Dhadkan (Book 1 - Singhania Brothers)

Part 9 : The past

After the dinner Aryan clung to Arnav refusing to leave him. Now that the adrenaline rush in him had subsidised down he was feeling exhausted for all the apparent reasons. And Arnav was his comfort place.

Arnav looked at Aniket. They had to discuss over the case and also talk to Ayaansh about the same.

Aniket sighed looking at the way Aryan was leaning on Arnav. "Aap jaiye, Bhaiya. I'll call you if needed. Kal baat kar lenge."

Arnav nodded and left with Aryan.

Ayaansh was feeling too overwhelmed to stay back there. He slowly walked back to his room and lied down burying his face in pillow. He didn't realise when the tears started streaming down his face and drenched his pillow.

He bawled his eyes out untill the ocean of his emotions was drained out and kept staring into the oblivion. He tried to shut off his eyes and ears to voices and visions that refused to leave him alone but the visions darkened alongwith voices getting harsher.

"Hum isse hostel bhej dete hai, Smriti. He is twelve. He can manage on his own."

"Aap kya keh rhe hai, Ashok? Hostel?"

"Haan, Smriti, hostel. Mujhe Ghar me yeh shor sharaba yeh sab nhi pasand."

The woman shook his head. "Hum abhi hostel me kaise denge, Ashok. Pehle se itne loans hai. Hostel ka kharcha?"

"Maine kaha tha tumse mujhe bachcha nhi chahiye, Smriti. Dekho ab kya ho rha hai." The man snapped back in frustration.

Smriti gasped. "Itne saalon baad yeh baat kyu, Ashok? Aapko pata hai kya halat the. I got to know about my pregnancy very late. Every doctor refused to terminate my pregnancy."

Twelve year old Ayaansh covered his mouth to muffle his voice as he heard his parents shouting while standing outside their room. Tears made his way to his eyes. He didn't understand what his parents were talking about but he understood that they were upset because of him.

Ashok rubbed his forehead in anger. "Yaad hai mujhe, Smriti. Par mujhse yeh school ke homework uski kahaniyaan inn sabme koi interest nhi hai. Apne bete ko samjhao ki apna kaam khud karna seekhe."

Smriti nodded. "Mai usse bolungi, Ashok. Mujhe bhi yeh sab pasand nhi. Mujhe apne kaam par dhyaan dena hai ghar aur bachche par nhi."

"Ek baar humara business sambhal jaye aur yeh loan mil Jaye toh mai kisi hostel Mai arrangement karwa doonga."

"Haan, Ashok, par abhi Hume humare business ke baare me sochne ki zarurat hai."

"Mai koshish kar raha hoon, Smriti par koi loan dene ko taiyaar nhi hai." Ashok replied in tensed voice.

Smriti blinked. They desperately needed the loan to save their business. She could only think of one way to do that. She didn't appreciate what she was about to do but the situation called for it all over again. She looked at her husband. "Mai ek insaan ko jaanti hoon Jo hume loan dega."

"Kon?"

"Devraj Mittal!"

"Yeh kon hai?"

The husband and wife continued to discuss unaware of their child's presence and the mental damage they had given him for life. Ayaansh quietly walked to his own room wiping his own tears with his little hands.

Ayaansh furiously rubbed off the new set of tears that rolled down without his permission against the pillow. He had learnt to wipe his own tears very early in life. But he didn't know the yearning of having someone else do that still persisted. The child inside him still yearned for the parental love he had been denied of.