Unreachable Destiny- The Curse Of Your Love

Chapter-35: My Papa, Abhinav Sharma.

The first step he took as he got out of the cab, Ranav felt his heart swarmed with emotions. Throughout the journey here, he was fidgeting, wondering how his father would react to him. He found some affirmation from the paper bird in his hand as he kept caressing the bird for support. He was back in Kasauli. He was back in his hometown, where he was born and brought up. He stood in front of the house whose foundation was built on an ordinary man's simple dream. A  family. This place is Ranav's definition of heaven. 

With his suitcase in one hand, Ranav approached the house he calls home, which stands on the slope of the mountain with a garden splayed out in the front. The garden consisted mostly of roses and jasmine as his father liked. It started drizzling, the flowers welcomed the raindrops with their soft petals as a wind gushed towards Ranav, carrying the smell of fruit jam, reminding him of his childhood when he used to eat bread and jam every day. 

The moment the main gate opened, he could hear his mother's footsteps as she appeared at the front door with a peaceful smile. She stood in a blue saree with the top half of her hair pulled back into a plucker, and after a long time, she put on the smoky Kajal that she used when Ranav was a kid. The only other thing that can make Akshara happy other than Ranav is Abhinav. Ranav quickly runs into the shelter of his home and hugs Akshara, letting all his concerns wash away. He could hold his mother like this forever, but he had to pull away in order to meet his Papa. He made his way into the house and then the bedroom. The moment he entered the room, with a heavy heart, he was struck with surprise as he saw his father lying in his bed with his eyes open as he looked in search of that familiar touch of endearment. There he is, My Papa, Abhinav Sharma. He takes each step with care as his father looks on at him. Abhinav looked so fragile like a raindrop over a delicate rose petal as he lay there motionless for a whole minute despite the widening of his eyes, which clearly indicated the effort he was putting into recognising Ranav.

"Abhinav," Akshara calls from behind Ranav as she stands with an encouraging smile at the door, with one hand resting on the jamb. She nodded at Abhinav as if to say 'Yes, this is our son'. Ranav knelt in front of Abhinav with tears, which he had been holding in since he received the news, sliding down his cheeks as he put a smile on his face with hope shining in his eyes. Ranav looked back at Abhinav with anticipation.

"Araa!" Abhinav could barely form the words but Ranav heard it. Though Abhinav's body was stiff and worn out since the moment he woke up, he grunted as he tried to push himself up but he could barely get himself halfway. Ranav held him as Akshara rushed to help him up. Abhinav gets into a sitting position. He was still shocked with how big his little boy had gotten. Abhinav was told that he had been in a coma for 18 years and that Abhir's name had been changed since. It didn't matter to Abhinav if his son's name had been changed or if he was 25 years old. All that mattered was that he was healthy and had grown into an adult, yet Abhinav could only see his 7-year-old little Nikki Ji looking back at him. Everything had changed but still, it all felt the same to Abhinav and Ranav as if they had gone back in time. "H- How are yo-" Ranav started nodding even before Abhinav could finish his sentence.

"I am great, Papa," Ranav said as he wrapped his hands around Abhinav, pulling him into a hug, and exhaling softly. He couldn't stop himself from taking in a sniff of him. Under all the odour of medicines and cleaners, his father still smelt the same. " Never felt better," Ranav said with his eyes closed.

***

Maya lays on her bed wondering how Ranav is and what his interaction with his father after all these years felt like. She only realized after Ranav left that she didn't have his phone number. The only way she contacted him until now was through the landline in Maheshwari's house. She couldn't ponder on it for long as she remembered her tasks. She was supposed to contact Preethi Aunty, who had brought the match for Ketki Bua 18 years ago. Preethi Aunty probably has more knowledge of what went down in Kekti Bua's marriage. Aishwarya, Maya's 16-year-old cousin, is apparently in a boarding school which was the consequence of Bua confronting Ms. Meenakshi about her knowledge regarding her husband's first marriage. This led to a series of arguments between Ms. Meenakshi and Bua, in which her husband Rishab chose to send Aishwarya away in order to have leverage over Bua who threatened to reveal to everyone the truth about her marriage. It was unclear what exactly she was referring to. Preethi Aunty did not know any more details despite being a close friend of Ms. Meenakshi which meant that whatever the secret was that Bua knew was important enough that Meenakshi went to such levels to keep it under the rug. She even sent her granddaughter to boarding school in order to shut Bua up.