Shivika SS : Enough

Shivika SS : Enough Part 2

Sahil came and sat at the table as his Annika Di fussed about in the kitchen for lunch. He was back for a long weekend from boarding school, and it was so much fun. Annika Di is overdoing everything, probably because she missed him so much, despite talking to each other through the canteen lady's phone twice a day all week. A surge of love went through him for Di, for he can see how hard she is trying to keep it together. At least she has stopped crying.

He had never seen her cry like that night he arrived home soon after her divorce from Mr. SSO. She had furiously rubbed off the sindhoor and yanked off the mangalsutra, crying so wretchedly it frightened him, she sounded like someone was physically torturing and ripping her into shreds. He had held her tight, but he couldn't make the pain go away. He was so afraid his Di would die from her broken heart.

But the next day, she posted the box with the mangalsutra back to Mr. SSO.

The first week was awful. She wandered around in a black mood , often bursting into tears. She locked up the house and went to get him settled in school, making friends with the watchman, cleaners, cook, warden at the school so Sahil would have help for anything. He had insisted to come home to her, but she made sure he stayed there. This was one loan she was happy to bear and repay her whole life, it was his future. And for her, he will study hard, she was everything to him, and vowed never to make her efforts go in vain.

But when he came home, one month later, she was different. She smiled a little more, spoke more like her usual self. She had set up a business, a catering and wedding planner service. She had started getting calls from rich people , asking for the person who planned Shivaay Singh Oberoi's wedding. They had loved her arrangements, especially that she gave value for money. So, she got another 2 weddings, a house warming party and a baby shower to plan. Not only these, she found that middle class people also came to her for smaller parties because she had an eye for a bargain.

Dreams come true, with value for your money.. her spanking new name card said.

Ms. Annika , event manager.

Di was busy since then, always running here and there, arranging this and that. Even the house had changed. She had repainted the whole house, changed the layout, added grills with padlocks, bought some new furniture, and gave away those that gave her bad memories.

She was okay, Sahil thought. She wasn't happy, but she's okay.

***

Annika bustled about in the kitchen, making Sahil's favourite dishes. She stopped in between, answering the phone and arguing with the dress maker about how she didn't want him to cheat on the quality of the bride's dress, when she had already purchased the cloth herself.

"Don't you dare charge for the cloth Sharmaji ! The bride has already paid for that. You charge for your designing, stitching and pattern only. I know you are trying to swindle us ! You can swindle the rich people Sharmaji, they can pay easily, but not this one !!" she argued until the man had no choice but to agree to her demands. She had some expensive clients, and she knew Sharmaji was hoping to be her go-to person for bridal wear. The man was really good, but was trying to get rich too fast.

Annika served Sahil and listened about his week at school. His language was changing slowly, sounding like an upscale boy already, she smiled with pride. His English is sounding really good, When he grows up, he'll be talking like Shivaay, she thought wistfully. The sudden intrusion of his image in her mind made her frown. Putting on a smile quickly she simply denied her mind any time to think about that man.

God only knew, she remembered him all the time. Initially painful, she was soon able to push thoughts of him aside. But late at night as she tried to sleep , when she couldn't escape it. She taught herself sewing on the Internet (and found it quite easy) and it reminded her of him. She tried throwing away the business section of the newspapers to avoid his face, but he now featured on the glamour pages too.