Part 32 Beautiful update
Ladies went on shopping for mimika engagement leaving kids to mans Ishita was confused what to buy remembering ramans word she brought Punjabi suite raman and Bala talk was nice Bala told raman if ever he needs to talk someone he will be always there for him that was so nice raman told Bala he and Ishita are trying to reconnect with adi but asked Bala not share this with anyone else Bala promised him raman and Bala were teasing mihir haha mihika said shagun may come in engagement as she is mihira sister Ishita asked her to ask mihir first she agreed raman asked Ishita to show her shopping to him loved their cute talk and banter mimika were fighting ishra made them understand raman told mihir of he don't want to invite shagun he don't need to Ishra made mihika understand she decided to say sorry to Mihir ramans concern for Ishita was nice ishra talking about old song was so nice
Amazing and lovely update
Adi is finally back from hostel shagun is so selfish poor adi she just think about herself poor adi is wants to spend time with her but she is busy in herself adi feels so lonely he was remembering time spent with his grandparents aunt uncle and especially his father who was always there for him but he thinks his father don't want to meet him I hope his misunderstanding will clear soon toshiji told mihir he will have to invite shagun otherwise who will do the rituals of his sister mihir looked at Ishita he pleaded her to become his sister and do the rituals she happily agreed toshiji was so proud on Ishita raman was lost in Ishitas look that was so cute finally mimika got engaged shagun saw the pics such a disgusting woman poor adi she shouted at him she told him all lie she thinks Ishita have snatched raman and ruhi from her what a lier woman poor adi he always try to make her happy she is talking always negative about raman to adi hope adi will soon see her true face poor boy was shocked hearing about his sister he went to shopping so he can spend time with shagun he is craving for love so vandu is pragnent poor ruhi in her innocence she unknowingly reminded Ishita she can't become mother raman told her she have a brother Ishra were not able to sleep waiting for their talk
Please update soon
when we'll get update....Dear..
i thought to ask u to write more ishra stories...
Beautiful story..Eagerly waiting for an update. checking YHM forum just for an update to this story.
Thank you
Part 36
Bhalla House - three days later, Friday, 20th Dec, 9 pm
“Aaja mera bhachungda, tenu baal mein tel laga du,” Toshi beckoned to Ruhi as she situated herself, cross-legged on the sofa. “Mere baalon mein lagane be baad ab bhi aadhi katori baaki hai.”
Ruhi dropped her dolls in the middle of the living room where she sat and sighed. “Do I have to, dadi?” she pouted. “Mujhe apne hair oily nahi karne hai…”
“Aaja na puttar,” Toshi pleaded. “Tujhe teri maa jaise lambe ghane baal chahiye ki nahi? Aaja, baith idhar.” She patted on the empty space in front of her on the sofa.
Ruhi pushed aside her dollhouse and plopped down in front of her grandmother. Toshi undid Ruhi’s braids and began applying oil to one section after another.
“Dadi, aap kabhi Ishimaa ko oil kyun nahi lagati? Aap aur mumma sirf mere baalon ke piche padi rehti hai,” Ruhi complained.
“Lo bolo. Mushkil se to tere baal mein hafte main ek baar tel lagaate hai hum, aur complain to aise kar rahi hai jaise har din hum tujhe tel mein nehelate ho,” Toshi chuckled.
“Oil mein to papa naahaye the Diwali par, remember? Kitne funny lag rahe the,” Ruhi giggled.
“Haan, baat to teri sahi hai. Bada funny lag raha tha mera puttar.”
Toshi continued massaging oil into Ruhi’s scalp and hair.
“Dadi, don’t distract me!” Ruhi exclaimed. “Answer my question please, aap Ishimaa ko oil kyun nahi lagaate?” She turned around to face her grandmother.
“Arey, tu saamne dekh. Sar itna hila mat.” Toshi grabbed Ruhi’s chin and turned her head back to the front and continued her oil massage.
“You didn’t answer my question, dadi.” Toshi couldn’t see her face but chuckled at hearing the pout in Ruhi’s voice.
“Which question betu?” another woman’s voice asked.
Toshi and Ruhi turned their heads to see Ishita emerge from her bedroom in her night clothes - a short black kurti and white leggings. She dropped to the armchair opposite Ruhi and Toshi.
“Kya puch rahe the aap dadi se?” she asked her daughter.
“Yahin ki woh kabhi aap ke hair mein oil kyun nahi lagaati?”
“Are betu, main apne hair mein khud oil lagaati hoon, isiliye.”
“Oh nahi Ishita,” Toshi intervened. “Aaj main tere baalon mein tel lagaati hoon. Yeh Ruhi ke baalon ka ho jaaye, phir tu bhi baith ja.”
“Nahi nahi mummyji, uski koi zaroorat nahi-”
“Karne de na puttar! Maa ko kabhi mana nahi karte.”
“Lekin-”
“Dekh puttar, maa ke liye bacche kabhi bade nahi hote. Aaj main teri mast tel maalish karti hoon.”
“Thik hai, mummyji. As you wish,” Ishita conceded with a soft smile.
“Bas Ruhi puttar?” Toshi turned her attention back to Ruhi. “Ab mere, tere, aur teri maa ke baal sab tel wale honge. Sirf tere akele ke nahi.”
“Hmm…” Ruhi said nothing, but Ishita chuckled at the smug smile on her daughter’s face.
Toshi kept massaging Ruhi’s hair, her fingers digging deep into her scalp, nourishing her roots.
“Waise Rinki kahaan hai? Aaj use bhi tel lagaa deti hoon,” Toshi said. “Pata nahi us ladki ne aakhri baar apne tel mein baal kab lagaya tha. She does all kinds of straightening and curling and heating treatments but god forbid, she ever apply some oil in her hair. Yeh saari modern spa aur heat treatments ke chakkar mein hi sab ladkiyon ke baal itne patle aur rookhe-sookhe ho gaye hain. Main to kehti hoon, agar regularly apne baal mein tel laagao aur time pe baal acche se dho na, to baal itne lambe aur ghane honge ki baat mat pucho. Hum log to apne zamaane mein-”
“Bhabhi!” Rinki’s voice echoing from her bedroom interrupted Toshi’s rant. “Ishita bhabhi!”
“Rinki, hum log living room mein hai!” Ishita called back.
Rinki stepped out into the living room and propped down on the seat beside Toshi.
“Kya hua? Why were you shouting for me?” Ishita asked.
“Bhabhi, maine apna laptop aapke room mein charging pe rakha hai. I think main apna charger apne office mein bhool gayi hoon,” Rinki replied.
“Charger kho to nahi gaya na? Ek naya order kar de?”
“Nahi bhabhi, mere cubicle mein hi hoga. I’ll check tomorrow. Agar nahi hoga to phir we can order a new one.” She glanced at the scene beside her. “Waise yahan kya chal raha hai?” she asked.
“Main Ruhi ke baalon mein tel lagaa rahi hoon,” Toshi supplied. “Aur phir Ishita ke baalon mein bhi. Tu bhi aa, tere bhi baalon mein lagaa doon.”
“No mom, my hair will get all greasy-”
“Bilkul nahi! Main ek bhi bahana nahi sunoongi!” Toshi interrupted her daughter’s complaints. “Tere baal kitne rookhe-sookhe ho gaye hai. Kam se kam ek raat ke liye to lagaa le? Phir kal subah baal dho dena.”
Rinki still looked hesitant.
“Rinki, laga le na tel?” Ishita prompted. “It’s really good for hair.”
“Okay fine,” she sighed.
“Good,” Toshi handed Rinki the now empty saucer of oil. “Toh jaa, is katori mein aur tel garam kar ke laa.”
Rinki begrudgingly unraveled herself from her comfortable spot on the couch and jogged to the kitchen to warm up more oil.
“Dekh Ruhi, tere baal mein ekdum mast tel laga diya. Ab bol, baal kaise banau? Braids ya ponytail?” Toshi asked.
“Mujhe two braids chahiye! Lekin Ishimaa banaayengi!” Ruhi demanded.
“Thik hai, jaa apni maa ke paas,” Toshi chuckled. “Rinki, aa jaa. Jab tak Ishita Ruhi ke baal bana rahi hai, tab tak main tere baal mein tel lagaa du.”
Ruhi scooched over to sit in front of her mother, who grabbed the comb from the coffee table and ran it through her hair. As Ishita parted her daughter’s hair and began braiding, Rinki made herself comfortable in front of her own mother to have her hair oiled.
“Aisa lagta hai,” Rinki giggled, “jaise humne yahan koi salon khol rakha hai. Bhalla Women’s hair salon.”
“Tu jaanti nahi hai Rinki, jab main tere umar ki thi na, to kuch waqt ke liye mujhe beautician banne ka bada shauk chadha tha,” Toshi revealed.
Ishita widened her eyes at her mother-in-law’s revelation, pausing in the action of tying one of Ruhi’s braids.
“Sach me mummyji?”
“Haan, lagbhag 30-35 saal pehle ki baat thi. Utna shauk ab nahi raha.”
“Lekin mumma, aap ko to sajne-savarne ka abhi bhi shauk hai. In fact, you were the first person who taught me about the basics of makeup,” Rinki commented. “What changed?”
“Well, when I was in my teens, right before I turned 20, I took a couple courses in college with my friends to be a beautician. Nothing too fancy, just like waxing, makeup, facials, hair treatments, and such. In most of my friends’ weddings, when we couldn’t afford professional beauticians or makeup artists, I used to do their makeup. Everyone was so impressed, a couple of my friends suggested I could become a professional and actually make decent money. I thought about it for a while as I was finishing my graduation, but…”
“But what mumma?” Rinki asked, even as her mother dug her oil laden fingers into her hair and scalp. Ishita tied Ruhi’s second braid and wiped her hands, pulling her daughter into her lap, who was just as engrossed in her grandmother’s story.
“Well, right as I was finishing my graduation, I met your father.” A barely noticeable blush bloomed on Toshi’s cheeks as she reminisced about her youth. If Ishita hadn’t had her eyes fixed on Toshi, she would’ve missed it. She couldn’t help but wonder what the feeling would be like. To love someone with such depth and passion that even decades weren’t enough to live it through.
“My priorities changed,” Toshi continued. “I got married, then I had kids, and I couldn’t even bear the thought of leaving one of you to go attend to strangers.”
Ishita clutched Ruhi tighter in her lap. If she didn’t know her mother-in-law better, she would’ve thought it was a taunt on working mothers like her. Toshi hadn’t been anything but supportive of her work since the day she met her, but the guilt of a working mom caught up to her at times. The guilt of not giving 100% to her daughter because of work; the guilt of not giving 100% to her work because of her preoccupation with her kid and family. Every mom tried her best, but some sliver of guilt always remained.
“Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against mothers who choose to work,” Toshi added quickly with a soothing glance to her daughter-in-law. “That was just a choice I didn’t want to make for myself. So makeup and hair and all became just a hobby then, nothing more.”
Toshi ran her fingers through Rinki’s hair and finished with the oil application. As she wiped her hands of oil and began combing her daughter’s hair into a braid, Rinki raised a question. And a rather difficult one at that.
“Mumma, do you regret letting go of your dreams to get married? To have kids?” Rinki asked softly.
Toshi chuckled lightly. She had expected such a question. “Not. At. All. I didn’t have a dream or passion, Rinki. It was just a hobby. Something I was good at. The thought of going professional was just a passing thought. For me, being a wife and mother was much more important.”
Rinki sighed. How many women in their society had to sacrifice their dreams to adhere to the patriarchy and conform to arbitrary gender roles? And how far had they really come from such a mindset? She recalled the endless discussions she had had with Mihika, about how despite being the best at their jobs, excelling in their careers, the first questions they were always asked was about when they would be getting married.
Ishita recognized the wheels turning in her sister-in-law’s mind. She was very similar to Mihika in certain regards -- feisty, short-tempered, modern, and good hearted. Much as how Simi was similar to Vandu -- experienced, patient, and wise beyond her years.
“Rinki,” Ishita grabbed her attention as Toshi braided her hair. “Just because your priority is your career, doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with a woman who chooses to prioritize her family. What matters is that women should have the freedom to make that choice. Some choose family like mummyji, Amma, & Simi; some choose their career like you and even Mihika to some extent; and some like me and Vandu Akka choose both.”
The lines of frustration erased from Rinki’s forehead just as Toshi ended her braid and tied it. She gave her bhabhi a slight nod of acknowledgement. Even though she wouldn’t make such a choice for herself, she had to respect the choices her mother had made. Because what mattered was that she made the choice, by her own volition, for her own happiness.
“Yeh leh, tere baal ban gaye,” Toshi told Rinki with a pat on her shoulder. “Raat ko sote waqt apne takiye pe koi napkin ya towel rakhna, thik hai? Warna takiye ka cover pura tel-tel ho jaayega.”
As Rinki got up and stretched her limbs, Ishita nudged Ruhi in her lap. “Neend aa rahi hai betu? Sone chale?”
