Chapter 1
'I love you Geet. I always will.' She woke up with
a jolt sweating and beautifully disheveled. That dream again. He haunted her
dreams and plagued her days. She watched cautiously with her brown large eyes
around the room and saw the pictures of her love. She smiled. Although it was
deep in the night, a steady light flowed in the room. The moonlight. She saw
her computer near the huge window which she had left open for the night. Wind
blew in and her messy brown hair flew all over. She went to the connecting room
to see her love.
She thought love happened only once. It took her
to fall in love again to realize that statement was untrue. She was very much
in love; with her son. He was sleeping with a sweet look on his face. Kunal
looked so like him. She closed her eyes and clutched herself remembering him;
the hazel eyes and the dark hair that she died to put her hands on. Kunal had
his look; the same hazel eyes and that height. Geet was a small woman of height
of 5'2 and he had been 6'2. Her son's height was stretching like his. Kunal had
the dark hair he had. Every bit of Kunal reminded her of him. And now her baby
was sleeping peacefully with the moonlight streaming on his face. He looked
very much like the angel he was. Her angel.
Once she was satisfied, she left his room quietly
and sneaked back in bed. She sighed. She would never be able to put him out of
her mind. She fell back asleep as quickly dreaming about him again.
It was six o'clock in the morning and the birds
had already begun chirping. Geet woke up with a smile. The smile was there
because she did not remember the dream or what happened at night. She tied a
pony tail and went for a quick shower. Her mother Rano was up and about getting
ready too. Geet looked very much like her mother Rano who had a petite build as
well and was just as beautiful as she was three decades ago.
Geet then woke her Kunal up and got him ready.
They then went downstairs to the prayer room and all sang Arti together. Kunal
sang with such enthusiasm that Geet smiled over his head and remembered him.
They all had breakfast and Kunal had his usual
tantrums. 'Mama, I don't want cereal today, please make me toast!'
Geet sighed in frustration. 'Kunal, just five
minutes ago you had asked for cereal!'
'I know mama but now I want toast.' He pouted and Geet did not have the heart to refuse her only son. Who could be able to refuse when Kunal employed that look? 'OK, but no change of mind again, OK!'
'OK mama,' he chirped happily about his and Geet's birthday which was
tomorrow. 'Mama, I'm so excited! We can go for a picnic tomorrow! You can get
an off from work yah?'
Rano then spoke, 'When there's mama who needs a
nani, right?'
'No nani! Obviously we'll be going together and
have fun! I do love you nani and you know that nani!'
'Yes, yes, I do. I was just pulling your leg!' With
that, all of them laughed since this was Kunal's favorite phrase. He couldn't
understand how this phrase came into being when one's leg was not even involved
in anything! 'Yes baba,' Geet said, 'I've got a break from work tomorrow but
you know if there's any emergency I'll be called back.'
'Yes I know Dr. Geet Handa!' As soon as he was
done with breakfast, his school bus arrived and he ran to his mom and hugged
her with a huge, noisy kiss on her cheek. In turn, Geet gave her son a loud,
sloppy kiss too. He then turned to his nani and touched her feet and ran off to
the bus.
Then Rano started, 'Geet beta, I'm so proud of
what you've done to Kunal. He's such a sweetheart. I guess we have faced
similar cirumstances in life, haven't we?'
'Yes mom. I never got my father's name and neither
will he.'
Nisha
Chapter
2
'Geet, I respect your decision about not telling him about your son. But at
least you had a choice in that. I didn't have a say in that. Most people think
that we have made mistakes in our lives. But I don't think I made a mistake.
You know I loved your father so much. You would have a father if he did not
have had a car accident. He didn't even know that you existed,' Rano sniffed.
'I was going to tell him that night about you and we were talking about getting
married. But I think it just wasn't meant to be. I wish he was around and he'd
have given you and Kunal so much love! I know that I did not make a mistake
because I still love him so very much! And I had you; the biggest gift I could
ever have. Then I moved to Nainital from Hoshiarpur to give you a better life.'
Both mother and daughter hugged after this.
'I know mama. I love you and don't worry about this now. I had the best
upbringing anyone could ever want. I'll make sure Kunal has the same upbringing
that you gave me. And mom, I love you so much for the fact that you never once
told me to get married for Kunal. That you trusted me enough to take care of
him and you.' Geet was feeling very emotional today because she was missing him
terribly.
'I love you too. You better get going to the hospital or you know how Meera and
Nandini are going to get the hospital on their heads. God, I'd think that you
three are sisters, and Yash and Dev your brothers. I know I know. Don't give me
that look. You're all just friends and I shouldn't even considering naming you
brothers and sisters because that's when your relationship starts straining
with people. You trust but not too much. Geet, you know no matter what has
happened, you should learn how to trust someone. Why don't you tell anyone
about your past? All they know is that Kunal is your son.'
