Chapter 33: Chapter 33

"Having somewhere to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing."

"Karan, as you have already found about my daughter's whereabouts, please keep a keen eye on them and have at least ten of our men surrounding their house properly. I don't want any risk now," Dhiraj was having a talk with his detective on a mobile phone who had recently found his master's daughter and her children on the foothills of Mussoorie.

"Sir, there is another good news too," Karan was quite joyful today.

"What is it? You are quite joyful today, even though I noticed that" Dhiraj asked him to carry on.

"Dhruv sir has been found out too," that news was enough for Dhiraj to stand up abruptly from his recliner.

"What?" he cried out in happiness.

"Yes sir, yesterday night only, we had found him there, sitting on the bench outside Ayushi's mam house. But he was not in a good state, but today morning we could see how he and mam reunited again and you won't believe, the kids thought of him as some giant and even hit him but at right time Ayushi mam stopped them. Your grandchildren are so active and intelligent, sir," Karan chuckled lightly and Dhiraj was too ecstatic to say anything.

"Vacate that place immediately, because now my son is there, he shouldn't know that I've found him. Now it's him who will get the surprise," Dhiraj eyes held some determination in them and he cut the call.

"Pratibha, Payal, pack your backs, we are going to Mussoorie, today night only, and tell about this to Maa as well," Dhiraj was excited would be an understatement.

He took out his phone and started seeing those photos which his detective, Karan had sent to him, which were the pictures of his daughter and his grandchildren.

"How much I have missed you all," he whispered to himself.

****

Returning to his wife and children was the best thing that ever happened to Dhruv. It was like a new life for him, a new reason for him to live life again.

And seeing the right moment, he had proposed Ayushi to marry him again.

But exactly at that time, their children had arrived with Alka on the doorstep of their drawing-room. They could see them from the kitchen as their drawing-room was attached to the kitchen and everything could be seen from there.

"Dhruv, the babies are here, let me first introduce you with them properly. Otherwise, their 'giant' stories will reach the neighbourhood kids too," Ayushi hurriedly walked towards her babies after asking him to come along as well. But Dhruv remained there, hiding behind the wall, seeing his wife and babies talking adorably with each other.

"Mumma, look I brought doughnuts for you," Aranya was carrying a small cute paper bag having doughnuts in it.

"Aww, so sweet of you baby, by the way, where did you take them to Alka?" Ayushi knelt at Aranya's level and took the paper bag from her hands. She made her sit on the sofa.

"Di, actually we had gone to the City park and from a nearby shop, they bought this," Alka was carrying Agastya in her arms as for no reason he was crying.

"And why is my baby boy crying so badly?" Ayushi placed the doughnut bag on the table and took Agastya from Alka's arms.

"Mumma, I am sorry for hitting that monster uncle. Did he go away, because of me? Right? Alka Masi told me that he was hungry that is why he came here," Agastya spoke out in a crying voice, after not finding that giant uncle around.

"Oh, my baby," Ayushi just could not believe how emotional yet smart her son was. She embraced him softly in her arms.

"I hug too," Aranya too widened her hands for a hug. How would she be behind when her mother was showering so much love on her brother.

Ayushi hugged her too and made both of them sit on her lap.

"Now tell me what did you two play?" Ayushi asked them after giving them the doughnuts that they had brought.

"I will tell you Di. These two small supermen did so much fun today. They started running after a street dog and played with it, then they..." Alka told everything while both the kids were busy eating the doughnuts whose eighty per cent part was now scattered on the ground.

"I have scolded them for thousand of times that I will feed them, but no, they do not listen to me ever," Ayushi sighed at her notorious & stubborn kids, while Dhruv giggled seeing his kids' antics. His mother also used to tell the same thing how stubborn he used to be when it came to eating his food with his own hands.

"Haha Di, your kids try to be independent and nothing more," Alka joked and the kids laughed more after seeing their mother's reaction. Their faces were smeared with the chocolate and they were looking so adorable.

"I will clean the mess Di, don't worry," Alka smiled softly, assuring Ayushi and got up to go inside her room. Because she knew it was time now. For them to reunite and they needed their privacy. She smiled at Dhruv on her way to her room and he returned with his smile.

Ayushi cleaned her babies' faces and made them drink some water. She too took a bite from her son's doughnut who was offering her his share so cutely. She made them sit properly on the sofa and switched on the TV.

"So, babies, let's play a game," her kids cheered in chorus.

"So, Aranya and Agastya, can you tell me who is Nobita's father?" Ayushi started with a very simple question after opening the TV and putting up the "Doraemon" cartoon which her kids loved the most.

They immediately rushed towards the LED TV display and touched their small hands on the face of Nobita's daddy. Fortunately, the scene of Nobita's family having some dinner was going on and that made Ayushi's task much easier.

"Mumma he, Mumma he, he is Nobita's daddy," Aranya shrieked in joy when she realized she was the first to touch Nobita's father firstly before her brother.

"Yay, I am first," she clapped her hands joyfully but Agastya didn't lose his excitation. He kissed his sister's cheeks and applauded for her.

"Yes, you are first," Agastya was a very calm and intelligent kid and he never became jealous of his sister.

Ayushi smiled brightly at both of her kids, she took them near her and made them sit near her.

"Do you know where your Daddy is?" Ayushi now asked with a little hesitation, not knowing what her children would say.