“No Ishimaa, mujhe bilkul neend nahi aa rahi hai. Aur kal to school bhi nahi jaana. Main thodi der TV dekhu? Aur mujhe papa se bhi milna hai. Woh abhi tak nahi aaye,” Ruhi said.
Ishita expected as much. “Thik hai, aap thodi der dekho. Jao. Tab tak Dadi mere baalon mein bhi tel lagaa dengi.”
Ruhi climbed off her mother’s lap and curled up on the sofa opposite the TV with Rinki, while Ishita sat cross-legged in front of her mother-in-law. Toshi unraveled Ishita’s bun and began massaging oil into her scalp, as the Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse theme song played from the TV.
“Wow mummyji, aapke haathon mein to jaadu hai,” Ishita sighed with satisfaction. “Aaj se pehle kabhi meri tel maalish kyun nahi ki?”
“Tune kabhi pucha hi nahi puttar,” Toshi chuckled. “Koi nahi, ab jab bhi man ho na tel maalish ka, to bol dena mujhe.”
“Mummyji, jab hum chote the, to Amma hum sab ko aise hi tel lagaaya karti thi. Aaj lagbhag 4-5 saalon baad kisi ne mere sar pe aise maalish ki hai.”
“Kyun, Raman teri maalish nahi karta?” Toshi teased. “Nahi woh sar pe maalish thodi karta hoga, haina?”
Ishita choked on air. “Mummyji?!” she gasped, downright scandalized. Rinki sniggered.
“Arey zyada sharma mat Ishita, main to bas teri taang kheech rahi thi. Waise Raman se yaad aaya, woh khote da khur hai kidhar? Kab tak aayega?”
“Unko shaayad 10-10:30 baj jaayenge.”
“Baap re. Woh kab aayega, kab khana khaayega, kab soyega… aise to uski tabiyat bigad jaayegi.”
“I know mummyji, but he is adamant to speed up work on that contract they got in August. He wants to finish it in a few weeks max. Aur woh weekend pe office nahi jaana chahte isiliye aaj week ke end mein saara kaam khatam kar ke aa rahe hai.”
“Fair enough. But make sure he eats something. Kabhi kabhi woh kaam mein itna kho jaata hai ki khud ka khayaal hi nahi rakhta.”
“Don’t worry mummyji, I’ll take care of him.”
Toshi smiled. She had no doubt that she would.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10:20 pm
“Chalo, main sone jaa rahi hoon.”
Rinki gave her niece a quick kiss and tight hug before unraveling herself from the couch and heading for her room. Toshi had long turned in after making Ishita’s hair. As Rinki left the room, Ishita picked up her daughter in her lap.
“Abhi to sone chalogi na madam?” she asked.
“Mujhe… papa se… milna hai…” Ruhi whispered, stifling multiple yawns.
Ishita sighed. She and Raman had both been diligent about cutting back on work to make sure they both spent enough time with Ruhi every day before she went to bed. But there were rare days like this when life worked against them. Sometimes Ishita was stuck at the clinic in a rare emergency surgery. Sometimes Raman was stuck at his office dealing with a client or working to meet a deadline. Today would probably prove to be a day like that.
“Papa aa rahe hai baby. Bas raaste mein hi hai. Aap andar chalke change karo, brush karo, aur bedtime story suno, tab tak papa aa jaayenge.”
With much difficulty, Ishita coaxed Ruhi into bed and began narrating the story of the fox and the grapes. Despite her best efforts to stay awake and listen to the full story, Ruhi quickly drifted to sleep.
After a quick kiss on her daughter’s forehead, Ishita turned off the lamp and left the room. She strolled out to the balcony of their living room waiting for Raman’s car to pull in. She knew in her bones that he was doing his best to balance his work and family time, but she couldn’t rid her heart of the pinch that she felt watching her daughter go to sleep still waiting for her father. She knew her husband would blame himself a thousand fold more. The guilt of a working parent was something they would both battle throughout their parenthood.
Her phone chimed from the living room shelf.
Raman: Leaving now. Should be at home in 15-20 minutes.
She picked up her phone and typed out a reply.
Ishita: Okay. I’ll warm up your dinner. Come soon.
Raman: Is everyone else asleep?
Ishita: Yes. Everyone besides Romi. He is at a friend’s house for the weekend.
Raman: Yeah, he told me this afternoon.
After a moment’s delay, another message came through.
Raman: Ruhi’s asleep too?
Ishita bit her lower lip, hesitantly typing her reply.
Ishita: Yes, she just fell asleep, barely a few minutes ago. She tried her best to stay awake, but couldn’t.
Raman: Damn. I tried my best to finish work early, but I had to reformat a presentation last minute.
Ishita: Don’t worry about it. You can make it up to her over the weekend. 😊
Raman: I bet she’d love that.
Ishita: All right, you should get driving now. I’ll see you at home.
Raman: Suresh is driving, and I’m in the passenger seat. We can still text.
Ishita: Doesn’t Suresh need to go home? Why do you make him work so late?
Raman: First off, Suresh works until 11 pm on Friday nights. He’s not doing anything out of what is outlined in his job duties. Second off, I’m not some tyrant that makes my employees work 24/7. Even my office employees that choose to work late get compensated.
Ishita curled up on the armchair with her knees pressed to her chest and her fingers working over her phone.
Ishita: Wow, look at you, getting all defensive.
Raman: Didn’t want you to get the wrong impression about me.
A million butterflies went loose in Ishita’s belly.
Raman: Besides, pretty much everything needs to be spelled out for your tiny brain.
Ishita: I guess that’s true. Especially when it comes to you.
Raman: What does that mean?
Ishita: It means that my “tiny” brain doesn’t bother with understanding the confusing things you do.
Raman: What “confusing” thing did I do?
Ishita hesitated. Then typed at breakneck speed.
Raman, you pretend to be aloof and closed off, but care for me in a way no one -- literally no one -- ever has. I have never depended on anyone like I do on you, which is both scary and liberating at the same time, a feeling that I cannot comprehend. You read my mind, the deepest emotions of my heart and do things for me before I can even voice out what I need. But your words are always out to tease me and pull my leg. You’re the literal embodiment of the saying, “actions speak louder than words.” You’re an enigma. You make me laugh and smile the most and somehow vex and annoy me just as much. I have no idea what to make of you, of me, or of our relationship. What does this all mean?
Ishita’s heart pounded as she poured her feelings into the text bubble. She read and reread it, but didn’t press send.
Raman: What happened, Madrasan? Where’d you go?
Ishita took a deep breath. And erased the message.
Ishita: Nothing, I was just messing with you. Gotcha. 😂
Raman: Very funny, Jhansi ki Rani.
Ishita. All right. I’m gonna warm up some food for you, so I’m putting the phone away. I’ll see you soon, Ravan Kumar.
Raman: Okay, bye. 👋🏼
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Bhalla House - 11 pm
Raman creaked open the front door and tiptoed in trying his best not to make too much noise. Although few and far between, days like these, where he didn’t have the fortune to spend time with his family before going to bed, especially his daughter, were the worst. Once upon a time, these were the norm: the quiet of his home, the isolation from his family. Now, he dreaded days where he didn’t hear the chatter of his mother, the advice of his father, the hustle-bustle of his siblings, the laughter of his daughter. But even on such silent days, there was always a silver lining.
“Raman, aa gaye aap?” Ishita’s voice sounded from the kitchen. “Aap fresh ho jaayiye, tab tak main aapke liye khaana lagaati hoon.”
There it was. The silver lining. The light of his life, even in his darkest times. Before the weight of his feelings caught up to him, he cleared his throat and headed inside, with a slight nod to his wife.
When he returned in his night clothes, Ishita had laid out his dinner on the table: palak paneer, freshly made parathas, and jeera rice.
“Arey waah!” Raman pulled a chair and sat down. “Palak paneer! Kya baat hai!”
“Aapko pasand hai na?” Ishita sat in the chair next to him and set a plate in front of him.
“Agar sahi tareeke se banaa ho tabhi pasand hai,” Raman quipped, as he filled his plate. “Tumne banaya hai?” he asked tentatively.
“Jee haan.” Ishita narrowed her eyes at him. “Aur bahot acche se bana hai. Sab ne khaana khaate waqt bahot taareef ki thi.”
“Woh to chakh kar hi pata chalega,” Raman replied. “Tumne khaana kha liya?”
“Haan, shaam ko hi kha liya sab ke saath.”
“Thoda sa logi? Mujhe company dene ke liye hi sahi?”
“Nahi Raman, raat ko itni late khaana khaungi to phir waqt pe neend nahi aayegi. Aap khayiye na, main baithti hoon aapke saath.”
“Fair enough,” Raman said. And he dug in.
Famished as he was, it took a good five minutes, before he actually engaged in any real conversation again. For all his taunts and jokes, his wife made the best palak paneer. It was turning into his all-time favorite food.
“So, kaisa raha tumhara din?” Raman prompted.
“Bas waise hi jaise har din guzarta hai.” Ishita went on to detail every surgery and appointment of hers, including one particularly difficult parent who ranted about the benefits of not having your children vaccinated, earning an eye-roll from her husband. She laughed about the Bhalla girls’ hair salon session in the evening, reflecting on Rinki and Toshi’s conversation about working women.
“I never knew that Maa wanted to be a beautician.” Raman pondered on how little he knew of his parents when it came to their desires and aspirations. Especially his mother. “Does that really mean she sacrificed-”
“No Raman, from what I gathered, I don’t think she sacrificed anything. Or even compromised on her dreams for that matter. Her dream was always to be a housewife and homemaker. She just said that it was her hobby once upon a time. And sometimes, still is,” Ishita explained. “She made that choice, Raman. By herself.”
“As long as she was happy with it.”
“Have you ever felt like she wasn’t?”
“Not really, but still…” He couldn’t erase the thought that he could’ve done more for his mother. Should’ve done more.
“Aapka din kaisa raha? Itni late aaye to kuch productive to kiya hi hoga?” Ishita asked, hoping to change the subject.
“Nahi nahi, hum to aadhi raat tak movies dekh rahe the, cricket khel rahe the,” Raman answered, with a heap of sarcasm.
“Very funny,” Ishita giggled. “No, but seriously, how was your day?”
“Could’ve been better,” Raman sighed, in between spoonfuls of rice and palak paneer. “We’ve been smooth sailing with this contract since last week, but now the client wants to redesign the marketing strategy behind it, which means extra hours for the marketing team, even though they’ve already worked really hard on it. Thankfully, everyone on the team is cooperating well, but the client has to understand our limits too.”
“Was their demand that unreasonable?” Ishita asked.
“Their ideas are actually pretty good. They just happen to reveal them very late, which messes up our entire schedule.” Raman ate the last of his rice and curry and gulped half a glass of water.
“Are you sure you want to continue business with them after this if they’re so hard to work with? You’ve complained about them quite a bit,” Ishita inquired.
“No clue yet. It depends on how this order goes. And on how big the profit is…”
While Ishita cleared the table, Raman stood up to wash his hands. He wiped his hands and face with a napkin and sank onto the couch, exhaling roughly.
“Aap yahan kyun baith gaye? Sona nahi hai?” Ishita asked from the kitchen.
“Abhi to khaana khaaya. Thodi der ke baad sota hoon. Come, join me for a few minutes.” He patted the empty spot beside him.
“I hate that I couldn’t meet Ruhi today,” he said once Ishita had sat down. “Was she quite upset?”
“No Raman, not at all. She understands that sometimes her parents have to work late. Besides, you were working late today to make sure you don’t have to go to work on the weekend, right?”
“Hmmm…”
Ishita twisted in her seat to face her husband. Something was going on in his head. More than simple working parent guilt. She gently placed her palm on his shoulder which grabbed his attention. Raman gently turned his head to look at his wife.
“Raman, what’s going on? You’ve worked late before but never felt this bad about it.”
Raman took a deep, shaky breath and exhaled.
“I talked with Pathak today. He found out that Adi’s school is closed for Christmas break. Naturally we tried to find a way to meet him. You know, gaps and kinks in Shagun and Ashok’s schedule. Legal routes for me to meet my son without their interference. But we found out from the business circle that Shagun and Ashok have already left with Adi on some vacation. The Maldives I believe. And they’re coming back right when his school starts. He might not even come back to Delhi before his semester starts. Looks like we’ll have to try again next year, in January.”
“I’m sorry Raman. I know how hard you’ve been trying for this. But don’t feel guilty about it. You’ve been trying your best.”
“It’s not that. It’s just… well… I’ve been spending so much time and energy on Adi, I just hope… I hope Ruhi doesn’t feel neglected. Plus I’ve been working late on top of it all…,” he murmured.
Immediately as he finished talking, Raman lost the sensation of his wife’s touch from his shoulder, regretting his confession. What would she be thinking?
Before he could realize what was happening, Ishita’s hands cupped his face and turned his face towards him.
