The Exchange

Family

As they walked back to the hotel as man and wife yet again, Abhi heard his phone ringing in his pocket. He tried his best to ignore it, but after several continue rings, Akshu told him to answer. He looked down at the called ID and saw "Maa." 

"Abhi, beta...kaha ho tum pichle kuch dino se?" 

He glanced at Akshu in silence, not knowing what to say...how could he ever begin to describe the whirlwind of the past few days...how could he ever begin to describe what his Akshu had done for him...how could he ever begin to describe the lengths to which she had gone, the destruction she had taken upon herself. While his family had not turned against her entirely, they had all been living with millions of questions over the past  year....and most of them had learned not to raise them in front of him, as he would not tolerate it...because no matter how upset he had been, he lived to protect his Akshu...and he would never be able to bare anyone else pointing a finger at her. 

"Maa...mein aap ko thodi der mein phone karta hoon...sorry...mein abhi baat nahi karsakta," he said, glancing at Akshu. 

"Maa." That one word sent hundreds of memories rushing through her heart. The maa that Abhi had gifted her on Valentines Day, the maa who had always treated her as her own child..the maa who she had laughed with, cried with...the closest person she had to Naira...who would never be able to fill that void, but who would always try as hard as she could. 

"Abhi...maa kaisi hain?" she asked softly, holding back tears. 

"Akshu...aao idhar baito...", he said, gently helping her sit on a bench next to him. 

"Akshu...woh theek hai... jitni theek ho sakti hain apne bacho ke bina...woh tumhe bahut miss karti hain Akshu...aur siraf woh nahi...Neil, Parth bhai, Shefali bhabhi...aur Akshu...tumare bhaiya, bade papa, mimi....sab..." 

"Mein bhi un sabko bahut miss karti hoon Abhi...." 

"Akshu...kya tumhe ghar jana hai?" 

She stared down at the ground, at a loss for words. Of course she wanted to go home...of course she wanted to embrace each and every single family member...of course she wanted to tell them how much she loved them, how sorry she was for leaving them all behind...but the more she thought about it, the more scared she became. How would she be able to face them? Was she really worthy of their love? Was she worthy of their affection? Having lived in isolation for the past year, she felt as if she could not even remember what family felt like...and she was too afraid to let herself open up again....

He saw the hesitation in her eyes and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, resting his head on her's..."Akshu...mein sab samaj tha hoon...aur tum koi bhi pressure mat feel karna...tum jab ready hogi, hum tab jayenge...aur waise bhi...tum jaha, mera ghar waha..." 

She closed her eyes, his words piercing her heart...he had been roaming the world from corner to corner for the past year, away from those who loved him...he had stayed away for her...because of her...and now, he was willing to stay away for longer, perhaps even to never return...he was willing to do whatever she wanted...No. She could not keep him away any longer...she had to do right by him...she could not bare to give him any more pain...so no matter how hard it was for her, she had to try. She had to go back...she had to take him home. 

"Abhi..." she said, standing up, taking his hand in her's, gently tugging on him.

"Mein ready hoon. Chalo, ghar chalein." 

"Akshu...", he said, knowing the turmoil she was facing.

"Abhi...mein ne kaha na...mein ready hoon. Please Abhi. Mujhe ghar jana hai. Tum ho na mere pas? Mein janti hoon ki tum mujhe sambal lo ge...mujhe tum pe pura vishwash hai...please Abhi...ghar chalo.."