77 Heartbreaks (Humari Adhuri Kahaani) | SaiRat FF (dark)

Chapter 1: Hasi

Chapter 1: Hasi

'The best stories are the ones with the unexpected plot twists that no one would have guessed, even the writer.' — Shannon L. Alder

"Sai bai, you'll be a doctor like your Aai, won't you?" ACP Kamal Joshi whispered to his guddiya as he cradled her in his arm. His nine-year-old daughter was far wise beyond her years. A motherless child, as the villages called her. ACP Joshi often met with complaints of Sai longing for a mother - the discomfort from other mothers in school, her chastising and the neighbourhood ladies telling Joshi-Saab to re-marry. Yet for all his flaws, ACP Kamal Joshi could never replace his wife Savitri Joshi or marry anyone else. So the doting father chose to take on the responsibility of being both mother and father to his only child. Thus, he lovingly became her Aaba. Sai's only world.

Sai Joshi, for all her brilliance, never understood her Aaba or his decisions. To her, despite all the silly things Aaba did, her Aaba was the best. Sai Joshi had to be the only child anyone encountered who paused her Aaba to no bounds and picked up fights in his honour. Little Sai often came home all bruised and battered, armed with a sad pout, annoyed as Abba fussed over her often chastising her for putting herself in harm's way. In all his chastising, Abba never once admonished her angst on basis of her gender. Instead, he said to her, "Sai, fight for your dreams. No matter the fight, no matter the struggle, and no matter what comes in the way. Remember to fight for your dreams. Even if it takes you away from me."

A lone tear trickled down Sai's face landing on the pillow she hugged as if her life depended on it. Four years. It had been four years since Abba left her. Three years of which she'd spent staring at the moon, talking to the stars, and praying to all the God's Abba prayed to - things she'd never believed in until Abba had left. She remembered the last time Abba hugged her, moments after bandaging her wounds, and ensuring her that his safety meant everything to him. Then days later on his death bed he had done the unthinkable - he had promised her to his mentee the ACP who would take his place. ACP Virat Chavan.

Sai never understood what Abba saw in ACP Virat Chavan. She had spent years decoding the message Abba had left for her. She had done her best to be a good wife, daughter and sister. A Chavan bahu. It never seemed enough. Her hard work never accounted to much. Her grades suffering meant she wasn't working hard enough, her studies meant she wasn't being a proper bahu, and failure in both meant she was simply breaking bread and wasting resources. A lot had changed in Chavan Niwas since she had married into the house. Shivani bua met the love of her life in a filmstar and moved to Mumbai. Mohit bhai and Karishma bhabhi welcomed their first child - a cute naughty boy named Shivam. Samrat dada met a pahadi ladki Sonia and brought her home. He never really divorced his wife Patralekha and Sonia eventually left to marry someone else. Sai could often see the disappointment and longing in Aai Baba as they watched Sonali kaku and Omi kaka play with little Shivam. And Virat, her husband, he had remained the same, nonchalant.

Sai could no longer define the relationship they shared. She wasn't his friend, partner or lover. She was his wife. Someone he lay in bed, rolled in the sheets with and turned around and walked away. She no longer knew what his days composed of, who he met, spoke to, the things that made him smile, the moments that upset him, or the difficult cases he struggled to crack. She knew he woke up at the crack of dawn, worked out, occasionally played football with his friends and then left for his day. She knew he came home to her every night - mostly after she lay fast asleep in bed. She'd be woken up in her sleep for mere seconds as he ruffled through the room and shower. On days she'd stay up on the balcony, she'd hear him talk to Pakhi di and share his day with him. Their laughter would ring through the house along with little Shivam's giggles.