Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga...

TWENTY-SIX

MANIK:

Shocked would be too small of a word to cover the extent of emotions i feel right now.

Who knew that the girl who always laugh had suffered so much? Had it been anyone else, this kind of accident would have shook the mere axis their world revolved around. And yet she stood strong-willed and came out as the warrior.

Proud, grateful, shocked, baffled, sad, are just a few emotions that are flowing inside me.

She went through so much, and she didn't even thought of telling me this once? Did i matter only this much to her? Did she not trust me? Trust us? Why did she not wanted us to know anything?

I had these questions too? More and more questions were bubbling up but everything came to a halt when Appa talked again.

"You know Beta, she was so brave through all of it. She had the most gruesome injuries on her face and yet she laughed. She smiled and laughed all the time and that's what gave us the strength to be strong for her. She didn't shed even a single tear. She was hurting the most, both physically and emotionally, and yet all she did was smile." He smiled recalling her happy face. I could just see the way that she was the most loved by her Appa.

As she had said, she definitely was the most pampered one.

"Really?" Cabir asked shocked.

"Yes! And you know, when people came to visit her she used to joke all the time. Wondering why?" Amma asked and we all nodded. "Once i asked her to not joke so much when she is hurting. She said and i quote -'Amma, everyone comes here with sad faces showing regret and I don't want to be sad. Vaise hi you guys are so hurt and sad because of me... Be happy. Mujhe nahi achha lagta.' She had said this but i knew, i knew she just did that to be strong for us, to be our strength in this tough phase. It was hard to see our daughter suffering so we always used to worry but she would always make us laugh by her lame jokes." Amma chuckled ruefully and wiped a lone tear.

"She never told me this." Abhimanyu said with shock.

"That's because its a part she doesn't  like to talk about. She even despises when i tell anyone about her accident. She doesn't want anyone to pity her." Appa answered him.

"Sameera you remember when your brother had come to visit her? How she had joked around all day telling that she felt so special as Everyone is showering her with love and everyone of her near and dear ones are coming to meet her now?" He laughed aloud and Amma joined him.

We looked amused. Nandini, what are you? At tough times like this you manage to smile? Even when you are the one hurting you are still smiling and giving others the reason to do so? You are cracking jokes when everything must have been so sad? How?

And most surprising thing that she didn't let it break her, her self confidence? She is still so confident. I hope she never looses it. I hope she never has any inferiority complex.

Amma suddenly sobered as something struck her. "What happened Aunty?" Dhruv asked.

"I remembered that dreadful day!" She said still zoned out. As if reliving it.

"Aunty, tell us about it. Aapka bhi dil halka ho jayega and we will also get to know more. Even Nandini's Aiyappa knows that she won't tell us a word." Mukti said holding Amma's hand.

Amma patted her head and nodded before continuing," That day, 30 October' 2017, was the day it happened. Vishnu and i were having our morning tea when we heard the dreadful news. Rushing over to the hospital we asked what happened? When the compounder said, that doctor has given up. I thought i would faint, but how could i? We took her to another hospital, she was unconscious. It was 8:00 am when it happened." She wiped a few tears and sniffled. "And pta hai she was left without pain killers and first aid till 12:30 pm. Four and a half hours my daughter laid in excruciating pain. Saying -Amma bas aur dard nahi saha jaa raha. I calmed her down and then soon the surgery started. The surgery was done perfectly. She was then shifted to ICU."
Amma started crying remembering that day.