Kab Huaa?

IX. home

Aage rahiyo, naa piche rahiyo
Mera rahiyo, yaar bas mera rahiyo
Sang rahiyo

'

SMACK'

'Please, Abhi aur Neil so rahe hain, uth jaayenge. Please mat kariye' Manjiri Birla, laid half-naked on the huge table of the dining hall, when Harshvardhan Birla took out his belt and smacked the lady. Manjiri gulped down the cries, as she did not want to wake any of her son up and see their mother in such a condition.

'Neil?' Harshvardhan, clutched Manjiri's hair in his grip and spitted on her face.

'Neil is not a Birla, he is only your son. Son of a bitch like you, and your college love' Harshvardhan said, and continued his torture on the poor woman.

Yes, her Neil was not a Birla. And, Manjiri was happy about it. He did not have the filthy blood of Birla who treats women like some street dogs.

But, her Abhi.

He was a Birla.

And, they say, blood is thicker than water.

Abhi and Neil were half-siblings. Same mother, different fathers.

Abhimanyu Birla, had just completed doing his project, and when he was about to go to his bed. He heard a sound as if someone was being hit. He knew it was his mother, being beaten up by his father.

Abhimanyu quietly, tiptoed on his feet, and sneaked in through the back-door. That was when, he saw a horrible sight. The smell of cigarette and alcohol, making him feel unconscious. He noticed his father, beating up his mother, with a leather belt, and his mother laid lifeless. Her face pale, her upper half being naked.

And, blood spouting out from everywhere. This sight, and the awful smell turned his screen into black.

And, all he remembered was closing his eyes in hope for never opening them again.

Abhimanyu, woke up with a jolt from his sleep. He was panting, and he was breathless, as his brain registered a memory of his childhood. These nightmares were back. The same nightmares, Abhimanyu fought so hard to get rid of. The same nightmares which used to scare the shit out of him, when he used to be all alone in the hostle.

And, Manjiri Birla's lifeless body didn't help him either.

He saw his mother's lifeless body, behind Akshara, smiling at him.

If his father got to know about the constant nightmares, again. This time, fate knew what would happen with him. Abhimanyu looked at the time on his phone, it was 7:20 PM.

Today was Akshara's bachelorette party. In the sea hotel longue. The family, had decided the theme to be of marine life.

Like, were they going to be in the costumes of fishes and sharks?

These things. These haldi, bachelorette, mehendi, engagement, cocktail and then the wedding. Abhimanyu, had never seen any of them in his life.

Because, his whole childhood was a LIE.

Abhimanyu looked at the list on his notes app of his phone,

Akshara's engagement ✔
Akshara's mehendi ✔
Akshara's haldi ❌
Akshara's bachelorette ❌
Akshara's cocktail ❌

And then the great grand wedding, which would eventually end up on the court marriage idea. By this calculation, Abhimanyu was getting married with Akshara, after 3 days.