Chronicles of Life

#chap52 #chroniclesoflife #Sagas_by_Irvika #sweetlovestory

A Herculean task was still left, that of convincing Mr. Shah. Though he couldn’t raise an objection on the basis of horoscope, he wasn’t convinced. It took him a couple of days to mellow down.

Shruti returned Nashik on 3rd as she was through with all her trials and fittings. Her final countdown had begun. Her heart rate increased when she realised that the next time when she comes, her wedding ceremonies would begin.

To be continued….

Over the days, there were many arguments between the Shah family members, each time citing a different reason for being against the match… sometimes the difference in caste, at other times being against Love marriage; if nothing else, ‘This is not your age to get married.’ It was a roller coaster ride for Minish; at one moment he would feel he is taking a step ahead, whereas the very next, he would be desperate, as if he was losing the battle.

At the other end, Shruti felt that the days were flying at a lightning speed. Nainaa had also come down to Nashik. One night, while talking on the phone with Atharva, Shruti was feeling particularly emotional. She was on the verge of crying and shared her inner bedlam with Atharva. “How do we consider ourselves forward when we still follow those age old rules? Imagine, I’ll have to leave behind the people with whom I have spent so many years of my life. Is that fair?”
Atharva was bowled over by her words and didn’t know how to respond, so mumbled a bit here and there. Shruti went on in the same vain for a while more and then blurted, “What Hmm Hmm? Can’t you respond?”
He was lost for words and answered, “What should I say? I mean, this is the way it is supposed to be na.”
She lost her cool. “Ya exactly, why should you bother? Tujhe thodi ghar chhodna hai? I wonder why am I even bothering to let you know what I am going through.”
He was quite in shock to hear her say so and before he could revert, she disconnected the call.

Atharva kept staring at the mobile for a full minute. Was it the same person, who would think twice before raising her voice? They had had their share of arguments over the time, but this was something that he had never expected. He knew that the outburst was because she was way too emotionally attached to her family, but still, he was reeling under the effect.

After about half an hour, a message came.
‘SORRY’ it read.
He bit his lip, grinned and then replied, ‘Its okay jaanu, I understand.’
She reverted, ‘Why can’t you ever respond decently?’
He typed, ‘What do you expect me to say?’
She fumed, ‘Ab woh bhi main hi bolu?!’
He responded, ‘Hey! Hang on… you just said sorry. That means you realised that it was your mistake. Ab vaapis shuru?’

She didn’t have the patience to type any more and called instead. “Yaar.. god knows what’s happening. Actually, on the other day, when the wedding card ceremony was done na, everyone was tearful. Since then, I have been having this weird feeling. I don’t know whether to feel happy about it or sad. I want to stay with you all the time. Can’t imagine waiting any longer, but at the same time, I don’t want to leave my house, my parents, my city. I don’t know whether I am making sense, I guess you won’t be able to get the drift. Rehne do.”
Atharva could feel her anguish and said lovingly, “I understand what you are going through Shru. I am not in your shoes right now to be able to comment on this, but I hope to be there for you always. I know there can be no substitute of a family, but I hope, with time, you will settle down and consider this as your home.”
Shruti had gone silent, trying to accept that it was inevitable. Atharva, in order to get her out of her somber mood, quipped, “Speech kaisi lagi?”
Without a doubt, it elicited the exact response Atharva had wished for. “What do you mean by that Atharva Shah?? How mean can you be?”
Atharva chuckled, “I wanted my bubbly Shru back. Love you.”

