Kal Kya Patah, Mile Na Mile, Nazdeekiyan... O' Saathiya - RiKara TS

Part 3

WARNING: mature themes - not gone into explicitly.

Bareilly

'Vishwaas... Trust...Umeed... Hope... Yakeen... Belief...'

The ideology that had kept Gauri Kumari Sharma, paanchvi pass from Bareilly, going. Or at least that was what she had assumed. The reality was that all these things had lulled her into a false sense of security. She had thought that as long as maintained these things in her heart, it would all be okay. She was wrong.

'Dabaang... Fearless... Hasmukh... Cheerful... Khudaar... Self-reliant...'

The things that defined Gauri Kumari Sharma, paanchvi pass from Bareilly. Or at least she'd fooled herself that it was so. The reality was that she was a coward, who had lost her real smile long ago and for years had hidden behind a fake one, relying on her loved ones to drive her forward... relying on her ailing mother for moral support... how khudaar of her. She had thought that she was brave enough to face any hurdle, courageous enough to outlast any storm. She was wrong.

Looking into the mirror, a stranger stared back at her. Clad in burgundy and gold, there sat a young girl laden with jewels and adorned with red eyes and a pale white face. A tear drop fell from her brimming eyes and left a watery trail down her cold cheeks. Gauri could not recognise the face in the mirror. Who was this person? This weak, broken, ruined... doll. This defeated creature... This was not Gauri Kumari Sharma, panchvi pass from Bareilly... this was an imposter... this being had overtaken her body... this girl that had lost... the girl that had lost everything...GO AWAY! Gauri needed to get rid of her. Hastily she lifted her hands and scrubbed away the tears, scratching her cheeks as she did so. Gazing back into the glass she tried to lift the corners of her lips - tried to put on her smile. If she could only smile, then this imposter would have to leave... she would be forced out. Her lips trembled with effort, but did not lift... her eyes welled more. There was no imposter - this was her. This was what she had been reduced to. This damaged toy was her. She was wrong.

Two weeks ago (Mumbai)

Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi had left the tuition centre she had been attending to learn English with a beaming smile. Arjun Sir had commended her for her extra effort and claimed she was progressing at an astonishing rate. He had assured her that soon she would be able to express herself to her husband in the language she had learnt for him. Gauri wanted to clear the misunderstandings that had always created a wall between them because she truly respected OmkaraJi and wanted to him to respect her too. To bring about the day he could look upon her as an equal, she had decided to take up these classes - it was not about his approval... Gauri now had something to prove to herself. She had never been a quitter and if there was something missing in her then she would do her best to fill that space. OmkaraJi had many of the qualities she respected in others, and now she was attempting to adopt some of those that he seemingly valued. Initially she had believed that her level of literacy mattered little to him, but since the exhibition that high opinion of him had taken a slight hit. However, Gauri was anything but unfair, and she realised that OmkaraJi probably never imagined marriage with someone not on his level educationally, and perhaps he had been taking his time to adapt to this change from his intended path - so why couldn't she help him out by bridging the gap a little. Gauri never wanted to be a cause of embarrassment for him, so when Bade Bhaiyya offered up the idea, she jumped at the chance.

Humming quietly, Gauri hailed a rickshaw and was just about to climb in when her phone rang. Knowing how hard it was to listen and be heard in this Mumbai traffic, she apologised to the driver and let him go, attending to the call.

"Hello."

"Gauri! Gauri tumhari Maa! Gauri tumhari Maa ki tabeeyat bohot kharaab ho gay hai. Tum please wapas aajao jaldi, Gauri. Abhi ajao Gauri! Gauri! Gauri your Maa's health has seriously detoriated. You please return quickly, Gauri. Come now Gauri!" It was Richa's frantic voice on the other line.