KuVan OS - Unsaid, Understood

A little of how I wished today's episode had gone.

Vandana had had enough of these mind games. The accusations hauled at her had begun hurting her now. And she was tired, so so tired. It seemed like the problems she had faced in the past thirty-five years of her life could not even hold a candle to the problems she had faced in the past three months.

She had had her voice insulted. She had had her family assaulted. She had become homeless. She had to work for a man she loathed. She had been trapped in a loveless marriage and then a bomb had dropped on her. She cannot conceive. She cannot give birth.

That was the only reason, she thought, that she had grown as close to Tara as she had. It was no secret that she loved kids. She had gone to great lengths to ensure that no child within her purview ever faced discomfort. It was by luck that Tara had needed saving the day she had been denied the right to motherhood.

The bond that she had developed with Tara was hence the result of the tragedy written in her destiny.

And to have this man insult that bond in such a way made Vandana furious. However, she was more furious at the woman behind him. The woman Vandana had tried so hard to not make opinions for.

Soniya. 

What an evil b*tch.

But now she also understood how much hold she had over Kunal. Even after seven years of a broken marriage, Soniya could render Kunal in a complete opposite direction with few well placed manipulative chatter.

But Vandana was used to it now. Because Vaibhav had been doing the same exact thing to her since the day he had decided to cheat on her by starting a relationship with her sister.

That is why, instead of declining any inclination towards marrying Kunal Malhotra, which he would refuse to believe anyway, she moved past him and faced yet another person hurling accusations at her.

Only Soniya wasn't family. Nor was she the person she fell in love with. She was, for all intents and purposes, a stranger. A stranger on whom Vandana could not feel any guilt towards.

So in true fashion, she did what she always did. She stepped up and faced her opponent. She stepped forward and gave an answer to boot.

With a deep breath she began, "Toh yeh hai aapka plan right?" She scoffed. It was so obvious now Vandana thought of it. She laughed in Sonia's face.

"Manna padega aapko. Aapne suna ke VedikaJi aur Aatya ka discussion, aisa discussion jiske baare mein hum bhi nahi jaante and aapne decide kiya ke chalo aaj thoda Kunal Malhotra ko manipulate karte hai. Inki di hui Saari pehenke, unko apna dhoka yaad dilake, unhe kamzor kar ke unhe mere khilaf bhadkaya. Waah! Kya plan hai!"

Vandana clapped in her face. Soniya, about to reply to Vandana was brutally interrupted when Vandana continued, "I mean, mujhe laga nahi tha aapko mujhse koi problem hogi. Aakhir aapki bachi toh pali badhi Nannies ke saath mein hi hai. To aapko mujh jaise upgraded Nanny se problem honi bhi nahi chahiye. Yeh toh mujhe ab samajh aa raha hai ki aapki possessiveness Tara se kam aur Kunal sir se zyadda hai."

She turned around to look at Kunal, "Aur aap itna bhi nahi samajh paye Sir."

Soniya, finally finding an opportunity when Vandana turned to look at Kunal, screeched, "Yeh kya bakwaas kar rahi ho tum Vandana, aisa buch bhi nahi hai."

Vandana turned to face Soniya once again, "Aisa hi hai SoniyaJi. Trust me. Agar mere toote hue rishte ne mujhe kuch sikhaya hai toh woh yahi hai ki log joh kehte hai aur joh unke dimag mein chal raha hota hai woh do alag alag cheezein hai. Mere pati ne mere saath aisi bohut games kheli hai. Toh aap ka yeh patrey mujh pe kaam nahi karenge. Apko problem iss baat se nahi ki main aur Tara close hai aapko problem yeh hai ki jab Kunal Sir Tara ko lekar struggle kar rahe the toh I was supporting him. Aapko takleef iss baat ki hai ki jab mujhe meri zindagi ka sabse bada dhokha mill raha tha toh Kunal Sir was supporting me."

Out of breath, Vandana turned to Kunal and explained, "Aap kaise nahi samajh paa rahe yeh game Kunal Sir? She's playing you. Woh chahti hai ki aap mujhe Tara ki life se dur karke apne aap ko uski life ka villain bana de. Jaise woh ab ban gayi hai Tara ki life mein."

Soniya fumed, grasping Vandana's elbow to turn her, "Tum jaanti hi kya ho Kunal aur mere rishte ke baare mein? Agar koi affair nahi hai toh rishta kya hai tum dono ka?"

Vandana smiled, "Aapko kya?" As Soniya was baffled at the question, she continued, "Aapko kya SoniyaJi? Hum affair kare, hum shaadi kare, hum kuch bhi kare, frankly it's none of your business. Kunal Sir aur aapko alag hue saat saal ho gaye hai. Kehte hai insaan ke saare cells marke naye cells regenerate ho jaate hai saat saal mein SoniyaJi. Kunal Sir toh ab woh Kunal Sir bhi nahi hai joh aapse pyaar karte the."

