Geet sat in her room thinking how to tell him the truth. How to break his heart gently. How...she had to tell him no matter what...she had to break his heart...she had to turn her heart into a stone when she will see his hopes and dreams shatter. She had to do it...she can't let him dream and fantasize about his dad...the pictures that he has been taking is for no one...she wipes her tears away and goes outside of her room. Ayush was already sitting at the dinning table eating his dinner. She goes and sits next him.
Geet: Ayush beta I have to tell you something.
Ayush (looks at her...) what is it mumma...
Geet (looks down unable to meet his eyes) Its uhh about your dad
Ayush (gets happy) Is he coming? When? He didn't call me to tell me...I need to make list of things I want to do with him. I don't think he saw Delhi yet. I will show him every place I went to. All my friends..(He gets off the chair to go to his room when Geet stops him. His each word pained her. It broke her heart into million pieces. Its not fair that she has to do this. Its not fair for Ayush. With enough courage she could muster up. She goes near him. She sits on her knee and holds his arms for support...)
Geet: Your papa is not coming. (Ayush looks at her sad)
Ayush: Why? He has to come.
Geet (she takes in a deep breath) he is not coming because your papa left us
Ayush: what do you mean left us? Where did he go? Lets go and meet him. My school vacation is coming soon
Geet (closes her eyes as tears flowed) His is not coming and we are not going. Your papa was never here. He never called before either.
Ayush: I will call him.
Geet (gets angry and shakes him) why don't you understand...you don't have a father...he never called you..NEVER...You only have me. Your papa will never come to see your pictures because he is not here and he is NEVER coming.
Ayush (lets go of her hands from his arms and back up a little with teary eyes...) you are lying...papa will come. He called before. He will send me birthday gift like every year...
Geet: NO he is not...he will never come. You need to know that...
Ayush: NOOO...i want papa...I want papa...(he runs into his room crying...Geet bangs on the door for him to open but he doesn't...)
Geet: Ayush open the door...Ayush!!!!!!!!!
She comes out of her dream...she looks at Ayush sleeping beside her..."NO I can't tell him the truth...I can't..I can't see him in pain...I will hide the truth as long as I can. I don't think I am ready to see his heart break...I will die if I ever see that..all my life I have tried keeping him happy, giving him whatever he wanted and I will not stop now. No! I won't let the cold truth come his way..." She closes her eyes. The next moment she wakes up when she hears a sneeze. She opens her eyse and looks at Ayush. She feels his forehead and panicked when she felt is hot. She shook Ayush until he was awake.
Geet: Ayush how did you get sick?
Ayush (looks at her with droopy eyes and sneezes..) I don't know...(He was about to close his eyes..Geet shakes him..)
Geet: Ayush don't go to sleep...I have to take you to the hospital...come lets go
Ayush: I don't like hospitals
Geet: I know but we have to go...I will be right back. (She quickly goes to her bathroom and gets ready. She comes out after 10 minutes and saw Ayush sleeping. She changes him into his regular clothes. She picks him while making sure he was covered with blanket before running out of the house. She takes taxi to the hospital. Once in a while she would shake him to make sure he is awake. She wanted to cry but she knew its not the right time now. She runs inside the hospital carrying Ayush. Doctor takes Ayush and checks up on him. Ayush by then had woken up although he was sneezing and coughing really badly )
Doctor: hmm he has a flu. It would be better if he doesn't go to school until he is fully better.
Geet: okay doctor. Anything that I need to look out for?
Doctor: Just give him his medications on time and makes sure he drinks and eats on time especially orange juice. For now I will give him a shot.
Ayush: I don't want a shot (He says in a raspy voice)
Geet: It won't hurt..I am here..just close your eyes okay
Doctor: And at the end, you can choose your own favorite band-aid
Ayush: Will I get a lollipop?
Doctor: yeah of course..now close your eyes...(The doctor holds the injection in his hand..Geet holds Ayush hand tightly. Ayush starts screaming and crying after the shot. He hugs Geet by the waist while crying...) All done. Here you can choose your band-aid.
