The Marriage Contract

80 - All is Well

The next day, Abhimanyu was back at his job, although feeling more refreshed –as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders –much happier even.

A knock sounded on his cabin door and he looked up from his files, calling out "Come in" to the person waiting on the other side of the door.

Mr and Mrs. Ghosh walked in to his office. Abhimanyu looked up to see Mrs. Manjiri Ghosh looking at him skeptically as her husband spoke.

"We, we would like to thank you, Dr. Birla for stepping up and saving our son's life at such a crucial time. We don't know how to thank you."

"Like I said yesterday, this –what I do –it's who I am. It's my job. I am glad your son is out of danger and he has been shifted out of the emergency ward to the recovery ward where he is being looked after by Dr. Prerna Malhotra. He is in good and capable hands. I assume you all are not from here?"

"No, we came here to attend a wedding. We live in Delhi." Manjiri answered, avoiding eye contact with Abhimanyu.

"You can discuss it with Dr. Malhotra, but once she gives the green signal, you can transfer your son to the hospital of your choice in Delhi where he can complete further pending treatment and physiotherapy." Abhimanyu offered.

"You could do that for us?" Mr. Ghosh asked.

"Not me. Dr. Malhotra can." Just then, Abhimanyu's pager went off and an announcement was made over the intercom asking for Dr. Abhimanyu Birla to report to the conference room. "And I have to go now. Have a great day." Abhimanyu got up from his chair and without as much so as giving Manjiri and her husband a second glance, he made his way out of his cabin.

He felt refreshed now, at peace. He had always wondered by his mother never tried to contact him in all those years. And now he finally had answers to his questions. He felt free. Exhilarated.

~*~

That was the last Abhimanyu heard of Manjiri and her family. A week later, they were given the clearance to fly their son back to Delhi –and that is exactly what they did. During Manjiri's stay at the Birla hospital, neither Akshara or Harshvardhan made and effort to meet the woman who birthed Abhimanyu.

Akshara because she didn't really care about the woman who hurt her Abhi and Harshvardhan because he did not want to resurface old wounds. He was happy just having his son and the woman whom he had fallen for again, Richa, by his side.

As far as Abhimanyu and Harshvardhan's newly found father-son bond was concerned, other than seeing his father in the corridors of Birla Hospital, Abhimanyu also made sure to invite him for dinner at least once a week or go to his house for dinner once a week. After all, they had 28 years worth of feelings and conversations to catch up on.

~*~

It was also during one of those dinners when Richa and Akshara finally sorted out their differences. Turns out Richa's rudeness did not come from a place of malice. Instead, her anger at Akshara breaking her contract came from a place of hurt.

"Hi, Abhimanyu. Hi, Akshara." Richa welcomed Abhimanyu and Akshara into Harshvardhan's home for their weekly Friday dinner.

"Hi." Akshara was a bit skeptical but she made the effort to give Richa a hearty smile and pull the woman in for a hug.

Harshvardhan came up to the dining room table and stood beside Richa as she began speaking. Speaking her side of the story so they could move past their differences. Abhimanyu slipped his hand behind Akshara's waist, resting it on the lower of her back.

"I umm...I have been meaning to apologize for my behavior that other day. I don't...I don't want any hard feelings between us. And I am happy for the two of you, I really am. But I couldn't have you two be together under the contract –on my conscious. I wanted to keep the professional and personal life separate. Akshara –the business I am in –it has rules –rules which even I need to follow. And I was doing just that. It wasn't personal for me."