Bonds For Life

Mishti

The truth had spilled and spoiled everything. Kunal stood lifelessly in front of us. The glass shattered right in front of him. The face which was earlier filled with happiness for this reunion was now in a complete shock. He almost lost his balance, but Abir ran to grab him.  

"What you said just now, isn't true right bhai?" he asked with a frown. "Please say this was all rubbish? You didn't mean a word you just said." He looked at me, "Mishti..." 

"Nanko, wait, i'll tell you everything, just come here and sit first."  Abir tried to calm him down. 

"No bhai, you don't actually mean this right?, " he was furious now, "Why would you say I'm not your brother? " He nearly screamed the words at Abir. 

I took his arm and tired to calm him down, " Kunal, let's just sit down and talk," but he just shook my hand away.   By now, both the families had come to see what had happened. Badi ma looked at me and gestured What happened. 

Meenakshi Rajvansh was the one to question first, "Abir, why did Kunal scream?" 

The world had fallen  on Kunal. Abir was crying. Kunal was confused looked at the teary Abir. "No, this can't be true." He went to his mother, " Ma, you are my ma right? " Kunal asked Meenakshi ji frantically.  

"Abir? What did you do?"  Meenakshi screamt. She looked very scary.  She glared at me, "What did you do Mishti!" 

"Nanko," Abir composed himself and went to Kunal who was now looking at Menakshi for the answers. Abir spoke to him gently, "Nanko, please listen to me, let me explain please." 

"What is happening in this house? What happened Abir? Why is Kunal asking such an absurd question," asked Nanu.  

Everyone had questions, but neither Abir nor I could find words to tell them.  As Kunal cried, Abir tried to plead to him to listen to him. I , on the other side, didn't know what to do.  Why did this woman hate me so much? Why can't she let her son be happy? I had done everything that she had asked me to do. She helped me reveal Abir's dad's truth and back then it felt like, things could become better between us.  Just then,  Kunal looked at his mom.  Meenakshi Rajvansh provided with no sympathy nor a justification. Just then,  Parul masi entered. She had been crying, her eyes were filled with tears. Kunal saw Parul Masi  and then looked at Meenaskhi Rajvansh, "Bhai, what you said is the truth?" Abir nodded, stopping his tears from falling on the ground.  Kunal took two steps back and looked at everyone.  Then without saying anything, he just ran out of the house. 

While half of Abir's family ran after them.  My family looked at me for answers.  What was I to tell them, that Abir's mom didn't like me and had threatened to tell Kunal and the world that he was an illegitimate child.  

I just sat down on the sofa.   Abir had left the house running after Kunal. Parul Masi was crying and nanu was trying to pacify her.  Meenakshi Rajvansh had just left the house without once saying anything to anyone. 

Kuhu looked at me, " Mishti, tell me, why did Kunal ask this question?"

"Mishti beta, what happened? Why did Kunal behave like this? " 

"You went to talk to Abir, did you say something that would have hurt him?" Kuhu's mom questioned. 

"No Aunty, I didn't say anything." I looked at my family. "But Abir did say something," only a coarse whisper came out of my mouth.  I didn't have the right to tell the truth to my family. Only the Rajvansh family should tell the truth if they want to.   

In a moment, it felt like everything had changed. Abir was about to break this alliance under his mother's pressure. Had I not asked him to talk to me separately, we might have been in the middle of a break up. But now, though we hadn't broken up, Meenaskhi Rajvansh had successfully ruined lives of so many people.  The truth so carefully kept in secrecy for so many years had now come out. Flashblack to the day when Abir's mom had hugged me as I gave her the evidence against Mehul Kapadia, Abir's father.  I had felt that Abir's mom and I could start afresh. Flashback to Kunal taking my hand and being happy for Abir and me on our engagement day.  My thoughts were interrupted  by the sobs of Parul Masi. 

The question I had in my head was what was going to happen next.  It felt like the series of unfortunate events had just begun and  our reunion wasn't going to be an easy one. 

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