“Raman, look at me. You have nothing -- nothing -- to feel guilty about. You are going above and beyond as a father to both your kids. You are just as involved in Ruhi’s life as I am, if not more. You are making your best efforts to reconnect with Adi, despite all the hurdles in your way. You are not neglecting anyone. And besides, you’re one person. One human. You can’t get to everyone and everything at all times. That’s what we’re all here for. Okay? You’re allowed to lean on us.”
“Okay,” Raman whispered.
As Ishita’s words trickled into his heart, abating his guilt, her fingers on his cheeks burned into his skin, sending tingles down his body, a paradox he would never understand. How she could put him at peace while making his heart pound was beyond him. It was all he could do to not lean forward and close the distance between them. Those were uncharted waters. But he couldn’t help testing said waters. Maybe a dip of the toe?
Ishita saw the guilt dissipate from his eyes to be replaced with something entirely different. Suddenly conscious of her gesture, she lowered her hands, averting her eyes and fidgeting with the end of her kurti.
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask," Raman said, "what were you typing today when we were texting? About me being confusing?"
"I told you, it was nothing," Ishita replied, with averted eyes. "I was just messing with you. I got distracted so I put my phone away for a couple minutes." It was embarrassing enough to think about how she word-vomited into a text bubble. She'd rather not let her husband know of it or she'd never live it down.
“You do realize I can see on my side when you’re typing? Those three dots that pop up? You were typing for a very long time. Now spill.” Raman moved his leg to nudge her knee.
Ishita caught her tongue between her teeth at her folly. Think Ishita, think.
“And how do you know I was typing for that long? You had your eyes glued to the screen or what?” she smirked. “Seems excessive to me.”
Damn this madrasan. “What else can you expect from a guy when a woman like you is on the other end?”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Well-”
“No wait, stop. I’m not in the mood for another stale joke of yours. I’m going to bed.”
Raman smiled at Ishita’s retreating figure. He loved this push and pull with his wife.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Vandu and Bala’s House - ten days later, New Year’s Day, Jan 1st, 8:30 am
“Happy New Year Akka! Happy New Year Jeeju!”
Ishita and Mihika’s bright and smiling faces greeted Vandu and Bala as they opened their front door. Vandu opened her arms and gave her sisters a tight hug. Closely behind them, Madhu and Vishwa followed. Vandu and Bala greeted their parents and ushered the family in.
“Come in, come in, Ishu. Aao Mihika. Amma-Appa, baithiye,” Bala welcomed his in-laws.
“Jeeju, aise sab formality ki koi zaroorat nahi hai. It’s just us,” Mihika insisted, as they all got comfortable on the couch.
“That’s my question. Why is it just you guys?" Vandu asked, as she served glasses of water to her parents. "Humne to Bhalla family ko bhi New Years celebrate karne ke liye invite kiya tha right?” Vandu asked, as she served glasses of water to her parents.
“Aiyyo Vandu, tum to in Punjabis ko jaanti hi ho. Sab log kal raat ko drink kar rahe the late night tak 31st ko celebrate karne ke liye. Murugan, murugan,” Madhu replied, barely masking her disgust.
“Haan Akka, jab main nikli to pura ghar so raha tha,” Ishita added. “Woh sab to 12 baje se pehle nahi aayenge. Seedha lunch ke liye aayenge. Ruhi bhi Raman ke saath hi aayegi. Usko jagaane ki koshish ki thi, par holiday ke din usko jagaana itna mushkil hai ki kya bataaye.”
“Oh my god, mere liye bhi yahin muskhil hai. Shravu bhi abhi tak so raha hai,” Vandu replied. “Subah se kitni baar jagaa chuki hoon, but to no avail. Waise aap logon ne abhi tak breakfast nahi kiya hoga, right? Abhi coffee aur upma ho jaaye? Phir lunch milkar prepare karte hain.”
“Sounds like a great idea, Akka,” Ishita agreed.
The ladies retreated to the kitchen to make coffee and upma, discussing the latest in their lives, although both the aunts and grandmother of the baby focused on Vandu’s pregnancy. Meanwhile, Bala and Vishwa talked in the living room, particularly about Bala’s plans to begin extra tuition classes apart from his day job to earn extra money before the baby came. Once they ran out of topics of conversation, they began working on decorating the house for the New Year’s celebration in the afternoon. Vandu had initially suggested a small family get-together for lunch on New Year’s day to welcome the new year and the new joys it brought, such as her pregnancy, Mihika’s engagement and pending nuptials, and much more. But her husband, being the overachiever that he was, brought balloons and streamers and banners to decorate their house for the occasion. After all, it was their first new year as part of the huge Bhalla-Iyer clan.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Four hours later - 12:30 pm
“Look who finally decided to show up.” Mihika planted her hands on her hips as she disapprovingly glowered at the last two members of the family to walk in. “Sharam karo, sharam karo. Sab log aa gaye. Lunch bhi shuru ho gaya. Aur tum log abhi aa rahe ho.”
“Shhh.” Romi covered his ears as his eyes squinted in pain. “Dheere bol, dheere bol. Ek to hangover ne sar ki band baja rakhi hai aur upar se tum… Mihir, bol apni girlfriend ko.”
“That’s fianceé, not girlfriend,” Mihir corrected from beside him. “Aur waise bhi, kal apne doston ke saath beer pong khelne ki kya zaroorat thi? Maine aur bhai ne dono ne manaa kiya tha.”
“Whatever,” Romi growled. “I’m going to get some food.”
As Romi walked into the kitchen, he almost ran into Ishita owing to his groggy state and pounding headache.
“Careful Romi!” she cried, stumbling back. “Kahan dhyaan hai tumhara?”
“Sorry bhabhi… Mera sar… phata jaa raha hai…” he stammered.
“Hangover?” Ishita guessed.
Romi meekly nodded.
“Ohhh I see… Do one thing, just get your plate and fill it up. Meanwhile, I’ll whip up a hangover cure I know of.”
“Sure bhabhi, I’ll take anything at this point.”
As Romi filled his plate, Ishita retrieved a few veggies from the fridge and spun them in a blender. In about five minutes, she presented a glass of greenish pink sludge to her brother-in-law.
“Yeh kya hai bhabhi?”
“Beets, kale, aur spinach ka juice. It’s a DIY hangover cure that many of my college friends used to use. Try it.”
“Are you sure bhabhi?” Romi tentatively held the glass and examined it.
“100%. Drink up. And make sure to eat plenty of carbs and stay hydrated. You should feel better in a few hours.”
While Romi took slow, hesitant gulps from his glass of sludge, the rest of the Bhalla-Iyer family indulged in lunch in the living and dining rooms. On Ruhi's insistence, today's menu had been finalized to be the Indo-Chinese fusion cuisine. Dishes ranged from vegetarian versions of manchow soup and dumplings to Hakka noodles and cauliflower manchurian. Both families intermingled in the house reveling in the joy of the new year.
“Yaar Bala,” Raman approached his brother-in-law, balancing his plate in his hands. “Naye saal ka swaagat aise rookhe-sookhe? Kam se kam champagne to hona chahiye na?”
“Raman, actually maine apne room mein stock rakha hai. Lekin mujhe Amma ka dar hai.”
“Amma ka? I thought you’d say Vandu ka dar hai,” Raman chuckled.
“Oh Vandu is fine with it. Hold on.” Bala craned his neck to see his wife and mother-in-law deep in conversation at the dining table. “Lagta hai Amma nahi dekh rahi. Andar chalo chup-chap. Aur Romi aur Mihir ko bhi bula lo.”
Bala creeped into his bedroom followed by Raman and his brothers. He set his plate on a table, opened a bottle of wine, and began pouring glass after glass. Raman and Mihir set their plates down and took a glass for themselves, but Romi ardently refused.
“No. Not at all. Nope.” Romi’s face went white. “Even the smell of alcohol makes me want to puke. I am never drinking again.”
Laughs erupted all around him.
“Shhh… Stop with the noise,” he pleaded. “My head is pounding.”
“To kisne bola tha itna peene ko?” Raman scolded. “I warned you a million times.”
“Abhi daanto mat na bhai.”
“Do you want some medicine, Romi?” Bala asked.
“I took two Advils before coming here. I’m just waiting for them to kick in,” Romi replied. “Besides, I’m working on this DIY cure that Ishita bhabhi gave me. Some sludge of beets and kale and spinach.”
Once Bala had poured himself a glass of wine as well, he addressed the group.
“Let’s raise our glasses everyone, to the joys of the new year!” Bala exclaimed. Mihir and Raman raised their wine glasses. Romi raised his sludge glass.
“To Vandu’s healthy pregnancy and a healthy and happy baby!” Raman cheered.
“To successful contracts, happy clients, and a prosperous office!” Mihir added.
“To the pending nuptials of our very own Mihir and Mihika!” Bala joined. “And to the health and happiness of both Iyers and Bhallas!
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Khanna Mansion - five days later, Monday, 6th January, 7:30 am
“Ready to go, Adi?” Shagun tugged on Adi’s tie and adjusted the lapels of his school uniform shirt. “Do you have all your new books? And your stationary? And that new compass box we bought from the Maldives?”
“Mom, don’t worry. I’ve got everything,” Adi assured her.
Shagun continued to fuss over her son for a few more minutes, occasionally straightening his uniform, occasionally running a comb through his already combed hair. Unlike most of her mornings, she woke up early today on two counts: a vacation hangover from their latest winter trip to the Maldives, and her son’s first day of school in Delhi. They had just landed back in Delhi last night and mentally, she was still on the beaches of Maldives.
“Mom, couldn’t we have come back a couple days earlier?” Adi asked. “I feel like I had no time to prepare for this new school.”
“I know baby, but tum to jaante hi ho na, we couldn’t find first class tickets back for any day before yesterday. And Ashok and I hate traveling in economy class.”
“I understand mom.”
Shagun smiled at her successful diversion of the topic. It was true that they couldn’t get their preferred first class tickets until yesterday. It was also true that staying out of the country until the day school started served the purpose of keeping Adi away from the Bhallas. A pure coincidence, of course.
A series of honks sounded from outside their bungalow.
“Chalo Adi, the school bus is here!” Shagun exclaimed, hustling her son out the front door. “And remember, school ke baad waapis aakar khaana kha lena. Aur phir tumhaare extra tuitions hai, to driver tumhe le jaayega.”
“Okay mom.”
“Did you get your lunch? And your water bottle?”
“Mom, I’ve got everything! Don’t worry.”
Adi climbed into the bus and took a seat by the window. As the bus started and took off, Adi leaned out the window and waved goodbye to his mother. The bus rounded the corner of their street and his mother disappeared from view. Adi settled in his seat and took a deep breath. This was the beginning of a new innings. New school, new friends, and a new life. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Vidya Shakti Public School - 5th Class - Division A, 11:40 am
The clanging of the school bell signaled the end of Adi’s monotonous Science class. He understood the introductory material well, but god forbid the teacher add some engaging elements to his lecture. The noise level rose to another decibel as students began putting away their books and headed -- or in some cases, ran -- to the cafeteria for lunch. Adi retrieved his lunch box and followed the crowd to the massive cafeteria.
The sight that greeted him caused beads of sweat to appear on his forehead. Every table seemed occupied with groups of kids eating and chatting. Hundreds of voices sounded around him and for the first time since arriving in Delhi, Adi felt anxious and overwhelmed. It finally sunk in that he was in a completely new city with a new school, but with no friends. All alone.
“Hey, you’re Aditya right? The new kid?”
Adi turned around to see who had spoken to him. Two boys stood in front of him, a tall, scrawny kid with straight black hair and wheat-colored skin, and another shorter, larger kid with curly brown hair and pale skin covered in freckles. He recognized them from his class, from two desks behind him.
“Yeah, that’s me. But you can call me Adi.”
“I’m Hardik,” the scrawny kid said. “This is Ayush.” He stuck out his thumb towards his freckled friend. “Do you want to join us for lunch? We usually sit in that corner.” He pointed to the southwest corner of the cafeteria.
“Yes, I’d love to.” Adi subtly exhaled a ragged breath, trying his best to hide just how grateful he was to have been approached by someone. So he wouldn’t have to sit alone.
Once they were seated and had begun eating, Hardik and Ayush introduced themselves to Adi who in turn gave them his background.
“Wow, so you used to live in a hostel?” Ayush asked. “That’s so cool. What was it like?”
“It was fun actually. We all lived together so we were really close friends,” Adi replied.
“So then why did you move to Delhi?” Hardik asked.
“Mom wanted me to be closer to her, so she called me home. Anyways, enough about me.” Adi desperately tried to steer the conversation away from any mentions of his father. “What do you guys do in your free time?”
“I like drawing. I am the topper in the art class.” Ayush tugged his collar and smirked, earning a laugh from the other boys.
“We also play football,” Hardik supplied. “We have practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and matches on weekends.”
