1949 - A Love Story ✅

Part 24

Sidharth was strolling to and fro near the gate of the house when a horse cart stops near him. Shehnaaz's legs were shivering out of fear. As she trembled to get down the cart, Sidharth rushes to support her.

Cart driver: Sambhal ke bitiyaan. {Be careful my child}

The cart driver speaks out of concern, he had experienced her crying all the way till home.

Sidharth: Sana, where were you? What happened? Why is your face so pale? Are you alright? (Speaks with concern)

Cart driver: Bitiyaan ko sadma laga hai, zara uska achcha khayal rakhna beta. Usne apne aakhon se kisi ki jaan jaate dekha hai aaj. {The girl is in shock son, take good care of her. She has witnessed a death today.}

Shehnaaz was yet again reminded of Patralekha's quivering body and the blood which oozed out of her head. She starts sulking. Sidharth was clueless. He understood that she wasn't in the position to speak anything.

Sidharth: Kiski mrityu kaka? Kaha se leke aa rahe ho aap isse? {Whose death Uncle? From where did you pick her up?}

Cart driver: Main naam nahi jaanta par kisi ladki ki maut. Uss bangle ke naukar ne mujhe bitiyan ko yaha pahuchane bola. Inhe mein Avenue Street se leke aaya? {I don't know the name but it's a lady who died. That bungalow's servant asked me to drop her here. I picked her up from Avenue Street.}

Sidharth pays the fare and thanks him.

Avenue Street is where Patralekha resides. What was Shehnaaz doing there and who died? She seems to be traumatized, I should allow her sometime to calm down.

He escorts her by holding her by right arm by putting his right hand around her. He makes her sit on the bed and sits beside her. Sunaina come to the room and gets shocked to see Sana in such a pale state. Sidharth requests her to get water for her. She gives her water to drink. He makes her lie down and she hugs his arm. Her state was so bad that his heart wrenched looking at her. She wouldn't talk but cry every few seconds.

He turns on the radio as he felt probably she would calm down listening to the music. It played songs for sometime and she fell asleep in his lap.

Shortly, the All India Radio News started and amongst all the news he was shocked to hear the news of demise of the renowned industrialist's daughter, Patralekha. The news further reported that it was a suicide and she had plunged from her bungalow's terrace.

He looked at Shehnaaz who trembled like a dried leaf as she heard Patralekha's name. Sidharth caressed her head to calm her down.

Oh no!! She witnessed Patralekha's suicide. Why did you go there Sana? Why do you act so stupid every time? How do I calm you down? How do help you to unsee what you have seen?

He lied beside her in the bed and covered themself in a blanket and hugged her to himself. He caressed her back continuously

Sidharth: (spoke softly) Sshhh.. Ssshhh.. calm down my love. I don't know what you saw but I know that you are not at fault sweetheart. Let go the fear, let go. For my sake let go. I can't see you like this, you are looking so pale and lifeless. I want a happy you. I want my smiling beautiful wife back, who is fearless. Please sweetheart.

Shehnaaz hugged him tight and hid her head in his chest and cried loudly. He couldn't control his tears as well and the tear droplets rolled out of his eyes looking at her in pain.

Shehnaaz: (spoke in between the sulk) She.. she.. fell infront of... of me.. You know.. her body... her body trembled uncontrollably.. before... before it became... became lifeless.. I am the.. reason behind her death.. She.. she loved.. loved you.. so much.. that.. that.. that she gave her life..

Sidharth: (sternly) Shehnaaz! No she didn't love me. Though it isn't good to speak like this about the person who is no more but the reality is that she was obsessed. Understand that she tried killing you when she realised that she couldn't get me. And after finding you safe, she couldn't accept her defeat. It was never love.

She deceived me, tried to seperate us by harming you and when both didn't work she chose this. I know her, she couldn't accept her failures as she got whatever she wanted in her life. She never took rejections in her life. So stop blaming yourself.

I love you and you love me. I belong to you. You are my wife and my life. Would you have accepted me to be part of her life just to fulfill her obsession? You couldn't bear me saying that I will marry her in anger yesterday.

How can you blame yourself when she didn't for once regretted before trying to harm you. And you just took her death as your fault? No Shehnaaz. No. You were never wrong.

Shehnaaz was a bit relieved off her guilt. Her mind was so cluttered that she was just blaming herself for everything and Sidharth's word assured her that she wasn't the reason for her death. Though she was done away with guilt but the horrific incident was still haunting her.

He didn't leave by her side. Even when she wanted to use washroom, he asked her to leave the door unlocked. He asked Sunaina to look after her when he attended his nature calls but other than that he was with her the entire time. At dinner, he fed her with his own hand as she was denying to eat. He hugged her close to his heart at night.

Sidharth: Sana, listen to my heartbeat. It sings for you.

She kept her head on his chest and heard every single heartbeat and went to sleep. He caressed and calmed her down everytime she woke up horrified at night.
.
.
.
Sidharth: Can you just sit beside her until I take bath and return?

Sunaina: Hmm.. Ok Jijaji. But are you going to college today as well?

Sidharth: Ofcourse and not only me but her as well. I'll wake her up once I am back from bath. If she sits alone, she will keep thinking about it. She needs to keep herself busy so that she is diverted from thinking about it.

Sunaina nods. Sidharth wakes her up once back from bathing and asks her to get ready as well. They both go to college.

Sidharth requests his colleagues (other lecturers) to ask her questions and involve her in class more so that she doesn't think about the incident.

The final lecture of the day was his and he punishes her for being lost in her thoughts. He asks her to stay back after class and read 3 books on literature and make notes.

With this he makes sure she is occupied even after class and stayed in college until he finished his work hours. In the evening, they both go home together.

The routine continues and finally after a week, he found success in his way of dealing with the problem. She got angry when he punished her and fought with him when they returned home. He would pacify her and they would make love.
.
.
.
The two sisters cried as they cry during Bidaayi (post marriage event when the bride goes to stay with her husband to his place). The most emotional was Vijay as he wasn't ready to leave Sana from going away. They were shifting house.

Shehnaaz: Maasi will arrange the house and take you to the new house after some days, okay? Please don't cry sweetheart.

Vijay: Promise?

Shehnaaz: Pakka promise!! Give me a gucchi now..

Vijay kisses her cheeks and she hugs him with welled up eyes. They leave for their new rented house.

__________________________

To be continued.. ❤️❤️