Ayush: I don't want it...(and buries his head on Geets stomach. Geet puts the band-aid on him and picks him up...)
Geet: Thank you doctor...
Doctor: No problem. Just have him back here within a week for his check up. (The doctor leaves...Ayush puts his head on her shoulder...as Geet carries him outside of the hospital...he touched his arm that just got the shot and started crying again. Geet rubbed his back to sooth him down)
Geet: Ayush its okay..don't touch it. Doctor had to give it you or else you wouldn't get better.
Ayush: It hurts...I hate hospitals.
He kept crying...Geet puts him down and wraps the blanket on him nicely...Maan was watching all of this from far. He couldn't bare to see him crying like that but he was confused why Geet brought him to the hospital. His mind ran million of questions in his head. He wanted to run and hug him as he saw him cough really badly while Geet tried to sooth him down. He wanted to be there for them but he knew that Geet wouldn't let him go anywhere near Ayush. She is right...how can he say that Ayush is his son when he deserted her long before he was born. He quietly followed her to her house making sure they reached safely. He saw her struggling with the door. He couldn't help himself. He got out of the car and held her house keys. She looks at him shocked and watched him as he opened up her house door. She got inside the house with Ayush. Maan hands her the house keys.. Geet opens up her palm and waits for him to drop the keys..he turns around to leave as soon as he drops the key. Geet stood there and watched him leaving quietly without saying anything. She slowly closes the door. Maan makes a phone call as soon as he got inside the car.
Maan: I want the best doctor in town arrive at this address and listen she shouldn't find out that I sent the doctor. okay bye...
He gets into the car and drives to the park. The same park where he took Geet before. He sits on the bench looking ahead into the vast ocean.
A month had passed since Geet left and not one day went by when he didn't remember her. He finally knew what she was to him. It finally hit him what he had done. He couldn't ignore his feelings for her any longer..."what have I done? How can I even do this? I hate myself..I hate it...If it wasn't for Dadima I wouldn't be here...I would've committed suicide long time back but I couldn't let Dadima go through the pain and make the same mistake...Geet where are you?" He had tried looking for her everywhere. He hired so many detectives that even he lost count to find her but every single one of them came back with a negative report. "Is she dead?" He drinks another gulp of alcohol..."Geet I am so sorry...please come back to me..I will beg and beg until you finally forgive me." He wakes up the next day. His schedule was as follows: work, work and work. He rarely came home only to eat and sleep or whatever sleep he could get before his nightmare starts. The rest of the day he drowned himself with his work. He wanted to keep himself busy but not a day went by when he wouldn't stare at the phone. He would look at the phone every single hour no matter what waiting for that one phone call. He wanted to hear her voice again. He closed his eyes. He saw her smiling face, laughing, blushing, talking..all he noticed was her lips. Maan smiled as he remembers her talks soon that dream turned into a nightmare when her crying, pleading face came forward. He immediately opens his eyes and covers his ears. He could hear her yelling and screaming. Telling him not to do this. He could see her standing at the door with her suitcase looking at him one last time. "good bye Mr. Khurana..." he extends his hand to touch her but she disappeared..."GEETTT..." She was gone...the staff members looked through his glass cabin. Maan looked at all of them and left the office. He drove and drove until he reached a park. The place it calmed his mind. It soothed him. He sat there on the bench..looking ahead...
A phone call disturbed Maan..he picked it up..
Maan: yeah Dadima (he looks at his watch..it was night now...he has been sitting there the whole day...) yeah I am coming...(Maan went home it was almost midnight now...he quietly started going up to his room assuming everyone to be asleep when the lights came on. He saw his Dadima coming toward him until she was standing in front of him.) Dadima
Dadima: Geet kaun hai tumhari? (She looks at him with anger while Maan was stupified...)
P.S. Sorry if its short..I just finished typing..will try to update again 2marow...but for now I need to focus on BM and CYSF 😳
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