Adi’s ears perked up and eyes sparkled. “Dude, I love football! Can I join your guys’ team?!”
“Really?! Then of course you should join! In fact, we have tryouts for new students this week only, right Ayush?”
“Yeah, wait, I have the pamphlet somewhere here…” Ayush fished around his backpack and took out a crumpled up purple paper. He straightened it and laid it out on the table in front of Adi. “Tryouts are this week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 5 pm. The address is at the bottom,” Ayush explained.
“Can I take this home with me? I’ll show my mom and get her permission so I can come try for the team,” Adi asked.
“Yeah sure.” Ayush handed Adi the pamphlet, who carefully folded it and slipped it into his backpack.
“I’ll try to come on Tuesday or Thursday. I have extra tuition on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,” Adi explained.
“Where are you going for tuition?” Hardik asked.
“It’s somewhere in Delhi Arts College. Some professors are offering tuition classes in the evening for primary students.”
“Dude! I’m going there too!” Hardik exclaimed. “I go for tuitions on Wednesday and Friday though. English on Wednesday and Science on Friday. Are you taking the same subjects?”
“Yeah, I am. And Math on Monday.”
“Let’s sit together in English and Science tuitions. I only started going there last month…”
The rest of the lunch period passed merrily as Adi and his new friends chattered and got to know each other. As students began to leave for class and the cafeteria emptied, Adi and his friends headed to class as well.
“Yaar, kuch log itni zor zor se baatein kyun karte hai?” Ayush pressed his palms to his ears when they passed a particularly loud group of kids.
“Come on man, they look like first and second graders. These kids have no concept of a volume dial,” Hardik remarked.
Adi gave a passing glance to the table of the loud group and walked on. He could never have known that his very own sister Ruhi and cousin Shravu sat at the center of the table.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Delhi Arts College, Room 108 - two days later, Wednesday, 8th Jan, 4 pm
“Vandu, can you look around at home? Did I forget my pointer there?” Bala pressed his phone to his ear with his shoulder, as he shuffled in his bag looking for his laser pointer.
“I don’t see it in our room, Bala,” Vandu said from the other side on the phone.
“Oh wait! I found it!” Bala retrieved his pointer from the bottom of his bag. “It was beneath my laptop.”
“Bala, are you sure you will be able to handle this? You already have two full-time jobs,” Vandu asked.
“Two jobs?” Bala’s brows furrowed in confusion.
“Yeah, college professor and father. Shravu is as much work as a full-time job, isn’t he?”
“Fair enough,” Bala chuckled. He sat down in his chair at the front of the classroom and leaned back. “By that logic, you have three full-time jobs, Vandu.”
“Okay wait, I know I have two jobs: college principal and mother. What’s the third job?”
“You’re pregnant Vandu. And handling a pregnancy is as difficult as a job, isn’t it?”
“But still Bala-”
“Vandu,” Bala spoke sternly. “I am giving English lessons to primary students for one hour in the evening. It is not too much work at all. You know I love working with younger students too. And this program is organized by the university. The pay is really good which means we can put aside money for when the baby comes. That way you have the freedom of taking a longer maternity leave for your delivery. You can even take some time off if you want.”
“Bala…” Vandu was speechless. “Ek baat bolu?”
“Bolo…”
“You are the best husband I could have asked for.”
“Thank you Vandu. Waise, you are also the best wife I could have asked for. Abhi phone rakho. Mere students aate hi honge.”
“Okay bye.”
“Bye wife.”
Bala set his phone on silent and slid it into his bag. He rechecked his books, materials, and lesson plan for today’s class. Being a college professor, he rarely had the chance to interact with primary students. He loved working with college level students, but teaching younger children had a level of satisfaction of its own. Fortunately the opportunity presented itself last week when he was looking for extra work to put aside money for their new baby on the way. He’d found out about an initiative from the Teaching Department to provide tuition classes to primary students at the college after hours. So now he taught English lessons to students from 3rd to 7th grade on weekdays from 4 to 5 pm. Monday for 3rd grade, Tuesday for 4th grade, and so on.
As students started filing in and taking their seats, Bala stood up and welcomed them. He took down their names as he came in, checking his roster. Once everyone was seated, he checked his roster one last time. One student was missing, by the name of Aditya.
‘That’s strange,’ he thought. ‘No last or middle name. Just Aditya.’
But the clock ticked, so he began the lesson by introducing himself and handing out grammar worksheets.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Fifteen minutes later
“May I come in, sir?!”
Bala turned his head from the board and saw a boy panting at the entrance of the classroom.
“Are you Aditya?” he asked.
“Yes sir.”
“Why are you late, Aditya?”
“Sir, my driver got lost finding this building. Then I got lost finding this classroom. I’m new in this city sir.”
“Okay, that’s fine beta. Our buildings can be a bit confusing,” Bala chuckled, putting the boy at ease. “Go ahead and sit down. Looks like you have a friend who’s calling you.” Bala pointed at Hardik who was waving furiously at Aditya.
Bala passed a worksheet to his new student and continued the lesson. His students diligently followed along.
“Good work everyone!” Bala congratulated his students at the end of the lesson. “Just hand in your worksheets at the front here on your way out.”
The students filed out one by one thanking their teacher and handing in their worksheets. Once the students had left, Bala took a seat at the teacher’s desk and shuffled through the worksheets to make sure everyone had handed them in. As he checked each student’s worksheet with the roster given, his fingers stilled on one particular sheet at the end of the pile, his eyes widening out of his skull.
The slot for the name read: Aditya Raman Bhalla.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Part 37
Batra Medical Center, Dentistry Clinic - the next day, Thursday, 11 am
"Sarika, Mrs. Sarvankar hasn't shown up with her daughter for her dental cleaning for a second time. Can you call and find out if she's coming or not? If she doesn't reply, then send a letter of inquiry to her house," Ishita instructed the medical receptionist.
"Yes ma'am. Of course."
"Thanks Sarika. Make sure it's on the official clinic letterhead, okay? And bring it to me to sign off on it before you send it."
"Okay ma'am. I'll have it ready by the end of the day."
"Perfect, thank you."
Ishita walked back to her office and sat down in her chair. She rotated her computer screen to eliminate the glare and reviewed her schedule for the day. With Mrs. Sarvankar's no-show and another cancellation at 11:30, she was free of appointments until noon. Her lunch break went from 12 to 12:30, which meant she had one and a half hours on her hand.
Straightening her posture, Ishita opened a folder that Dr. Batra had shared with her two weeks ago. It contained four different dentistry research proposals that he had consolidated over the years. Now that he had enough staff to delegate his clinical responsibilities to, he wanted to prioritize his research aspirations. And he had asked Ishita to review his proposals and even work on one with him if she was interested. Ishita was always a clinician first, but exploring the up and coming research in her field could be just as interesting.
Twenty minutes later, she was almost halfway through the second proposal, when her phone vibrated on her desk.
Bala Jeeju: Hey Ishu, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you.
Ishita's spine snapped straight in attention. Was everything okay?
Ishita: What's wrong jeeju?
Bala: Can we talk in person? I am busy from 1-4 pm but I can adjust my schedule otherwise. We can meet at some coffee shop or I can come to your clinic too. Do you have any openings in your schedule today?
Ishita: I'm free until 12:30 actually. Can you come to my clinic? I can't leave the premises while I'm on the clock. There is a small cafe in the medical complex. We can talk there.
Bala: Okay, I'll be there in about 20 minutes.
Ishita: Jeeju, is everything okay? Should I be worried? Are Vandu akka and Shravu okay?
Bala: Vandu and Shravu are completely fine, Ishu. Nothing to be worried about. We'll talk in a bit, okay?
Ishita: Okay. Text me once you're here.
Bala: Ok 👍🏼
.....................................................................................................................
Batra Medical Center Cafe - 11:40 am
"Jeeju, you're freaking me out now. Please bolo na asli kya baat hai?" Ishita implored.
They had been sitting in the cramped cafe on a tiny table for almost seven minutes, with Bala asking Ishita about her work, offering to buy her coffee and bagels, and telling her about how he miraculously fought almost zero traffic in the way. Basically saying everything other than the real reason why he had asked Ishita to be here. Finally, Ishita lost her patience and pretty much demanded to know the real reason behind his visit.
"Ishu... Listen, I didn't know who other than you to go to with this... I thought... but then... I mean, I couldn't even tell Vandu..."
"JEEJU!" Ishita nearly shrieked from anticipation. "Mera blood pressure badh raha hai. Jo bhi hai, seedhe seedhe bata dijiye."
"Ishu, I met Adi yesterday."
Ishita blinked.
"Ishu?" Bala shook her arm.
"Aap Adi se mile?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Aditya Bhalla se?"
"Yes."
"Raman ke bete, Aditya bhalla se?"
"YES!"
"Kaise? Kahan?"
Bala narrated the events from last night's English tuition class. By the time he had finished, Ishita's dumbfounded stare had turned into a pensive expression as she tried to unravel Bala's story.
"Toh agar Adi aapke class ka student hain, to iska matlab woh isi sheher ke kisi school mein enrolled hain. Lekin woh to Dehradun mein tha na? Toh Delhi kab aaya? Aur agar aaya to phir humein kaise nahi pata? Raman ko kaise nahin pata?" she wondered.
"I don't know Ishu. Shagun ne tum logon ko kuch nahin kahan?" Bala asked.
"No jeeju. But that's not surprising. She's been very difficult from the beginning. I mean, she doesn't even want Adi to have a relationship with his father. Unke liye Adi unka beta kam, shatranj ka khiladi zyada hai."
"I didn't know what to do, Ishu. I mean, first I thought maybe I should tell Raman, but I wasn't sure how to... I was so worried about this last night, even Vandu noticed it. I didn't tell her anything obviously... I didn't want her stressing about anything more than she already is-"
"No Jeeju, aapne sahi kiya. Aur jahan tak baat Raman ki hai, toh main unse aaj baat karungi. Aap bas ek kaam kijiye. Aap apne class ke through, ya teachers ke through agar pata laga sakte hai, ki Adi kaun se school mein enrolled hai, aur woh yaha kab aaya, then that would be of great help. Just so we can figure out how long he's been here."
"Okay Ishu. I'll find out what I can."
A few moments passed where neither of them spoke.
"Ishu, are you okay?" Bala asked tentatively.
Ishita shook her head. "I'm fine, jeeju. It's just... this is such huge news. Raman has been trying to meet his son for almost three months... and now we find out he's in this city! In your tuition classes no less!" Ishita's laugh held no humor.
"I meant, are you going to be okay with this, Ishu? Raman's son entering your life? I just hope this doesn't create problems for your family life, with Raman and Ruhi."
"Aisa kuch nahi hoga jeeju," Ishita assured him. "Aap ko pata hai, Adi ki kami sirf Raman nahi, pura Bhalla parivaar mehsoos karta hain. Koi jataata nahi, lekin kabhi kabhi choti choti baaton mein bhi uska zikr hota hai aur sabki aankhein nam ho jaati hain. Ruhi bhi apni bade bhai ko baat baat par miss karti hain. Agar Adi ghar aa gaya na, to humara parivaar pura ho jaayega."
"Ishu, tumhaari baat bilkul sach hai. You're completely right. Lekin tum apne baare mein bhi socho. Adi ke aane se kahin-"
"Jeeju," Ishita stopped Bala before he could finish his thought. "Mere aur mere parivaar walon ke beech ke rishte itne kamzor nahi hain ki ghar ke bete se aane se woh tut jaaye. Aap meri chinta mat kijiye." She reassured Bala with a soft smile.
Bala let out a breath of relief. He still couldn't get rid of the gnawing suspicion that this was the calm before the storm... a storm brewing in Ishita's life. But he also had enough faith in their family to know she wouldn't be alone.
.....................................................................................................................
Bhalla House - Thursday, 9:30 pm
"Ruhi chuhi, get back here!" Raman's amusement was slowly transitioning into frustration as he ran around the house chasing his daughter for the nth time. "You cannot stay up any longer now! Brush your teeth and go to bed!"
"But mumma isn't here yet!" Ruhi cried. "I'm not going to bed without showing her my new drawing that I got an A+ on!"
Ruhi ran into her room and slammed the door shut. Raman stumbled at the door, panting, as he caught his breath and knocked on the door. "I'm coming in, Ru," he exclaimed, before opening the door. The door creaked open and he found his daughter curled up in her chair with her head on the desk, her drawing clutched in her hand.
"Ru, aaj kya ho gaya hai aapko? Itni zid kyun kar rahe ho aap?" Raman asked. "Mumma ko aane mein der hogi, bola na maine?" He kneeled down by her chair and rubbed Ruhi's back.
"No! I want Ishimaa right now!" she screamed and kicked.
"Okay Ruhi, that's enough." Raman picked her up and made her stand and face him. "You need to use your words and tell papa what the problem is. Why have you been behaving like this tonight?"