"Mumma, I know, I answer. He is in Dub...aa.." Agastya couldn't speak properly but he was right. His mother had told them that their daddy was in Dubai, and there he was collecting loads and loads of toys for them.

"Yes, daddy is in Dub...aa. He is collecting toys for us so that when he comes, he will give us all the toys, right Mumma?" Aranya pitched in with her cute voice.

Dhruv was seeing the way his kids were so happy talking about their Daddy.

"So, you never made them hate me, Aayuuu," he whispered to himself, smiling and crying at the same time.

"Yes, you both are right, my babies," Ayushi kissed them on their cheeks and now she signalled Dhruv with her eyes.

"Okay so now, close your eyes, I have a surprise for you both," Ayushi made them close their eyes.

"Aranya, no cheating," Ayushi scolded her in a light tone and Aranya only giggled.

"Aranya, close your eyes properly, otherwise I will not disclose the surprise," Ayushi scolded her lightly.

"Okay Mumma, I won't," this time Aranya covered her eyes properly with her tiny hands. Agastya was an obedient kid so he didn't do any notorious acts.

Dhruv came with tears of joy dropping from his eyes. Now his kids would accept him, they would hug him, love him, and whatnot. He smiled at how cutely both his kids were looking, with their eyes covered with their small baby hands.

Ayushi immediately took out the camera and put it on the stand to capture this moment which was going to be the best moment of their life. She put the camera on the camcorder mode. Dhruv was kneeling in front of his kids, with tears of happiness, longingness flowing down his eyes. How he had died every day to see their one glance. How he had died every day thinking that they were no more. And now having them in front of him was giving him the happiness which he never experienced.

"1...2...3...now you both can open your eyes," Ayushi whistled lightly and her kids immediately moved their hands away from their eyes and opened them.

They could see a new person in front of them who was looking at them so adoringly.

Agastya was the first one to join the dots together that his mother had formed earlier. This person was his daddy, his and his baby sister's daddy.

Dhruv opened his arms for them and Agastya immediately ran towards him, whereas Aranya was still staring at him.

Dhruv hugged Agastya so lovingly, kissing on his hairs, his face so affectionately. Agastya was not far behind to kiss back his father on his face.

"My son," Dhruv was crying after feeling his flesh, his blood in his arms whom he had thought had died long back.

"Daddy, I missed you," Agastya spoke out in his baby voice and even he too started weeping in his baby tone.

"I missed you too baby," Dhruv whispered, caressing his son's hair so lovingly. Aranya was still staring at them, not knowing what to do.

But then Agastya pulled back from his father's embrace and ran towards his sister's side.

"Silly, he is our father. You still didn't recognize him, you are so silly," Agastya pulled his sister too along with him in front of his Daddy.

"Daddy," Aranya's eyes told them all how badly she was going to cry now. She hugged Dhruv in a tight embrace and started crying out loudly, none of them had expected this kind of reaction from Aranya.

"You will never leave us again, right?" Aranya asked Dhruv after holding his face in her small hands. Dhruv shook his head and kissed her on her chubby cheeks.

"Mumma, now you never have to cry at night, missing Daddy as he will always be here with us," Aranya's words shook both Ayushi and Dhruv to the core.

What this two-year-old said just now held so much meaning in it. How did she manage to know that her mother used to cry every night missing her father?

Ayushi knelt at Aranya's level and took her in her arms, meanwhile, Agastya was in Dhruv's arms asking him about Dubai.

"How did you know that baby used to cry every night? And for your daddy?" Ayushi asked Aranya in a soft tone.

Aranya immediately ran out of her hold and brought Ayushi's smartphone. After putting Ayushi's thumb on the fingerprint sensor, she opened the phone and somehow managed to go to the gallery and took out that photo of Dhruv which her mother used to look at and cry before sleeping every night.

"You used to look at him and cry thinking that we both had slept," Aranya was talking like a mature person now. It was just something magical, something unrealistic. How can a two-year-old observe something so keenly like Aranya had observed her mother!

Ayushi immediately pulled Aranya in her arms and started crying again. Her baby girl was so intelligent.

Children catch things very easily and swiftly, they learn what you do, what you say. They are just small monkeys who imitate your actions.

Dhruv heard what his daughter had just told her mother. He hugged her tightly.

"I love you both so much," Dhruv whispered to both his son and daughter.

"We love you too, Papa," both the babies kissed Dhruv on his left and right cheek, one by one.

"Okay, who wants to see the gifts that I have brought?" The kids cheered loudly and attacked the carton of toys which was bought by Ayushi, keeping in mind the things that she had told to her babies earlier. She didn't want to disappoint them.

"Thanks again for giving me this life Aayuuu, thank you so much," Dhruv kissed her forehead and smiled at the antics of his kids.

"I love this car, hoooooooooo," Agastya got busy racing up two cars in both his hands whereas Aranya was busy playing with the soccer ball, kicking it with her small baby feet.

"They loved your gifts, hubby," Ayushi replied, hugging Dhruv, enjoying the family moment after so many years.

"And my biggest gift is you and our babies," Dhruv held her hands in a promising manner- the promises of never letting go of each other, of love, respect, and regard for each other.

Finally, the hatred between them was broken, the rivalry long was forgotten, and the birth of a new love story.

~**•**~

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