Dear Readers,
we are finally back with an update and we apologies for delaying it yet again. But u guys must be used to it by now 😉
We specially dedicate this part to Those 2 Friends whom we both love
from the deepest bottoms of our heart and without them our lives would
be void and empty.
This part goes out for Rhea (our darling
Peekaboo) and Armaan, we lucky gals have a guy named Armaan in our lives
(our Mr.Shareef) 😆
the story of Riddhima in this part is
actually the truth of Someone's life and we both are proud of him for
being a strong guy and overcoming each and every obstacle of his life...
just one thing for u here YOU ARE THE BEST 😃
___________________________
Armaan showing his concern for Riddhima made it extremely difficult for
her what she wanted to do. Riddhima had kept her emotions, her feelings,
her insecurities bottled up in her soul for a lifetime now and she
couldn't help but feel the need to vent it out now. But what scared her
was, "will Armaan understand me ? Or show sympathy for me like every
other normal human being shows towards the unfortunate ones?"
Riddhima had often noticed her friends pitying those who were tied by
their fate and till now she had never confided in anyone thinking they
might behave in the same manner towards her. What if they started
behaving differently with her?
Riddhima was brought back to her senses when Armaan's message popped on her chat box.
"Hey Riddhima…"
She was debating with her inner voice and her mind to whether start
this conversation ..whether to actually confide in a stranger. 'maybe
its better to be pitied by a stranger than your loved one…if this goes
wrong..i shall block him..big deal'
"Hey "
"are u free for now…errm…we can talk u know..if u want../"
"well im free…say"
"have u been crying" Armaan tried to start the conversation with a lot of guts.
"no..they have dried up " She lied.
"look Riddhima..i know its difficult to place your trust on me..we had
just met and hardly know each other..but as a matter of fact..i know
that your not fine…its just..what can u call it..yeah..sixth sense…and I
wanna share your burden" He sounded extremely concerned and worried about
her
"Armaan its not like that..i mean..i donno how to say..i have never confided in anyone before and …I really donno what to say"
"Riddhima I can see its difficult for u…but I just wanna say that I cant
promise if I will understand your problems Because the person who goes
through them only understands them and know what it is like to be in
that position…but I promise..i will listen patiently..through
everything..and definitely wont do what others do every time they here a
sad story"
"what do others do?" Riddhima asked confused at his words
"pity them.."
Riddhima was surprised and her apprehensions about confiding in Armaan
were definitely fading away..but one's mind thinks too much..well God
has made it that way right? To obstruct the voice of your heart
"what if I still feel like im being pitied upon though u don't do it purposely?"
"Trust Me..u wont regret it " Armaan sighed..'I hope she speaks her heart out now..or I will die out of worry and anxiousness'
"ok …I think I can do this" Riddhima exhaled.
"good now start speaking..im here"
"u wanna know the whole thing?"
"well the more u vent..the better I would say"
"wouldn't it be difficult..i mean typing..im aalsi " She pouted
"LOL I wouldn't mind even calling you if u give me your number..and please
for heaven sake don't think of me as one of those wanna bes' who are just
trying to get closer to a gal by getting number , pictures and stuff"
"haha…I didn't take u that way…but honestly..cant give away my number ..any other way out?"
"errmm….come on Skype if you r there"
"well I think I have a skype profile…had made it sometime back..wait lemme check"
Riddhima hurriedly fished out her Skype profile and added Armaan. But
before they could make a phone call to each other Riddhima put up a
condition in font of him
They Wouldn't Do Video Calling
Armaan was very much expecting this condition considering Riddhima's reserve nature so he hardly objected it.
He finally made the call to which Riddhima hit the answer button.
Silence prevailed between both the callers. No one knew what to
say..how to say…how to start speaking..talking..finally breaking the ice
between the Duo , Armaan spoke
"Hey Riddhima..you are there right?"
Wow..did she just hear such a sexy voice..so deep …so husky…so ..so…ughh..leave it..the gal is out of words..too mesmerized!!!
Coming our of the reverie Riddhima replied
"Hi..Ar..Armaan"
Now it was Armaan's turn to gasp…Ms.Khan sounded like honey sweet.
"Ok I donno what to say and how to say..like shall we continue from where we left on FB?"
"umm..yea..and Armaan… I hope you didn't mind me keeping that condition..i mean.."
"its ok Riddhima…I can understand…no need to explain..and yeah…once we
are done with our purpose of conversing here..u shall tell me the reason
behind a Hindu name for a Muslim girl..ok?" he tried sounding all cool
and calm..trying to keep her at comfort…but what he didn't knew was….
"the story you want to hear is the reason behind my Hindu name Armaan"
Riddhima was left dumfounded when Armaan said those words but yet she
calmed herself down and finally made up her mind to lighten the burden
of her heart..for once and for all…Hopefully
Some years back…down the memory lane …when Riddhima was 14
Riddhima Khan was home alone and wasn't complaining at all.
