Restart - It's A Pause Not A Full Stop!! ✅

Part 2 - The Nosey Neighbour!!

How innocent and pure is this person who gave me the shelter and food without even asking me anything about myself. I never thought a person like him can ever exist in this world in this era. He must be surely from Satya Yug, where people were pure and unadulterated. They were beautiful inside out just like Sidharth.

I wonder why is he staying alone being a nice person? What else would a lady want in her husband that one can think of leaving a person like Sidharth? A person who could care for a stranger must be such a caring husband too. He is matured enough to understand what the other person must be going through. He made me so comfortable.

The doorbell rang and he went to attend it.

"Hi, Can I borrow some sugar please? I didn't realise that I ran out of it until Sonu's papa asked me for tea. I will return it to you tomorrow.", the neighbourhood lady I saw earlier when I came said forwarding a bowl to him.

"Sure. I'll get it.", He said taking a bowl from her hand. As he walked towards the kitchen, the lady scanned me from bottom to top. The moment she saw my face, she passed the most obvious fake and forced smile ever. I ignored her because I don't give a damn to such people in life.

He returned with a bowl full of sugar and gave it to her.

"I didn't know, you've got a guest at home. Never seen her.", She said quickly jumping to the work she had actually come for. Nosey Neighbour!!

"Hmmm.. yes! By the way no need to return the sugar.", He said without giving much news to her.

"Please don't say that. I can't be accepting such favours from you everytime. By the way, is she going to stay for a long time because I saw that she got a big trolley bag?", She asked.

Huh! She didn't even realise that she said she wasn't aware of the guest few minutes back before contradicting her own statement.

"Yes. I was cooking dinner else I would have called you in plus even your husband must be waiting for the tea, right?", Sidharth said.

I couldn't stop myself from chuckling and this didn't go unnoticed by the nosey neighbour.

"I will return the sugar tomorrow", she said with a frown and left.

He closed the door and nodded his head in disbelief.

"That was savage! You didn't give her any information and you asked her to leave politely.", I said to him with a smile.

"Sometimes giving no information means giving them a chance of creating their own sensation. She would nevertheless have her own version of sensation to tell the whole colony.", He said.

"I am sorry. You will have to go through embarrassment because of me.", I said.

"I told you, I fear losing nothing but this time I am worried about you. They might character shame you.", he said.

It felt nice to see someone thinking about my feelings before thinking about themself. I wish if it came from someone who I thought was mine. However, with his words, he felt like my own even though he was just a stranger.

"I fear no one when I know I am right. They can't make me feel ashamed until I am ashamed of myself. So I don't give a shit for those scum bags.", I said.

He looked at me in silence and I felt mortified for using such kind of language in front of him.

"I like your thoughts.", He said

"And I am sorry for the language.", I said.

"Nevermind!!", He said but I fell silent after this conversation. He tied on his apron and I knew he got ready to cook dinner. So I followed him to the kitchen.

"I know quite a few items to cook which I learnt from various sources and by trial and error method. So my prior warning that it won't be lip smacking meal but an average meal.", He said with a smile.

That smile had been constant thing on his face. I am sure he is hiding pain behind that smile. It isn't exciting to be lonely in this world.

I smiled back at him.

"For a hungry man taste hardly matters", I said.

"I agree about men, but what about a hungry lady?", He asked.

I giggled at his simple joke since I know he has been trying his best to lift my mood.

"So what can you cook?", He asked

"Apart from people's head, I can cook maggie noodles", I said.

"And?", He asked curiously.

"And.. hmmm.. rice as well.", I said

"Huh? But you just said you can cook only vegetarian food.", He asked surprised.

"Maagie masala noodles and rice is the only vegetarian thing I know. I never learnt cooking. My amma is a very fine cook, my achcha and chettan can also cook. Only I never showed interest in cooking.", I said.

"Amma means mom. Achcha and Chettan are your sisters?", He asked.

"Illa, I mean no. Achcha means father and Chettan is my brother.", I said with a chuckle.

"Oh.. Okay! So where are they?", He asked.

I couldn't stop myself from crying after their mention. His facial expression changed. He came closer and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"I am sorry. I didn't know that they were no more. I mean, I should have known since you are here alone. I am very sorry.", He said.

"No! They are fine. They are in my hometown. It's.. it's.. it's just me.. just me who is as good as dead to them.", I said choking on my words.

"Please don't say so. They can't be thinking like that, they are your family afterall.", He said.

"They are!! However, I rebelled against them. I come from an orthodox family. I eloped from my home with a person I loved who belonged to another religion. They loved me a lot but this thing wasn't acceptable to them.", I said

"And what about the person you loved?", He asked.

"He left me. He left me at a point when I needed him the most. He left me when he got to know that I was a barren land who can't bear a child after an accident. He got married to someone else and got her home and threw a divorce contract over my face. What was my fault? Trusting him over my parents. If that accident had left him impotent would he have accepted the same kind of gesture from me? The accident which actually happened due to his own mistake.", I said.

"Why don't you speak to your parents?", He asked.

"I know they won't accept me. I can write it in my blood.", I said.

He forwarded me a glass of water. I sipped it. I had so much accumulated inside. As I showed him my vulnerable side, I felt lighter.

'You know what Sana. May be he didn't deserve you. You just got saved from being trapped with a wrong person your whole life.", He said.

"Yes, I learnt my lesson but why did I had to pay heavily for it? I lost my relationship with my family. An important part of my life is lost in this incident. How do I repair it? The joy of being a mother is lost, how do I overcome it?", I said.

He was speechless probably he didn't have an answer to it himself. His phone started ringing. He excused and went to the dinning table where he had kept his mobile phone. He looked at the mobile screen and his face brightened with a smile. That smile was so precious and pristine. He has the best smile in the world. It travelled straight from his heart and spread to his entire face. His eyes became so small yet the shine in it was inevitably visible. Who could be the caller I thought who brought so much joy on his face.

"Hello Shreyas, how are you my son?", He said and soon within few seconds the smile faded away.

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To be continued.. ❤️❤️