Diminutives

Aviary-2

Omkar gazed at his daughter lovingly and pecked her forehead. Tara was allowed to stay with him for last fortnight. He had tried his best to make each moment memorable for her. After spending a lavish vacation in a posh resort, they had just returned. Being tired, Tara was sleeping on his lap. It pained him that Tara's life has changed to a skateboard. He blamed it all on her mother's stubbornness.

What has he not provided for Mayura? The best of world was brought to her feet even before she wished for it. Be it cloths, jewelry or any other materialistic goods. He tried to keep her as his queen. All he ever wanted from her was her submission. Her acceptance of him as her King. Why couldn't she comply to such a simple demand? In turn, she could have reigned with him, enjoying the wealth & luxury he bestowed on her. But no, she didn't. She had to fight for her petty self-esteem and identity.

Omkar loved Mayura a lot. No, she is still the love of his life. When she left him for the first time, he was devastated. He decided to try every trick in his bag to bring her back. He acted to repent and agreed to take therapy to get better. Professionally help indeed brought difference in him. It helped him to spend wonderful months with Maruya while she was carrying Tara. Yet deep down he felt caged, as if his actual self was desperate to be free. Finally when Tara was born, his true being was unleashed. His daughter became center of his world. He wanted to keep her protected and give her the best of the world. For that he wanted her mother to be perfect. Just like he had wished his wife to be perfect according to his standards.

Mayura rebelled again. But this time he tapped on her weakness- Tara. He let her leave but kept Tara with him. He knew it was unfair to keep Tara away from mother but he had to,  since he wished to control Mayura. He bought officials and law so that Mayura was unable to get justice. Her parents were too uninformed to hire a good lawyer. Mayura and her family knew next to nothing about nuances of law and zilch contact amongst officials. Their ignorance and his influence acted in his favour. It would have eventually led to Omkar's victory if not for Raghav Shastri.

Raghav Shastri came out of nowhere and acted as knight in shining armour for Mayura. He claimed to be Mayrua's childhood friend but one look and Omkar recognised him. He was another man who wished to win Mayura. She was either oblivious or chose to ignore the want in Raghav's eyes. It was clear that Raghav wanted Mayura. It irked him that another man desired his wife and she too let him get closer to her. Still Omkar knew too well that Mayura is a woman with character. She will not sway easily. Yet the question remaining for how long. Eventually she may lean on Raghav's shoulder. So it was time for him to act quickly to throw Raghav out of her life. His men had already informed that Mayura was meeting Raghav in a coffee shop. He decided to confront her as soon as possible.

"Thanks Raghu", Mayura appreciated his support, "I feel much better after talking to you". He flashed his dimples while smiling at her, "Any time, Mayura". "Look at you", Omkar's mocking voice startled them, "Aren't you both a happy couple?". Raghu wanted to give him a piece of mind but Mayura stopped him, "Don't waste you time on him. He is a sick man, Raghu". "Oh! I am the sick one", Omkar smirked at them, "Then what about him?", he pointed at Raghav. "Enough Omkar", Mayura sneered at him, "not all men are like you". "May be", Omkar smirked at Raghav, "but he is definitely a sicko". Mayura noticed that Raghav was getting uncomfortable with Omkar's words. "Shall I do the honours or will you?", he played with Raghav. She looked at both being baffled.

"Raghav Shastri has undergone severe depression", Omkar bared the truth, "Reason: The object of his obsession suddenly left town". Mayura was taken aback. She recalled how sad all her friends were when she relocated. Due to her father's job, her family moved around a lot until settling down in current town. She couldn't pin down whether Raghu was deeply affected by her absence.

"Have you visited his home, Mayura?", Omkar asked again. When she shook her head, he added, "there is a room full of your photographs that he had collected over the years. A classic stalker". "Is it true, Raghav?", Mayura was aghast. Before he could speak, Omkar placed a folder in her hands, "These are the proofs". She glanced through it and was shocked to find that everything he told about Raghav was true.

"Mayura wait", Raghav rushed behind her as Mayura tearfully ran out the café. "Please listen to me", he begged her. "What excuse do you have now?", she sneered at him. He sighed in defeat, "It is true Mayura. I am in love with you. Not now or a few days back but since we met one another". His words made her angrier but she gave him a chance to speak his side. "You were my only friend. When you left, it hit me bad. I have to go through treatment to overcome depression. My current charming personality is just way to overcome sadness of my nerdy old self", he accepted his guilt. 

"You always remained in my heart Mayura. I may have collected those photos because you were dear to me. But I was never adamant to win you. Else I would have searched you long back and came into your life", Raghav tried to explain. She had a tough time fighting her tears and not to breakdown in public. "But when we met again, it was pure chance. As I learned about your situation, I genuinely wanted to help. Trust me, I had no ill intentions". "Trust you?", she mocked him with the irony of his words, "you cannot expect me to trust you after these revelations".