Ruhi stood mute, averting her eyes, as tears began tumbling down her cheeks. Her grip on her drawing loosened, allowing Raman to take a peek. He straightened the crumpled piece of paper; what he saw on caused his breath to catch in his throat.
Ruhi had drawn four figures, labeled as 'mumma,' 'papa,' 'Ruhi,' and 'bhaiya.' They stood against a small house with birds chirping in the sky and a small pond nearby. At the top of the paper, the drawing was labeled, "RUHI'S FAMILY."
"Yeh kya hai Ruhi?" Raman asked.
"It was our assignment in Art class today. We had to draw our happy family," she answered sheepishly.
"Toh aapne papa ko yeh dikhaya kyun nahi?"
"Maine Adi bhaiya ko bhi include kiya na, aur jab bhi unki baat hoti hai to aap sad ho jaate ho. Ghar mein sab sad ho jaate hain. Isiliye main aapko nahi dikhana chahti thi. Main sirf mumma ko batana chahti thi."
"Ruhi," Raman placed the drawing aside and cupped his daughter's cheeks to look her in the eyes. "I'm touched ki aap ne papa ki feelings ke baare mein itna socha. Lekin aap papa ko kuch bhi bata sakti ho, okay? Never feel like you have to hide something from me just to spare my feelings, baccha. Tell me, did anything else happen at school?"
Ruhi nodded. "The teacher gave me an A+, but no one in my class believes that I have a bhaiya. They think I'm lying," she sobbed.
"Oh beta..." Raman hugged his daughter tight. "I'll talk to your teacher. I'll make sure to get all those kids punished, okay? How dare they make my daughter cry?!" He pulled back to wipe Ruhi's tears.
"I don't care about those kids, dad!" she cried and ran to her bed. "I just want my brother! Everyone in my class brags about their brothers and sisters! I want my bhaiya too!"
Raman stood up and took a deep breath, in through his nose, out through his mouth. He had no idea what to say. When did his daughter get so perceptive? When did she start picking up on the deepest of his emotions? She really was her mother's daughter, Raman thought. He joined her on the bed and held her close.
"Ruhi, I know you want your brother. I want Adi bhaiya to stay here with us too. But that will take some time." He shifted his position so he could face her. "But you trust papa, right?"
Ruhi nodded.
"Then I promise you, papa will bring Adi bhaya back home. Just give me some time, okay?"
"Okay papa," Ruhi sniffled.
"Now go brush your teeth and wash your face, or else Ishimaa will be mad at me. She'll think I'm making you cry all the time. Now give me a smile."
Ruhi smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Give me a real smile, betu," Raman implored. "Don't make me tickle you..." Raman wiggled his fingers and crept closer to her belly.
"No! No! I'm okay papa, I'm okay!" Ruhi laughed, as she ran off to the bathroom, leaving Raman breathing a sigh of relief.
.....................................................................................................................
Half hour later
"Are you sure, jeeju?" Ishita whispered into her phone, as she climbed the steps of her apartment complex.
"I'm not 100% sure, but this is what I've found out from the teachers at Vidya Shakti. I didn't press for more info, because I was only asking as Adi's tutor, not a relative."
"I get that jeeju, accha kiya aapne. Thanks again so much."
"Of course Ishu. You just talk to Raman and then let me know how it goes. Or if I can be of any help."
"I'll call you later jeeju, I just came home."
Ishita hung up the phone and tried to wrap her head around this situation. Adi was at Vidya Shakti Public School. He was going to the same school as Ruhi, he was in Bala's tuition class, and somehow, her and Raman did know.
She turned her keys and opened the front door. The house was pretty quiet, which meant Ruhi was already asleep. Although she regretted not being able to say good night to her little girl, she was partially grateful that she could have this conversation with her husband in private.
Speaking of whom, Raman appeared from their bedroom in his night clothes, freshly showered and shaved. How did he manage to look so crisp at the earliest hours of the morning, or at the latest hours of the night? It's like exhaustion or sleep couldn't do anything to his face.
"Aa gayi madrasan?" Raman asked, as Ishita dropped her purse on the table. "Khana laga du tere liye?"
"Nahi Raman," Ishita replied. Nothing would go down her throat after the news she had received today. She could barely keep her lunch from making a reappearance. "I'm not hungry. A patient brought some snacks and sweets earlier so I don't have any appetite for dinner."
"Wow, no wonder you can't fit into small size dresses," Raman teased. Ishita didn't so much as even flinch. She simply walked into their bedroom without hearing him.
"Ab kya hua ise? Phir se koi dimaagi attack to nahi aaya?" Raman muttered, as he followed her inside. "What's wrong Ishita? Meri baat ka bura lagaa kya? You know I was just kidding, I didn't mean-"
"We need to talk, Raman," Ishita cut him off.
"Okay..." Raman closed the door to their bedroom and faced his wife. "What's wrong?"
"Today, I found out-" Ishita suddenly got distracted by something on their wardrobe. "What's that?" she asked.
Raman turned around to see what she was pointing at. It was Ruhi's drawing that he had taped up on their wardrobe. He sighed and narrated the events of the evening.
"Can you believe it, Ishita? She was scared of bringing it up because she didn't want to hurt my feelings." Raman gazed fondly at the drawing. "I told her never to worry about that and never to hide anything from me again. But still... She is so perceptive at such a young age. She gets that from you I suppose. She really is your daughter, you know? Anyway, I promised her that I'd bring her brother back. And I am never forgetting that promise. I'm bringing my son home, one way or another. That's why I taped this drawing up here. So that I never forget-"
Raman turned around and saw Ishita's watery eyes. She blinked and subtly wiped her brimming tears away, but of course he had noticed it.
"What's wrong Madrasan?" he asked, all of the earlier humor gone from his voice.
"Adi's here."
"Excuse me?"
"Adi is in Delhi. He's a new student at Ruhi and Shravu's school, and he's a student in one of Bala's after-school English tuitions. Your son is in Delhi, Raman."
"Dekh Madrasan, if this is your idea of some twisted joke-"
"I'm not joking, Raman! You think this is something I would joke about? Bala jeeju came to my clinic this morning..."
Ishita went on to narrate her conversation with Bala from earlier that morning as well as what he had found out about Adi later in the day. Raman stumbled from the weight of the news and sat down on the bed to support himself.
"He started school there on Monday, and he goes to Bala jeeju's English tuition on Wednesdays. He also has tuition on Mondays and Fridays too, for Math and Science I believe." Ishita finished and waited for Raman to react.
"Oh my god..." he whispered. "Mera Adi... My son is in this city, Ishita? He is so close to me, and I never knew... I can't believe it..."
"I know Raman, I couldn't believe it either. The fact that neither Shagun nor Ashok would tell us... Even if just to gloat..."
"Where's my phone?!" Raman stood up and began fumbling with the sheets and pillows looking for his phone. "Aaj to Shagun ko itna sunaaunga ki-"
"No wait, Raman!" Ishita grabbed his hands and calmed him down. "She doesn't know that you know about Adi being here, right? This is the only advantage you have right now. If you want to meet your son, it has to be without her knowing. Otherwise she's just going to create difficulties for you."
Now that the shock of the news was seeping in, Raman's logical brain whirred to life and his gears started turning. He paced back and forth in the bedroom, mentally whipping up a plan.
"You're right, you're right Madrasan. If I meet him in public places, where I was bound to be anyway, then Shagun can't claim that I met him behind her back. Like if I met him at Ruhi's school, or Bala's class. I could be going to pick up Ruhi and 'run into him.' Or I'm meeting Bala for a coffee and I 'run into him' then. Right? I wouldn't go with the intention of meeting Adi but if I run into him, then who can blame me, right?" he rambled on. "Just once... If I could just see him just once, see that he still wants me in his life, then I'll do anything... anything it takes to bring him back home." Even as a plan formed in the rational CEO, Ishita saw her husband's hidden insecurities seep through. Doubt over whether Adi still wanted his father in his life.
"Raman," Ishita stepped in front of him and took a hold of his shoulders to ground him in one place. "Adi still wants you in his life. I am sure of it."
"How can you be so sure, Ishita? You haven't even met him."
"Because Bala jeeju told me that he was registered by his first name only. Shagun registered him as Aditya, without the Bhalla name attached. But when he turned his assignment in at the end of the class, he wrote his name as Aditya Raman Bhalla. I have no idea what he must be feeling right now, but he links his identity to you, Raman. I know that on some subconscious level, he still considers you his father. And he yearns for you as his father."
Every last vestige of doubt in Raman's mind vanished at hearing Ishita's revelation. Nothing would stop him now. He was going to get his son back.
"I'm bringing my son home, Ishita," he declared, tears brimming in his eyes.
"We're bringing our son home," she corrected, with a soft smile.
.....................................................................................................................
Delhi Arts College, Common Room - Next week, Wednesday, Jan 15th, 4:30 pm
He was in there. Adi was in there. His own Adi was in that room.
Raman paced back and forth in the common room waiting for Bala's tuition class to finish so he could "run into" his son. If anyone asked, he was here waiting to have a drink with his brother-in-law, but that was just semantics. He had spent a week in conversations (both hypothetical and otherwise) with Pathak, trying to figure out a loophole in the custody agreement so Raman could meet with Adi without Shagun's interference and not violate the law. Turns out, as long as Raman spoke with Adi in a public place where he could have been anyway for another purpose, then he couldn't get in any legal trouble. Him and Ishita had gone back and forth on the best way to get acquainted with Adi again, and it was eventually decided (after taking Bala into confidence) that he would make first contact at Bala's tuition class. Once Adi was comfortable enough with him, they could introduce Ruhi and Ishita, and slowly the rest of the family. No one from the rest of the family knew yet about Adi's return to the city, but they would all find out soon enough.
Raman's eyes glanced to the wall clock every other minute, watching each second tick by. Anxiety, excitement, panic, and joy all sped through his veins as he waited and waited for his son to emerge from the classroom. It had been five years, six months, and 11 days, he thought. And his wait would finally be coming to an end.
The clock struck five too quickly and too slowly, at the same time. Commotion inside classroom 108 on the other side of the hallway signaled the end of the class. Raman wiped his sweaty palms on his coat and tugged at the lapels of his coat which were suddenly too tight. Raman's eyes searched for his little boy, as kids filed out of the classroom one by one. Seconds passed, then minutes... and then he saw him. Adi walked out of the classroom, accompanied by a tall, scrawny kid who seemed to be in the middle of an angry rant. His son was so big, Raman marveled. Of course he knew he'd have grown since he last saw him, but it was hard to reconcile the ten year old boy his eyes saw as the same five year old kid his mind remembered from when he last saw him. He had gorgeous black hair, almost curly, just like he had when he was a kid. Most of his face resembled Shagun's but his eyes... His eyes were a carbon copy of his father's. Eyes that were a window into his soul.
Raman's throat threatened to close up with a brick of tears, but he blinked his tears away and cleared his throat. "Adi! Aditya! Over here, beta!" he called out, waving his hand to get his son's attention.
Adi, who was in the middle of a conversation with his friend, looked around trying to find who was calling his name. His eyes stilled on his father and grew wide. He whispered something to his friend and gestured to him to leave, even as his eyes remained fixed on his father. The crowd thinned and Raman willed his iron legs to move. He took slow and steady steps towards his son and stopped in front of him, keeping a good distance to give him space but close enough that he could memorize every feature of his face and every milestone he had missed.
"Hi beta."
Adi didn't respond. He stared at Raman with shock and disbelief, but soon enough, to Raman's horror, his expression changed. His eyes sent accusations raining on Raman, questions about where he had been, why he had abandoned his own son. Adi still hadn't said a word, but Raman unfortunately knew that expression very well. He had faced these eyes six months ago, when his daughter had asked the same questions.
It's okay Raman. It took six months, but Ruhi and your relationship is stronger than ever today. The same will happen with Adi.
Raman reassured himself and took a deep breath. This was it.
.....................................................................................................................
He was here. He wasn't dreaming. His father was here, standing in front of him.
Adi had just sent Hardik away, afraid to make a scene. He had been in town for a month now (including the two weeks he was in Maldives for vacation) and he had dreamed of this scenario a million times. He hated himself for it, but the truth of the matter was, he missed his dad. But once he had been in school for a week, gotten into after-school tuition classes, and made the football team with Ayush and Hardik, he had forced himself to get rid of those daydreams. His father wasn't coming, he had told himself. It was just him and his mother.
But now, his father was walking towards him, and he couldn't believe it was real. He even pinched himself to make sure this wasn't a dream. Papa was here. He wasn't as young as he remembered. His hair was as jet black as ever but it was ever so slightly thinning from some places. He had a few new wrinkles around his eyes, and an unfamiliar melancholy in his expression. He wasn't the same happy, go-lucky father he had last seen.
"Hi beta."
No, Adi. He chose to leave you. He chose to get married again. He chose to separate you and your mother from your sister.
