Kaira OS

Growing Old

On the special occasion of 400 eps of Kaira

On a still and silent morning, he sat on the small stool, in front of the sleeping form of his companion. She had been there for him, through thick and thin, she was there when things turned blue. She gave him his princess, and she was his queen.

She had strips of grey hair on her head, it was more of grey than black really, he remembered how he had made fun of her, when she got the first one. And she was really irritated.  She even slapped him away.

And even when time faded away the beauty his wife was, he till date sat and just looked at her. There were days when he would sit and appreciate, how in the world he had gotten so lucky.

He yet remembered their first meet. Rafting in the waters of Ganga, his friend had fallen, he also followed him, unwillingly though he did. People considered him a hero, she saw it through though. She couldn’t be fooled easily. And he got the name, “Mendak” and that ‘Tarr tarr tarr”.  There began his love story, a story of a Frog and the princess.

He unknowingly followed her to Udaipur, what more got a job in her father’s establishment. It seems that destiny was playing it’s part, and no one could separate these two. He would be fooling himself if he believed it for even a second. He knew that he hated and loved her guts at the same time, though she completely hated it.

They were enemies for long time, not brutal I’ll destroy you when I  can ones, no, just I hate you and I would not let you stay happy for long.

Though somewhere in this, he started falling for her. And hard. He was positively dreaming about her, he was almost always trapped in his own mind, thinking about the love he would shower on her, if she were his.

But only in dreams, he was very scared of her, a good thing too. She indeed was a sherni, she would eat him up, raw and not even burp. He was sure of that.

This continued for what seemed like forever, and after he still continued on being a good man, helping her family in anyway possible, she extended a hand in friendship to him. Even game him a rose for it.

He was the happiest man on earth for being Jay to her Veeru. She was ready to have a friendship with him, she had accepted, who was he fooling, she had proposed. He was such a fretful guy, he didn’t even ask her.

He celebrated with her, Teej, even kept a fast for her. They celebrated janamastmi together. What a day it had been. He was with her for the whole time, in both dreams and reality. By this time, he was so sure that he loved her, that he had prepared himself for proposing. And he would too, he was only waiting for her father to come back, so that she could be happy, and then he would ask.

She wasn’t making it any easy, she accused him of kidnapping her father. He was hurt, because she had accused him. His world revolved around her, what people said didn’t matter, what she said, it did. He was terribly hurt. He didn’t want to forgive her when she realised her fault.

He was shattered from inside, he knew it, so did she. But slowly, and then all very fast, he mended. He understood her, her fear, her love and concern for her father. Only that could convince him. Not the words of apology said, so beautifully by her, that too in the traditional costumes of Switzerland.

And once her was okay, he didn’t spare a minute, he asked her. He poured his heart out. He said he loved her, he told her what she was to him, he told her that if he was a planet, she was the sun. He would revolve around her, that it would lead to destruction of him, if she wasn’t there for him. She was his sunshine.

She was bewildered, scared, nonplussed. She just ran away, avoided him and the question. Then she denied, unaware of her own feelings. And she denied, repeatedly.  Initially she was unaware of her own feelings, when she understood them, she was pressurised to think of her sisters happiness.

She even left hope, she had told no one, not even him, she had made a sacrifice, a sacrifice of which no one even was aware of.

But they were saved, the cupid finally hit them, bound together by love, respect and more for each other, they glowed in the love. Basked in it happiness.

But who knew, they were about to be struck by the biggest blow of their life. He was accused of her mother’s accident. He was held responsible. Imagine his horror when even she held him responsible. Even she accused him, when he denied again and again.

She didn’t trust him, and without her trust, without her faith and without her love, he was reduced to nothing.

He wished for his life to end, but he couldn’t do that. He wasn’t a coward. He took the best way out. He didn’t remember the day, but he knew she wouldn’t lie. And if she said, then he accepted that this was the truth.

It wasn’t so, he realised soon and so did she. She saved him from the bad fate, but he was unable to love her. Or so he thought. He wished.

But when after a few goons attacked both of them, just after the mortal danger that they faced, he couldn’t keep up with his anger. He couldn’t stay angry anymore when she said, “Main tumhare bina nahi reh sakti, Kartik. I love you. I love you, Kartik. I love you.” All he could do was take the bundle of love which she was, back in his arms. Swearing and hoping it to be forever.

Nothing could keep them apart after that. They were soon tied by a sacred knot. The knot which the voluntarily made. A vow, that they would keep for the rest of their lives.

She proposed him. It wasn’t as elaborate, it didn’t have as many words, neither did it have drama, all it had was love and hope. For each other with each other.

It was the biggest wedding for both the families. They left no stone unturned to make it successful.  A few set backs from the family were expected, but the number of difficulties they faced were horrendous.

In spite of all, they had the most beautiful wedding. A wedding they both enjoyed, unlike many other couples who are so tired and frustrated during their own weddings, that they fail to enjoy them.

From Tilak, when she turned up at his place with a facepack on her face. Engagement, where she looked breathtakingly beautiful. To the party, Sangeet, he still remembered the dance on truck, and kiss sneak which they did. Mehendi, Haldi to the wedding. He remembered everything as if they happened only yesterday.

On the D day as they call it, she became his for forever and more. They took their oaths, with complete honesty. They strived all their lives to keep their oaths.

After the wedding, fulfilling each and every of his dream was a beautiful thing too. His companion made sure that each and every of his and her dreams were fulfilled. Be it romantic or otherwise.

They had tried staying alone, given the differences he had with his family. But it didn’t work out, she was attacked by goons, and he realised, she would never be happy alone. And his happiness resided in hers.

Festivals, dreams, aspirations, careers. We had it all and they made sure that, they both got their part, and got it right.

Keeping the two idiotic families was a tough job, during before and even after the marriage. In all the worries of family and reputation and a few other big and meaningless terms, love conquered all. They indeed had a happy married life.

Of course there were problems, they were two people with one heart. But still two people. Misunderstandings, difference of opinions, difference of expectations, everything. They had every problem that a married couple faces.

But the will to stay together stayed, the love stayed, the trust stayed, some how these two completely different people were now bound, in a bond, much stronger than the sacred bond.

He still chuckled when he thought about the day, she told him they were going to have babies. He was surprised, rather shocked. Beyond imagination.

He didn’t know what to do with himself and her then, much less with a baby. He didn’t want it then, he didn’t even think of it before, more than they would be there somewhere in future. It was indeed quiet a scare.

But it was a false alarm, and it prepared him and her too, for when the true one came. She was a handful, she needed both of their attention.  She changed their lives more.

He loved both her queen and princess very much. But his queen always won, albeit by a little margin, but she did.

Kartik Goenka, even at the ripe old age of 86, h e loved his wife, his companion his soul mate Naira Goenka, much more than everyone else, much more than the day he first thought he loved her, much more than even yesterday. His love grew each day, just as these two pure beautiful souls.

When he saw her sleeping, albeit too still, her body, a touch colder than it was supposed to be, he knew it was time. To join her in the bed like he did, for the last 65 years.

Grabbing her in his arms, he closed his eyes, for the next journey they had to make, he wouldn’t let her make it alone. He had a long, fulfilling life, and his definition of love had changed,
“Growing old together, was the best form of love, and destined were the people who got them.” He indeed was a very luck man.

Authors notes-

Just a little something on the beautiful journey of kaira for 400 eps of theirs.

Hope you had fun reading it, and don’t forget watching yrkkh, teej drama seems to be compelling.

Keep commenting.

Happy reading.