Chapter 32: Chapter 32

"A storm came and blew you away from me. No sunshine ever made me happy ever since. Then you suddenly came back. And the brightest rainbow appeared in the sky as a drizzle of my joyous tears began pouring."

"Giant, giant! Agastya Bhaiya (Endearment for elder brother)! Come fast, a giant is hugging Mumma," Aranya's blatant cry was boisterous enough for Dhruv to part away from Ayushi abruptly. Even she was crimsoned now being caught in such a position in front of her baby daughter.

Adoringly, Dhruv looked in their direction in affection. His kids had grown up so much! And his daughter was a replica of him, he mused amusedly. How much he had died every day to see their innocent faces, to touch them, to carry them in his arms. He had craved for them every single day. And finally, he could see them, finally, he could live with him.

Ayushi ordered her daughter in a strict tone, "Aranya, go inside, I am coming in a while, please," and Aranya like an obedient child, immediately whisked inside, fearing the monster who was hugging her mother a few moments ago.

"Why did you ask her to go inside? I wanted to meet them," Dhruv became extremely gloomy when he saw the retreating figure of his daughter, he regretted he couldn't even touch her.

"I need to tell you something," Ayushi was ready to share what all had happened with her when she had run away from Chamba. He needed to know, otherwise, a lot of misunderstandings would arise and she couldn't persist with them at this crucial moment. Dhruv nodded his head for her to go on.

"It was not us Dhruv who had died in the landslide that shook Chamba that night. We are alive," the words felt like heavy bricks falling on his conscience, Dhruv was appalled would be an understatement.

With a trembling voice, he managed to ask, "You did not die that day along with the babies?". For the past two years, he had always thought that they were dead. The landslide, the police, the proofs, everything started revolving in front of his eyes. For the past two years, he had been a victim of those terrorizing hallucinations. It means that he was living a falsification lie that his family was no more, that his babies and wife were dead.

"No, Dhruv. That lady was someone else and those kids too were someone else. But unfortunately, they had the same composition as the family like us and it made you believe that we died in the landslide. I am extremely sorry, Dhruv for what happened with you, for what trauma you had to go through. I am really very sorry; I am sorry to run away like that after drugging you. Every day I had felt guilty for what I did with you, with a father, snatching away his kids from him," Ayushi was on her knees now, asking for forgiveness from that person who had once pained her like a monster. Dhruv too matched her movements and was on his knees now, holding the hands of Ayushi in his, with eyes pouring out the tears of ageing, separation and the revelation of the inevitable truth.

"It had been hell for me Dhruv. Life was not ea.." Ayushi stopped in between when Dhruv hushed her amid her confession. He put his finger on her lips, shushing her up.

"Ssh. No need to say anything. I get it why you did that with me. But...oww," suddenly, he felt someone hitting him on his back and that someone was none other than his brave son who had thought that this monster looking person was a giant who was making his mother cry hard.

"Agastya, stop baby. No hitting, no," she stopped her son from hitting their father with a plastic bat. But Dhruv was just busy adorning his kids. They were so adorable and intelligent as well. They were protecting their mother, how brave of them. Agastya had come out with a bat after Aranya had told him about a giant hugging their mother, and Aranya had come up with the rolling pin with which her mother used to make round chapatis for her. She was busy beating Dhruv with that. God, these kids, and their sharp minds.

Dhruv started laughing out loud when he saw the way the kids were standing. Aranya had her one hand resting on her waist and the other hand had the rolling pin whereas Agastya was busy glaring at the man who was his father with his bat on his shoulder.

"I think I need to send them to the park for some time, they will create a mess. Come, you both need to be sent to the park. And he is not a giant," she held both her kids' hands in hers and moved towards the house, after signalling Dhruv to come along as well.

"If he is not a giant then why did he have this long beard and dirty clothes and why is he so tall?" Agastya was still busy glaring at the man after again and again looking back at the man who was now following them to their house.

"Mumma, why is he coming to our house?" Aranya too was busy glaring at Dhruv, just the way he used to. Dhruv smiled at them but the kids still glared at him.

