Hum aur Tum

Part 22: Raman

I expressly return late tonight as I do not know how to face Ishita. What will I tell her if she asks me why I didn't come to the restaurant? How will I tell her that I could not see her sitting with someone else there? Maybe it was her way of telling me that there is someone else in her life?

I open the door and enter a completely dark living room. I switch on the lights and see Mummyji sitting on the sofa alone.

"Hi Maa, what are you doing here? Where are the others?"

'No one's here Son. Everyone has returned', she says and I see tears stream down her face.
"They just left Raman. Ishita's parents had to attend a sudden committee meeting but Ishita did not even tell me why she's leaving. She seemed so troubled", she adds.

I go sit next to her and place my head on her lap. She starts patting my head and asks me, "did you tell her anything Raman? The house seems so lonely without them. Ruhi has become the life of the house in such a short time. It seems like we have forgotten how we used to live without them being around.".
I crouch deeper in her lap so she does not have to see me cry. We spend a long time there, in complete silence before I take her to sleep in her room.

After she falls asleep, I do not go in my room and I walk towards Ishita's room. I stand at the door, and even if she's not here, I still smell her scent lingering around, I can still visualize her sitting on the bed with a cup of coffee and smile, I still remember how Ruhi used to excitedly jump on the bed. The room is completely neat, she has left nothing of hers here. But, I find myself walking around the room in hope that she might have left me something or that I might find something that will remind me of her. The drawers are empty, but when I open her closet, I find something.

It is the pink saree that she had worn this morning. I throw myself on the bed. I know she has left this here intentionally, I spread the saree on my face and try to smell her scent, try to imagine how perfect, how mesmerizing she looked in the morning. Oh no Ishita, if you had someone else in your life, why did you leave this to torment me here? Why did you not stop me if you knew I was having feelings for you? I will not be able to love anyone else now Ishita. But Ishita, I can't keep your saree here, it will not let me stop thinking about you. I will come and return it to you tomorrow.

.

I ring the doorbell twice and Sheela opens the door.
"Hello Sheela. Is Madam at home?"
She smiles and asks me to wait. After some time, I see Ruhi running towards me. I kneel down and let her jump in my arms. I hug her tightly, even if I saw her just yesterday, it feels like I have not seen her for a lifetime.

"Raman Uncle, where have you been? You do not know how much I have missed you. Ishima just brought me here. She did not even tell me why we came back. How is daadi?"

I take her hands and leave a soft kiss on them, "She is fine dear. I miss you so much too..."

"Ruhi", I hear Ishita shout in the background, "go inside your room now!"

Both Ruhi and I stare befuddled at her.

"Sheela take Ruhi inside her room now and close the door."

Both of us wait for them to go inside and once I hear the door click, I tell her, "Ishita actually..."

"How dare you?"
"Excuse me? Ishita, what happened?"
"How dare you come here after such a pathetic thing that you have done?"

I stare confused at her, "what did I...?"

"Raman, I trusted you. I trusted you so much. I thought we were friends, that we understood each other. I thought today you wanted to talk to me about...us and..."
But, she stops midway and lets herself fall to the floor and she starts breaking down.

I start to shake and immediately rush to hold her but a firm hand stops me. She raises her eyes and looks at me with angry eyes. Today, I do not see the Ishita I know in front of me. I do not understand what to tell her. I don't even know why she is so angry because I didn't come to the restaurant. I sit on the floor next to her but we don't look at each other nor do we say anything.

"Raman. I never thought you could do something like that!" she says after some time and adds, "I thought you loved Ruhi as a daughter, that you loved... Raman, today you caused me more pain than Akshat..."

I close my eyes after her words, what did I do as such for her to tell me such a thing? I want to hold her in my arms and stop her from crying but she won't let me.

"Ishita please tell me what happened..."

"Raman! You still have the audacity to ask me what happened? Or maybe you don't realize that I already know, that I already received the papers!"

"Papers? What papers?"

"Raman, stop making a farce! I am not going to believe you now!"

"Ishita, I swear upon Ruhi, upon Mummyji that i know nothing about any papers!"

I see her turn around me, her facial expressions change as she tries to make sense of what I just told her.
"Are you sure?"
When I nod, she gets up right away and starts running around the kitchen, "Raman I threw a paper around here yesterday, please help me find it."

While Ishita searches the kitchen, I look around the living room and find a paper lying on the table. I go through it and I feel my heart pause. I read the paper and when I read the next page, I see a name that I do not recognize.

"Ishita, I think it is here", I tell her. She grabs the paper from my hands. I do not miss seeing how her hands shake while she goes through the papers again. This time I am actually able to hold her as she struggles to stand up straight. I make her sit on the sofa and take the papers from her hands. She does not look at me but keeps staring at the ceiling.

"Ishita...this is a custody application filed by an advocate D. Bhalla. But who is this Sagar Singhal and why would he file an application for Ruhi's custody?"

I look at her and wait for an answer, "It's Akshat. He saw me with Ruhi yesterday. It's that bastard."

She starts screaming and crying and I hold her tightly in my arms until she quietens after a long time.

"I am sorry, so sorry, I got confused seeing the advocate's name, I didn't even have the courage to turn the page yesterday", she tells me in her crying voice.

"Ishita, Ishita stop crying now. Listen, there's absolutely no valid reason for him to apply for her custody. Think about it. He has no right. You're her mother. Ruhi is your daughter. Listen to me now, I'm calling a lawyer friend of mine. Remember, I am with you in this. I will never leave you alone. We shall win this together. We will not  let anyone take her away from us, I mean, you. Please rest assured", I tell her and she hugs tighter. I call my lawyer friend Akshara and ask her to come immediately to Ishita's place.