Bygones! A MishBir Story

Chapter 9: You are a Miracle!

"Isn't it too late Shekhar?" Karishma asked as Shekhar was about to leave the living room. Shekhar stopped and turned around.

"Maybe it is Karishma. We probably are very late. But it's never late to tell a child that they are loved. Yah!!! We would have to be open to the fact that she might never accept us. She might hate us. And we will have to accept anything that she throws at us. Anger! Hate!" Shekhar tried to make his stance very clear.

"Us?" Karishma questioned Shekhar. She was unsure of why Shekhar had associated himself with the situation. She knew he wasn't the one to be blamed. It was her decision and she also knew the fact that if she had brought Mishti along with her, he would have accepted her wholeheartedly.

"Yes! Us! Us Karishma! Mishri said something to me today and I was..." he paused "Well, she is right... I didn't try hard enough.. I saw you drive her away from yourself. I knew what you were trying to do with her. Yet I did nothing. I thought I should be supportive. I thought I was young and didn't understand anything. But I did. And now I wish.. I wish that I did. I wish that I had stopped" Shekhar was ready to take equal blame on himself. He accepted that he almost had an equal role to play. If he knew, he would have accepted Mishti as his own, all he had to do was be persistent about it. And he couldn't.

"Stop me? Shekhar I thought you said you understood my reasons. Now they are suddenly wrong for you?" Karishma recalled all the times Shekhar never forced her to talk about Mishti. She recalled how he had been supportive all the while regarding her past and her own decisions.

"I understood it that day and I still understand right now. But you have to understand that not every decision which is right for you is right for others. And in situations like these, it doesn't matter whose was right and who was wrong. And Karishma, whatever it is, we are partners at the end of the day. For better or for worse, we are in this together. And Karishma! If not for us, if not for Mishti, we should do this for Mishri". Shekhar made his stand clear. Somewhere he knew he was being selfish. He knew what he was doing partly would have been for Mishri as for she deserved to have a sibling and an elder sister. But he knew that it was also for Mishti. And now he wasn't looking to give up for both the girls. He wasn't going to hide behind his responsibility towards Karishma.

"No dad! You shouldn't do this for me." Karishma and Shekhar both turned and looked towards Mishri. She walked towards them and sat down on the armrest of the sofa. She joined her hands and looked down for sometime. Shekhar was far more surprised than Karishma towards her statement. It was just a while ago that she left home without informing them just to meet Mishti, just to get to know her. And now she was herself denying them to do anything in that direction. Shekhar asked for the reason.

"Dad! When I met her today, I was very angry at both of you. Especially mom. And she told me that I shouldn't make this about myself. That it was between mom and her and I shouldn't be poking my nose unnecessarily or judging anyone. While I was still not able to leave my judgments aside, I was able to let go of my anger. Because she made me realize by doing that and interfering I was just making matters worse." Mishri took a pause. She stood up and walked towards Shekhar. "Dad, I know you told me that I should give mom some benefit of doubt and I am. But still I am not able to understand what is right and what is not. Maybe you do. Maybe you want to right the right and right the wrong. I don't even know if I am making sense. Hell I feel like a confused fool right now. But I know one thing dad. If you use me as reason or bait to that wrong right, you will make it worse. And even if I have that 0.1% chance of having her as a part of my life, I won't have that. And you guys don't have to worry about me. I will figure out a way myself. And I promise I won't keep any secrets from you two. But please don't use me as an excuse.." Mishri begged while folding her hands. Karishma looked down with guilt while Shekhar kept looking towards Mishri. He was proud of his little girl. She could be a pampered little brat of the family but she was also one of the most understanding child for children her age.