******* Part 5 *******
"Chalo
Radhika, ab Bidaai ka waqt hai" Mrinalini said as she entered the room. The
whole marriage had gone smoothly, there were not many people present at the
wedding, just close relatives and few family friends. The marriage had taken
place at the Haveli upon serpanch's insistence instead of at the temple as it
was planned. Mrinalini was just glad that the wedding happened without any
mishap, her brother as promised followed all the rituals, took the pheras, tied
the mangalsutra and filled the maang with sindoor but he never did once glance
at Radhika. Mrinalini sighed, Radhika had too much to do, she wondered if the
girl was capable of following what Mrinalini planned for her…………
***********
"Tum dono yanhee ruko main arti ki thali lathi
hoon" Mrinalini said, walking past them and entering the house to get
everything in order for the grah-pravesh of the new Bahu, the eldest
daughter-in-law of the Raghvansh family. She ignored the envious look Muskaan
was giving to Radhika, whose face was still concealed with the ghunghat. Mrinalini
smirked as she arranged the thali and the kalash remembering the shocked face of
Muskaan when she saw Radhika, and then later the surprised faces of rest of the
family members, they all were surprised and shocked by seeing the beauty of
Radhika.
Dev
Raghvansh watched silently as his sister performed all the Ghra-Pravesh rituals
happily. He was happy to see the smile and happiness back on his sister's face,
for the past two years every since Sia's death he had felt like he had lost his
sister along with his niece but now seeing her so happy and back to her normal
self gave him immense relief. It did not matter that he had to sacrifice his
freedom for it, it did not matter that he had to use Vishaka and break her heart for it,
it did not matter that he had to forget about the feelings he was developing
for Vishaka because it all meant nothing when it came to seeing his sister
happy and out of depression.
Mrinalini
watched happily as her brother and his wife entered the house, she had never
been this happy before in her life. Her long waited dream of seeing her brother
married and settled has finally came true, and she had fulfilled the promise
she had made of finding the most beautiful girl for her brother. She watched as
Radhika staggered while walking in, she quickly moved to help her but stopped
seeing her brother helping her.
"Sabhal
ke" whispered Dev to his wife holding her left arm as she steadied herself.
Radhika
nodded her head, holding back the cry from pain; his hold on her arm was tight.
She did not want to be here, she did not want to live in this new haveli with a
new family. She did not know what marriage really meant, she did not know what
she was suppose to do as a wife, she did not know what it meant to be a Bahu of
the family as this stranger who her father called Mrinalini had constantly been
calling her. All she knew was that she wanted to get away from everything; she
wanted to go back to her room and live her life in seclusion as she was used
to. She did not like this new life her father had thrust her in, she had cried
and begged her father to let her stay in the haveli but all her pleading went
unheard. He had simply ordered her to stop with the crying and get ready for
the marriage. For the first time in her life Radhika felt hatred for her father
when he had pushed her inside the car and sent her away from him to this new
life, to this new family to live amongst strangers who were now her family. She
was torn. Part of her was elated to finally be away from her father and
brothers tortures but the other part was filled with grief to be thrown away
from the only place she ever knew but mostly she was terrified to finally be
married to the man whom her brothers had told the horrifying tales about his
tortures. She just hoped that he was not too horrible to her, not as mean as
her brothers have been telling her for years.
Radhika
did not know how she lived through the past two days, with these strangers
staring at her, asking her questions, applying stuff on her face and body and
dressing her up in the most heaviest and the beautiful dress she had ever seen.
She had sat still throughout the whole process, following every instruction as
a robot, her mind was far away from her body, her mind and her soul was in her
room, in the basement where she sat on her bed reading her favorite book. But even
that practice didn't seem to work because every now and then her mind returned
to the happenings around her, she felt the many eyes on her, she cringed at the
loud voices all around her controlling the urge to cover her ears with her
hands and flee back to her room. Her mind returned when she felt her father
placing her hand on the stranger's hand who was now going to be her husband,
her mind returned when the stranger tied the long black and gold beaded thread
on her neck, her mind returned when she felt his fingers filling something on
her parted hair. She did not know why her mind returned to her body at these
times, she did not know why she could not return back to her sanctuary away
from all the crowd and loud voices. She had felt like she was trapped in her
own body. She just needed to perform the task in front of her so as not to
anger her father or brothers or shame her pati. She
remembered giving her father and brothers pleaded look, her eyes begging them
to not send her away but her father had only glared at her in anger and her
brothers smirked as they watched her drive away from the haveli in the car
filled with strangers. She had remained still with fear throughout the long
drive, her head bent down as she sat beside her husband afraid to even make
slight movement in the presence of these strangers.
"Matarani
ki kripa se sab kuch theek se ho gaya" It was the voice of Kamini that brought
Radhika back from her thoughts.
She
sat there on the sofa beside her husband as everyone talked about the marriage.
The voices were getting louder, they were too many people around her, she
grasped her hands together in a tight grip fighting the urge to run and hide in
her room away from the crowd and the loudness. Then she felt it, she saw it,
she was back in her room sitting on the bed reading her favorite book there was
no voices and no people, everything was just like it always was….. She was away…
far away from the reality; she was back at the haveli….. she was completely
unaware of her surrounding, she did not see the people around her, she did not
hear the voices of Vivek and Rahul teasing Dev, she was safe in her room with
her book…..
"Radhika"
Mrinalini called out; getting no response she placed her hand on her shoulder
and shook her.
