Choti Si Duniya - ArShi FF

68. Anjali's daughter - part1

I am going to need you to read this chapter and the next without any prejudices and preconceived notions. And then read notes at the end. Thanks.

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The day Anjali lost her first child 11 years ago, almost into 8th month of her pregnancy, she had felt a part of her die. No matter who was the father of that child, even that despicable ex-husband of hers-Shyam, the child was still hers and when doctors told her it was a girl, she broke down. All those millions of dreams she had woven around that tiny baby of hers, how she will see her baby girl grow, play with her, spend sleepless nights taking care of her and do all those cute mother-daughter things she had dreams of- lay broken! None of those were going to come true.

Eventually, she moved on. When Akash-Payal's baby girl Piya was born, she had showered her suppressed love on that baby girl. Then, when Khushi and Arnav's son Kavish was born, she had felt even more happy and craved motherhood for herself. Fortunately, she met her current husband- Navin around then, got married and soon, got pregnant. Anjali was sure it would be her rajkumari(princess) born to her and she would get to fulfill her incomplete dreams but when her son Pratham was handed over to her instead, those dreams again went on backseat. She decided to try for another baby but since she had Pratham much into her late 30s, she had difficulty conceiving again. And, after trying for some years, her hopes dwindled.

And amidst that, came Chote's twin daughters!!! When Anjali first heard of Khushi delivering twin baby girls, she for a moment felt it was a signal, otherwise how did Chote and Khushi had twins when twins didn't run in their family or Khushi's? However, she kept those thoughts only to herself for the time and satisfied herself with whatever small time she could get to spend with those two rajkumaris(princesses).

It was an absolute joy watching those two angels grow up. Pari was sweet, innocent just like her name (however, her birth name was Shriya, as Nani and Anjali herself had come up with), while Arohi was natkhat(naughty) and super-active! In any case, in any avatar, they were most adorable baby girls Anjali had ever seen and she often used to think her own rajkuamri would have been just the same if she were alive...

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Anjali, her mother-in-law and Anjali's 5-year-old son Pratham were visiting Shantivan that Sunday from morning to evening! Presently, they were about done with their breakfasts but still seating around the huge dining table that Shantivan flaunted!

"Jiji, aapne kal wo jo juti dikhayi thi na online site pe (the kids' belly shoes you showed me on that website), I think we should buy them. Pari will love the colors of those and piya ko bhi pasand ayenge (Piya will love them too)." Khushi was talking with Payal, while just about done feeding Pari a last spoonful of daliya.

Anjali couldn't help heaving a sigh of sadness, for her unfulfilled dreams of doing anything like that for her own baby girl! Sure, she used to buy stuff for Pratham all the time, and rejoice when he loved all that, but he was a 'new dream', and you can't replace a dream with another, especially if it's a baby...

"You both are so lucky, it's so much fun to shop for baby girls. For boys there are so limited options" Anjali said in supposedly lighthearted way, but Arnav caught the sadness in her eyes and felt his heart going out to his di. He had seen it firsthand how much she had loved her first baby, and the cold-blooded murder of that baby had left too many unfulfilled wishes in his di's mind. But apart from praying for her, what else can he do?

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After a heavy breakfast, they all had decided to spend time in chitchatting while kids played around them, running here n there. Arnav and Aakash had gone upstairs to their own rooms, as they could only bear with the 'gupshup' so much!