Adi quickly got a hold of his shocked expression, channeling all his rage and hurt into his eyes. He refused to speak to his man, but he could still let him know, in no uncertain terms, where he stood with their relationship. But after a moment of hesitation, his father put on a smile and spoke to him again.
"Kaise ho beta? I don't know aapne mujhe pehchana ki nahin, but I'm your father-"
"I know who you are." Adi refused to hear this man call himself his father. He left his son. He was no father of his.
Raman faltered again, but composed himself quickly. "I'm glad you remember me. I know beta, aapke dimaag mein abhi hazaar sawaal honge, aur main aapke har sawaal ka jawaab dene ke liye ready hun. Aap ko jo puchna hai aap puch sakte ho."
"Mujhe aapse koi baat nahi karni," he huffed.
"I understand beta. Aap ko aaj baat nahi karni, to koi baat nahi. Hum kabhi aur baat karenge. Adi, just know this much. I love you with all my heart. I always have and I always will."
"I... I have to go... The car is waiting for me..." Adi stammered, unable to comprehend anymore of this situation.
"Wait Adi!" Raman caught his hand before he could make a quick getaway. "Keep my card with you." He removed his wallet and handed Adi his business card. "It has my phone number, email address, and other contact information if you ever want to get in touch. If you don't, that's fine too. I'll see you some other time."
Adi shoved the card into his front pocket and ran out the door, his heart pounding in his ears and blood pulsing in his head.
Raman was left standing there in the common room, watching his son's figure disappear from his sight. As soon as he left, Raman lost his strength to remain upright and stumbled onto a nearby armchair. He spread his legs, dropped his elbows on his knees, interlaced his fingers, and rested his head in his joined hands. As he was steadying his breath, a foreign hand pressed into his shoulder.
"You okay, Raman?" Bala asked.
Raman straightened himself and cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine... Or I will be in a bit..." he amended his words, knowing Bala was a lot more observant than he gave him credit for. Fortunately, he was kind enough not to comment on how not fine he really was.
"He's mad right now... But he didn't immediately shun me, so... I think we'll be fine in the long run. I'll work on talking with him again soon," Raman said.
"I'm happy for you Raman. I know this couldn't have been easy," Bala commented.
"Thanks for all your help Bala." Raman stood to face his brother-in-law. "I never properly thanked you for this. If it weren't for you, we'd never have known that Adi was back in town."
"Don't even think about it. It wasn't any trouble at all."
"I should get going now. I have to pick up Ruhi from her ballet class."
Raman shook hands with Bala and gave him a manly half-hug, half-pat on the back before he made his way towards the exit.
.....................................................................................................................
Bhalla House - 6:15 pm
"Mumma! Dadi! Guess what? I have no homework today!" Ruhi burst through the front door in her pink tutu and ambushed her mother and grandmother in the living room. Raman followed her closely, deposited his laptop bag on the side table, and slumped down on the armchair with a rough exhale. The day had been exhausting, and it was just about to get harder.
"Idhar aa mera puttar!" Toshi lifted Ruhi and cuddled her in her lap. "Kaisa raha tera dance class?"
"It was so much fun dadi! Today we learned..."
Raman watched his daughter narrate the events from her dance class and her day at school with joy. He was relieved to see her mood was much better than last week.
"Wait, what do you mean you don't have any homework? You have math and reading every day, don't you?" Ishita asked, interrupting her daughter.
"Yeah, but I finished my math homework in class today, and I'm done reading my chapter book," Ruhi answered. "I'm hungry. When are we having dinner?"
"Jaise hi tere bua aur chachu ghar aa jaaye, phir khaana khaane baithte hai, thik hai puttar? Sab kuch ready hi hai," Toshi answered. "Tab tak jaakar kapde badal aur haath muh dho le, jaa."
Ruhi ran into her room, and Ishita turned her attention to Raman. They were sitting on opposite sides of the room, but she was eager to ask how his day was, especially his meeting with Adi. The opportunity arose when Toshi went into her room and Ishita moved closer to her husband.
"Kaisa raha, Raman? How did it go?" she asked, compassionately.
"Not as bad as I thought. He didn't really speak to me, but I expected that. He at least stood there and listened to me. He's... he's so big now, Ishita." Raman's eyes watered with nostalgia. "I mean I knew he must be so much taller and older now, but seeing it with my own eyes... I realized how much I had missed. For both my kids. I missed so many milestones for both of them. I just-"
"Raman, slow down." Ishita pressed a hand on Raman's forearm. "You're not missing any more milestones, right?"
"Right," A small smile crept up on Raman's face. "I gave him my card. If he wants to contact me, you know? I doubt that he does, but just in case... I'm going to meet him again next Wednesday. Hopefully, he'll be more open to talking more. We take it slowly. Eventually, it'll get better."
"That sounds great." After a pause, she asked what had been brewing in her mind for a while. "Raman, what if Adi tells Shagun he met you today? She's not going to react well."
"I know, but that is a chance I'm going to have to take. I didn't want to tell him to hide anything from Shagun. It would make him think that having a relationship with me was wrong. If he does tell her, we'll know by the end of the night. If the world doesn't erupt in flames, then we'll know he didn't."
"I'm proud of you Raman."
"Thanks for being by my side for this." Raman covered Ishita's hand with his.
"Always."
The front door chimed open and Romi and Rinki filed in, followed by Simi.
"Mumma, look who we dragged to dinner!" Rinki cheered.
"Simi, what a surprise!" Ishita exclaimed. Everyone got up to hug and greet her one by one. "What brings you here at this time?"
"Pulkit Ananya ko apni behen ke ghar le gaye hai playdate ke liye. And I love that woman, but I can't handle another night of her showing off. So I decided to stay home. But Rinki madam here-" She gave a gentle tug to Rinki's braid. "-decided to drag me along here for dinner."
"Okay okay, everyone get settled on the table then!" Toshi called out. "Bhalla ji! Come out for dinner! Look, all your kids are here!"
Omprakash came outside, delighted to have a meal with all his kids on one table. They were all situated shortly, as Toshi and Ishita served everyone their food.
"Romi, pass the salt, please," Rinki beckoned.
"What do you need extra salt in?!" Toshi bellowed, offended. "I tasted that gravy three times!"
"Mom, calm down. I had a workout today, so I'm low on electrolytes."
"Yeh sab angrezi mainu mat sikha! Chup chaap sabzi kha, maine perfect banayi hai!"
"Ruhi baby, you have to finish all the vegetables on your plate, okay? Ek aur roti doon?" Ishita asked, placing another roti on Ruhi's plate
"Bhai, I'm scared that Tej from the marketing team is going to quit. He's our best marketing guy, and he's being poached by Ashok's company," Romi told Raman.
"I'm not too worried about that. He knows the difference between real results and empty promises. But I'll talk to him at the next meeting. Remind me tomorrow."
"Okay, I think he's getting married soon, and his fianceé wants to settle down in Mumbai or something. Maybe we can offer a position in our Mumbai office?"
"That's a good thought, but we'd have to figure out a lot of logistics-"
"Bhai, Romi, enough both of you," Simi scolded. "No shop talk at the dinner table."
The family chatted and ate and bickered as the loud and boisterous group they were. As dinner came to an end, Raman's pulse quickened.
"Mujhe jaana hoga abhi," Simi downed her glass of buttermilk and stood up. "I should get home before Ananya and Pulkit come back."
"Simi, wait. Sit down for a minute," Raman asked, tremulously.
"What's wrong, bhai?" Simi sat down again.
"We need to talk." He cleared his throat. "All of us."
.....................................................................................................................
"Wow, I can't believe it," Simi muttered, shocked.
"This feels like deja vu," Rinki laughed without humor. "Six months ago, we found out that Ruhi was in the city, and now Adi..."
"Mera puttar... Mera Adi yahan hai, aur us... us Shagun ne humein bataya hi nahi..." Toshi hiccuped, tears streaming down her face. "Mujhe milna hai apne bacche se! Suna tune Raman! Main teri ek baat nahi sunungi! Tu mere puttar ko ghar lekar aa!" she demanded.
"Ma, shaant ho jaao, please," Raman implored. "Main Adi ko aaj paanch saalon mein pehli baar mila hu. Use pehle mujhse comfortable hone dijiye. Phir main use dheere se aap sab ko bhi milaaunga. Aur ek din woh waapis ghar bhi aayega. Bharosa rakhiye, mujh par."
"Dadi..." Ruhi jumped off her chair and wiggled into her grandmother's lap. "Aap royiye mat. Papa ne mujhe promise kiya hai ki woh bhaiya ko ghar lekar aayenge." She gently wiped Toshi's tears. "Haina, papa?"
"Yes beta, I promise."
Ishita and Raman shared a meaningful look. Their daughter was truly growing up.
.....................................................................................................................
Khanna Mansion - 6:40 pm
"Adi, are you okay? Why haven't you eaten anything?"
Adi whipped his head up out of his trance as his mother's voice registered. His pasta and garlic bread grew cold in front of him but he couldn't swallow a single bite.
"I'm fine, mom. Um... Hardik actually brought some snacks to tuition class today so I'm not very hungry."
"Who's Hardik?"
"He's my friend. I met him at-"
"SHAGUN!" Ashok screamed from upstairs, shaking the entire house.
"Oh my god," Shagun groaned. "What does this man want now?" She stomped off up the stairs.
Adi sighed. It was good enough that she didn't ask too much. He didn't know how to tell his mother that he met his father today. Not that he truly wanted to. It felt nice to have one connection to his father that his mother didn't taint. But he would feel just as guilty lying about it. So he figured that as long as his mother didn't ask him, he didn't have to say anything.
He pushed his plate inward and stepped away from the dining table. He dug his hand into his pocket, as he made his way to his room, and his hand landed on that business card again. His father's business card. It wasn't until he was in his room with the door closed that he took out the card and stared at it for the 100th time today. He clutched it so tight, his knuckles turned white. Also for the 100th time today, he stood over the garbage can in his room, but his fingers would not let go of the card. As much as he wanted to throw away that card, and any connection to his father, he couldn't. So he slipped the card into his backpack, underneath his books and compass box, somewhere no one could find it. He didn't care for that man, he told himself. He was done with him. At least, that is what his mind said, but his heart didn't agree.
Part 38
Bhalla House - two days later, Friday, 8 am
"ISHITA! ISHITA!" Raman yelled, shuffling through their closet. "I'm getting late and I can't find any of my ties!"
Sarees and leggings and kurtis came flying out of the wardrobe as Raman angrily muttered under his breath, something along the lines of 'kapdo ki thaan' and 'madrasan' and 'mere kapde kharaab kar diye.'
"ISHITAAA!!!"
"OH MY GOD, I'M COMING!" Ishita shouted back. She came storming into the room, muttering something along the lines of 'kud kud kumar' and 'murugan' and 'pranth.'
"What is it, Raman?! Can't you be even a little bit patient? I was in the bathroom for heaven's sake!" she huffed.
That's when Raman slammed the left door of the wardrobe shut and his eyes landed on his wife. Frustration changed to shock which changed to desire in the matter of a moment. For his wife stood in a pink bathrobe, moisture clinging to her skin, her wet hair tied in a loose bun, tendrils framing his face.
"Ab aise hi khade rahenge ya bolenge bhi ki problem kya hai?" Ishita snapped her fingers in Raman's face.
He blinked and cleared his throat, exasperation showing on his face. "I've been shouting for the past five minutes ki problem kya hai. Where are all my ties! I have a board meeting in half an hour!"
"Your ties are in the bottom drawer, Raman. You didn't have to empty the entire closet and mess up our whole room to find them!"
"I've been looking for a good 15 minutes and I couldn't find them. Tum hi nikal ke do."
Raman threw the last pair of trousers on the bed and scooched to the right, giving Ishita room in front of the cupboard. She opened and closed a series of drawers until she found the drawer on the bottom right with all his ties. She removed the entire drawer and placed it on the edge of the bed, proving her point.
"See, they're all right here. Instead of looking calmly, look at what you did. It looks like a storm passed through here. Oh god, it's going to take me a full hour to reorganize this again. You really have no regard for anyone else around here do you?"
"Calm down, Jhansi ki Rani. It's not like you have to work today, right?" Raman grabbed black tie and began tying it around his neck. "You have the day off, so might as well make yourself useful."
Ishita gasped. "What the heck do you think I do at home if I'm not working? Do you have any idea how hard a working mom's job is? We are never not at work. Kabhi ghar ka kaam, kabhi clinic ka kaam, kabhi aapke aur Ruhi ke hazaar demand-"
"Madam, this is really not the time for a lecture. And don't take my kid's name to get out of doing your work." He continued struggling with the tie.
"Oh give me that!" Ishita swatted his hands away and began tying his tie properly around his neck. "Itne bade CEO ban gaye, lekin ek tie to bandhti nahi aapse."