Radhika
came back to her surroundings when she felt someone shaking her. She drew in a
long breath realizing there was no going back to that life again. She watched
through her veil as Kamini asked if she was alright.
"Chalo
Radhika, you must be tired. Mein tumhe tumhara kamra dikha dethi hoon"
Mrinalini said wrapping an arm around Radhika's shoulder and walking her up the
stairs to her new room. All the while chatting about how she will like her new
room and this new house. Radhika just walked with her in a daze, her eyes drifting
from the hand placed on her arm to Mrinalini's face in wonder. She didn't know
what to do, she was in shock, for the first time in many years someone had
touched her with care, after many years someone was looking at her with such
affection. It was affection Radhika was sure of it, as she had seen that same
look before, she had been bestowed with the same smile and the same
affectionate eyes before but that had been many years ago….. when she had felt
loved, when she had someone who held her, who loved her….. but that person had
died a long time ago…. Her mother had broken the promise to be with her forever
and left her alone to live a lonely life….. her mother……
"This
is your new room, I hope you will like it and if you don't then we can always change
it according to your choice" Mrinalini said as she sat beside Radhika on the
bed and lifted her veil to look at her.
"Bilkul
Pari ho tum" Mrinalini said as she stared at Radhika's beautiful face. She
smiled when she saw Radhika tried to cover her yawn with her hands. "You are
very tired. Why don't you freshen up and rest for a while. It will take some
time for Dev Bhai so just rest till he comes" Mrinalini said as she patted
Radhika's head. Radhika looked at Mrinalini with fear and confusion, not
understanding what she was taking about. Who was this Dev and why would he come
to her room? Will he hurt her? what did she do wrong?
"Tumhara
Pati hai yanhi pe tho ayenga. Yeh kamra ab tum dono ka hai" Mrinalini explained
upon seeing Radhika's confused face wondering why the confusion, she had
explained everything to the girl while dressing her in the wedding attire. "Your
bag is beside that table, I will leave now. We have too much work tomorrow. Kal
muh-dikhai hai, aur phir tumhe halwa bhi toh banana hai na kal subha nashte me"
Mrinalini explained Radhika.
Radhika
stared in shock, her eyes wide open, as she watched Mrinalini lean in and kiss
her forehead wishing her goodnight before walking out of the room. Radhika sat
still in shock, confusion and amazement at the behavior of this stranger who
instructed her to call her 'Didi". She could not believe it; she hesitantly
raised her hand and touched her forehead, tears falling down her eyes as she
was reminded of her mother after so many years….. the one person who had loved
her, the one person who use to wish her goodnight every night by kissing her
forehead. She stood up and walked towards her bag, took out her white kurta she
wore for bed and walked towards the door Didi had pointed as the bathroom. She was
in a trance as she replayed the moments spent with Didi, every word, every
gesture she gave Radhika reminded her of her mother…..
"Ma….
Yeh Pati kya hota hai" 5 year old Radhika asked her mother.
"Pati
woh hota hai jo aurat ko pura karta hai" Krishna answered wondering why her
daughter wanted to know about it.
"Kya
Pati bura hota hai Ma? Kya woh bohut marta hai, Baba and Dadaji ki tarha"
Radhika asked as she nestled in her mother's arms. She did not understand the
definition her mother gave her of Pati.
"Aapse
kisne kaha Pati bura hota hai?" Krishna asked her as she hugged her daughter.
"Nirendra
Bhaiyaji ne kaha, he said he will tell Baba to send me to my pati and then my
pati will beat me and will make me work and take away all my books" Radhika informed her mother lifting her head from her
mother's shoulder. "Kya woh sahi kehrahein hai Ma? Kya Baba humme sach me Pati
ke paas bhejdenge?" Radhika asked her mother as tears welled up in her eyes
with the fear of getting beaten by pati.
"Arreh
meri beti, don't listen to your brother. No one will send you away till I am
with you. Aur pati itna bura nahi hota, agar kabhi aapko aapke pati ke paas
bhejde toh aap unka ache se khayaal rakhna, unki har baath maanna, unhe kush
rakhna. Agar aap yeh sabh karlo gi toh shayad woh aapse pyaar bhi kare" Krishna
explained her daughter. She did not believe in filling her daughter with tales
of prince charming coming and whisking her away to a life filled with love.
Krishna did not want to give her daughter an illusion, a hope that will be
broken when she sees the reality of the world. She did not want her daughter to
bear the hurt and loss as she herself had to face when she realized how
different life was from the fairy tales, how different the prince charming was
in real life.
"Jaise
aap humse pyar karthi ho waise Ma?" Radhika asked her mother as she rested her
head on her mother's shoulder again, sucking on her thumb.
"Haan
meri Pari, bilkul waisehi par kya pata shayad aapka pati aapse humse bhi zyaada
pyaar kare" Krishna answered her daughter, placing a kiss on her forehead. She
sighed and prayed to god for her daughter's unknown future.
Radhika
drifted off to sleep with the memories of her mother which seemed to suddenly
surface from inside her heart where she had hidden them but looking at Mrinalini,
seeing the same affectionate smile and care in her eyes had reminded her of her
mother. She had long forgotten the good times of her life she had spent when
her mother was alive, for the past ten years she had lived trying to forget all
those good memories and she was successful in forgetting everything about her
mother but now they were all coming back to her….
****Angel****
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