The Bias

Chapter 24

Rita could see something in Shehnaaz and that scared her.The unconventional Shehnaaz had scared her.Rita could not understand the brazen, thing she had seen in Shehnaaz. One thing was sure , Shehnaaz was the exact mistake, simple and sorted men made.

"I will not let you worship her.She will not put you on a different path."
The very fact that love was capable of destroying .Rita had loved her husband and she had seen what it had done to her.Thw way he had slowly turned colder to her ,Rita had seen her love for him being killed.She and Siddharth had a similar, giving core and she worried for him. Her experience with life had turned her cold, but she wanted to preserve the softness of his heart.She did nit want it to ache , even if the cost meant that he never felt the kind of love between a man and a Woman.

"She's not dad mom!' He spoke placing his head on her shoulder."and I am not you.Woh jhoot nahi bolti ma, I swear by my blood.And usko bhi nahi pata,woh mujhe kya kisi ko bhi hurt nahi karsakti.She comes across as this cold ,arrogant brave and sophisticated person . Nahi h mom woh aisi, woh na mastikhor, sharati, clumsy, scared si bacchi hai.And she trusts me with that. Usne kych maanaga nhi mujhse, and I will keep it that way. I would never suffocate her. Aapko pata hai, all my life i have been so loved and cared for , pehli baar life me aisa hua hai, someone's depending on me.I will not break her trust."

She doesn't lie.Of course she did not lie and thats why Rita feared more. Shehnaaz hadn't promised Sidharth a penny and she would never.

"Then don't. Sidharth you don't have to break her trust to stay away from her. I want you to stay away from her and I mean that.Tujhe nahi maanna teri marzi. But I will not stop trying. Sidharth I am not your enemy and I won't probably blame her as well, par agar you come out of this hurt, toh promise me, you won't blame her too."

"Why would I blame her?",he asked.

"Kyu ki you will get attached to her. Kyu ki no matter what you would end up expecting things and eventually bruise yourself when she doesn't reciprocate."

Initially Rita had feared that Shehnaaz would use him, or maybe that Rita herself would lose the importance that she had in Sidharth's life.Maybe she had feared that Shehnaaz would take Sidharth away from what he had created.A part of her worried for being mocked at by the society for the same reasons all over again. But the last few days had changed that. She had seen Shehnaaz and met her.And Oh boy! The meeting ensured that the fears Rita had became the least of her concerns.She had seen how Sidharth gravitated in her presence, how she held the ground when she talked and still beamed with a polite smile.Shehnaaz was the only woman Sidharth was going to fall in love with. She was the one that would forever bind him,but Shehnaaz herself, no she would not belong.

"Aisa nahi hoga mom.", Sidharth spoke assuring himself more than her. But it struck, struck where it should have.He knew he mustn't get attached to Shehnaaz, for the birds that fly high in sky don't belong to trees.

Rita looked at her son.His eyes, looking away, towards the door.The way he his hand went into his hair and he moved it through them, Rita knew her son was lying."Agar mujh pe yakeen nahi toh Pooch k dekh us se.Tune hi toh kaha jhooth nahi bolti woh.Sach bol paegi tujhe? "

Sach Bol paegi tujhe? Her words kept ringing.He knew the answer,Shehnaaz might have trusted him a lot. Yet it wasn't strong enough for her to tell him her story.He wanted to form an answer,but could not.He was a human too.

"Sidharth, you may dislike me for this.But sometimes when children fancy about glass, mothers must stop them. Because mothers can see the sharp edges of a broken glass. Shenaaz, ko napasnd karne k bhot reasons hai, but most important of them all is that she will leave you bleeding. That girl is not simple, she's a fantasy.Aur fantasy k saath ghar nahi basate!"