"He is not a giant, baby. Wait, let me just call Alka Masi, she will take you both to the park," Ayushi left their hands and went away towards Alka's room.

"Hey you, I will not let you harm my mother and sister. You hear that" Agastya was too brave for his age. He was merely two and looked at his attitude. He was giving a challenge to a person who was so much bigger than him, without fearing the consequences.

"Hey baby, I mean no harm to any one of you. I surrender," Dhruv sat on his knees, trying to match his son's height and put up his hands in a surrendering position.

"Pinky promise?" his daughter pitched in, showing her little finger to him.

"Pinky promise," Dhruv too joined his little finger with hers.

"Aranya, no, go away, remember Momma said, never to go near a stranger," Agastya was still sceptical about his man.

On the other hand, Ayushi told Alka everything that had happened and asked her to take her kids in the park as the weather too was quite good now. After the rain shower, the sun was finally up in the sky. Mussoorie was a mystical beauty. Alka was happy for them, Ayushi and her kids. She hugged Ayushi and went towards the living room where the kids were busy interrogating the poor Dhruv.

"Di, your kids are so smart," Alka smiled widely from afar and finally she came in front of Dhruv. She greeted him with a "Hi" and then took away the kids from there, towards the park.

"Mumma, I am leaving the rolling pin here, beat him if he troubles you," Aranya's baby voice was enough for all the adults to laugh. But Agastya quietly stared at him and then went away towards the park.

"They are so adorable, Aayuuu," Dhruv smiled widely. Ayushi too smiled back at him but the guilt was resurfacing again in her. For two years, she had kept away a father and his kids from each other. How sinful she had been!

"You know every day I had craved for them, every day I had died for you. Fearing Dadi's, Dad's and Mom's reaction, I didn't go to Bhopal. what would I say to them, how would I face them? But finally, you are here in front of me. I cannot ask for more. It's like I've found my fortune again. It's my new life, Ayushi, a new life where there will be you and my lovely kids. And I don't feel that what you did was wrong because being a mother, you took the decision which was right for your kids." Dhruv exasperated out in dismay.

"At that time, even I knew how insensitive and rowdy I was to you. I am sorry for my monstrous behaviour, Ayushi. But after living life with the commoners, I know now what life is. I thought that you all are dead, until today that I got to know the truth that you all are alive. And I cannot be much happier after knowing this."

"You won't believe but until this date, I used to get hallucinations about you and the babies. I used to see that some demon was pulling you and the babies away from me. Then in all this, I was adopted by a couple who were Ayurvedic doctors. They took care of me, they loved me like I was their son. I had lived life like a monk for the past two years with them. They had been my support," Dhruv just sat there on the ground, with tears pouring down his eyes. Ayushi had never seen him crying like this, like a baby. Even she got emotional, seeing him in this poor state.

Out of love and empathy, she hugged him and both cried with each other without saying a word. Their souls now know that they are one and nobody can pull them apart. All the sorry had been said, all the agonies had been shared. Now what was left was their love to unite again.

"By the way, our kids are very smart," Dhruv commented while still holding Ayushi in his arms.

"Yeah, they got your mind," Ayushi replied, playing with the torn threads that were sticking out of Dhruv's torn jacket.

"What are their respective names?" Dhruv asked her.

"Agastya and Aranya," she replied in a soft tone.

"Wow, you have given them the best names that I could never think of," he complimented her and kissed her hair.

"Wait, I need to get something from the market. Just wait here," Ayushi suddenly got up and went inside the kitchen. From one of the cabinets., she took out a new toothbrush and handed that to Dhruv.

"There is the washroom, brush your teeth well and shower too. I am just coming in a while," she spoke out in a hurry and even Dhruv looked at her in worry. He didn't want that past to repeat itself.

"You will not leave me again, right?" he asked her in a depressed tone, fearing that she was going to leave him again.

"I promise on my babies, I am never going to leave you Dhruv," Ayushi spoke out in a solemn tone and after hugging him, she went towards the market.

"Thank you, god, for reuniting us. Thank you so much," Dhruv sent a silent prayer to the almighty and went towards the washroom whose directions Ayushi had already given him.

