Lovebirds – A Shivika ff Chapter 39

Shivaay and Anika came down the stairs, hand in hand and in between looking at each other. They left their hands when they reached the dining table and went to touch Dadi’s feet. She blessed them, smiling faintly. Everyone was already at the table, sitting in unusual silence, not able to forget the events of the previous day. Even now, they didn’t want to say anything about it, simply because you shouldn’t ask a person anything about something which hurts him where it hurts the most.
Shivaay, out of habit, was the first one to notice that Pinky was not at the table. He had been accustomed to seeing his mother just across his chair, every morning, so this absence did catch his attention.
Not giving it a great concern, Shivaay sat back on his chair and sighed. Anika was serving poha . After she served Shivaay, she also sat down on her chair. Noticing that Shivaay was constantly staring at the empty seat in front of him, she squeezed his hand under the table. He looked at her and she looked back, nodding her head.
Anika, ” Shivaay, I think you should do it.”
Shivaay, ” No I won’t. She is not my Mom. ”
Anika, ” Shivaay, you said you will try . First step and you are refusing. Does my Shivaay lose like this ? ”
Shivaay, ” No. I am your Shivaay. I won’t lose. I will call Mrs. Oberoi. ”
Anika passed him a glare.
Shivaay, ” Okay, I will call MOM. ”
Shivaay went to call Pinky, whereas everyone smiled seeing Anika’s concern for the mother and son.

In the corridor,
Shivaay’s pov
Am I going to do the right thing ? That lady hid from me the biggest truth of my life, that I am not her son, and still I am going to convince her to join the family at the breakfast table. Huh! How convenient it is to say that she has made just one mistake. And her one mistake is of such a level that it might be heavier than the sum of all mistakes I have made in my life. And still, I am going to convince her. Wow, life !

Shivaay stood in front of the door, where he used to run into when he got hurt, when he was upset, when he was happy and when he was angry, because that room belonged to his mom. But today, the same room, the same person, but not his mom. He knocked on the door and awaited an answer.
Pinky came quickly to answer the door as if she knew it was Shivaay who had come to call her. With a face red due to crying, she looked at him and smiled as if she had won an Olympic race in the first place.
She stepped out and traced her hand from Shivaay’s forehead to chin.
Pinky, ” Shivaay….

Shivaay, ” Mrs. Oberoi…
Pinky face fell.
Shivaay, ” Umm…well…Sorry…er…M…O….err…Mo…mo…mom…..”
She looked up again.
Pinky, ” Shivaay….”
Shivaay,” Please come for breakfast. Everyone is waiting for you. ”
Pinky, ” Shivaay, you called me Mom ? ”
Shivaay, ” Okay, now no need to exaggerate that. Yes I called you mom…..but…”
Pinky, ” But ? ”
Shivaay, ” But You. Are. Not. My. Mom. Anika wanted me to take a step towards mending my relations with you and to start calling you mom again. It is just for Anika that I called you mom, else after what you have done…I don’t think I should even be talking to you. What I am doing is on Anika’s insistence and Anika’s… ”
Pinky ( shouting) ” Bas. Bas. Enough of Anika. Here Anika, there Anika. This Anika , that Anika. Everywhere Anika. Can you see anything else except her ? Can you see your mom beyond Anika ? ”
Hearing Pinky shout, everyone left the dining table and rushed towards Pinky’s room.

Everyone was standing in a crowd behind Shivaay. They could see that he was now burning in rage. So much rage that his eyes burned in fire, his face burned in fire, his body trembled in fire. Why not, after all Pinky had spoken about Anika again.
Shivaay (completely raged ), ” How dare you insult Anika ? ”
Pinky , ” Shivaay, why don’t you understand that it is because of her that distances between you and me are increasing. If Anika would not have been here, then you would have come to convince me earlier. She is making you dance on her tunes. ”
Shivaay ( yelling, screaming, shouting ), ” What is your problem ? Why can’t you see the goodness in her ?”
Pinky, ” I can see everything. There is no goodness in her. ”
Shivaay, ” Why can’t you blo*dy accept her ? ”
Pinky (shouting) , “ Because she does not have naam, khoon and khaandaan. ”
Silence fell over. No one uttered a word. Only the sobs of Pinky could be heard. Shivaay was just staring at Pinky, thinking how much could this woman fall. This was not what Shivaay had thought his mom to be.
Shivaay, ” You are not her. You. Are. Not. Her.
You are not Shivaay’s mom. You are Pinky Singh Oberoi. I am sorry I called you mom again. I am sorry. You are the one who planted this seed of naam khoon khaandaan in my mind. You are to be blamed for this. Because of you and your stupid ideology, I don’t know how many people I have wronged, how many times I have insulted Anika, how many times I have hurt people….”
Anika was also affected by this. She had tears running down her face. She simply couldn’t understand why Pinky Aunty had so many issues with her. Was there something actually wrong with herself which Shivaay didn’t tell her ? Or had she done something wrong which Pinky Aunty didn’t like ?
Being the person she was, she couldn’t see Shivaay and Pinky arguing and fighting, that too over her. She had to do something.
She wiped her tears and came forward, in front of Shivaay. She joined her hands, ” Why are you angry with me Aunty ? ”
“ You dont have blood lineage. I don’t know who are your parents, that is if at all you have parents. I don’t know whose sin you are. I don’t know what background you have. I cannot accept anyone’s mistake as my daughter-in-law. You don’t have naam khoon khaandaan. You cannot be my daughter-in-law. “