Vaibhav however, not one to remain silent, interrupted her, "Aur tera kya Vandu? Tujhe toh saat din bhi nahi hue hai Shaadi todke? Fir bhi yeh sab? Shi shi shi."

Vandana laughed at Vaibhav. Quite literally laughed in his face as she replied to him, "Kaisi shaadi Vaibhav? Kaunsi shaadi. Woh shaadi jis mein tera chakkar meri behen ke saath mujhse shaadi karne se pehle hi chal raha tha? Arey un dono ke beech mein pyaar toh tha Vaibhav. Unki ek bachi hai Vaibhav. Tune toh kabhi mujhe haath bhi nahi lagaya. Mujhe naya insaan banne ki zaroorat hi nahi hai tujhse pyaar naa karne ke liye."

Vaibhav, intentionally cruel, laughed in reply, "Kaunsa tujhe chhune pe bhi tu mujhe bacha de paati?"

As soon as Vaibhav had spoken the one thing that had become the reason for Tara and Vandana's connection she knew it was over. That the silence would only deepen because that was the one thing Vandana could not reply to. That was the one aspect of her life that wasn't public knowledge. And Vaibhav had just announced it.

The crackers following his statement seemed to mock Vandana more. She could feel his gaze on her, she could feel all of their gazes on her, but his was something she had gotten used to discerning in a crowd of gazes a long time ago.

She turned to look at his reaction at the revelation. She knew from his horrified expression that he was remembering the words he had so casually thrown at her, unintentionally cruel. But before he could say anything the sound of the crackers had grabbed the attention of someone else.

Tara ran towards her, her hands covering her ears and her eyes closed. Vandana watched as she ran towards her, knowing that she had to stop regardless of everything she had said. That it was important to maintain that distance he spoke of until he came to terms with what he had suffered and come to know today.

She kneeled nonetheless, taking the little star of her life in her arms. As the noise from the crackers dulled, the sound of Tara's cries took over. "Vandu Mimi," she sniffled, "Mujhe bahut darr lag raha hai."

Vandana wanted nothing but to embrace the child. She couldn't however, because he was looking at her, and she was looking at him, and just like always, they understood what they couldn't say.

This was neither the time, nor the place to show defiance to what he had ordered just a few conversations before. Even though Vandana did not agree with what had happened, she had to listen to him, not for him, no, but for the sake of their company.

So she did what she shouldn't have to do, and didn't want to do, and said, "Tara. It's alright. Aapke saath sab hai na. Papa, Vedika Di, Bua, Bobby, sab toh hai. Agar sabka ho saath toh darne ki kya baat?"

Tara, hiccuping, asked, "Aur aap Vandu Mimi?"

Vandana almost cried, but she didn't, because if she did, Tara would come to know that what Vandana was saying was far more serious than what she was implying. So, offering the little girl the most charming smile of hers, she explained, "Kabhi kabhi badho ke beech mein kuch unbun ho jaati hai. Jiski wajah se woh baat nahi kar paate. Aapke papa aur mere beech mein abhi ek fight chalu hai. Jiska matlab hum dono bhi nahi mil sakte. Kyunki aap apne papa ke side ho na?"

Tara shook her head in negative, "Nahi. Mujhe aapke side rehna hai Vandu Mimi."

She laughed, tears escaping her eyes anyway, but she knew she had to do it. It was the best course of action, at least for now. She shook her head, "But mere side toh already Shivam hai na. Toh aapke papa ke side bhi toh koi smart bacha hona chahiye na? Isliye humne decide kiya ki Tara papa ki side rahegi."

Tara seemed to contemplate a little, but then she nodded her little head, "Okay. This time I'm on Papa's side. But next time, mein Vandu Mimi ke side rahungi. Pinky promise?"

Vandana laughed at that, "Okay. But mere taraf se bhi ek shart hai. Tara ko yeh Pinky promise karna hoga ki woh Papa ki sab baat maanegi. Vedika Bua ko bhi tang nahi karegi. Aur ghar se akele bahar toh woh bilkul nahi jaayegi. Pinky Promise?

As Tara intertwined her pinky finger with Vandana, her heart ached with the need to hug this child, to embrace her away from the world that was so ruthlessly bent on separating them. 

Turning her gaze away from Tara to stop giving in on her impulses, her eyes landed on him. He still looked winded about what was happening. Still confused, still furious. And amidst all that, his eyes still held that blame he had brutally placed on her.

She continued looking at him, the man that had helped her move on from her past was still stuck in his own. She asked without words, and he miraculously understood, because in the next moment, Tara was secure in her father's arms, who was walking away from her. Vandana stood and moved inside, preparing herself for what was to come.