Rishabala FF : It's In His Kiss

Part 26

"This one?" RK asked once again holding up a different school bag. "No." Sassy pouted. RK sighs and looks for another one. "Sahasra, we went through 3 shops already, please pick one." Madhu said trying to hold on to her temper. "But I didn't like anything." Sassy replied sadly. "It's okay. There is another shop down the road we will try there." RK consoled. "I am just too tired. And she won't like anything there also" Madhu sighed. "She is going to a new school so she should have everything that she loves." RK said sternly, the whole day he had ignored her most of the time, and talked to her only if it was necessary. RK had been a little hesitant in the beginning as he was not able to forget the fact that Sassy is not his and he couldn't forgive Madhu for it but seeing Sassy's excitement, he had gotten into the mood and happily took around Sassy to shops picking up everything that she liked.

"How about this one?" Madhu takes one school bag and shows Sassy proudly. Sassy looks at the bag and then gives Madhu a look which clearly said 'How did you think that I would even look at a bag like that?' Keeping back the bag angrily Madhu said "OKAY FINE! Now you yourself pick a bag. I am done!" Sassy simply turns and looks around checking out the bags.

Madhu sits down in one of the chairs nearby watching Sassy rejecting a bag one of the salesmen showed her. A while later, RK also gives up tired, and looks around for a seat and the only available one was next to Madhu, as much as he hated to be near her, he was just too tired so he slowly walked towards the seat and sat. They sat in a comfortable silence as they watched Sassy opening a school bag and checking it. "It feels like yesterday." Suddenly Madhu said, RK turns to look at her confused "that I took her in my arms for the first time." Madhu turns to look at him and her face was a vivid picture, of happiness, astonishment, pain, nostalgia. RK remains silent as she continues. "She was just this big." Madhu says keeping her palms at a distance, "I was so scared to take her in my arms. I was so scared I would drop her and finally I took her in my arms and she had looked at me. And that moment was'" she stopped trying to think of the right word, finally not finding any appropriate word she shrugs "I don't know. I had lived my whole life in that moment. I was so happy then." RK slowly looks away to hide the tears that were threatening to spill. He would give his life, to be there in that moment with her. Holding Sassy with her, see her first smile, hear her first word, and encourage her to take her first step.

Madhu quickly wipes off her tears, and tried to compose herself as she was about to tell him how she had missed him that moment and wished he had been with her then. How she had cried for him then. After both had composed themselves Madhu said "And now she is picking her school bag. She just grew upon me. Tomorrow she would be shopping for her prom dress and then soon she would be shopping for her wedding dress." By the time, she finished she was slowly freaking out. RK couldn't help smile hearing that. "She will be one beautiful bride." He finally said. "I know." Madhu agreed. "Just like you." He whispered. Madhu turns to look at him in shock and he looked equally shocked.

Suddenly there was this awkwardness between them and they both looked away and watched Sassy. After a while Madhu picked up her hand bag "Here... see this." She said as she gave him a pink book. RK confused takes the book from her and looked at it. "I was cleaning the cupboard and found this." She lied, she had brought this to show him and give it to him, if he wanted to keep it. RK smiles as he opened Sassy's baby book. "Oh my God." RK said as tears sprung his eyes seeing Sassy's first photo ever. "It was taken on the day she was born." Madhu said as tears started filling her eyes as she thought about that day. RK slowly ran a finger over her photo wanting to hold her in his arms, with her eyes closed Sassy was looking like an exact replica of Madhu. RK turned the page to see a photo of Madhu with Sassy in her arms. Madhu looked fat in the photo as she looked down at her daughter. "You look fat." RK said with a chuckle. Madhu irritated "You tend to put on weight during pregnancy." "But not look this beautiful." RK whispered as he looked back at the photo while Madhu looked at him in shock. RK quickly turns the page as he couldn't bear to look at it, without wishing and regretting for missing all that in life. The next photo was of Madhu sitting on the bed with Sassy with Sultan and Trishna on either side of her. "Who is this?" RK asked pointing at Trishna "That's di." Madhu said. RK nods and immediately turns the page not wanting to look at the photo anymore with Sultan in it. "What is this?" RK asks "That's strands of her hair." Madhu says. "I thought it was her eye lashes." RK said. "I was just too scared to cut her hair... I was scared to mess up her hair by cutting it unevenly or end up losing the shape or what if the hair never grows back?" Madhu says while RK looks at her exasperated, then shaking his head he turns the page and it was a page with a tiny blue foot. "Her first step." Madhu said. "Di and I had painted her leg blue." Madhu started explaining how they had got it, and RK listened to her all the while running his finger gently over the foot without taking his eyes off it. "Awww" it was a picture of Sassy with a single tiny tooth.