Bikhre moti (Scattered pearls)

7.4 Bhuli bisri daastan(pt4)

Lucknow, July 1997

Tamanna's death had shaken Sagar beyond belief. He wasn't convinced that she could take her own life. And in everything he felt guilty that probably it was because of him she took such a step. His mother, Prabha had been aware of his state in 2 days since Tamanna's cremation. In fact from the moment she told him how it was Soumya who had been behind her arrest and Tamanna got her out on bail, Sagar had been remorseful. He confessed to her how he was wrong about Tamanna and how he had blasted on her. 

Prabha's heart went out for her son and her daughter-like-child Tamanna. After all it was just 4 months ago that Sagar had returned from Delhi finishing his studies and had met Tamanna on the auspicious day of Holi. They immediately fell in love! Although Prabha was apprehensive of Sagar-Tamanna's relationship, she knew in her heart that Sagar was a very capable boy and he would surely ensure that Tamanna always had everything she needed.

But now Tamanna was not in this world and her son, very much behaved like a walking dead since past 2 days.

"I curse that Soumya! That witch, chudail snatched my daughter and now my son too is in this state" Prabha was crying and cursing Soumya, but that finally snapped Sagar out of his trance. How didn't he think of this before? Soumya! He knew she was Arvind's mistress, whole Lucknow knew in fact, but in all this he completely forgot how soumya had been behind his mother's arrest. His mother surely didn't have any enmity with Soumya, then why did she do it? And did tamanna know something about that and thus that witch...he swore he would get to the bottom of it. At least he owed that much to Tamanna.

--*--

Lucknow, March 2022

"arre o Khushi, Holi aa rahi hain, matlab tera janam din aa raha hain bitiya (Holi is coming, that means your birthday is coming soon too). Kya chahiye humari taraf se (what gift you want from me)?" Bua ji asked. Khushi's birthday fell on Holi, the day of full moon. She was a premature baby, born in 7th month of pregnancy and bua ji's only niece!

"Soch kar batate hain, abhi thoda bahar ja rahe hain bua ji (I will think and tell you, I am going out for something)." she said while wearing her sandals and marched towards her destination.

"There goes our butterfly!" bua ji laughed, while Shashi and Garima watched their daughter flutter away. She really justified her nickname, butterfly, hardly staying at one place for long.

Khushi had decided to visit the Sheesh mahal once again. This time from back entrance. she looked at the vast garden, the fountain, and finally the terrace! For a minute she felt like she saw someone there. A figure perhaps?

Someone was standing on the edge of the terrace.

Khushi wanted to yell to watch out lest that person fell.

But to her horror, the next moment, that figure fell down from the terrace!

Numb! Khushi felt numb. She clutched her heart, trying to control her heartbeat. Trying to find a place to sit, when she couldnt find anything, she sat on the ground.

And flashes of her past life became clearer to her!

Tamanna was alone at home, Ratna and Arvind had gone to clinic as Anjali wasn't well. Tamanna had just returned from police station having gotten a bail for Sagar's mother. But she was fuming with anger as she got to know it was Soumya's doing. So she had gone to her favorite part of the palace, the terrace to calm down. She was trying to calm her mind when she saw Soumya walking in their house. The nerve of that woman!