The Rose In His Garden (Completed)

05

One day Arnav is tending the rose plant in his balcony when Khushi dropped the bomb on him.

"Arnav, I'm pregnant."

"What?? I'm not falling for your trick." He said knowing his crazy wife and returned his concentration back to the plant.

"I'm serious Arnav. See this." Saying this she gave him three pregnancy sticks of different brands. All showing a pink line which indicates that she is pregnant.

"How can it be possible?? We were supposed to start the procedure for IVF." He looked at the stick and then at her.

"Well, this proves that condoms can't be trusted." She said with a grin.

"Do you know how many weeks you are in?" A worried Arnav asked her. The baby inside her womb might have his condition or not, it's a 50 - 50 chance.

"If my calculations are correct, I'm five weeks pregnant." She estimated her periods time and guessed it.

"We should go and consult a gynaecologist as soon as possible. Get ready Khushi." He moved towards the cupboard and started to take out his things.

"Arnav, why are you panicking?? We can take it slowly." She can understand his actions. He is worried about the baby inheriting his condition.

"Khushi, can't you understand the seriousness of the matter or you are trying to act cool?? We have to find out if the baby has TCS or not."

"Arnav what will you do if our baby has TCS?" She asked the most crucial question and waited for his response. She feared to hear what seems to be in his mind.

"Khushi, I don't want us to fight. We will terminate this pregnancy if the baby has TCS." He knew that she is going to get angry at him for saying that. He knows the life he had, a life full of bullying and exclusion. He doesn't know if he can tolerate seeing his child going through that path.

"Do you really think that I will abort our baby?? I can never do that Arnav. There is only fifty per cent of chance for our baby to have TCS." She enlightened him.

"I'm afraid about that fifty per cent chances. I can't see our baby going through what I have been." A tear rolled down from his eyes as he remembered his bitter past. She made him sit on the bed and held his hand.

"Arnav, tell me what all you are afraid of?? Talk to me. Tell me everything that is going on your mind right now." She made him look at her and saw his vulnerable face. She knows that his scars run deeper than she can imagine. We are living in a world where being a little fat is a big issue. In the case of Arnav, everything intensifies more than that of a normal person.

"Khushi from birth I have endured a lot of bullying and harassment because of my look. Most of the children grew up in a world where people are perfect. Even on TV, they see only the handsome heroes and heroines. So it will be hard for them to accept that people like me exist in this world. I understood that when I was a teenager." He said with a sad smile.

"The world is not only for the people we saw on tv, everyone should accept that." She kissed his knuckle and urges him to continue.

"When I was small I used to wonder why nobody wants to be my friend. Slowly I realised that it's all because of my looks. I look different from my friends. My eyes, my cheeks, my jaws, my lips, my ears and in total my face looked different from that of my classmates. I used to ask my parents to make my face like that of my friends, all I got in reply to my plea were their disappointed and tear-filled expression. For years I prayed to God to make my face like that of my classmates. After years of prayer, I understood that I'm going to remain like that forever, without any friend or companion. Slowly I started to drift away from God. It was Shyam who was there for me when I was in school. Ignorance from my classmates made me an introvert. I was happy when a boy befriended me when I as in the third standard, but later I realised that he did that only to have his homework to be done on time. They used to call me names such as ugly boy, ugly duckling, alien, one-eared dump, chashmish, skinny man, bacteria. Thought out my childhood I hated myself, loathed the sight of myself in the mirror." Tears rolled down from their eyes as he said this. Khushi squeezed his hand staring at him.