She had the
whole house to herself.it was summer time and she was leaving no stone
unturned to enjoy and make the most of them.
Riddhima did whatever she
liked and whatever she felt like doing..
Cooking, dancing, singing, reading novels all night, playing badminton with her daddy dear, skating ..blah blah blah
Riddhima unlike many enjoyed being home alone..she always liked having
the space to herself ..she loved spending alone with herself.
That
day she was having this sudden craving to read some old novel of Mills
and Boon which were perfectly stacked in the library of their house. But
to her bad luck she couldn't find it anywhere in the room. She was
losing her patience going through racks after racks.
Riddhima went over to the drawers where some old files were kept hoping to find it there.
But what she found were
…. Her Adoption Papers
Riddhima could nit believe her eyes to what she saw. She couldn't grasp
in the fact that she wasn't the actual daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Khan
but an adopted child.
She went through the papers again and again
thinking she might be reading something wrong or maybe it was a scary
nightmare but it wasn't so. The reality hit and she slumped on the
wooden floor with a bang. Gulping down the lump which had formed in her
throat and had started to hurt her and finally inhaling some air after
moments of being almost choked, tears started to run down her eyes
..tracing a watery path across her cheeks.
She remembered all
those times when many of her friends inquired about her Hindu name and
she didn't have an answer and whenever she asked her parents they would
confidently answer saying that they loved the name so just kept it on an
impulse and she blindly believed them.
With her trembling fingers
she gripped the file and started to read it. She came to know that she
was adopted at a very early when she wasn't even a year older.there were
also some reports of Mrs.Khan which stated that she couldn't become a
mother and she drew a conclusion behind the reason for her being adopted
by them.
Riddhima had gone through them again and again and
had sat there in the library forgetting about the world she just kept
questioning herself and God the questions which she got no answers to.
She couldn't help but feel abandoned though she had a name, a family, a
family which she could call her own. Who were her real parents? Why had
they left her to rot in this cruel world alone? There were questions
and more questions and there was no answer..
She was getting
frustrated every passing second when the door bell rang. She ignored it
at first but then realized that it must be her 'parents'.
She for
once wasn't excited at running to the door to welcome them and went in
slowly and without even looking at them or greeting them she just stepped
aside and let them enter the house.
"Riddhima !! im so glad to see u…
"Riddhima Beta..im so glad to see u after such a long day..ghar aake
Riddhima ka chehra dekh lo..poori thakaan mitt jaati hai" he said giving
her a side hug to which she barely reciprocate.
"Arey
Riddhima…tune khana nahi khaya? Tu bhookhi thi poore dinn? Kya hua?" her
mother asked her shocked to see the food laying on the dinner table
untouched..just as she had left it.
"Kuch nahi Ammi..bhookh
marr gayi…" Riddhima spoke void of any emotions. She was hurt, angry and
felt utterly betrayed. She couldn't understand the reason behind them
keeping her adoption thing under wraps.
"Kyu beta..tabiyat theek nahi hai kya? " Asma asked worried.
"Nahi bas ye dekh kar" Riddhima showed them the papers of her adoption
and it felt as if the ground had been snatched beneath the feet of the
couple.
It was a long night at their home when the
confrontation took place. Riddhima , her father and her mother had cried
buckets of tears. The couple left no stone unturned to make her realize
her worth in their life and they begged her to forgive them.
Riddhima
was taken to the orphanage she was adopted from and the authority there
gave her the full information on how and when she was found.
Riddhima was found wailing beneath a tree near the woods on a chilly
night when the late owner of the orphanage had picked her up and nursed
her. She was merely some days old.
She a Hindu whose ancestors had come
to Pakistan after the separation and so she named her Riddhima. Asma and
Ahmed Khan had visited the place to adopt a child just few days after
the incident and Asma couldn't help but fall in love with the little
bundle and they then and there decided to make her a part of their
family.
They had decided not to change her name Because that was whom she
actually was. They had decided to keep this news a secret to her until
she grew old enough to understand the gravity of it. But destiny had its
own plans and she had found it before they could tell her which shook
her immensely.
Riddhima sobbed and sobbed uncontrollably while
all Armaan sat at his end dumbfounded with her words. He couldn't
understand how to console the sad soul.
"Riddhima..take your time..im here..calm down please…" Armaan told her in a soft tone.
"Arm..Armaan.." she was hiccuping now.
"Riddhima do as I say please.."
" hhmm.."
" firstly Riddhima please go and have a glass full of water dear.."
And she started doing what he told her to do..
" now go and stand in front of the mirror and look at yourself…"
"Armaan I just told you such an important part of my life and u.."
"riddhima look at your beautiful face which im sure looks too gloomy
right now..and if its actually like it..well I know..its that way..so go
and wash your face and then come back"
Riddhima finally calmed down herself and came back to talk with Armaan.
