Chapter 10
The tenth chapter people,….Silent readers as well as people who comment everytime,please give me an idea of what to write next.I don’t know which way to lead the track.
After what seemed like eternity,the sisters broke their hug by virtue of one voice.
Person 1 : Akira, dear please come soon.It has half an hour since you left.You need to thank the people who have agreed for adoption, tell us where the donation they give should go and advise them on the legal procedures too.Come,now!!!
Akira: Mita,this is my didi….Didi, this is my friend Paromita,she helps me out in all matters of this home.
Mita : Didi???You never told me you had one?
Akira: I didn’t know of her existence till today.
Mita: (Looking quizzically at Annika)Well, does your didi have a name,Akira?
Akira: Didi,what is your name?
Annika: Annika…
Mita: Seriously,what is going on here?
Akira: “Agneepath” style,Mita….Minus all the action.
MIta: Tell me everything in detail afterwards,but come along now.
Shivaay POV:
Good,now that her one hour ago- sister is going.I can finally have some alone time with her.I understand that it will be hard for Annika to talk to me after this emotionally charged evening,but the husband in me has waited too long for his wife. What would you do, if you saw the one you have loved,after 2 long months,your constant habit, who just disappeared. And reappeared after all these days.I stood ,heartbeat racing,trying to soak in the depth of my emotions.
I was going to do what anyone else would have done.
To cage her within myself,never to let go again.
But unfortunately,my reverie did not go on well with her sister.
Presently she made an appearance and dragged her didi away.
And her didi left, unaware of my existence due to the sea of emotions she was drenched in.
To say I was disappointed was an understatement.
As soon as Annika went in,Akira came back running outside.
Akira: Hello,Bhaiya,Om,Rudra!Why don’t you guys come in?Did you see us ,I mean the whole reunion drama?
Rudra: Yes,didi,yes…I felt so happy for you that…
Akira: You actually cried?And Om and bhaiya hugged you even tightly ?
Rudra: So you actually did not enjoy your siso hug?
Akira: Are you serious Rudra? She’s my didi,for God’s sake.And you are not so short to be invisible to my eyes.
Rudra: If you want to talk about being”short”,talk to your bhaiya here.(Pointing at Shivaay)
Akira: Is everything alright,bhaiya?Your face looks so strained?
Shivaay: Nothing,Akira.Just…
OM: Exhausted…Exhausted…What an amazing liar you are! You are Akira Chadda. And you didn’t even tell us?All these days,we were kept in the dark and we get to know it today.(Angrily)
Rudra: Om! Why are you so angry knowing didi’s surname?You didn’t get angry while knowing your surname ,no?
Shivaay: Rudra,that’s because it means…
Omkara: She is Arnav Chadda’s daughter…
Rudra: So what if she’s her dad’s daughter?Arnav chadda or Arnav Goswami?We’ll all call her Akira didi, right?
Omkara: Don’t you get it,duffer!She’s the daughter of the very party that dad signed a business merger with,in exchange for his daughter and me getting married!
Rudra: Dad signed a business merger with a party?Don’t you sign mergers with people?Wait , you getting married?Oh!That Chadda?
Akira: How does that even matter Rudra? You are right,Akira Chadda or Akira Goswami, you’ll always call me Akira or Akira didi,no?
Om: This is not the time to discuss all this.You have turned out to be what I see.Me,Shivaay and Rudra are going home.Dadi,Soumya and Prinku will come later after the event is over.I’m assuming you will want to spend more time with your didi.Celeberate your relation,love and come home whenever you can.Go back to your event.I’ll call Daadi and tell her.
Akira looked on in disbelief and staring at Om’s innocent face colouring a deep red,she decided not to argue and went inside.
When Sages are angered, the forest is endangered.
She could not quite understand why he coloured so quick.
Shivaay called back behind her: Come home soon,Akira!
Om looked at him.
Om: Seriously,Shivaay?Come home soon???Look what big truth she hid from us?
Shivaay: Om,don’t judge her without knowing what the entire truth is.Knowing the truth is important,Om,but knowing the complete truth is even more important.Don’t do what I did,2 months ago.
Silence.
Shivaay: Let’s go home.
OBEROI MANSION:
Tej: Where is everyone? A man returns home to find only two people of his family without knowing where others are..
Om: Why…(Shivaay held him..)
Shivaay: Om,not now.We’ll go rest.
Tej: What is it Omkara?
Om: You are upto your tricks again,aren’t you?I thought all these months that you have changed a bit,though my years of experience of living with you,told me otherwise.You have no emotions,Mr.Oberoi and in judging you too,a man mustn’t use his emotions. You thought you will carry out your business merger but I succeeded in overthrowing your schemes…Come Shivaay,Rudra…
(Rudra and Om walk off.Shivaay stands there, thoughtful)
Tej: Won’t you say something too,Shivaay?
Shivaay: No,because I know you have really changed.I know you miss Badi Maa.
Tej (sits down): I’m not being very discreet,ain’t I?Yes, I do Shivaay.But nothing I do is going to bring her back.She lived in this toxic relationship, tolerated my affair and still expected my love.I cannot even bring myself to be ashamed of what I have done.I am existing,that’s all,Shivaay.Jhanvi left them,all alone,I just want them to have a secure future for themselves.I shall see to that till my last breath.You should,sometimes make people aware of your importance in your life.If you don’t,they don’t fight for a chance to be in your life.And then,only when you walk away from them,your true worth is known.I’m okay with what I’m going through.But how are Prinku,Om and Rudra coping without their mother?That’s what surprises me the most.Maybe,my children have grown so tired of seeing our relationship,that love or regard for us has gone. Enough,Shivaay,go rest.Good Night.
Shivaay POV:
True, it is pain that makes a person ; a philosopher.How true was what Bade papa said to my case,though complex was the way he said it.I realised that even though Bade papa and Om were polar opposites,they weren’t all that different.
A part of the parent,passes on to the child,like it or not.
Then why was it that Rudra, Om and Prinku never mentioned about Badi maa to me all these days?
Neither did they about Annika.
We promised never to hide things about each other.Not talking about Annika was understandable,because they didn’t want to hurt me.But about Badi maa?
That reminded me that Om and Rudra were not even surprised to see Annika at the event . Rudra just remarked that he was happy to see their moment.
I shuddered.
My brothers knew that Annika was going to come?
My eyes flashed back to the day when I saw Annika consoling badi maa.
Or even worse.
They knew where Annika was?Where Badi maa was?
Annika and Badi maa are living together?I though in utter shock.
A wave of silence greeted me.