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"Just when I thought things could not get any weirder in this house..." Priya commented sitting in Virat and Manvi's living room.
Virat had gone with Simmy to meet the couple who thought they had lawfully adopted a baby three years ago.
Strangely enough, Manvi took the news coolly and had urged Virat to do whatever he wanted to do.
Virat wanted to see his son and get him back. He had gone to Samir's aunt in the middle of the night demanding the whereabouts of his son. When he realized that the old woman herself did not know, he went to the prison and threatened Samir. Samir agreed to tell him only if he withdrew the case Manvi had against him.
"Listen, you son-of-a-bitch. You better tell me where my son is in the next 10 seconds or god save you, I am going to make it my personal mission to destroy you. You have stolen a baby from an unconscious mother - I will go to every lawyer in the city to find a way in law that will never allow you see the outside of this prison. So help me god, start talking - where is my son?"
After retrieving the address from Samir, along with a lawyer, he and Simmy had left to Atlanta to resolve the issue with the adopting couple. He asked Manvi to accompany him but she said that somebody had to stay with their anxious parents who had not taken the news as well as she had.
"You know what is the most unfair thing?" Priya continues her lament of Simmy. "The bitch has a three year old son and I did not even get to see her pregnant - have morning sickness, become fat. She does not have to wake up in the night, feeding the baby. She does not have to suffer sleepless nights in order to hold the baby when he shrieks in the middle of the night. She has a custom fit low work-load son. I am so jealous of her!"
Manvi rolls her eyes. "She did having morning sickness and she did become fat Bhabhi jaan. She gave birth to him, remember. I wonder what his name is?"
"Hey...You doing okay with all this?"
Manvi shrugs. "She didn't know. He didn't know. She should have told him that she was pregnant but then she should have done a lot of things for Virat."
"Do you think he is Virat's kid, for sure? I mean she was having an affair with Samir while she was married."
"That's not right Bhabhi. She told me that she was never unfaithful to Virat while she was with him."
"Yeah. We should just take her word on it."
"I know you don't like her Bhabhi. But, I gave her a chance and I think she is innocent on this one, other than the fact that she should have told Virat."
"Oh Mannu. When will you learn?" Priya shakes her head sympathetically.
~
Virat called when he was starting back to India. He asked Manvi to tell the gang not to come to the airport to receive them. He said he got the kid. He said the little guy was too scared about everything around him.
"What's his name?" Manvi asked.
"Abhishek. Abhi." Virat told her. She noticed his voice relax when he said his name.
"Abhishek Singh Vadera." Manvi smiled.
"Yes." Virat smiled back. "God! I miss you so much Mannu. I needed you here with me. I am a mess. All this is too much."
"I know. It is going to be okay. How did those parents react. Were they understanding?"
"Taking him away from that couple was the most horrible thing I ever did, Manvi. I could not even look at the face of that lady. They are a nice couple. They could not have kids on their own and so, they had come to India to adopt a baby. They talked to Samir's aunt who was the trustee in an adopting agency. That's their connection to Samir.
They took really good care of him. He is lucky to have found them. I was so scared. All through the flight, I kept dreading about the kind of place he might be in, the kind of days he might have seen; the kind of people that were in his life, especially knowing that these people knew Samir."
"Well, I am glad Abhi is fine."
"Mannu.."
"Yeah.."
"I am sorry about all this..I cannot even begin to think about what you might be feeling."
"Don't be ridiculous and such a drama queen. I am fine. I told you I want to start a family...Well, here it is."
Well, here it is - those were the four words that unburdened him of all his tension. That was what he exactly wanted to hear. Virat could not think of any words to say to her. His eyes filled up. All the tension he had been carrying for the past three days, rolled down his cheek in the form of a small drop of tear. "I love you, angel." he choked on his words and hung up.
~
Even though, Virat had asked her and everyone not to come to the airport, Manvi could not stop herself. She went shopping all day and got every three year old related toy and clothes she liked. Then she went grocery shopping, getting all kinds of things that a three year old may eat. She wondered if Abhi had any allergies.
She prepared a room in their house with all kinds of kiddish things. Satisfied with her work, she drove herself to the airport.
At the airport, she saw Virat carrying a sleeping kid in his arms. Simmy and a middle aged man in a suit was on either sides of Virat. Virat looked at her and his face drew a blank. He looked at Simmy and thought about how Manvi would feel looking at them like this. He knew about her insecurities more than Manvi did.
But, she did not act anything like he expected. She kissed his cheek and cupped his face with one hand, looking into his eyes reassuringly. She hugged Simmy who also was close to tears. "I am sorry, Mannu." Simmy told her.
"You don't have to apologize to me." Manvi told Simmy.
She looked at Abhishek. He was smaller than she had imagined. He had his dad's hair and Simmy's face. She wanted to look at his eyes but they were peacefully closed.
"Let's go home." she told them. She helped Simmy and Virat set Abhi's room with the things his adopted parents sent with him - so that he will find familiar things around him.
"I told them that they can visit him whenever they want and that I will be eternally indebted to the way they had cared for him. It broke my heart to look at that lady." he told Manvi. "Abhi was crying for her all through the flight."
Manvi nodded her head.
Everybody came into the nursery to look at Abhi, one by one. Mom and Dad, however much anxious they were about this new turn of events, were ecstatic when they saw Abhi. He was adorable. Priya did not leave his side. Virat was obsessing not to allow more than two people in the room. Abhi was a curious kid, he was watching everyone with a lot of attention.
Virat told Manvi that he is able to speak but she did not hear him say a single word. She figured he is too wary of the surroundings.
Simmy seemed to know her way around him. She took care of his food, sleep and clothes.
"How are you holding up?" Manvi asked her.
"I am doing fine Manvi. I am glad Virat took charge. It would have taken me a whole lot of time to get Abhi back without him." Simmy confessed.
"I understand." Manvi nodded her head. "Let me know if you need anything. Even if you want to talk about anything."
Simmy hugged her tightly. "I don't want to hurt you Manvi. That is the last thing I want."
"Why does everything think I am going to get hurt?" Manvi asked. "I am just glad I have a new friend to play with. Worry about your son, not me." she assured her and went to Virat.
He was lying on the bed, half-asleep. "Tired from all the travelling?"
"You have no idea. My body is dead. I haven't slept in three days." he told her without opening his eyes.
"He is adorable. He has your hair and your eyes."
Virat smiled without opening his eyes.
"Do you want to talk about anything?"
"Not right now sweetheart. Maybe tomorrow."
"Okay. Good night." she kissed his forehead. He extended his tired hands and pulled her next to him.
"You okay?" he asked her, turning off the light.
"STOP IT!"
"Okay baba. I will."
~
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