Tanhaiya...( A ShivIka FF) ||✓||

Chapter 3

The children go back home and rush towards the table but Anika stops them.

“Haath dhoye?” she asks. They smile sheepishly then run to washroom, wash and wipe their hands and hold them out in front of Anika. She smiles and kisses their little hands. Hands that sculpted her lonely life. They kissed her cheeks back. They sit on the table and gives them aloo-puri for dinner.

“Wow! Aloo-puri!” they exclaimed. Anika broke two pieces and fed it to them.

“Kaise bana hain?” She asked feeding some more to Shivika, who was sitting with her mouth wide-open.

“Ekdum khidki-tod!” they said in chorus.

“Mumma, aapko pata hain; woh uncle jo hume school ke bahar mile they, unhone Shivu ke saath zabardasti ki.” He says, chomping on his food. Anika almost chokes listening to him but, at the bottom of her heart, she knows Shivaay wouldn’t such a thing; not to child at least.

“Mumma aisa kuch nahi hain. Unhone bas haath pakda tha.” Shivika says but Ansh stares at her so she concentrates on eating and slowly chews her food.

“Ansh, kya sirf haath pakda tha?” Anika asks sternly.

“Haan…likin zabardasti.” He says and Anika lightly smacks him.

“Ansh ke bacche, darra diya tumne.” She says and sinks into the chair, holding her head. Ansh comes and holds his ears.

“Shorry mumma.” He says, making a puppy face. Anika hugs him and Shivika, too, joins them.

“Tum na, bilkul apne papa pe gaye ho.” Anika says unconsciously.

“Mumma, papa ke baare main batao na.” Shivika says. Anika had been denying that topic for a long time, thinking they were too young to understand but now, as they had seen Shivaay, it would best if they know who he is. She takes them on her lap.

“Aapke papa is duniya ke sabse achhe bete, sabse achhe bhai hain...Bas, ek achhe pati nahi ban paye. Isliye, hum saath-saath nahi hain. Likin, jitna maine unhe jaana, woh ek achhe aadmi hain. Agar tumhe unse milne ka man kare, toh mujhe batana.” Anika tells them.

Ansh yawns and says, “Intro se toh boring lag rahe hain. Mujhe toh nahi milne. Main sone ja raha hoon. Goodnight.”

“Ansh…yeh ladka meri koi baat nahi sunta.” Anika face-palms herself and Shivika giggles.

“Mumma, papa kaise dikhte hain?” Shivika asks her.

“Woh uncle jo aapko school aur park main mile they, wohi aapke papa hain.” Anika says to which Shivika covers her mouth with shock.

“Woh papa they? Isi liye, unki bhi kanji aankhein thi.” Shivika says, tapping her cheek, sounding like a detective. Anika laughs at her behaviour. She carries her to her room and tugs her in bed.

Shivaay, on the other hand, hired an agent to find out about Anika and her (hopefully, their) kids. A few days later, the agent comes to his office. He knocks on the door.

“May I come in, sir?” he asks, holding a bulky file in his hands.

“Come in aur jaldi batao kya pata chala?” he asks impatiently.

“Sir, unke neighbours aur colleagues se pata chala woh pehle Dehradun main kaam karti thi likin unka yahan transfer ho gaya hain.” He says but Shivaay cuts him.

“Yeh sab nahi, uski personal life: woh, uske bacche aur uska…pati.” He says, with feeling of being pierced in the heart addressing someone else as her husband.

“Uh, us baare zyada toh nahi pata chal paya…likin unhone dusri shaadi nahi ki. Woh ek single mother hain.” He says and leaves.

*****

Precap: Shivaay finds he is the father of Ansh and Shivika. Anika gets emotional talking about Shivaay.