The Binding String

F I F T Y - F I V E

Divorce!! This word was going to become her identity in few weeks, she treated it as a key of freedom, her only way to get rid of the tangles of this marriage which she is tired by solving. Ishita didn't cared to consider Roohi even for once when she decided to divorce Raman, she is feeling her voice dying in her throat with the mere idea of explaining divorce to Roohi today and few months back she didn't cared to consider her tender heart even for once. Her eyes met with Roohi and she felt helpless infront of her, how she is suppose to tell her that once she and Raman wanted to leave her alone, how will she explain her that she never wanted her once and now she is ready to sacrifice everything just to see her safe and healthy. Her little baby is not suppose to face so many emotional turmoil altogether. Ishita looked at Roohi another time, her innocent eyes were still stuck at her face, Ishita felt herself helpless another time. She bit her lower lip, didn't wanted to cry infront of Roohi. Raman condition was no less, he was constantly shifting his gaze from his wife to his daughter, unable to believe if their naive daughter actually asked about divorce?

"Rooh, it's a bad word. We shouldn't talk about it." Raman wanted to wipe out the traces of divorce from her naive mind, when he himself was not able to process himself with thr idea of divorce than how would be he able to explain the same to his little piece of heart? Two times in his life, his decision of divorcing Ishita was taken in the fit of rage and he never wanted to make it happen for once. Whenever Ishita bought out the topic of their seperation, Raman chose to pry away from it and that would be best for his little baby as well. He will not let any toxicity touch his Roohi.

"But why that uncle asked Paati who will take care of me? Are you going to leave Roohi as well?" Roohi eyes were hooked on her parents, she was looking at Raman and Ishita with anxious filled eyes. Their little daughter was admannt, she want to listen if her Paati is actually right? Her Mumma and Papa would leave her alone? Ishita and Raman can read her anxiety and fear pretty well, like her even the fear of separating from her was dreading them most.

How similar the three were. The love has power to bind the family together, it's proven again. None of them want to loose each other and this time they want to do it for their own self.

Ishita bend down to her daughter level and cupped her cheeks, she gently wiped the big fat tears rolling down from her eyes and then kissed her temple. "You remember, you fought with Shivansh and Tapasya once in your school and than befriended with them later?" Roohi nodded her head blinking her eyes continuously, "The way you fight, sometimes Mumma and Papa fight as well and sometimes they fight so much that they don't want to talk with each other. It's called as divorce." Ishita gulped down the lump forming in her throat, her heart thudded with anticipation wondering how Roohi is going to take this but she read her fear of left alone, her naive daughter had already gone through this trauma once and she didn't want her to feel alone and insecure again.

"Are you going to leave me as well? I cannot leave without you and Papa." Roohi voiced out her fear in a low tone, holding her parents hands. Raman lifted Roohi petite frame and made her sit on his lap before continuing, "No. Mumma and Papa patched up. We cannot leave without our Roohi." Raman hugged Roohi as he spoke sincerely.

"You will not feel like to leave me or Papa again?" Ishita heart came to mouth listening Roohi, who says children do not understand anything? Roohi has seen her parents separation when she was few days away from completing three years, she cried with fear seeing her parents loud curses in the huge living area of her Dadu Dadi place. She remember being left alone with Dadi, she remember everything. Ishita other side averted her eyes away from Roohi, their complicated past still didn't stopped haunting her, an year old wounds are still fresh. Ishita didn't faced Raman, a loathe surged in her veins for him and love had no place in her heart as she recalled his ugly accusations. Ishita rubbed her eyes and bended herself to her level, "You know what? Mumma would never feel like to leave you and Papa, because Mumma loves you alot Roohi and when you love someone alot, you cannot leave them alone, haina?" Roohi nodded her head, a soft smile rose on her tiny lips but her eyes appeared sad few seconds later making her mother frown.