“Enough. Enough is enough. I accept that I don’t know who my parents are and if…if at all they are…al..alive. I am sorry, I might sound rude, but Aunty you have no right to question their background. Till the time you malign me, I can bear it, but once if you get to my parents, I am sorry I won’t tolerate that. ” 
After some time, she says again.

“Aunty, what is my fault ? Why are you against me ? ”
 “ Your fault is that you don’t have naam khoon and khaandaan. That is your mistake. You get it ? God knows from where, which drain you have come. You are even worse than the insects who live there. You have no identity. You have nothing.You are just the dirt on our shoes.  ” 

” Aunty, please, please stop it now. Please, I beg of you. I can’t bear it anymore. I have been hearing and tolerating your taunts and insults since the day I got married to Shivaay, that also against my will. I never tried to argue or back answer you because you are elder to me and also because I thought that eventually you will accept me just as everyone else did. I knew it would take time because it was the matter of your son, your most prized possession. But you know what, I was wrong. I was so so wrong. You didn’t accept me instead you increased your hatred towards me.”

Pinky looks at her.

Anika( angry and accusing),” Yes, I am a middle class woman and I have no shame in accepting that because there is nothing wrong in it. I don’t know who my parents are and why they were never there with me when I needed them the most. I don’t know why I spent my childhood in an orphanage fighting against cruelty instead of living in a normal house and playing like normal children. I don’t know why I didn’t even see the face of my parents where normal people stay with them for their lives. I don’t know why even after not getting my parents, my only family, my sister was also separated from me. I don’t know which family I actually belong to and what is my surname but I know that I don’t need a surname to make my own identity, through my actions. What is my fault if my parents abandon me at birth ? What is my fault if I have to bear torture in orphanages ? What is my fault if the society doesn’t accept me because I am an orphan? What is my fault if God has chosen this for me ?….Is my fault just this that I am trying to fight for myself ? Aunty, you will never understand how tough life gets when you are taunted everyday, when you are discriminated, when you have no one beside you, when this blo*dy namesake society doesn’t accept you. You have to fight a battle everyday. I mean it, everyday. You will never understand what it means to have just a single person beside you, what is the importance of a family, what is the struggle of being an orphan. You will never understand what it feels to be called a sin, to be called an insect of the drain. You. Will. Never. Understand. BECAUSE, YOU ARE JUST ANOTHER BLIND FOLLOWER OF SOCIETY.”

Pinky,” How dare you raise your voice against me ?”
And before anyone could comprehend what was going to happpen, Pinky slapped Anika.

The poor girl touched her cheek, looked at Pinky with red eyes, and wiping her tears, ran out out of the mansion.

Shivaay stood numb. He too shouted at Pinky.
“Mrs. Oberoi. What have you done !!!  If somethings happens to her, I won’t see your face ever again and I will never forgive you for the slap. I hate you Mrs. Oberoi, I hate you…”
Saying so, he ran out behind Anika.
Ru,” Bhaiya, wait, even we are coming.”
And OmRu run behind Shivaay.

Dadi,” Pinky, yeh tune kya kar diya. Ek masoom bacchi pe haath uthaya. Chee!”

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Ahh ! My favourite episode. I tried to make it is good as possible. I feel really good after giving Shakti uncle a good dialogue. I know it would have suited Om’s character better, but what to do, his bhabhi is more important to him. 😉

Bye guys, until next time.