hey guys as promise this is the next chapter hope you enjoy reading….
Happy Family..
Annika’s pov
I woke up surrounded by bhai’s arms. The clock showed two , I tried sleeping but it was miles away from me. After a lot of trying or you can say time wasting I gave up and looked at bhai’s face and giggled, if I ever failed to do something I always looked up at bhai and he with all the patience and love in the world would teach me from maths to dining manners to dance everything, even if I gave up he would always encourage me , every time.
Chachu used to tease us saying bhai as my mother duck , I guess it was right even when I gave up trying to sleep I looked at him. I sat up and stared at him when I was alone I always thought about him, thinking how would he encourage me to fight the silence. He always protected me no matter what, he faced all my problems before me.
He reached me , encouraged me , played badminton with me despite his college exams and initial days of the AR fashion house his dream yet the ASR always aced. I smiled remembering his smile when he got his first deal , he never took the advantages of being a Raizada and sole handily settled the AR fashion house which is now the leading fashion house in India and third in Asia. He looked so happy that day and everybody was so proud at him. I always want to be like him perfect.
But I guess I never really was that’s why they left me. My stance broke when I felt something wet on my cheek it was teddy licking my cheek, I smiled and pulled him on my lap, it looks like he’s too big to fit now I remember five months ago when I saw him he was so little and looked no less than a teddy bear so I named him teddy.
I looked at the clock now it showed quarter to three, I glanced over at bhai and quietly placed teddy down and told him to be quiet thanks to my training for three months he stayed quiet. I tiptoed out the room and closed the door as quiet as possible.
I sighed and looked down at teddy who was wiggling his tail and I smiled and patted his head and signaled him to follow. I opened the door next to bhai’s bedroom , beside this door was bhaiyu’s bedroom. I took a deep breath and twisted the knob and entered my room.
The first thing I saw was my and..daddy’s picture hanging over my bed in the golden frame. I closed the door behind me after letting teddy in. My eyes never left the picture, me on his back arms around him laughing, him smiling. I touched the picture my favourite one I smiled with tears , it looked so sweet and soothing and most importantly it looked real.
I looked away and took in my surroundings, my blue bedding, golden peacock feathers wallpaper for which I whined so much. My blue wardrobe in line with my mirror table and desk and lastly my piano lying in middle of the room.
I saw teddy growl at my teddy bears , I laughed and pick him up although he was heavy.
” they are not gonna harm me teddy”.
He licked me in return. Putting him on the bed I opened my wardrobe and giggled to find Shahrukh Khan and Shawn Mendes’s posters all over the place. I smiled tracing my hand over them. Closing the wardrobe I sat on the piano and closed my eyes and started playing.
Uhmmhmm…umhmmm..umhm..Uhmmhmm..uhmmhmm… uhm…
I sang with all my heart, my mind being dragged into the memory lane.
You’ve got a hold of me
Don’t even know your power
I stand a hundred feet
But I fall when I’m around you
Every time I try to stand against them, I fall on my face. Their talks always makes me weak and I give up thinking they are again back to what they were.
Show me an open door
Then you go and slam it on me
I can’t take anymore
I’m saying baby
But..tsk..tsk.. they show me the dream of being a happy family and being loved by my parents and leave me alone the next day..
Please have mercy on me
Take it easy on my heart
Even though you don’t mean to hurt me
You keep tearing me apart
Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart
Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart
Every single time I pray that we will be back to being a happy family but …
Their eyes shows love,care and honesty but their actions speak the opposite..
I’d drive through the night
Just to be near you, baby
Heart open, testify
Tell me that I’m not crazy
I remember clearly begging for meeting my parents but all I got was them being busy and away.
I’m not asking for a lot
Just that you’re honest with me
My pride is all I got
I’m saying baby
Is asking for my family a crime if not then why am I kept away from everyone in a mansion faraway like a prisoner.
Please have mercy on me
Take it easy on my heart
Even though you don’t mean to hurt me
You keep tearing me apart
Would you please have mercy on me
I’m a puppet on your string
And even though you got good intentions
I need you to set me free
Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart
Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart
Keeping me as a prisoner in their luxury laced mansion hurts me so much.
Consuming all the air inside my lungs
Ripping all the skin from off my bones
I’m prepared to sacrifice my life
I would gladly do it twice
Consuming all the air inside my lungs
Ripping all the skin from off my bones
I’m prepared to sacrifice my life
I would gladly do it twice
Infinite times I tried running away from my prison, the silence and loneliness, at the end I tried to end my life but one time or the other my guardians caught me even they take pity on me but are tied by their orders.
Please have mercy on me
Take it easy on my heart
Even though you don’t mean to hurt me
You keep tearing me apart
Would you please have mercy on me
I’m a puppet on your string
And even though you got good intentions
I need you to set me free
Being brought up in a happy loving big family it is a torcher to be alone. Without their permission I am not allowed to breathe in free air. At times these things seem like chipping away at sanity.
