiz, unlike anyone else, and a prodigy at the violin.
This. This was their blessed little world.
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