You and I

CHAPTER 52

MANIK

Meeting Mukti again was surreal. She had always been like my sister. When I came to know whatever happened, even though Mukti wasn't there with us, Abhi and I had went and tried to punish Ranbir, but without Mukti here, there was no proof, and it couldn't happen.

She had gone through so much and she still stands strong. She was never the one to fall weak, she was always strong, but now there was another aura in there. Probably because she's now a mother. And mothers have a strong aura of their own.

Mysha is the cutest thing ever. She had chubby cheeks and wide eyes, which she blinked often. She looked just like a doll. She can't speak full words yet, but she tried calling us with our names. The only word she knows to speak correctly is Mumma. She called Abhi "Bi". And when Mukti introduced Nandini and me to her, she tried calling our names. And hence we became "Man" and "Nanni".

Right now we were driving back to Nandini's home. She was looking a bit pale from an hour, so Abhi told us to go back. He'll come after some time.

"You're okay na?" I asked her rubbing my thumb over her hand entwined with mine.

"Yes, yes. Just a bit overworked. I'm good. Pakka."

"Just go and take some rest when you get back, okay?"

"Oki Doki. Uhh Manik, ek baat puchu?"

"Haa?"

"Cabir's family was always a mystery. From what I know from Navya, it's that they are very overbearing towards Cabir. Now toh Cabir has even left his home. Then why didn't he support Mukti that time?"

I sighed. "Things weren't the same back then. Cabir's parents were always off with him, Ranbir was their golden child. But Ranbir, he was an asshole. At first, at our early ages, he used to behave very nicely with Cabir, just the way you behave as an elder brother. But then we noticed that he was the one who misguided Cabir to smoke and do drugs, while behind Cabir's back he used to say to us that Cabir has bad company and he's doing all that. I want to cure him and all that shit. It was gradually that we noticed that Ranbir was the one who was influencing Cabir to do all this.

"Cabir's condition was so bad that he had to leave football for a year, after Mukti went. That was the time, when his eyes opened and he saw Ranbir's reality. Of course I and Abhi had a hand in it. When he spoke that way to Mukti, we stopped talking to Cabir for a while, because he was supporting Ranbir, that Ranbir who wronged Mukti. We had tried telling Cabir his reality, we even gave him whatever proof we could collect against Ranbir, one of his talks with his friends that how he is manipulating Cabir and all that. We had made a video of it to show Cabir, but he didn't believe us and he said that we had morphed the video. That was when we told him to get it checked by his sources and till the time he doesn't get the results, we would not speak to him. The results came in our favor, and he came back. But he was broken.

"He saw Ranbir for who he was, not the image that Ranbir portrayed in front of him. He saw his reality and it wasn't a good time for him. Because for him, Ranbir was his idol. He loved him. Since that time things have been tumultuous back at his place. And he was pretty disturbed about all that. He even got to know some stuff which were hidden before in his family. We don't know what he got to know that finally brought him out of the illusion that Ranbir wasn't what he showed. He hadn't told us that. But since then, he changed his attitude towards Ranbir. Now even he realizes that he did wrong with Mukti, and he deeply regrets it."

"I understand that you get blind for the ones you love. But I guess what matters is he finally is on the right track now. Right?"

I nodded. "Right."

We reached her place, and I turned to look at her.

"You're okay na?" I asked caressing her pale cheeks.

"I'll be perfectly fine after a good nap. I didn't sleep for 2 nights because I was studying. Probably it's all the after effects of that. Don't worry. I'm okay."

I kissed her forehead. She was slightly warm. "Just go straight to bed. Okay?"

She nodded, kissed my cheeks and walked outside to her home.

I was heading towards my home when my phone ringed. It was Sahil Uncle. I parked the car at a side to answer it.

"Yes Uncle?"

"Manik baccha where are you?"

"I was out with friends, I'm on my way home now. All good?"

"You're coming home only na? So come fast." And he hung up. What's happening?

I reached home and rang the doorbell. Kaka came to open it.

I went inside and my steps were haulted.

"Mom?"

Mom was sitting there with Sahil Uncle.

"Manik baccha!" she cried out my name and then hugged me tightly. It felt so good to be in her embrace, that I couldn't control the few tears that escaped my eyes.

She broke the hug and cupped my face. "I'm sorry baccha. I'm so sorry." She was crying hysterically and was just saying sorry. What is going on here?

"Mom relax. It's all okay. You just relax." I made her drink some water that was kept there, and tried to calm her down.

Sahil Uncle started. "Your Mom's phone was not with her. Since the time she went to Delhi, her phone was not with her. It got misplaced. Your Nani convinced her that she is in contact with you and that you're okay with her spending some time there. Every time Neyonika tried to contact you, she very expertly diverged the topic saying you're in a meeting, or you have an exam, or you are practicing."

That means those messages were not sent by Mom. She didn't abandon me.

Mom sniffed and then said, "Yesterday, Ma was not there, and I was looking for the medicine for headache in her room. I saw my phone there in her drawer. I opened it and saw the messages she sent you on my name, how many times you called. I saw everything. I'm so sorry baccha. I confronted her and then came back to Mumbai today. I couldn't call you, I didn't have the courage. So I called Sahil. I'm so sorry baccha. So Sorry."

"Mom it's okay. You're here, you never abandoned me and that's all okay. All is fine Mom. You're here and that's all that matters."

It was all Nani's work. She played me and she played Mom. Thank God Mom came to know about all of this. I took Mom in a tight hug, and she was just silently crying in my arms. Sahil Uncle patted my back and then left from there.

"Mom? Kitna rona hai? Ab stop please."

She smiled and kissed my forehead. "My strong baccha."

"Did you eat something?"

She shook her head. I led her to the dining table to feed her something. I updated her about everything that's happened when she left. She was happy that Cabir was staying with us. Said that it gave her two sons to dote on. And she was the most happy when I told her about Nandini and me. She said that even Dad had liked Nandini for me. I didn't tell her about Mukti because only Nandini, I and Abhi know about that. But as soon as it'll be disclosed, I'll tell Mom about her. She'll be super happy having Mukti back.

Everything was going good. Things were going uphill. I just hope that now everything remains this way only. 

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