The Binding String

F O R T Y - T H R E E

"Beta please pee lo. Mumma aa jaayegi na aapke pas." (Roohi don't cry. Mumma will be here soon.) Raman cooed little Roohi and tried to wipe her cheeks which were stained with tears. Roohi removed her father hand and ran to her grandmother still sobbing. Raman banged his fist on table feeling helpless to see Roohi who was inconsolable since she woke up. Santhosh somehow made Roohi sleep last night promising her that she will meet her mother at morning but Roohi who didn't found her mother even after waking up started to cry and she was inconsolable after that. Till four of morning Raman dialled Ishita's number maybe thirty times, yesterday night he was impatient out of concern and from today morning he was pissed on Ishita for her such negligent behaviour towards Roohi. Raman took Roohi in his arms and hugged her, he made her drink water and then hugged her for longer time. "Roohi please don't cry. Papa aapko aise nahi dekh sakte hai beta."

"Mumma ko bulaao na Papa." (I just want my Mumma.)

"Beta Mumma apni friend ki help karne gayi hai na. Dadi ne bataya na aapko. Please don't cry Roohi." Raman tried to cajole little Roohi and managed to made her drink a glass of milk. He wiped her face with wet tissue and sighed due to relief when Roohi stopped crying at last. "Aao yahan. Aaj Papa Roohi ki braids banaye?" (Come here. Shall Papa braid your hairs today?)

"Aapko aati hai braid banana Papa?" (do you know how to make braid?)

"Nahi aati toh nahi hai but Dadi hai na woh help kar dengi meri." (No I don't know how to braid hairs but but I can try, right?) Roohi forgot everything when she came to know that her father is going to braid her hairs. She excitedly sat on chair and Raman got engrossed in making perfect braid for his daughter under his mother supervision, it was a task itself for Raman to make a perfect braid and somehow he managed to do after lots of failed trials. He fed breakfast to Roohi and kissed her forehead as she was all set to leave to school hanging her water bottle around her neck. "No more cry cry okay honey." Raman caressed Roohi's head and waved his hand as she left for school along her grandfather.

"Puttar your tea is ready. I'm going to take bath." Raman hummed in response and kept pacing too and fro continued to dial Ishita's number. He decided to give her car number on tracing if she didn't responded him in next fifteen minutes but before he could do same he found Ishita stroming inside the apartment without noticing his presence. "You got time to pay attention at your home at last?" Ishita ignored her husband words and went inside Roohi's room to check her.

"Woh gayi school. Kya tum jaanti ho kitna royi thi Roohi tumhare liye? Par tumhe kya farak padta hai. Tumhare liye humare sentiments ki koi value hi kahan hai?" (She went to school. Do you have any ounce of idea how much she cried for you? It appears like you does not care about our sentiments.)  Raman sneered at Ishita clutching her through her forearm. "Let's not talk about sentiments here Raman. Agar aap mere sentiments ki qadr karte toh mere saath kabhi aisa nahi karte." Ishita replied in little louder voice forgetting the fact that they had peoples at home.

"Yeh kya bakwas kar rahi ho tum?" (Stop speaking rubbish.)

"Bakwas? Bakwas toh aapne ki thi mere saath, ab tak Raman. Mere vishwaas mere jazbaaton ke saath khel kar. Chodiye mera haath." (You're the one who is speaking rubbish. You played with my emotions.)

"Jab yeh haath thaama tha tab kabhi socha nahi tha ki tum is tarah mujhe chod kar, saare vaade tod kar....." (When we begun I never ever imagined if you would leave me in such...) He stopped in middle and kept looking in her eyes, trying to seek answers of the questions bugging him. They were hurt but they wanted to hurt each other more. Carrying rage in their eyes they chose to spat shit and hid there vulnerability from each other. Ishita managed to come out from his hold and marched towards her room and straightway entered into washroom to get dressed for her day. By the time Ishita came out from shower she met Santhosh who was happily preparing breakfast. Today she used eye makeup to hid her puffy eyes from everyone especially Santhosh and hugged her dearly.