He remembered something and questioned, “Shru… What about your shopping? All done?”
Shruti answered, “Yes of course! What kind of a question is that? In fact, I have started packing my bags since yesterday. Had told you about it as well.”
He nodded, “Hmm.. are you sure you got everything?”
She was tired and retorted, “Atharva, please come straight to the point. What are you talking about?”
He said in a voice that had gone all husky, “Wedding night ke liye kuch liya?”
Shruti was about to say something, when it finally kicked in as in exactly what was he referring to. “Athhharrrrvaaa! I am hanging up… bye!”
He responded, “Wait! Why so? I guess you have described every thing in detail so far, whether I was keen or not. Abhi ye poochh raha hu, toh you don’t want to say. Bol na…”
She felt goosebumps all over her body, shut her eyes tightly and tried to control the sudden rush of emotions. Both fell silent for a minute, just listening to each other’s breath, which had a language of it’s own.
She tried to evade the topic, “You only keep on saying, ‘Shruti you talk too much.’ So, I am taking that into consideration and will call it a day.”
Atharva urged, “Please? Okay.. lemme guess. A hot, lacy number which has…”
The line went dead.

Atharva had a hearty laugh and decided to tease her a little more. He messaged her, ‘Have you packed an antiseptic and an ointment to treat injuries?’
Shruti’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the message tone. She knitted her brows when she read this, trying to reason. ‘Why do you want that?’
He responded, ‘Oh.. I am expecting a couple of scratch marks by my very own tigress. So, just as a precaution. First aid would come in handy, hai na?’
She blushed at this mention and said, ‘How many times are you going to tease me about this? It won’t happen again.’
He messaged, ‘Kya pataa… you might need it this time. Don’t know about you, but I am definitely waiting.’ ‘You didn’t tell me about your nightwear.’
She gulped down a lump and typed, ‘Okay… can let you know one thing.’
He asked hopefully, ‘Am all ears.’ She smiled and wrote, ‘It’s a one piece, turquoise blue in colour.’
He closed his eyes, trying to visualise, and typed, ‘What length?’
She hid her face in the pillow and typed, ‘I said one thing.. ab aur nahi. Cya .. good night.’
Atharva was transported in another land, saw her message, knew that she wasn’t going to divulge anymore and laid down on the bed. Exactly one week later, she will have no more excuses. With this thought, he slept with a smile on his face.

Although Atharva had managed to divert her mind for a while, Shruti couldn’t get over the feeling that she was leaving something valuable behind. She was feeling restless, tossed and turned in her bed for a while. On an impulse, she got up and took a piece of paper and pen from her drawer. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts, and was at war with herself. Something triggered in her, and after ages, she penned down her thoughts, which had been creating a havoc within her.

Pandemonium in my heart

My heart flutters as it realises,
That the place which had been MY ABODE,
Won’t be mine anymore.

The people who gave me my first identity,
The people whom I called my own,
The ones who held my hand when I took baby steps,
The ones who guided me through all my ups and downs,
The ones who shielded me from every storm that crossed my path, 
The family over whom I would unabashedly boss over,
The parents who have sacrificed so much while raising me, with a smile on their face,
The banters that I share with my sibling,
The way I have been appreciated inspite of all my shortcomings,
The peace which only MY HOME gives me,
The joys, the sorrows, the fights, the patch ups, the celebrations, the late night chats, the laughter,  the stubbornness, the freedom...

Will nothing change?
Why is my heart pounding at the mere thought of going away?
Will I be adored for what I am?
Will I be accepted as a daughter in the new house?
Will I be considered as a princess, just like before?
Will my opinion matter?
Will there be someone to hold me, in my sorrow?
Will anyone acknowledge my efforts?
Will I ever have an identity of my own?

With all these uncertainties,
As I step into a new world,
All that I can wish for is,
For your blessings and love,
For the years to come.

Little did she realise that while writing these lines, the emotions that had been at an ebb, overflowed in the form of tears. The tiny droplets fell down on the paper, overwhelming her. She broke down, unable to hold back any longer. She had somehow held on her emotions way too long, trying to act brave for the sake of her family. But then, she was free to let it out, as no one was around to witness her melancholy, or so she thought.

She was still crying, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jolted to see her sister standing there, and without uttering a word, they hugged each other, trying to pacify each other. No words were required, coz each knew how difficult it was. The two hugged and slept, thinking about the last few days before Shruti would begin the new phase of her life.

To be continued….

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