She came so close that Raman struggled to breathe. He could smell her flowery shampoo, and if he raised her hands ever so slightly, he could probably touch her smooth skin too. His heart slammed against his rib cage and sweat beaded on his brow.
"Yeh lijiye, ho gayi aapki tie." Ishita smoothed his tie and adjusted the lapels of his coat. She only realized how close she was to her husband when she looked up and met his eyes. The air between them grew tense and practically crackled with electricity. Her breathing grew faster and as scared as she was, she longed to be even closer.
"Ishita... Do. Not. Move." Raman enunciated each word with such authority that she couldn't move even if she tried. He raised his hands and trailed them from her forearms to her elbows and up to her shoulders leaving goosebumps in their wake. Then, in one swift movement, he roughly brushed her left shoulder with his right hand as his other hand jerked her to the opposite side.
The sudden jerking movement broke her trance and gave her another reason to be annoyed. "What the hell was that, Raman?!"
"Just hear me out before you get all mad again, will you! Look there!" Raman turned her around and pointed in the far corner of the room just in time for Ishita to see a spider crawling away. "There was a spider on your shoulder."
Realization dawned on Ishita and her breathing returned to normal. Of course, she thought. Why else would he want to come close to her?
Raman cleared his throat and hoped Ishita hadn't noted his pounding heart during their unfortunate close situation. "I have to go. Meri...meri meeting hai. Yeh saara jhamela samet lena aaj ke din mein..." He vaguely gestured to the mess on his bed and the floor, as he stumbled out of the room.
Do dil mil rahe hain
Do dil mil rahe hain
Magar chupke chupke
Do dil mil rahe hain
Magar chupke chupke
Sabko ho rahi hai
Haan sabko ho rahi hai
Khabar chupke chupke
Do dil mil rahe hain
Magar chupke chupke
Saanson mein badi bekarari
Aankhon mein kayi rat jage
Kabhi kahin lag jaaye dil toh
Kahin phir dil na lage
Apna dil main zara thaam loon
Jaadu ka main isse naam doon
Jaadu kar raha hai
Jaadu kar raha hai
Asar chupke chupke
He grabbed his laptop bag and the tiffin on the dining table, as he rushed through the living room and towards the front door. In his hurry to find his shoes, he stumbled into Romi at the door.
"Ouch bhai!" he exclaimed. "Dhyan kahaan hai aapka! Mera pair kuchal diya!"
"Mera dhyan-" Raman attacked, exasperated beyond belief. "Mera dhyan yahin hai! Tu... tujhe kya hua hai, yeh bol! I'm perfectly fine," he stammered, a bit too defensively. "And what are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be at the office?!"
"I told you yesterday bhai, I have a class presentation at 9 so I'll be late coming to work. Don't you remember?" Romi limped to the sofa. "Wow, aapka dhyaan really nahi hai aaj kal."
"Lagaau kya abhi kaan ke niche?!" Raman threatened. "Itna zubaan chalaane ki zaroorat nahi hai tujhe!"
"Waise aapko itna paseena kis baat aa raha hai, bhai?" Romi prodded further. He knew exactly which buttons to push on his elder brother.
"Tu apna kaam kar jaakar!" Raman hastily put his shoes on. "Agar yeh meeting nahi hoti na abhi to tujhe aise thik karta beta..."
Raman slammed the door leaving a chuckling Romi behind.
Aaise bhole bankar hai baithe
Jaise koi baat nahin
Sab kuch nazar aa raha hai
Din hai yeh raat nahin
Kya hai kuch bhi nahin hai agar
Honthon pe hai khamoshi magar
Baatein kar rahi hai
Baatein kar rahi hai
Nazar chupke chupke
Do dil mil rahe hain
Magar chupke chupke
Sabko ho rahi hai
Haan sabko ho rahi hai
Khabar chupke chupke
Do dil mile rahe hain
Magar chupke chupke
"Bhabhi! Can I borrow-" Rinki opened Ishita's bedroom door and stumbled back. "Wow, it looks like a cyclone passed through here. Bhabhi, are you okay?" Rinki grew concerned seeing Ishita standing by the cupboard with her palms covering her face. If only she knew, her bhabhi was hiding a severe blush.
Ishita removed her palms and saw Rinki standing at the threshold of her bedroom.
"Yes... yes, I'm fine, Rinki. I'm okay. What did you need?"
"I was asking if I could borrow your laptop charger for today, since you don't have to work. Mine's been missing for a few weeks now."
"Yeah of course, it's over there on the dresser." Ishita pointed across the room. "You didn't find it in your cubicle at work?"
"No bhabhi, I think it's gone for good now." Rinki walked across the room and unplugged the laptop charger. "I'm going to order a new one soon. But you know bhabhi, I'm thinking of getting a new laptop only now. I've been using this for almost four years now. Maybe it's time for a change. I heard there's a new macbook in the market-"
"Rinki, Rinki," Ishita interrupted her innocent, well-meaning sister-in-law. "I would love to chat about the latest laptops out there, but..." She gestured to herself, moist and dressed in a bathrobe. "I have to get dressed."
"Oh yes, of course! I'm so sorry! I'll be out of your way."
Rinki skipped across the room but stopped at the door and glanced back.
"Are you sure you're okay bhabhi?" she asked. "You seem a bit flushed. And sweaty."
"I-I'm... I'm fine... R-Rinki," Ishita stammered. "Just feeling a bit hot right now. I was messing through my closet looking for an outfit before you came in. That's why I'm a bit like this. I'm fine, don't worry."
"Okay, if you say so..." Rinki reluctantly left the room with more suspicions than she had coming in (after all, why were her brother's ties all scattered over the floor?).
Kahin aag lagne se pehle
Uthta hai aaisa dhuaan
Jaisa hai idhar ka nazara
Vaisa hi udhar ka samaa
Dil mein kaisi kasak si jagi
Dono jaanib barabar lagi
Dekho toh idhar se
Dekho toh idhar se
Udhar chupke chupke
Do dil mil rahe hain
Magar chupke chupke
Sabko ho rahi hai
Haan sabko ho rahi hai
Khabar chupke chupke
Do dil mil rahe hain
Magar chupke chupke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXEoLBayVSs
.....................................................................................................................
Nritya Pravah Dance Studio - Tuesday, Jan 21st, 6 pm
"Kahaan reh gayi tumhari beti, Madrasan? Uski class to 15 minute pehle hi khatam ho gayi thi na?" Raman grumbled.
"Waj ji, matlab ab woh late hai to meri beti? Aur jab woh kuch accha kare to woh aapki beti?" Ishita crossed her arms in disappointment.
"What can I say, she gets all her good traits from me," Raman answered smugly. "But seriously, where is she?"
"Sometimes the bharatnatyam teacher keeps them all for a few more minutes. She'll be out in a few minutes. Just be patient."
Raman and Ishita were leaning with their backs to their car waiting for Ruhi's dance class to end. Ishita's car was in the shop, so Raman had picked her up from her clinic to come pick up Ruhi from dance class.
"That's it. I'm going inside." Raman straightened himself and put his keys in his pocket.
"Wait, wait Raman, look! Here she comes!" Ishita pointed to a group of girls running from the studio into the parking lot. Ruhi was one of the first to appear in her red and white salwar suit and anklets twinkling at her feet.
"Aa gayi Ru? Why were you late today?" Raman asked.
"Because madam wanted us to practice our mudras again. And that stupid Niyati couldn't get anything right, so we all had to stay."
"Ruhi, that's bad manners. Aise kisi ka mazaak nahi udaate," Ishita chided.
"Sorry Ishimaa."
"Chalo, ab apni anklets nikalo warna pure raaste aap cham cham karte rahoge."
"Okay."
Ruhi took off her anklets and threw them in the back seat along with her backpack and dupatta. She began to climb in, but spotted something on the other side of the road by the entrance of the neighboring sports field.
"Papa! Mumma! Look there! Kulfiwala! I want a chocolate kulfi, please!" she pleaded.
"No betu," Ishita immediately shook her head. "It's January, you can't have ice cream in such cold weather."
"Please Ishimaa?! Please papa?"
"Come on, Madrasan. Ek kulfi se kuch nahi hoga. Yeh roz roz thodi na ice cream ki demand karti hai. Let's go Ru," Raman agreed.
Ishita sighed. "Fine. But if she gets a cold then that's on you, Ravan kumar."
The family of three crossed the street. Ruhi and Raman almost jogged there, while Ishita begrudgingly followed.
"Bhaiyya, ek chocolate kulfi bacchi ke liye aur humaare liye do kesar-pista kulfi," Raman gave the order.
"Nahi Raman, mujhe kulfi nahi chaahiye," Ishita said.
"Madrasan, learn to live a little. Ek kulfi se kuch nahi hoga tumhe."
"That might be true for both of you Delhiites, but I'm not used to Delhi's winters. I don't want any kulfi."
"Okay fine," he conceded. "Bhaisaab, aapke paas aur kuch hai jo in madam ke liye thanda na ho?"
"Humaare paas yeh garam-garam moong dal ka halwa hai sahab." The vendor pointed to a hot pan on the side on a low flame. "Thandi mein bahot accha hota hai madamji, lijiye."
"Nahi, mujhe nahi-"
"Madam ke liye ek plate de do," Raman cut off Ishita's meek protests. "You like halwa, Ishita. Just have some."
Soon enough, the family of three had licked clean their ice cream sticks and halwa plates and paid the vendor. They made their way to the street crossing at the gate of the empty field. That's when Ruhi spotted something strange on the nearby bench.
"Mumma, look," She pointed at the lone boy sitting on the bench with his nose in a book. "Why is he there all alone?"
"Maybe his parents haven't come to pick him up yet, Ruhi. There was football practice happening here before we picked you up," Ishita replied.
Raman turned his head to look at whom his wife and daughter were talking about and his heart dropped to his stomach.
"That's Adi," he blurted out.
"WHAT?" Ishita was shocked.
"Shhh," Raman shushed her. "Let me go talk to him."
Tentatively, Raman approached his son on the bench and took a seat beside him.
"Hi beta," he whispered.
Because of how engrossed he was in the book, Adi hadn't noticed his dad approaching and jumped at the soft whisper.
"Aap? Aap yahan kya kar rahe hai?" he asked. This cannot be happening again, he thought. I don't want to see him. The one day that the driver had to be late.
"Beta... I..." Raman had hoped he'd have more time before he had to introduce Ruhi and Adi, but he didn't want to lie about why he was here. If Adi did decide to tell Shagun, then he didn't want to give her the opportunity to suggest that he was illegally following Adi.
"I want to introduce you to someone. This is probably really fast and overwhelming, but I don't want to hide it from you. Ruhi beta, idhar aao!" He beckoned Ruhi to come forward.
The little girl looked up at her mother, confused at how her father knew that boy. "Come Ruhi, papa bula rahe hai na?" Ishita nudged her daughter along and brought her to her father.
"Ruhi beta, aap puch rahe the na, aapke Adi bhaiya kahan hai? Dekho, aapke Adi bhaiya waapis aa gaye hostel se," Raman explained. "Adi, this is Ruhi, your-"
"My sister," Adi finished the sentence, leaving Raman and Ishita astonished. "Yeah, mom told me. And let me guess, this is your new wife, Ishita right?" He pointed at the woman behind Ruhi.
Since he met his father, his rage and longing for his dad had been battling in Adi's heart, but right now, rage was winning. He was all alone, and his mother was all alone, but his father was happy with his new wife who stole his sister. This should have been his family. Ruhi and mom and dad living all together as one happy family.
"Adi, let me explain," Raman began. "Ishita and I-"
"I don't want to hear it!" Adi snapped his book shut, startling Ruhi.
"Aap gussa ho bhaiya?" she asked.
The anger dissipated from Adi's heart as soon as he heard his sister's voice. No one with a heart could stay mad at that angel for long.
"Um... I-I'm not angry Ruhi. I-I just... I didn't expect..." Adi cleared his throat and collected himself. This girl was hardly five years old. Just as old as he was when his world came falling apart. She didn't deserve any of this.
He stood up and stuck out his arm. "Hi Ruhi, it's nice to meet you."
Ruhi hesitantly glanced at her parents, then returned the gesture and shook her brother's hand. "Hi bhaiya, it's nice to meet you too. Aap yahan kya kar rahe ho?"
"Meri football practice thi. Tuesday aur Thursday yahan meri football practice hoti hai, from four to six. Aur tum?"
"Main wahan dance studio mein dance sikhti hoon." She pointed at the building across the street. "On Tuesday and Wednesday. Both bharatanatyam and ballet. Just like a princess."
She flashed her teeth at her brother who hesitated, but returned a smile of sorts back at her. That was all it took for her to get comfortable.
"Bhaiya, aap humaare saath ghar chalo na!" she demanded. "Dadi, dadu, bua, chachu, sab aapse milna chaahte hai! Hum itni masti karenge-"
"Ruhi beta, mumma-papa ne bataya tha na," Ishita interrupted her daughter, "Adi bhaiya Shagun mumma ke saath rehte hain. Woh humaare ghar pe phir kabhi aayenge."
