Rikara: Hidden

Chapter 39

Shivaye, Annika and Rudra walk inside the mansion.

S: Ma, where is Omkara?

P: He is upstairs in his room. He came inside and ran upstairs to his room. Did... anything happen to Gauri?

S: No, Gauri is fine. It is just he got emotionally seeing her the first time. He was too happy for his friend.

All three of them head upstairs to Om's room where they see Om. His back was towards them and he was painting something. It was not visible from where they were standing as Om was blocking their view.

S: How can you be so selfish, Om? That poor girl was begging us to see you and you just abandoned her like that? She wanted to see you the first time. Do you know how important it is to support the  people that depend on you? You have to come tomorrow. I do not care what your excuse is but tomorrow you have to be there.

O: I cannot.

R: What do you mean by you can't. You have to. I do not care. I promised her so you have to come. I will take care of all your responsibilities. I will learn to paint just so you can see her.

Om turns around. Her eyes red, tears running down.

O: Shivaye, I am a selfish b**t**d. I should not have abandoned her at Bareilly. She depended on me. But I just left her and...

S: Bareilly? We are talking about Gauri. Who are you talking about?

Om looks at them and then steps to the side. On the canvass, there was a painting of Om carrying Gauri around the fires doing the pheres.

S: Om...

R: Gauri....

A: Bareilly....

Om falls down onto his knees.

O: She is my wife for godsake. I left her just like that. Not even giving a shit about what was going to happen to her in the future.

R: Om, when did this happen? How did you find out about this?

O: When I saw her face, I knew it was here. (And then he shows him two letters. It was the same letter Gauri gave him before her operation.

The first letter:

Dear Omkaraji,

If you are reading this letter, I am probably dead right now. But, the only thing I will remember in my life is our friendship. You gave me such strength, something that I expected that my husband will give me. Yes, Omkaraji, I am married but it was not by choice. I did not love him and he did not love me. Our marriage just lasted 5 minutes but that did not affect me. I am sorry for not telling you this but now I want you to give the letter to him. Please do not tell him that I am dead or my acid attack as I do not want him to feel guilty. His name is Omkara and that is all I know about him. He has long hair just like you but you cannot be him. You are a true gentleman and proved to me several times that you are not him.

Regards,

Gauri

Second Letter:

Dear Omkara,

Thank you for saving me from Kali but there are several things you do not know about me. Personally, I do not care but I feel like I have an obligation to tell you. Not because you married me, it is because I do not want a person to have a bad opinion of me through their entire life. Do you ever think I would like to marry a man who is the same age of my father? I never wanted to marry him and was only forced to save my family. You misunderstood the entire situation, but I do not care. I am happy where I am now, so I am freeing from this so called relationship we had. I hope you understand how divine love is and find someone who loves you for who you are.

Regards,

Gauri

Shivaye, Annika and Rudra look at Om.

O:  I left her behind but in the end she did not want to tell me the truth so that I do not get hurt. She wishes me to have a good life and tells me that...she is happy where she is. Why? Why did I do that? 

S: So, when you saw her having a panic attack, she was referring to Kali.

O: Yes, she was living through the entire experience every day and if I was there, then she would have not been that situation. So, how do you expect me to meet here when I am the reason why she was in the place. She will probably kick me out of the room. I do not want her to treat me as her husband but she will instantly destroy our friendship. Instead of giving her the pain, I will do it. I will get away from her. She will mourn for a few days and then go back to normal.

A: That is not possible. She will never forget you.

O: Give her some time and she will. I am going to leave.

S: Where are you going?

O: I am leaving this city. She should not know who am I. When I met her the first time, she did not have anyone, but now, she has found an entire family who is going to support her. (Look at Rudra and Shivaye) She has found two good brothers who will always have her back. (Look at Annika) She has a sister who always makes her smile. And, now, she has a grandmother, and two mothers and fathers who love her. If I cannot be a proper husband, I can be a proper friend and give her a family that she longed for. 

Shivru and Annika hug Om.

O: I am sorry for leaving you all but I have made a big mistake in my life and this is the only way I can fix it. I want you to give this letter to her once she comes back. This will break her heart but this is the only way I can solve this problem.

Rolling out his suitcase, Om heads downstairs and leaves the house.