Harsh And Divine

Chapter 36

"What?" She whispered when she heard him properly.

"Is this how you felt when your father died...like I am feeling right now?" He asked again, finally looking at her.

A heavy breath left her mouth when the memories came rushing in. Only she knew how hard and difficult those days were for her. Every day had felt like forever without her father.

Her eyes filled up as she answered him.

"I couldn't believe it. For six months, I felt like...it was all a dream and that...he would come back one day, and call me 'pari' again. I used to hate him when he called me 'pari'. But, after he left me alone, I craved to listen to it from him once again. Just once." Her voice broke at the end.

Kunal wiped the tears trailing on her cheek. His own eyes were wet with his own sadness.

"He loved me a lot." She continued. "He did everything in his power to give his only child everything he could afford...and much more than that. He took debt from god knows how many of his friends, just for the sake of my education and my silly demands. I hate myself for it. I miss him so much!... Maybe it was the stress that I caused him that made him..." Her voice broke by the end and she couldn't complete herself.

Kunal instantly sat up and pulled her for a hug.

"Hey! Hey! Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over. It was never your fault, Vidhu." He shushed her while patting her back lightly.

After few seconds, she wiped her eyes and cheeks to look at him again.

"It's not about me today, Kunal. Are  you okay?" She asked in concern.

He gave a sad chuckle.

"When I gave him fire, I realized...that I will never see him again. As he turned into ash, I couldn't help but recall those few moments when he talked to me like a father...and not a trainer. When I was ten, he took me to a town fair for the first time. He played with me on all the swings and games. We got a toy dinosaur that day. It was the last memory that I have of him laughing with me so carelessly...just like a father. The next day onward, he turned into the cold man I know of him. I became a lump of mud for him, whom he had to carve in his own shape. He never asked me if I was hurt after the training...or if I wanted to go to another fair with him. He just...slid away from my life. The only moment he would show appreciation towards me was when I would hit someone so hard that they just...died. He would pat my back even if I hated it to the core. I was just fifteen then. But, today, as he turned into nothing, I realized that maybe...he was stuck into this life just like I am. Maybe...he didn't want to turn his son into a cold murderer. Maybe...we could have had a normal father-son relationship. I don't know but...there is a strange pain that I am feeling right now." He sighed with a deep frown as he touched his heart.

She listened to him quietly and couldn't agree with him more. She knew her father-in-law enough to keep her distance from him. That man never liked her; from the very first day. The only reason why Kunal's parents let her come home was due to Kunal's insistence and her father's loyalty. His father was scary...but he was his father.

"It will be alright, Kunal. Time will heal it all." She mumbled to him as she patted his back while he rested her head on her chest.

"Do you miss your father?" He almost whispered.

She gave a faint smile.

"I will miss him till the end of my life. I will always cherish every moment that I spent with him." She told him.

He sat straight and looked at her intently.

"Will this pain ever go away?" He asked irrationally. She didn't know whose pain he was referring to. His or her?

"It will. With time. It will hurt you for few days and maybe weeks, but then it will fade away to turn into a humble thump. The memory will creep in sometimes but it will not pinch as it does now." She lectured.

"You went through the same?" He asked.

She chuckled faintly.

"Yes. Perhaps, much more than you because I saw my father dying every day. The doctor gave me hope by saying that he will be fine after a week or so. And, then I suddenly came to know that he left me." She answered.

He looked at her lap.

"I am so sorry, Vidhu!" He uttered and then tears after tears flowed through his eyes. Vidhushi hugged him back to calm him down. She had no idea what went through his mind. But, she could only let him grieve.

.

.

Advith looked at the screen of his phone and watched all the recordings in fast-forward mode to see if he had any relevant information that he can perhaps use against Kunal in court. There were none as it turned out that Kunal did not talk business in his bedroom. Perhaps the camera should have been installed in his study. He skipped the current recording of them talking about Kunal's father's demise. It would be improper to hear their personal conversation, he concluded.

At that moment, his phone vibrated and he answered the call.

"Hello, Mone (son)!" Came his mother's excited voice.

He smiled back and answered. "Amma! What's the occasion? You seem so happy."

"I have very good news for you." She said.

"Really! What is it?"

"First tell me, when are you coming back?" She asked.

"After two days. Why?"

"We have got a very good proposal for you. You will really like this girl. She is just like you want. She has graduated from Oxford and is currently working as Senior Advisor to S&S company. We talked to her parents and they are very excited about this union. You will talk to her, right?" His mother broke the news and her voice turned low by the end. Even she was unsure of his son's response.

All his happiness turned sour on listening to the motive of his mother. Marriage! Yes, he wanted a strong and independent girl as his wife. He would have said yes to this girl a few months back. But, after meeting a certain girl, he just couldn't divert his mind. He loved Vidhushi. How could he make his parents understand that?

But, as he had already promised his mother, he will do as she wants him to do. With a sigh, he replied.

"Yes, Amma. Please give her parents my phone number. I will talk to her when she feels comfortable."

"Oh, thank you, my son! You have made me so proud today!" His mother squealed before telling her husband that their son has agreed to it.

Advith knew that his father would be happy about his decision.

No matter, how independent he is or how mature he is now at thirty, his father would always control his life. He would always take his personal decisions for him. He would always choose what to eat, what to study, what to wear according to their religious and caste customs. And now, he was controlling him by deciding whom he should marry despite knowing his love interest. He had thought of running away from home...from the life of intense control many times in the past. But, it was futile. He couldn't run away from his mother.

Only now, he had to also leave his heart behind just because his father disapproved. He would give this new girl a chance...a fair and loyal chance; but, he would always protect his Vidhushi with everything he has.