"I-I have to go..." Adi stammered. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and sprinted for the parking lot. Fortunately, he didn't have to cross the street, for the driver pulled up with the car at that very instant.
"Adi wait!" Raman called.
"Aditya, your book!" Ishita ran behind him and followed him to the car. "Beta, aap apni book bhul gaye the bench pe." She extended her arm with the Chamber of Secrets in her hand. Adi snatched his book back, and in that moment, he channeled his anger to the one person who he could be mad at. Sure, he had mixed feelings for his father. And his sister. But this woman was nothing but trouble for him.
"Mat boliye mujhe beta!" he screamed. "Yeh sab aapki wajah se ho raha hai! Aapne mujhse aur meri mom se papa ko cheen liya! Aur Ruhi ko bhi! I don't want any of you in my life! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Adi climbed into the car and slammed the door behind him, tears streaming down his face. His lungs burned with the effort to not sob like a baby, but he wouldn't give this woman the satisfaction of knowing how much he hurt. He had been forced to grow up very early in life, and he knew how to hold his own now.
The driver floored the gas, and Adi turned away from the window, as he couldn't bear to look again at the family he secretly longed for. He saw how his sister was supported by both her parents even in her slightest moments of hesitation. She was unsure of shaking his hand but a single glance from her parents was enough to give her confidence. She was picked up by two happy parents from her dance class, but he had to wait for a driver after a two hour grueling football practice. A sport he only held onto as a way of being connected to the happiest memories of his childhood. Learning to kick a ball in the park with his father and uncles. He was an expert at the sport now, but that hardly mattered. The pain was still there. It never left, only lingered. And after the week he had, it was growing. He furiously wiped his tears and opened his book. He was all alone, just like another young wizard he knew of. And that wizard's journey was his way of escaping reality now.
.....................................................................................................................
"Aapne suna Adi ne kya kahan?" Ishita asked Raman as they drove home. Ruhi was listening to music in the backseat. Fortunately, she hadn't heard Adi's outburst, but Raman couldn't say the same.
"Suna maine. Uska gussa jaayaz hai lekin... I don't know how to handle this..." he replied. "This has to be Shagun's doing. Warna woh aise kyun sochta ki mujhe aur Ruhi ko uski life se tumne cheen liya? Shagun was the one who left our house with him. Us waqt Adi chota tha to shaayad use yaad nahi hoga. Aur usi baat ka faayda utha kar Shagun ne uske dimaag mein zeher bhar diya."
"Hmmm..."
"Ishita, are you okay?" Raman asked. "Tumhein Adi ki baat ka bura to-"
"Nahi Raman, not at all." Ishita didn't let Raman finish that thought. "That boy has been through so much in such a young life. He is entitled to his frustrations. Aur Shagun ne uski life mein aisi negativity bhar di hai, ki this is expected. Lekin mujhe aapse puchna chahiye. Are you okay?"
"I don't know, Madrasan." Raman's laugh held no humor. "I wasn't expecting this to happen so soon, lekin aaj apne dono bachhon ko ek saath dek khar itna accha laga mujhe... Adi hum sab se gussa zaroor hai, lekin ek baat tumne notice ki? Usne Ruhi se kitne acche tarike se baat ki."
"Woh jahan bhi rahe, hai to Bhallas ka beta hi na? Uska gussa uski acchai aur pyaar ko chupa sakta hai, lekin mita nahi sakta," Ishita noted.
"Let's just hope thoda sa pyaar usne apne papa ke liye bhi bacha kar rakha ho."
"Aapke liye bhi pyaar hai Raman. Agar pyaar nahi hota to itna gussa bhi nahi hota. I read a very nice quote once, 'If you have never been hated by your child, you have never been a parent.' "
"Wow, look at you getting all the wiser. Age is treating you well Mrs. Bhalla."
"I'm not that old and you know that."
"By the way, you've never been hated by Ruhi. Does that mean you're not a parent?"
"You know, when she becomes a teenager, that's when the hate will start. I remember when us three sisters were in high school, we were always at loggerheads with Amma. Vandu Akka was not that bad, maybe because she was the eldest and most similar to Amma, but Mihika and I were always fighting and bickering with her. We got along so well with Appa though. I have a feeling that's going to happen with this little one." She pointed her head to the back gesturing towards Ruhi. "She is so similar to you, that she will be best friends with you, but it's her mother she will hate."
"Now that will be a sight to witness. Because right now, she idolizes you and worships the ground you walk on..."
The rest of the drive went on smoothly, but the weight of Adi's outburst hung heavy in both their hearts.
.....................................................................................................................
Bhalla/Iyer Residence - 8:30 pm
"Ruhi! Shravu! I mean it, no more fighting!" Vandu yelled. "Play nice or no playing at all! We'll all go home and go to sleep!"
She stomped out of the bedroom in a huff, quashing the third fight of the night between Shravu and Ruhi. Vandu and Bala had a date night today and had left Shravu at the Iyer house with Mihika. They were back at home now joined by Raman and Ishita who brought Ruhi over to play with Shravu, as well as Mihir who used any opportunity he could to spend time with his fianceé.
Vandu joined her sisters again at the table while Bala, Mihir, and Raman snuck into the Bhalla house to open a bottle of Raman's finest scotch.
"Yaar, in bacche logon ne to dimaag kharaab kar diya," Vandu complained, as she slumped into a chair beside Ishita and across from Mihika.
"I wouldn't have sent you Akka, but I just couldn't deal with them for the third time in a row," Mihika said. "Are you sure you're ready for another one in a few months?"
"I think we'll be fine. I have Bala, and Shravu is learning to be more responsible. We'll manage. By the way, don't you want to join your fiancé across the hall?"
"Akka!" Mihika blushed. "I'm not that obsessed with him that I'd leave my sisters here. Sisters before misters."
"I meant, don't you want a taste of Raman's finest scotch bottle? He was bragging about it nonstop."
"All due respect to jeeju, but I can't handle scotch or whiskey. Just wine or cocktails for me."
"Ishu," Vandu nudged Ishita who seemed deep in thought. "Hum log kab se itni bakwaas kar rahe hai, tujhe kuch nahi kehna hai?"
"Oh sorry, maine suna nahi. Kya keh rahe the aap log?" she replied.
"Kya baat hai Ishu? What's wrong?" Vandu asked, genuinely concerned.
"Akka... Miku... Aaj main Adi se mili."
Ishita took a deep breath and told her sisters about her first time meeting her stepson.
"I don't believe this Akka," Mihika exclaimed. "Does he really believe that you stole Ruhi and Raman jeeju? Does he even know how they came into your life?"
"I don't think so. Raman thinks that Shagun probably put those ideas in his head. And I believe that. That woman is capable of anything, beyond our imagination."
"But to her own son, Ishu?" Vandu wondered aloud. "Would she really want her own son to feel so alone and betrayed just so she can have her ego?"
"You'd be surprised, Akka. This whole situation is just so complicated. I can't even imagine how bad Adi must be feeling. Ruhi found her family before she started understanding much. Even today, she is quite protected from all this. But Adi, he witnessed all the ugliness of Shagun and Raman's divorce and then the custody trial. Then he was alone in a hostel for so long... away from family..."
"Ishu, you're not feeling bad from what he said though, right? You're not taking it personally?"
"Not at all Akka, he's a kid. And he's entitled to his anger."
"How's Raman taking all of this?"
"He's... He's being strong. He knew to expect some anger on his part, but it's still hard to deal with, you know? I mean can you imagine not seeing your kid for five years?"
Vandu and Ishita's glance instinctively strayed to the bedroom, where their kids played.
"But he's back now," Ishita continued. "And we're not letting him get further from us."
"Just be careful Akka," Mihika warned.
"About what?"
"Okay, please don't take this the wrong way. I know that Raman jeeju is loyal to you and that we would all do anything for you. Iyers and Bhallas included. But their affections for Adi run much deeper than their affections for you. You are selfless to a fault, so don't let that undermine your position in that family."
"Mihika, enough." Ishita's tone was more stern than she had hoped. "What is up with you guys? Bala jeeju was saying the same thing the other day. My relationships with everyone in that house aren't so weak that they'd crumble with Adi coming home."
"Okay, I believe you. But then the other problem that comes up, is what would your relationship be like with Adi when he came home? You chose to be a mother to Ruhi. But you haven't chosen that for Adi. Will you be his mom when he comes home? Will he accept that? Will he be okay with that? Will you be able to love him like you love Ruhi? Because it's not fair to either of you if it doesn't work out. And where will Shagun fit in all of this? Will Adi be okay to distance himself from her? And if not, then-"
"All right, just stop, Miku! You're giving me anxiety just thinking about all of this!" Ishita implored. "I haven't thought that far. But... but it will all work out. I'm sure of it."
.....................................................................................................................
"Raman, did you even listen to my story of my student getting suspended for vandalism?" Bala tapped his shoulder to bring his mind back from space.
They were standing in the balcony of Raman's bedroom, enjoying a glass of his finest scotch.
"Sorry, sorry Bala, my mind was somewhere else." Raman rubbed his temple.
"What's wrong bhai?" Mihir asked. "Even scotch isn't getting you talking."
"Ishita and Ruhi met Adi today."
Raman explained his first meeting with Adi last week, their run-in with him today, Ruhi and Adi's first meet, as well as Adi's outburst on Ishita.
"Are you doing okay, Raman?" Bala asked. He was there the first time he met Adi and had offered some silent comfort.
"I'm as good as I will be. Still getting used to seeing my son as a ten-year old. In my head, he's still that little five-year old who needed help tying his shoes," Raman chuckled. "He's really angry, but I'll get through to him eventually."
"How did Ruhi take it?"
"Much better than expected. She worked her charm and actually got a smile on his face."
"Is bhabhi okay?" Mihir asked.
"I think so. I mean, if any of this is affecting her, she's not showing it. But that's why I'm worried about her even more."
"What do you mean?" Bala asked.
Raman sighed. "I just hope she isn't too hurt by how Adi behaved today. I mean, she's very understanding with everything Adi is going through, but still. Plus, she didn't sign up for any of this. I can't expect her to accept Adi the way she did Ruhi. She'll do it if I ask or even if I imply it, but it's not fair. One would be a choice, but the other..."
"Raman," Bala squeezed his shoulder. "I know Ishita is selfless enough to do that, but if she chooses to have a relationship with Adi, she'll do it with all her heart. It's not something she can force or fake. Besides, if she is bending over backwards, then you'll be there to take care of her, right?"
"Always."
That is what Bala kept his faith in. Even if Ishita didn't think about herself, there was someone else in her life that would do it for her
.....................................................................................................................
Khanna Mansion, Adi's room - 10 pm
Adi snuggled under his sheets and turned to switch off his bedside lamp. A crumpled piece of paper lay on the table. His father's business card. He smoothed the card with his fingers again and thought of his father again. He had met him twice in a week. The tendons in his heart stretched taut with pain and longing. He thought of his sister. She was so adorable, he couldn't find a single excuse to hate her. But he couldn't find a reason to love her either. He thought of his step-mom and how she had everything his mom ever desired. How his father left and lived the dream he wanted for himself and his mom.
"I hate you papa. I hate you," he cried into the darkness of his room.
.....................................................................................................................
Bhalla House, Raman and Ishita's room - 10 pm
"Ruhi baby, go to sleep. Leave Ishimaa's hair now," Ishita mumbled, sleepily.
"But mumma... I love-" yawn "-your hair," yawn "so long..." Ruhi said, as she fell asleep.
On the other side of the bed, Raman was wide awake. He pulled his phone out, dimmed the brightness, and pulled up pictures of his son. Every single memory he had of his son came rushing through the forefront as he reminisced with each photo.
"I love you Adi, I love you," he whispered in the silence of the night.
Omg you finally update!!! Do you realise I eagerly await your updates - I love this story, this version of YHM sooooooo much - absolutely amazing!!!!!!
Up to now I was just eagerly waiting for and reading your updates but this time I just had to .!!!
I love how your story is unfolding - out of this world!!!.
Loved Ishra's texting so cute ⭐️ I really wish she had not deleted her lovely message☺️
Ladies beauty parlour talk was fabulous!!! Raman feeling guilty about his mum but Ishita nicely explained that she made the choice herself and was happy with it. Toshiji reassuring that she did not think it's wrong for women with children to work it just was not what she wanted making Ishita feel better!!👏
Your version of Adi is much more realistic to me - he is missing his dad and Ruhi so much but please don't prolong his hate for Ishita!!!*😭
I really enjoy reading Adi's POV!!!.
I hope he finds out the true story soon!!!
I know you will find the best way of handling Adi's and Ishita's relationship but it would be lovely if they met somewhere coincidentally and he could see her goodness - just a thought!!!
Anyway absolutely fantastic update - please please update soon soon 0soon!!!!
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