"I am back" she said meekly…
"Riddhima ..u feel better now?"
"hhmmm.."
"acha may I ask you some questions?"
"hmm…"
"ok lets do it..but please don't answer in a 'hmmm'?"
Armaan tried to lighten up the atmosphere a little bit which he
actually succeeded in because he was sure he heard Riddhima chuckle
lightly.
"riddhima did they ever make you feel like you're an adopted child?"
"No"
"did they ever act differently around you after that incident?"
"No"
"you think they don't love you?"
"Armaan what are u asking..such lame questions…they love me a lot but.."
Riddhima didn't know how to put her feelings into words..She had never been good at it..
"go ahead Riddhima..I am all ears.."
"im scared Armaan..scared that they might stop loving me one day if I
do something wrong ..its like you see in movies right..ki if an adopted
child does something wrong the parents lash bitterly on him and the
child is disowned..you know..what I mean right?
What if they leave
me forever to deal with this world alone just like my actual parents to
didn't even care about me..who left me to die …"
The picture started getting clear for him..why did she behave in the manner she did…he let her continue…
"Armaan I have a loving family but when you are an adopted child there
is always a part of you that questions your actual identity..the reason
for being the way you are today..
Why did my parents leave me? Was I
an unwanted child? I am a girl..so maybe they left me to have rot and
try for another child..a son…or maybe they were so poor that they
couldn't have brought me up…Armaan jab paalna hi nahi tha toh paeda hi
kyu kiya unhone mujhe..isse achha maar daalte naa?" and she was sobbing
yet again…
"Riddhima I can understand your fears..your
insecurities and your turmoil here but you need to move on from that
phase…look riddhima Allah wanted you to have a happy family, a family
which could love you the way you are loved today… you were born to fill
the hollow of someone else's life . I don't really know how to put it
into words Riddhima but you are getting what I am trying to say right?"
"Hmm…do you pity me or sympathies with me Armaan?"
" no..actually I am absolutely proud to have known a person like
you..so strong..so level headed yet so vulnerable ..and im glad you
spoke your heart out to me today..i hope I helped.." Armaan said .
"I can be more thankful to you Armaan…you're a gem of a friend…thank you."
"oyye don't you start with this thanks and blah blah business..i am so not gonna tolerate it..gotcha?"
"yeah" Riddhima said with a smile. She actually felt so relieved to
have talked to Armaan about this. Opening up to him actually took their
newly found friendship to another level of trust and affection. She
could finally let go of her fears and insecurities
"Riddhima
today when your parents come back…give them a tight hug okay? And let
them know that they are precious to you as much as you are to
them..hmm?"
" I will"
"good girl and now don't cry anymore..okay? I hate women crying specially beautiful women crying.." Armaan flirted
"and how do you know I am beautiful?" riddhima said with a cocky grin
"well I saw your pictures in Sana's profile"
"huh? What? I told Sana not to put up my pictures..ughh..im s not leaving her" Riddhima fumed
"ohhh Foolann devi..chill I was kidding I haven't seen your
pictures..relax..but I am sure your beautiful just like your voice" he
said in awe
Riddhima blushed.."well thank you.." that's all she
could manage and she was so glad that they weren't doing a video call or
Armaan would have left no stone unturned to tease her on her blushing. "
you also look and sound good" she said shying and lowering her gaze as
if he was having his eyes set on her .
Armaan felt butterflies
in his stomach and his heart thumping hard when she said that and she
pressed his heart hard with his fist …and there was a silly grin on her
face.
"okay Riddhima I think I should take a leave ..its pretty late and I have a packed schedule ahead of me ..so good night.."
"oh sure..good night..and thanks..oopps..no thanks…and when can we talk again?"
"call pe?"
"well whatever your okay with?"
"hmm..i think soonish…lets see…im all free for you"
"tum kabhi chance maarne se nahi chookoge naa?" she huffed in fake anger..
"well…." "Riddhima…you wont cry anymore right?" he seemed genuinely concerned.
"no I wont..pinky promise" Riddhima giggled.
"good and if you do..just go in front of the mirror and im sure the dark circles will help you control your tears " he laughed
"shutup moron..now go.."
"okay bye"
But before Riddhima could cut the call..Armaan stopped her..
"uumm..Riddhima I have something more to say to u.."
"yeah say? "
"wo actually" "yeah go ahead"
" I just wanted to remind you…" he said slowly…
"haan say naa Armaan"
"well-just-don't-look-good-I-look-HOT" he said it in a go and cut the
call reminding Riddhima of her stupidity she had done sometime back and
she was left staring into the screen and then a shy smile adorned her
beautiful face, when suddenly she found herself yawning.
Well it was time to get some sleep..some peaceful sleep…FINALLY!!
___________
Love Ashi & Afia
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