Guilt, trust, love

A STORM YET AGAIN

The next morning Raman came out of his house only to find an unexpected person standing before him.

R: Tum yahan?

That person: Aap se milne aayi hoon.

R: Meri baat sunanae to aayi nahi ho. Ab kya mujhe mere biwi ka wedding invitation dene ke liye khadi ho!

Mihika: Jeeju, main aapse seriously baat karna chahti hoon agar aap aisa chahte ho.

R: Matlab? Aur tumhe aisa kyun lag raha hain ki tumhe mujhse baat karni chahiye?

M: Jeeju, I have seen you so many times. Aap Ishu akka ke liye hamesha bechain rehte ho. Aap ko maine kai baar unki yaad mein rote dekha hain. Kya aapko sirf regret hain ya sach mein koi baat hain?

R: Pyaar hain Mihika. Mujhe Ishita se pyaar hain. Aur aaj main yeh itne confidently iss liye bol raha hoon because that's the biggest truth.

M: Nahi, that's not the biggest truth. Agar ye sach hain toh phir Shagun ke pet mein woh bachha? Uski kya kahani hain jeeju? Considering Shagun's history, ho sakta hain ki woh kisi aur se pregnant ho gayi and you are trying to save her from the world. Aakhir woh bachha najayaz hoga na...

R: (roars) Shut up! Na woh bachha najayaz hain aur na maine Shagun ke saath milkar kuchh kiya hain. Main har ehsaas mein sirf meri patni Ishita hoon, samjhi tum. Aur kisi ko main koi explanation nahi dunga because I owe my first explanation only to Ishita. I have promised Ishita that sirf uska ka pehla haq hoga iss baat par. Isliye na toh main yeh sach kisi aur se kahunga usse pehle aur na main uski yeh so-called shaadi hone dunga.

M: You are fulfilling your promise at what cost? Akka ki health, unka pyaar, unki shaadi ka faisla, sab daav pe lagakar? Jeeju, aap ko samajhna hoga ki jin halaton mein aapne yeh promise diya tha woh alag the. Aaj Akka knows nothing about it. Aur to aur woh pyaar karne lagi hain mujhse.

R: (surprised) What?! Usne kaha aisa tumse?

M: Main unki behen hoon. Mujhe samajhte der nahi lagati. Agar aap yeh sach abhi sab ko batakar yeh shaadi taal de toh Akka se jyaada khushi aur kisiko nahi hogi. Yeh promise bhi toh aapne Akka ki khushi ke liye hi kiya tha na. But now if that's not working, toh sach batakar hi sahi, woh khush to ho jayengi.

R: (in thought) May be... may be you are right. Par first of all tell me one thing. Yeh Subbu ke saath shaadi ka proposal kaun laya? Subbu khud ya?

M: No, not Subbu. Balki yeh baat to periamma ne use batayi. Mere khayal se Toshi aunty ka hain yeh idea.

R: What? Mummy ka? Mujhe shaq tha hi.

M: Kaisa shaq jeeju? Koi gadbad hain kya?

R: Haan shayad. Kal Mummyji ke muh se 'Ishita par khatra' aisa kuchh nikal gaya. And then she avoided the topic somehow. Ho na ho, there is something more to it.

M: Maine bhi Toshi aunty ke bataav mein koi tension notice ki hain. Uske baare mein pata karna padega. Accha waise woh bachha?

R: Main sochta hoon. I need time to think ki mujhe kise kya bataana hain.

M: (angrily) Kyunki woh bachha najayaz hain.

R: (angrily) Nahi, don't you dare say that.

M: Toh phir why don't you come clean?

R: Meri marzi

M: Jo log joothe hote hain woh sach se darte hain.

R: Main jooth nahi bol raha.

M: Jooth hi hain yeh Mr. Raman Kumar Bhalla. Aap ka pyaar jooth, aapka rishta jooth, aapka bachha...

R: (on top of his voice) Kuchh jootha nahi hain mera. Sab sach hain. Main Ishita se pyaar karta hoon, aur yeh bachha bhi usika hain. Shagun se mera koi vaasta nahi.

M: (sighs) Reverse psychology worked! Surrogacy?

R: (avoids her gaze) Nahi bata sakta.

M: Okay no problem, aadha sach to pata chal gaya, baki ka aadha main khud samajh jaungi.

Just then Ishita came out of the Iyyer house.

I: Yeh kya shor machaya hua hain aapne? Main aawaj sunkar bahar aayi.

R: Aawaj? Kuchh... kuchh suna tumne?

I: Theek se kuchh sunayi nahi diya. Par kyun lad rahe the?

R: Nothing, othing at all, just a friendly argument.

I: Friendly? Mujhe pata nahi tha ki Mihika bhi aapki friend hain.

Raman and Mihika smiled at each other seeing Ishita get jealous of her own cousin due to Raman's friendship with her.

M: Just friends akka, nothing like you!

R: Haan Madrasan, jal mat.

I: Like me matlab? Even we are just best friends okay. Miku, tu apna dimaag mat dauda. And you Mr. Raman, I am not at all jealous, okay?

R: Okay.

I: What okay?

R: Are jo tumne kaha use okay.

They were having their funny cute nok-jhoks when a voice from nowhere startled them.

Man: Mr. Bhalla, hum apse kuchh poochh taachh karne aaye hain.

R: Poochh tachh? Kis baare mein Inspector? Aur ACP Abhishek kaha hain?

Ins: Woh kisi aur kaam se gaye hain. Hum ek khoon ke silsile mein aapse kuchh sawal karna chahte hain.

I: Khoon, kiska? Aur why Raman? Unka kya haath hain isme?

Ins: Ashok Khanna ke cold storage mein ek worker ka khoon hua hain. Aur usi raat Mr. Raman apni ex-wife Shagun ke saath wahan gaye the. Aur aapko kisine yeh khoon karte hue apni aakhon se dekha hain.

R: Agar maine aisa kuchh kiya hi nahi toh kaun sa gawah hain yeh?

A: Main!!!

R: Ashok Khanna? Why am I not surprised? Aisi ghatiya harkate sirf tum hi kar sakte ho.

A: Oh enough Raman. Tum ne khud apni haathon se mere ek loyal worker ka khoon kiya hain. Aur yeh maine khud dekha hain. Warna uss din tum Shagun ke saath wahan kya kar rahe the?

R: Main... main woh

Ishita was numb hearing all that. Her head started spinning and flashes of some uncanny happenings played in front of her eyes. She felt she was hearing the same words again, but couldn't remember when she first heard them.

Raman looked at her and when he was about to say something in defence, Ishita fell down with her head hitting the sofa in lobby. Everyone rushed to her and Raman was about to oick her up when the inspector told him to leave her and let her family handle that as he was under arrest. Raman pleaded to the inspector to let him be wih Ishita, but he was forced out of the building, into the police van. Raman was in deep worry as Ishita was unconscious and he was not there with here.