****

"Dhruv, are you inside? Can you please open the door?" Ayushi had arrived from the market with some of the necessities and was now asking Dhruv to open the door.

"Yeah, what happened?" he asked her after opening the door a little so that she could see his face. He was currently busy brushing his teeth.

"From the past half hour, you are brushing your teeth?" Ayushi asked him in amazement, after entering inside the washroom with some toiletries.

"Yeah, actually I brushed my teeth five times in a row as I was getting the foul smell out of it. Those mental hospital staff did not even provide..." Dhruv abruptly stopped blabbering whatever he was saying.

"Mental hospital? Were you in a mental hospital?" Ayushi asked him in shock. And now Dhruv had to tell her everything whatever happened to him. Till the time he finished his story, Ayushi was in tears.

"I am sorry for what happened with you in these two years, I am extremely sorry," she was feeling so guilty, so brutal because whatever happened with him, she was the culprit behind it.

"Ssh, how much sorry will you say, Ayushi! Moreover, we are together now, right? So, please forget the past and move on, please. We both had realized our mistakes, so it's better we move on from it, without dwelling over the past again and again," Dhruv held her face in his hands and kissed her on her forehead. Ayushi just closed her eyes and relished the moment with her husband. She had missed him, however cruel he had been in the past but now he had already suffered so much, she just wanted their happiness now.

"I love you," Dhruv kissed on her forehead.

"I love you too," Ayushi tiptoed and kissed on his forehead as well.

"By the way, you look quite nerdy in these glasses," Dhruv teased her in a happy tone, trying to lighten the environment.

"Yeah, to hide from the prying eyes of the media and other people, I had started to wear these round glasses," she explained deliberately.

"And to hide from the prying eyes of the media and other people, I had grown my beard this long. I look like some 'Dhongi Baba' (impersonator) now" he pulled his beard a little and both of them shared a hearty laugh.

"I had bought this shaving kit and a few shirts and trousers for you. Here, take this," she handed him the shaving kit that she had bought from the market.

"Ohho, so my wife still knows my size?" Dhruv whistled softly.

"Yeah, yeah," she blushed and was going to exit the washroom when Dhruv held her hand.

"Can you please do my shaving today?" he asked her in a husky voice and Ayushi knew that what's going on in her husband's head.

"Okay," she replied, and then Dhruv sat on the chair and Ayushi started cutting his long beard. When it came to shaving off his long stubble, her hands started to shiver.

"Do you want to keep them or shave them off?" she asked Dhruv in a whisper.

Dhruv opened his eyes and looked at the mirror. He was looking like the old Dhruv who once was the king of the Business world.

"Wow, it's so good, I like it," Dhruv smiled brightly at her.

"By the way, how come you know about cutting beards?" he asked her after seeing how perfectly his beard was cut.

"I had learned it from my father, he used to cut his beard, and then from far away I used to look at him and that is how I learned it," Ayushi replied.

"That is good. Now I think, I can go in front of the kids without them fearing me like some giant, right?" Dhruv spoke out in a hopeful manner.

"Yes, they will for sure love you. Now take a bath and come. I have cooked some macaroni; we will enjoy it. Come fast," Ayushi smiled at him and went outside the washroom.

****

Dhruv had washed himself off for at least three times, as he knew how much germs were there on his body after spending thirty days in that mental hospital. He wore the navy-blue t-shirt and black trousers that his wife had brought for him and looked at himself in the mirror.

"Now, my kids won't call me a giant," he smiled at himself and went downstairs towards the kitchen where his wife was probably cooking something.

"Wow, you look like the old Dhruv now," Ayushi was amazed when she saw him. Her old Dhruv who was smart, handsome, and joyful too.

"Ayushi, can I ask you for something?" Dhruv asked her in a soft tone.

"Yeah, please tell me," she replied.

"Will you marry me again? With true vows, true love this time?" he was on his knees now, proposing her for the conjugal bond that they had tied long back but when Dhruv had only hatred for her.

Ayushi was confused would be an understatement.

~**•**~

Please don't forget to leave your comment and voting is your birthright!