'Mom, there's no point about telling anyone about my past. I don't want to see
pity for me in anyone's eyes. They know that I was never married and still have
a son and they have accepted me as that. Why should I be creating more
complications for myself by telling them? They're happy like this as I am. I
don't even want anyone to even hear his name from my mouth.'
'If you don't even want anyone to hear his name, then why do you wake up in the
middle of the night every time? Why are you always profusely sweating when you
think about him? I know there's no man in your life and there never will be. I
know you don't regret about that night and you'll never think about anyone, but
why don't you let your loved ones know about him?'
'It's because it still hurts me mama. It still hurts a lot. And I don't want
anyone to see that. I don't want anyone to know that I was made a fool of. I
don't think I can ever live with that. I better get going to Sanjivani as
you've already said that everyone will be throwing tantrums if I get
late.'
Sanjivani was the largest, most reputed hospital in Nainital and in fact in the
whole state of Uttaranchal and the northern part of India. Nainital was a small
but beautiful city. It was so amazingly green that many people who went there
for a vacation became permanent residents of Nainital. Geet drove off to
Sanjivani Hospital in her white Mark II car. She had her music in a soft tone;
just the way she liked it. The song that was playing was Bahut Pyaar Karte Hai
from the movie Saajan. She loved this song with all her might. Whenever she
heard the song, she remembered all the moments she had with him.
********Flashback********
'So, you're new in this university right? And your name is?' he asked.
'Geet, Geet Handa. Yes, I'm new and I don't see why you should be bothered
about that. Now leave me and let me go,' she replied with her head high.
'Oh, so now Miss Geet Handa has attitude. Let's see how long this attitude
lasts. I'm not letting you go till you show us one of your talents. If you have
any that is,' he smirked at this. With one clean move, she had him on his
back.
'Got you! So you were saying? I forgot to mention one thing, don't mess with Geet
Handa!' She walked off after this very humiliating experience. His eyes were
left wide open. He couldn't believe that a girl dressed up like her, who was so
petite against him, could pull off such moves. That was neat and apart from his
humiliation, he was very impressed. So a bhenji could pull that off.
********End of flashback********
Geet sighed. When the song ended she had reached Sanjivani. She walked to the
hospital wearing a beautiful yet simple Punjabi choodidar. It was plain white
with no embroidery on it whatsoever. She looked stunning with her bangles and
her doctor's coat and walked to Nandini's cabin.
'You know tomorrow is Geet's birthday and no-one, and I mean no-one is to call
her. If there's any emergency, you let us know,' came Meera's voice. She was
dressed up in blue jeans and a baby blue shirt with her doctor's coat on
her.
'You better get that right because if Geet is seen in the hospital tomorrow,
first me and Meera will kill you then Kunal will get at your back. You better
understand that!' Nandini was lecturing the ward boy. Nandini was looking
gorgeous in her pink kurti and black jeans. The ward boy looked crestfallen and
nodded. He walked out of the office and saw Geet.
'Good morning ma'am,' he said smiling. He just looked at the three of them and
wondered how three women could be so close to one another that if one of had a
problem the other two would be running to get it right. He just went to his
other duties.
Geet smiled and entered the cabin. 'Good morning. I can see you getting mad at
the poor ward boy. What has he done? Wow, I'd be scared right out of my mind if
I was him.'
'Hi Geet. Well, Kunal said he'll kill us if you were called in the hospital
tomorrow. It's not everyday that two birthdays are celebrated together
especially if the pair is mother and son instead of twins! So Meera and I
wanted to live for a few more years so we decided that you will not be called
in tomorrow. Instead Meera, Yash, Dev and I can take up any emergencies,' Nandini
said with a bright smile.
Meera agreed and said, 'That is one advantage of having your close friends in
the same field of work as you. We're all surgeons and we can replace one
another perfectly!'
Geet laughed innocently. 'Yes, I can see how big an advantage that is. I
promise I'll take up your emergencies in the future alright? You guys are the
best. I can't believe Kunal actually did that and did not mention it to me this
morning. He's such a sweetheart.'
'Geet, he's growing up real fast. In no time he'll be getting married, I know
that sounds like a far-away thought but it will happen in a blink of the eye.
We love him as our own son. Right, Nandini?'
'Uhun, he's fortunate to have three mothers of whom two are fraternal twins and
two fathers who are actually brothers. Isn't this fascinating?'
'Oh God, how I love all you guys! I don't know what I'd do without you!'
Nisha