Trust in Love

Chapter 65

Abhijeet's POV

His smile has not dimmed from the moment he had heard that he is finally coming home with us. For a moment, I thought there may be a change in my feelings after knowing the truth. But one look at him and I knew....I knew he will be my son first....always and forever. Yes, he is my sister's son by birth and I would always respect his legacy but no one can deny that destiny gave him to us even if through a tragedy. I initially felt guilty for our happiness over the catastrophes of our life but then Smriti Amma herself helped me in overcoming this tumultuous war between mind and heart.

The vase broke into smithereens on impact but it was nothing compared to the shattered pieces of my heart.

With red shot eyes and hot tears , I sat down on the bed, dejected.

Only one word echoing around in my head,

Unwanted......Unwanted.....Unwanted

As the voice increased, my hand wound around it and it would also have found it's place among the vase pieces if not for the hand that stopped me.

She looked at me with anger blazing eyes as she grabbed our wedding photo frame and put it in it's original place.

" What is this ,Jeet?"  She asked sternly as she glanced around the havoc I created.

" I know you are hurt... very badly.... but that doesn't mean you act senselessly..."

She reprimanded me harshly but as soon as my eyes clashed with hers,she mellowed down seeing the pain reflected in them.

Gingerly, she sat beside me and tried to explain gently.

" Jeet, whatever happened was not fair, neither to you nor to Raj Chettan and Ram Chettan but except for accepting the reality, we are left with no choice. I agree it is a bitter truth but that is life"

I gazed at her for a second before replying. Each word of mine screaming out my anguish.

" True....But what to do when our whole life becomes an illusion. The father I admired so much turned out to be a coward and the mother whom I loved the most is just a cunning and vicious human being....My brothers are just a means to carry on the lineage while I am just an UNWANTED MISTAKE "

The last sentence of mine left her in shock .

"YOU ARE NOT A MISTAKE " Megha responded back vehemently

"Every child is a blessing. He or she cannot be crucified for the sin of their parents.... Acha cannot hide his actions behind  alcohol. Was he drunk when he left Smriti Amma? Was he drunk when he made the decision to move on with Amma begetting two children? Then how come you only become a mistake. Everyone played a role in what happened, may it be your grandmother or Amma but the chunk of the responsibility lies with Acha as HE was the SON,HUSBAND AND FATHER. I am not excusing Amma.She knew what she was getting into, she knew her husband was inebriated but still she went ahead. In my opinion , she wanted to get pregnant so she can bind Acha more to her and use Acha's guilt successfully.  In all this , the innocent party are you three who became pawns in their game.....The sin is theirs not yours, the guilt is their's not yours, redemption is their's not yours....."

" Sometimes I feel bad even for them. What did they attain after all this. They never could be completely happy , one always immersed in guilt and other in dissappointment and now they even lost the respect of their kids.....Maybe the saying is true, what goes around comes around. I would even go further to say Smriti Amma and Chechi got saved, at least they were happy till the end..."

Even though a part of me agreed,  there was another part going around in circles which questioned each and every moment of the past, present and future which made me put forward my doubt in front of her.

"How do I overcome the fact that my "happy" family was built on the ruins of another and Mehul....Will I be able to look at him without feeling guilt?"

" It never was, is and will be your burden to carry,Jeet "

Though her words were comforting still the conflict was evident in my eyes so she continued ,

" Maybe you will believe your Smriti  Amma...."

Suddenly, a melodious voice filled the air

" I have seen many ups and down in my life but never once I regretted any of my decisions"

Smriti Amma was not only beautiful outside but from inside too. Her thoughts makes her extraordinary perse.Once I saw her interview, I was hooked to it. I started meeting her through the various articles and features and felt immense proud of the women she was.

Even the cruel slap of the destiny did not pull her down instead she soared to become the queen. I even saw my sister in one, Mehul's mother..... an amazing woman...how could she not be...afterall she was brought up by one. In midst of understanding them, the guilt and burden slowly began to fade away.

"Life is full of flavours . How one reacts to one flavor paves the way for the other. In short, if we face bitter and we react to it similarly then our whole life turns bitter. Control what is in our hands and let go what is not, afterall the one above knows better"

Those words of her were a realization. It showed me her way of life which unfortunately my parents failed to see.

Taking a page from her book, I thought to control the one thing in my hand......Loving Mehul......

"Acha...."

The sudden shout brought me out of my thoughts. I turned to see him running towards me with the biggest of the big smile. Following him behind was my Jaan, with a comparable smile of her own.

As he neared me, he threw himself at me in excitement....

"Acha, I had bid good bye to all my friends and took blessings from the elders....Now can we go home" his overexcited voice tugging a smile on my face too

I couldn't stop myself from staring at this bundle of joy who inherited his grandmother's eyes.

My eyes automatically welled up as a slight dissappointment passed through me on recalling the loss this innocent soul incurred at such an young age.

"Acha.... why are you crying? Please don't cry ....If you cry then your Mehul wi..ll als..o cr..y...."

His childlike voice trembled at the end but what stood out was the love sparkling in his eyes like a beacon warming and filling up the cracks in my heart.

With a childish pout , he wiped away my tears and wound his tiny arms around my neck. As he placed his head on my chest, I knew that was his place all along. The contentment that washed over me couldn't be expressed in words.

I got up with him in my arms and turned to Megha. Though her eyes were also brimmed with tears, her smile also showed the same contentment as mine.

Intertwining my one hand with hers and another securely holding our life, I said

"Let's go home...."