Where Have You Been All My Life

45|Jhansi Ki Rani

He got up and came to her taking long strides. Her face having a strange happiness, as if she is up to use this daze in her advantage that was what he wanted. "You're my Jhansi ki Rani!" He said pecking her forehead while Parmeet looked on from a distance when he was about to get inside with a packet of ice cream. Ishita patted Raman's cheek and kept her head on his chest for few seconds and broke away, to stroll inside the hall with her tipsy feet.

"I don't want you...to...shoo her away...I'm enough..." She hit her chest with her hand as she is going in a battlefield. "Ishita Raman Bhalla, poora Punjaban!" She said proudly while Raman's lips curved up in a bright smile.

"What have you done to Ishita ji?" Parmeet asked in horror making Raman come out from the trance where he has mesmerized in the drunken beauty.

"Shush...!" Raman kept his forefinger on his lips, indicating Parmeet to purse it up. "Let's take out other stuffs and go to party...aaraam se...!" He leered sheepishly while Parmeet could do nothing but obey his brother-in-law.

Raman was not feeling good by the fact that he has sneakily spiked Ishita's drink and now she is not in her complete saneness. He did not want to break her religious believes that did not allow those that are impure for them. However, his concern was her contentment. He wanted her to act the way she would have done for real. She is a strong woman but the fact that she might get mortified was what stopping her. Though she knows her husband trusts her, she was not sure if she would get everyone's support in this case. He wanted her to let everything go by, and be herself.

If there was a day in which she would be able to live freely, she would prefer to be carefree and he wanted this to be that day. She should pour her heart out, burst out, and cry in front of her family, divulging the pain that she has undergone. In fact, Bala was also not so supportive for her; if he were one, he would have made sure that her family is with her, to back her in such an agonizing phase of life. He wished her family to understand her pain and she should be experiencing their appeasing presence other than that what he has given her; a shoulder to cry on.

Flicking through the party hall, pushing away Vandita's delighted hand that tried to pull her towards Mihika, Ishita walked straight to Subbu's amma whose back was facing her. She was walking dazed by the drink and while holding the old woman's shoulder to turn her around, her fingernails dug deep in her skin making her wince in pain. Before she could comprehend what is happening around or bite back for hurting her, she felt a tight slap on her cheek. The entire room went hushed. Bala looked on confused at why Ishita did that and her parents have knocked for six. However, the Punjabi clan was not that much astounded but they were waiting for the reason to unfold why Raman ki biwi did that; proving herself a Punjabi.

"What the hell is this?" Subbu's amma huffed furiously while Vandu came apologizing on behalf of Ishita. She has to make sure her mother-in-law is not miffed at her family members, for her own prop up in such an exasperating family.

"Amma...woh...sorry...Ishu is...I think she's not feeling well..." Vandu said trying to hold Ishita while Bala came for her help. Ishita smiled sarcastically and pushed off Vandu making Bala's hold tight on her.

"Ishu what're you doing? Have you gone mad? Why did you slap amma...?" Bala asked calmly agitated while looking around at the curious eyes those were probing for answers.

"Don't...don't toush me! I can...stand...by my...ooown..." She shrugged them off and walked up to a completely apprehensive Subbu's mother.