Sharma; the shrew
''mom kinjal is touching my stuff''' eight year old Aliya whinned to her mother who was no where in sight.
''i'm not touching your stuff, i'm only checking them'' kinjal retorted opening the little ballerina musical box her elder sister had gotten for her birthday just a month ago.
''kinjal, get out of my room''
''you can't kick me out --''
Aliya, studied kinjal face that a look of satisfaction and amusement also, '' yea, watch me --'' walking angrily towards kinjal she held her by her hand and dragged her to the door only to bump into another person.
''mom, look Ali was kicking me out of here'' taking the opportunity kinjal made her mark in her mothers book with that sweet innocent look of hers, '' she was so mean to me! you know.'''
''i asked her to go away nicely but she wouldn't listen to me''
Nupur groaned and pushed aside her burgandy brown hair that outline her oval shaped face perfectly. This was a normal rountine in a house filled with two little girls, girls who were moody, and filled with tanturms but it wasn't like she hadn't done her best to control them. She had but once in a while she did wonder why he left her all alone, what did she lack? Oh, wait she knew what she lacked, she wasn't a women of taste, sophistication, grace and not to forget she could never satisfy him physically. But within those 10 years of marriage if something was worth it all, than it would have to be her children, her two daughters whom she loved more than anything in the world. One look at them and everything she had suffered through seemed like a walk in the park.
''mom, i want kinjal to knock next time she comes into my room'' Nupur looked down at aliya, the girl had grown to be a beaut even at the tender age of 8. Her black locks of her hair and those big brown eyes she had inherited from her father only went to make her look more beautiful.
''Mom, i don't have to knock do i?'' next in line kinjal, her sweet kinjal just barely six, was already growing up to fast. The innocense in her eyes was still there and that sense of possesiveness still ran through nupurs vein whenever she look at the two of them.
''mom, she has to knock, this is my room'' aliya retorted eyeing kinjal who was trying to play their mother using her looks. A ploy aliya knew worked too well.
bending down to kinjals level, nupur smiled, '' kinjal i want you to go get ready for school, i need to talk to ali alone''
''but mom -- ''
''kinjal!''
''fine'' giving a look a defeat kinjal stomped towards the door angrily. '' next time you want to come in. knock'' aliya added.
looking over her shoulder, kinjal looked towards her mother, '' fine, if aliya wants you to knock, than kinjal next time you want to come in your sister's room knock please''
'twitching her lips, Kinjal gritted her teeth, ''than she has to knock before coming to my room as well''
Nupur smiled, '' that only seems fair, now run up and get ready'' watching her brisk away, Nupur turned her attention to her eldest daughter, the daughter she knew had been effected by the divorce. The daughter she knew was growing up way to fast for her age. She hadn't wanted to let the children get affected the trials of her and Raj's divorce, but it was impossible, with the court hearings and the lawyer meetings, in between her children were the ones who had been effected gravely by it.
''mom, i wasn't being mean, its just that she comes here and touches my stuff without my permission'' trying to be reasonable was a trait aliya had garnered from her father, while kinjal had gotten nupurs temper. Both were so contrasting to each other but some how without either she would have been incomplete.
Being a mother was not something nupur had anticipated, at the tender age of 20 nupur claimed to have fallen in love with one of mumbai's biggest industrialist and than it took no time for her to convince her parents that she would be very happy with him, so they married her off to him. She was young naive and in love, what could have been a better but along the years she fell out of love while he just got bored with her, she always wondered if he ever loved her to start with it, but never had the courage to ask afraid what pride was left might come crashing down also. But if there was one thing that had made her marriage seem less than a diaster it was her children, aliya who was had been consummated out of a night of passion for her and while kinjal just happened by accident ,she became a great mother. She loved them, nutured them, kept the safe to the best of her possibilities, while raj who had wanted boys never gave the girls the time of the days. Nupur stuck through the marriage for her daughters wanting them to have their fathers shadown upon them but when he didn't even care about them she knew it was time to end what should have ended long time ago.
''Ali, she is your younger sister, you elder than her ofcourse she would want to come here and play with all the exciting things you have''
''but mom, she takes things without permission '--'' the look of clamity had been long gone and replaced was a look of annoyance and irritation. Nupur pulled on aliya wrist and gathered her in her arms, '' whats wrong jana''
''mom, i don't like kinjal taking stuff without my permission''
Nupur touched aliya hair and smile, '' are you sure thats it?''
Aliya playing with her hands looked down sadly, '' and i miss daddy'' there she had said, Nupur knew her eldest daughter too well, so what if there father didnt have any expecttions from them, they had many from from him. After all they were only children and too young to understand the bigger meanings behind things.
'' i'm sure he misses you too,ali'' snuggling her close, nupur released a sigh of breath, '' he is just busy, he will come and visit us someday''
''he doesn't miss us, or you. because he is angry'''appalled by the sudden burst of anger through such a fragile child, nupur didn't move an inch.
''honey he is not angry , he is a just busy''
''no he hates us, because you made him leave '' it took all the stamina nupur had in her at this moment to get up, and look away at the sudden accusation from her daughter, her own blood.
''ali, i didn't make anyone leave''
''yes you did, you made our dad leave. and now he hates us'''
''i'm not going to argue with you things you do not understand, but i will say, your dad left because he wanted not because i made him.''
''than why doesn't he come back'' the torment in aliya's voice seethed through nupur and she knew the questions would only get louder and louder but for now she decided it wan't time to tell them the truth.
