Far Away From You

Nani Takes a Stand

Raizada Mansion, New Delhi

9.00 am

Arnav walked into the dining room in a casual black shirt and blue jeans, pocketing his iPhone. Everyone looked at him surprised to see him in casuals on a working day.

"You aren't going to office?" Akash asked frowned. He was all dressed up in his office clothes and his bhai isn't. Is today a holiday for AR? No, ASR never gives a day off unless it's marked on the calendar!

"No" Arnav said and stood at the end of the table facing everyone. "I want to say something" he said loudly and everyone looked at each other.

Hearing his voice, Ayaan, who was on his mother's lap, looked up and started making noises. The boy bounced on Payal's hold, desperate to go to Arnav's arms. Arnav walked to him and took him in his arms. The baby boy squealed happily and rested his head on Arnav's shoulder, wrapping his small arms around his bade pa's neck. Arnav patted him and looked at others. His eyes landed on his Nani and said, "Nani, you're the eldest of this house and the one to take decisions."

Nani nodded and Arnav said, "I know it would hurt you. When you took me and my sister in, years back after our parents' death, I know that you never foresaw this happening. But I have got no choice"

"What is it Chotte?" Nani asked standing up, nervous as she could see what was coming.

"I want you to choose Nani. You took me and my sister in and loved us equally. Gave us equal rights and equal respect in this house but today....today you have to choose one of us" Arnav said slowly.

Everyone gasped and Nani sighed looking down. She knew this would happen right from the moment she came to know her daughter-in-law and granddaughter's doing.

"Chotte..." Anjali whispered standing up. She couldn't believe her brother. Has she heard it wrong? He wants Nani to choose one of them? "Chotte...what are you saying?"

Arnav ignored her and didn't bother to respond. He said, looking at Nani, "If you choose me, Nani, Anjali has to leave. And if you choose her, I'll leave this house!"

"What did you call me?" Anjali asked in tears. Anjali! He called her Anjali! "You never called me that!" she cried and walked to him. Holding his arm she shook him crying, "Call me di, Chotte....I'm your di!"

Payal walked forward and grabbed Ayaan from Arnav's hold. Walking away from Anjali, she spat angrily, "Stay away from my son!"

"Nani" Arnav called out and Nani looked at him in tears. "Choose" he demanded.

"Don't do this Arnav bitwa" Mami whispered in tears.

Mami walked to Arnav but stopped seeing Payal walking away as she walked towards them. "Payal bitiya..." she whispered and Payal said angrily, tears rolling down her cheek, "I don't want you and your niece near my son. I'm warning you!"

Mami looked helplessly at Akash who nodded saying, "Payal is right. You wanted to snatch bhai's and Khushi ji's baby for di, right Ma? This is the punishment I'm giving you. Never ever come near my son!"

Mami looked down in tears and Anjali looked at Arnav who stood stiff as a pole. He freed his arm from her hold and looked at Nani.

Anjali began to say something when Nani said loudly, "I choose you Arnav"

She looked up and looked at Anjali who stood pale as a sheet of paper. "What you did was wrong....a crime Anjali" she said sternly.

Anjali gasped hearing her calling her Anjali instead of Anjali bitiya.

"If it wasn't for you and Manorama, Khushi bitiya would've been here with their baby running around and playing with Ayaan" Nani said shaking her head, "I'm ashamed of you"

Arnav walked towards Nani in tears and hugged her tight. Nani patted his back and caressed her grandson's hair. "Thank you Nani" he whispered and pulled away from her.

"All my life I supported your sister" Nani said, "I was so wrong. Thank you beta, for giving me a chance to rectify my mistake." Arnav smiled and Nani turned towards Anjali and said, "I want you to leave Anjali"

Anjali gasped and clamped her hand over her mouth.

Nani looked at Manorama who stood in tears. Manorama looked up at Arnav and walked towards him. She folded her hands and said with her voice cracking, "I know that I don't deserve forgiveness. But I don't know what else to do. I promise I would never come into your life again"

Arnav looked down and mami said, "I have always considered you as my son Arnav bitwa. But at some point of my life, I favoured Anjali over you and Akash. I have no hatred towards Khushi bitiya or Payal bitiya" she turned to Payal and said, "I was jealous of you both. Three of us were middle class but you both got so much respect from saasuma which I never got. I craved for that love that you got and I envied you and your sister for that" she looked back at Arnav and said, "I'm not justifying myself. I'll leave. I will never come near Khushi bitiya and your daughter, but please...please tell her that mami ji loves her and have nothing against her. And if possible, please forgive me"

She turned and walked towards the stairs to her room.

"Ma ji" Payal called and Mami turned. Having her firm hold on her son, she asked, "Why didn't you tell us about your conversation with Anjali earlier? If you were guilty about what happened, why didn't you reveal it?"

Mami looked down and then looked up at Ayaan.

Payal nodded in tears and said, "Right. You wouldn't have got to touch my son then! I wouldn't have let you take him in your arms! And you would have your own son against you. Right?"

Mami said in tears, "I was scared. I didn't want to lose..."

"Akash" Payal completed, "You couldn't even think about being away from your son and you, daringly, shamelessly, talked about taking away my sister's baby!"

Mami looked down and said, "I accept my fault"

"Crime" Payal corrected.

"I'll leave" mami said, "I will never come back again. That's a promise!" mami said and left to her room to pack.

Nani looked at Anjali and then said to Akash, "Akash, enrol her into the hostel of her law college and pay fees for three months" she looked at Anjali and said, "Get a part time job and pay your hostel dues yourself. You can leave"

"Please don't do this Nani" Anjali begged at her feet, "Please...I can't stay away from you all" She looked at her Chotte and cried, "Chotte please....please forgive me."

"You placed my wife in a position to choose me or baby. She chose the baby. And today, she asked me to choose her and our daughter or you. What made you think that I'll choose you?"

Anjali burst into tears and begged, "Please Chotte..."

Arnav looked away and Nani declared, "The decision is taken!"