Tangled ✓

Let's get married

~~Jaiveer~~

With shivering hands I turned on the knob and opened the door wide. Darkness welcomed me. I fumbled to switch on the light. Once the light brightened the room, one after the other the memories came crashing on me. 

“Jai, all of these are my snacks that I'm storing here. You are not supposed to touch them.” Robin said while hiding his snacks in between our clothes.

“Jai, I can't find my maths homework.” Robin said frantically while taking through our books that were scattered in the rack. 

“Jai, what do you think of Divya from our junior class? She is beautiful, right?” Robin whispered into the silent night. 

“What kind of story is this? Isn't it supposed to be a cartoon? Then why do they have love and kiss in this one?” Robin mused after reading a story from a kids book which he planned to read to Anu tonight. 

The familiar pain shot up in my brain and I dropped to my knees. Dropping down, I let out. I let out all the pent up emotions. Why? Why must my Robin face all of these? What wrong deeds has he done for the god to punish him like that? Hasn't he already lost his parents? Hasn't the only one blood related uncle of his turned to be a vicious creature? Hasn't he suffered enough by staying on the streets? Then why? Why must he be taken away so cruelly at a young age? Why? 

Holding my screaming head tight, I cried out. With every fibre of my body, I screamed out. That's when I felt a warm embrace around me. 

“Jai, please calm down.” Papa's voice sounded beside me. I just slumped into his embrace. 

“Why?” I cried out again, “Why must this happen, Papa? That's not the end he deserves. That's not the one.”

I heard his sniffle, “That was not but we can't change anything, beta(Son). Please pull yourself together.”

“He needs to suffer, Papa. For everyone of our tears. He needs to suffer for the rest of his life.” Gayakwad. For the pain he put us through, he needs to suffer a thousand times more. 

“He will.” Those two words of Papa felt like a promise to me.

Letting out small cries, I moved out of his embrace and looked around the room.

“I… I want to.. turn this room into Adiraj's room.”

“Are you sure?” Papa asked. I nodded, “I want him to grow up in the place where his father grew up.”

“At least in this way… He will be close to his father, right?” I turned towards Papa. With my blurred vision, I noticed him nodding. 

This room. The paradise of Robin and mine. It holds so many memories of us. That is why after Robin left I couldn't stay here. His memories haunted me. So, I moved into another room but also couldn't have the heart to change anything in here. 

“We can make the required renovations.” Papa said, standing up and pulling me up. 

“Now, let's go. You need some fresh air.”

_______________

~~Advika~~

“Mumma, doll.” He asked. I picked up his stuffed doll and handed it to him which he hugged it immediately. 

“Mumma, pat.” Saying, he flopped back on his little bed and closed his eyes like a good boy he is. Chuckling, I moved towards him and kept on patting his back. 

Yes. That's my demanding little man. Once he started speaking, he hasn't stopped. I'm glad for that. Though he still couldn't frame his sentences properly, those little broken words are enough for me. Once he completely fallen asleep, I silently stood up and walked towards the balcony where my husband has been standing since so long.