''he will come back, once his work is done''
''you promise?'' the hopeful'l look in ali's eye had nupur thinking twice about lying but she couldn't break her, she was only a child, a child who deserved to have their father in her life. '' promise''
the promise was enough to set aliya mood back to normal, '' thank you mom'' leaping in she hugged nupur tightly and kissed her on the cheek, '' i'm going to get ready for school'' she said and left the room.
Nupur sighed to herself and got up to check up on breakfast and get herself ready for her new
job. After the divorce what she had left she used up and even with the girls monthly income from raj, she was barely making ends meets so it was time she started to work again. Her children had needs and wants which she wanted to fufill but more than that she needed to prove to raj, she was not just a showcase piece which he could buy and flaunt around. She has a voice and had a voice back then but she never thought to use it but now, free of his clutches it was time to start life over again and stop depending on others.
After dropping the girls off at school, nupur rushed through the morning traffic praying her boss was not a shrew and would understand her reasons for coming late. Even though she was not going to make a habit of this, sometimes it was impossible to meet up with the demands, but reminding her why she was doing this, nupur held on to her breath and stepped out of the car.
If it weren't for kinjal's shoe mania, she would been here on time, but her little girl was already turning out to be a fashionista at the age of six, it only made her scared thinking how fast they were growing up. And Aliya, 'still brooding about her father had left with a long face, but bracing herself nupur knew she couldn't say or do anything to make their father come back so she let her brood and throw tanturms to vent it out.
Stopping before the glass doors, Nupur looked at herself once more , dressed in a fitted grayscale churidaar, she convinced herself she was ready for this. Yes she was ready, walking inside with a stride she was met by a chirpy receptionist, who was flirting with the guests more than paying attention to her work.
coughing to gain attention, nupur handed her card, '' I'm Mr. Sharma's new secretary ' nupur could have swore she saw a look of pity and sadness shooting towards hers from the secretary, but than it could have been her raw nerves that were starting to act up.
''Mrs, Singhgania?'' her voice was like a hum, when she spoke,
irked by the fact, Rajs last name was still being used as her identity, Nupur shook her head, '' Actually its. Miss Bhushan now''
''Now?'' the raised brows were enough for nupur to understand she would be the talk of the town once she settled in, but she couldn't care less. Raj had made their divorce a publicity stunt rather than a private affair, so to Nupurs knowledge, people already knew she was the two timing wife of mumbai's biggest industrialist.
'' Yes, is there a problem'' stroking the crease in her scard, Nupur looked down at the secretary, she had a round face, and those hawk like eyes made her glow.
''No, Mam.'' handing back the card to nupur, '' Miss, Bhushan. Mr. Sharma is waiting for you. His office is on the penthouse floor. take the elevator to the last floor, I'm sure you'll find it easily''
taking in the directions, Nupur started to walk away but was stopped when she heard the secretary call her, looking over her shoulder Nupur smiled, '' welcome to the sharma's mam'' smiling nupur headed for the elevators.
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Where was she?, He had many other things planned today than to wait around for a secretary whom his father had pounced on him without any notice. He knew his father too well and knew why he had chosen the another secretary for him, but after he was his fathers son, and he planned to beat him at his own game.
When the knock on the door, filled the silent room, Mayank who happened to be looking out the wide window turned around and smiling. if she was anything like those shy, timid and weak girls he had forced to quit before than he knew everything would be back to normal within two days.
''come in!'' his voice bounced off the walls and echoed, but he kept on facing the window, '' i'm very grateful that you decided to join us. Mrs. Singhgania!''
Nupur walked in slowly and quitely, widely disturbed and afraid of the stimulation aura of the room, what put her off about this place, she didn't know but she was to find out very soon 'I'm sorry, Mr. Sharma i was caught up in personal problems''
''so i have read'' his voice was not at all amused, while she felt shivers run up and down her spine, when he turned around and caught her off guard, 'i hope those problems won't cause interference in our work daily or i'm going to have to --''
he was a shrewd, why did she had to end up with a boss whos tactic she knew to well, after all she had lived with a man similar to him for ten years. One look and she could reconize a man from a gentleman. And this man who was standing before her was no gentle, instead he had those rugged, movie stars looks, with those browns conjoined in exaggeration and his lip twitched while his eyes seemed to shoot darts towards her, and they happened to be missing for now. But how much longer, she wondered?
''Like i said, I'm sorry. I dont make a habit of coming late to work. I just had something personal to tend too'' She was so delicate, even though she put up a look of fierceness, she was so fragile and he could see all that but there were layers to her, because all the vibes he felt from her were cold ones, until he had turned around and starred into her eyes for a moment, gaining a look into her vunerable world.
''well, thats all i can ask of you'' taking a seat, Mayank gestured her to sit, while keeping a strong gaze fixed upon her.
She could feel nothing but the heat of his gaze that seemed to have stuck on her. Why couldn't he look else where, she was not that interesting. But still he made no notion to shift his eyes even when he sensed her to be uncomfortable.
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Here is the next part, I'll be posting mostly everyday, since the parts are written out, but if i miss a day, don't get angry.😆
And Guys don't worry, i will use sajjals account to pm people, since she has most of you in her pm list. :D
&& Your welcome. It was no problem asking her to open this thread, all i had to do was ask her and she was happy to obligue.
ENJOYYY.
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