I’m begging you for mercy, mercy
Begging you, begging you, please, baby
I’m begging you for mercy, mercy
Ooh, I’m begging you, I’m begging you
Please I’m begging you please free me from this life please… I’m not strong enough please I can’t bear this anymore please…
I ended up crying again I can’t stand the silence anymore I will turn crazy living away from everyone alone…
Teddy pawed my lap , I hugged him tight, only because of him I am sane today, getting out of my depression slowly. He stayed by my side cheering me up.
“Why did this happen teddy why…” I mumbled leaning into his fur remembering that awful night.
Flashback
It was eight in the night all of us sat in the living room listening to my and bhaiyu’s song. Suddenly I saw mumma and daddy barge in followed by Vikrant uncle daddy’s manager, i stopped singing followed by bhaiyu.The three of them were arguing, everyone was tensed then suddenly i was blown away
“Annika pack your bags and go with Vikrant.”
“But why daddy ?” I tried questioning, it was the first time he called me by my name and was looking very serious.
“Don’t argue annika just do as your dad says!” Mumma shouted , tears started falling out and I clutched bhaiyu’s hand being scared.
“Anjali this is not the way to talk to a child” Dadi raged and mumma kept quiet but daddy took my hand and started dragging me into my room away from everyone and started to pack my bag then without a word handed me to Vikrant uncle who was helplessly gazing me .
“Daddy…” I cried but he left to his room and came back with his and mumma’s luggage.
“Anish where are you taking precious” badepapa snapped .
“I’m taking her to Krishna Kunj”
“but why!”
“I’m sorry bhai but I can’t tell you”
“you’re taking away my life and can’t tell me why, how dare you Anish leave my precious right now” badepapa snapped.
“Bhaiya please don’t take Anu away from us” Chachu pleaded but daddy didn’t stopped and took me away from them followed by mumma, I cried and protested but it didn’t work, bhai and bhaiyu tried stopping them but they kept mum .
I saw Dadi crying along with badima and chotima.
“Daddy why are you doing this please stop…” I cried but it fell over deaf ears.
They dropped me in one of the bedrooms and left from there , I sat on the bed crying. Suddenly a hand wiped my tears and I looked up to find Vikrant uncle looking at me helpless.
He knelt in front of me “why..” I sniffed , he sighed and handed me his handkerchief “I can’t tell you anything but they didn’t had a choice ani believe me they only wanted to save you….”
“save me by separating my family from me,which takes care of me when they are away and loves me uncle..”
he just gave me a helpless smile and walked away telling me to take care. I didn’t know what made my happy family shatter that night.
I thought something must have forced them to make this decision but when they took me in one of the business party which I thought was a opportunity to spend time with them as we spend none from shifting to Krishna Kunj , they told me to call them mom and dad instead of mumma and daddy in front of everyone and another day I caught them talking in their bedroom about regretting to have a daughter, when I went to show them my trophy for winning the debate which I worked so hard to win, I was so happy that day and it vanished in a blink of an eye.
Flashback end.
“they told me to call them mom and dad instead of mumma and daddy in front of everyone and it hurt me, was me calling them mumma and daddy happened to be insulting for them in front of everyone…”
”Chachu never told me to call him chotepapa he proudly proclaims me his little girl in front of everyone in the business parties. This incident changed my perspective about them. And all hell broke when they talked behind my back about regretting having a daughter…me.”
”Their behaviour and talks were like a hard slap on my face…they..re..regretted having..me…tears stung my eyes and I felt useless…completely useless.”
”I eyed the trophy and threw it away it didn’t meant anything to me now , all my efforts for acing in my class and school vanished in a single second that day teddy…”
I paused and looked at him and found him looking at me with soft eyes. I kissed his head and snuggled close to him on my bed.
“I wondered if any of my achievements ever made them proud , did my trophies for winning debates,quizzes ,speeches and badminton matches didn’t matter to them was their acting that good that I found their appreciation and happiness real.”
”Did me being a girl child made them hate me so much that they can’t bear to see my face ted.. but Dadi was very happy to have me only because I was a girl born in the family after 85 years , badepapa loved me more than bhai and bhaiyu because I was a girl that he always wanted.”
“I love my family teddy but… I want my mumma and daddy back like they were before happy with me loving me to no end , I’m craving to eat my mumma’ handmade food teddy, I’m yearning to be in the embrace of my daddy…”
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I stared at the invitation same as the one I saw on badepapa’s desk earlier, a invite for 7 days of cruise trip planned by the Kapoor’s meaning all of us are invited and Mallika would be there . My decision was made.
“I’m going..” I said out loud on the breakfast table earning all the attention.
“All of us are coming with you precious, we won’t ever leave you alone…” badepapa said determined, softening at the end. I gave them a happy smile and planned how to face them… without breaking apart…
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