Shehnaaz was crying a mess. A body was burning in front of her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Sidharth standing beside her. She looked at him like a lost baby. In front of her, her mother is howling over her husband's dead body. The scene was heartbreaking. Shehnaaz got lost in her thoughts. She was thinking about her last conversation with her father.
Flashback
When she picked up the call, Her mother's cries were echoing from the other side of the phone.
"S..Sana puttar tere papa...ek aakhri baar tujhse milna chahate hai..aaja puttar.she said and disconnected the call.
The phone slipped from her hand. "EK aakhri baar papa tujhse milna chahte hai." This line was echoing in her ears. Sidharth looked at her worriedly. Tears started dripping like a river from her eyes.
"Kya hua, baby? Kiska phone tha? Why are you crying?" he asked.
"Papa," she whispered.
Without wasting time, he booked the flight to Amritsar. Shehnaaz, Sidharth, Rida, and Agastya reached the hospital, where her father was admitted.
"Mummy," Shehnaaz called her mother.
Her mother turned and looked at her. She was looking older now. She had lost a lot of weight. Her hair was more gray. Wrinkles were visible on her face. They were meeting after many years. Both the mother and daughter had tears in their eyes. Her mother's face shows pain, guilt, and tiredness. Here, Shehnaaz's face had pain and anger. But it was not the time to show anger. Her mother hugged her tightly and started crying. Shehnaaz was wailing. She was in her mother's arms. Sidharth was unhappy to see his wife crying. He knew she was going through a lot of pain, which had been hidden in her heart for many years. He didn't stop her. Rida and Agastya were sad to see their mother crying. They knew that their mom's parents were upset with her for choosing Sidharth over them.
"Papa.." she whispered.
"Tere papa tera intazaar kar rahe hai beta. Ja mil le." she said.
She entered the room and saw her father lying on the death bed with an oxygen mask on his mouth. She sat near him and touched his hand. He felt a familiar touch and opened his eyes slowly. He removed his mask slowly.
"Papa aap ye kya kar rahe ho? Mask laga ke rakho."she pleaded.
"Sana..mera bacha.." he said slowly. Sana broke down completely after listening her name from his mouth after a long period of time.
"Mujhe maaf karde beta. Logo ki baaton mein aa kar maine tujhe humse dur kar diya. Mai samaaj se itna darr gaya ke apni beti ke aansu mujhe dikhe hi nahi. Mai kabhi samhaj hi nahi paya ke tujhe kya chahiye. Teri khushi kisme hai. Bas apne gusse mei andha ho gaya tha. Itne saal tujhe apne se dur rakha. Ek phone bhi nahi kiya. Jab bhi landline par blank call aata tha toh samhaj jata tha ke tu hi hai."
Sana's eyes widened.
"Kya? Aise kya dekh rahi hai? Mujhe nahi pata chalega ke meri beti mujhe phone karti thi? Lekin kabhi kuch bolti nahi thi. Teri siskiya sunai deti thi mujhe, lekin kabhi himmat nahi hui tujhse baat karne ki. Ye poochne ki ke puttar tu kaisi hai? Khush toh hai? Apne baap ko maaf toh kar degi? Aaj jab himmat judi toh waqt nahi hai mere paas. Bol puttar maaf karegi apne baap ko? He folded his hands. Sana immediately held his hands, nodded and hugged him." both father daughter were crying.
Everyone entered inside the room. Her father looked at them. Sana wiped her tears and signaled them to come closer.
"Papa ye Sidharth hai mere husband." she said. Sidharth touched his feet.
"Jeete raho puttar. Bahut taklif di hai maine aap dono ko. Mujhe maaf kardo"he said.
"Please aise mat kahiye. Aapka haq hai naraz hona " said Sidharth. Her father smiled.
"Ye hai Rida aur Agastya apke natin" she said.
Agastya touched his feet just like his father. He blessed him and Rida.
"Khush raho mere bacho aur ho sake toh mujhe maaf kar dena." he said and a flat line appeared on ECG. He was dead. Shehnaaz and her mother started crying.
Flashback ends
They all came back to Sana's house after the cremation. She went inside her room quietly. Everything was just the same as when she left. She sat on the bed, looked at the side table, and saw her family picture. They were looking happy. She creased the picture and started crying. Sidharth sat beside her. He could not leave her alone. He knew how much she needed him at the moment. He held her tightly.
"Bas mera bacha..agar tu royegi toh papa ko bahut taklif hogi. Tu toh unki strong beti hai. Please mat ro meri jaan. Hume mummy ko bhi toh sambhalna hai. She has lost her husband. Bol sambhalegi na?" he asked.
"Hm" she said. He wiped her tears and pecked her forehead.
"Mera strong bacha.." he said.
They both went inside her parents room and saw her mother crying. She had his kurta in her hand. Sana consoled her mother. Sidharth left them alone in the room to give them some privacy.
He came in the living room and saw Rida and Agastya sitting on the sofa. He sat beside Rida. She kept her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were red.
"Hey Princess! kya hua?" he asked softly.
"Meri wajah se mumma apne parents se dur thi na? Agar mumma mujhe choose nahi karti toh unhein itne saal tak unse dur nahi rehna padta na? Am I responsible for mom's suffering? she asked.
"Kisne kaha aisa princess? Meri princess kabhi bhi apni mom ki suffering ka reason nahi ho sakti. Mom chose her happiness, which was you. She loves you a lot, and you know it. Aur rahi baat uske parents ka usse baat na karna toh unke apne reasons. Unhone vo kiya jo unko theek laga. Stop blaming yourself," said Sidharth, and she hugged him tightly. He hugged her back. She felt Agastya hugging her. The two most important men were hugging her tightly, insuring her that she was not responsible for her mother's miseries.
Signing off..
S..
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Abhi abhi..
FanfictionHey Guys!! I am back with another story. Get ready to witness the roller coaster ride of a mother and a widower. How will their path meet, How will they fall in love, Is it easy to move on in life????
