AR----BELONGING

Part 1&2

I had most of this part written so thought I might finish it up and have it updated. This will be a short FF. I hope you guys enjoy it!

 

Padma stared wide-eyed as her daughter packed her bags to return to the place they had left behind years ago. Her hope and desire that may Riddhima forget that town and the people in it was unexpectedly being flushed down the toilet. But how? she questioned herself, everything had been going so well these 15 years; yes at first Riddhima had been unhappy but during the course of a few years she had seen her daughter accept and relent to her new life and home. She had made new friends, she had fit in and come to love her new school and teachers, she had even come to love Mumbai. Ok Padma admitted, so her daughter had not found new love like she had hoped, but Rahul was a great boy and he loved Riddhima, though unfortunately Riddhima did not love him back. Padma had seen that, she knew her daughter more than anyone and the love she had seen in her 10 year daughters eyes for that horrible boy was not what she saw for Rahul.

 

"Riddhima, I just don't understand the need for this" Finally composing herself Padma walked over to her daughter, still hoping to change her mind.

 

"Ma, I told you na I have to do this, I can't accept Rahul whole heartedly if I don't do this"

 

"But beta what if he doesn't remember you, I mean the boy was spoiled and a snob anyhow, you actually think he is sitting their brooding for you? Waiting for you to return?"

 

Riddhima walked over to the bathroom to gather her toiletries as Padma sighed and made up her mind to keep trying until Riddhima was actually out the door catching the next train to Satyagarh. People suddenly wake up and return from planes, luckily Riddhima was traveling by train.

 

"Riddhima beta Armaan never loved you, but Rahul does" Riddhima abruptly stopped her packing as her mothers words sunk in. She was annoyed at first but now she was a little upset. She looked at her mother and let out a loud sigh. No matter how much she tried she could never yell at her mother. Her mother had always been like a best friend to her, and unfortunately for her, it was her mother who understood her better than anyone. Her mother knew that she had loved Armaan then and still loved him now, but why couldn't her mother understand that she had to do this, she had to put that part of her past to rest before she could start a new future.   

 

"I am getting late ma, would you please stop being so upset and bid me a loving goodbye?" Riddhima wrapped her arms around her mother only to have Padma sobbing on her shoulder.

 

"Maaaaaa, enough ok and look I promise if Armaan doesn't remember me or if I find that he has moved on I promise I will catch the next train home. Then you can start my wedding preparations in full swing ok, now come on Papa is waiting" 

 

Sitting in the second class dhabba of the Shatabdi Express Riddhima could not help but smile. Her father had argued that she get a ticket for first class but Riddhima had refused. Traveling second class in an Indian train had its own perks. Picking up her now loudly wailing cell phone Riddhima frowned reading the name it displayed, this was the last person she wanted to talk to before she went back to her past.

 

"Hi Rahul" Riddhima preferred to look outside rather than pay attention to Rahul's directions for safety, they were the same things he had been telling her ever since she told him of her decision to make a trip home. Rahul, of course had been understanding when Riddhima had told him that she needed to tie up a few loose ends before she settled down with him.