"Be careful, you are not in wonderland.
I've heard the strange madness long growing in your soul.
But you're fortunate in your ignorance, in your isolation.
You who have suffered, find where love hides.
Give, share, lose – lest we die, unbloomed.."
— "You Are Not in Wonderland, But You Will Be" // Allen Ginsberg
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"Mr. Vishambhar Maheshwari is waiting outside, he wants to meet you Sir."
"Maheshwari & Co.?"
As Abir looks at his secretary Kunal Kapadia to confirm if his guess is right. Kunal nods in a yes and in no time Abir is fuming with anger and hatred. You can forgive and forget anything in this world, except the one who causes harm to your parents. And for Abir, Mehul is not just his father but the pillar of his whole world who was shattered by Vishambhar Maheshwari. Abir Rajvansh doesn't hold any grudges against Maheshwaris for his humiliation but he will never forget how much his Baba was hurt because of that vile man.
"What does that man need after all these years?" Abir's voice is harsh as his eyes burn with fury.
"Sir, I understand what you're thinking right now. But I think you should see him once, trust me, probably he actually is in some major problem." Kunal very well knows how Abir can react in a situation like this. Although he is just a secretary to him, Abir has always considered him as his younger brother and this is one of those moments when Kunal actually needs to become the brother to Abir.
"Sir, please listen to him once. Even Mehul sir would have done the same."
Kunal knows this is enough to calm Abir. Giving Abir an assuring smile he walks out to take Mr. Maheshwari. Abir slowly takes out a picture of him and Baba; taking a deep breath he tries to calm his mind.
"May I come in, Mr. Rajvansh?"
"Come in. Have a seat." Abir says mindlessly. His gaze fixed outside.
"Thank you, Mr. Rajvansh. I'm glad you allowed me to have a word with you."
"My father has taught me to respect everyone and listen to whatever they have to say. I'm just following his footsteps. Now may I kindly know your purpose of arrival?"
Finally Abir turns to Vishambhar and all his thoughts disappear. Staring at the man looking back at him with tired eyes, Abir steadies himself for what feels like a news of destruction. No, this is not what he expected. And this is certainly not a fight now. Vishmabhar Maheshwari needs the empathetic Abir, not the son of an enemy. Never in his nightmares could he imagine seeing the always-so-proud-never-bows-down-his-head Vishambhar Maheshwari in such a pathetic condition. The pride on his face is gone, gone is the attitude Vishambhar is known for. All Abir can see is a person carrying himself in a wheelchair, probably a helpless man who seemingly has lost everything he can be proud of.
Abir Rajvansh is not selfish to fight with someone who is too powerless to even look at him. And Abir has to admit he admired Vishambhar at some time as an experienced and powerful man.
"I seek your help, Mr. Rajvansh."
"It's Abir for you, Mr. Maheshwari."
"And I'm your Vishambhar uncle, Abir beta."
Abir looks straight at him, trying to comprehend the situation. Will he ever be able to forget the pain his Baba went through because of this man sitting here? No, never. But then is there any point of holding any anger towards someone who sounds like the most powerless man? Again, no. Yet this is Vishambhar Maheshwari in front of him and his mind would never allow him to feel pity for this man. But Abir is not cruel.
"How can I help you, Mr. Maheshwari?"
Vishambhar lowers his gaze. He knows this is not going to be easy, he's aware that Abir along with the Rajvanshs must hate him and his family to the core. Whatever he is going to say now might even add on to that hatred. Yet he's here to take a chance - not for himself but for his daughter, his Mishti.
And he will do anything to convince Abir today.
"You must be wondering, Abir, why I'm here after so long. I don't know if you'll ever be able to forgive me or not but I need your help, Abir. And this is not about me but about my daughter."
Abir's tries to ignore the sobs but Vishambhar finds words to offer.
"Would you allow Mishti to join you?"
The mention of Mishti is like scrounging an old wound. No, he doesn't know anything about that girl, he doesn't even want to. The reason being very direct - this girl named Mishti unintentionally became the reason for whatever wrong happened between Maheshwaaris and Rajvanshs.
Once again Abir tries to read his face intently. How can this man have the audacity to reappear in his life and bring up the past like it's nothing? Vishambhar's eyes are a little moistened, his face is dull and he looks weak, emotionally. What might have happened that Vishambhar Maheshwari, the proud and confident businessman, is wearing such a miserable look on his entire persona? Abir Rajvansh is a psychologist and no matter how hard Vishambhar tries to act strong, his facade can be easily removed. Frankly Abir doesn't even have any sympathy for the man sitting in front of him. But the question keeps lingering in his mind.
What happened to Vishambhar's family?
And Mishti? Why is she not alright?
"Abir Beta, I know you've every possible reason to not accept my request yet I'd like to believe that you'll give me a chance to correct my mistakes. Before that, may I please know where Mehul is?"
Vishambhar's words bring Abir back to the moment. And the mention of Mehul brings back the flame of agony. A hot teardrop escapes his eye.
"Abir Beta? Where is Mehul?"
"He died."
"What?"
"Two years ago, Baba left this world and I wonder Mr. Maheshwari, how come you act so shocked? Please don't pretend."
Vishambhar lowers his head. Abir's sharp words are not as painful as what he feels right now. Mehul is dead. The one Vishambhar has been desperate to meet since he came back to India is dead. And now if he shows his sadness it'll be termed as pretension and he can't help it. Isn't this the exact reputation he has in front of the Rajvanshs? But he can't let this break his heart now.
And Abir is still looking straight at him.
"How.. How did this happen, Abir?"
"He had a cardiac arrest."
Vishambhar breaks down. How long do you expect a man to contain all his emotions to himself? And when the ice doesn't melt, you have to break it to get rid of it. If that means shattering into a million pieces, so be it. More than an employee Mehul was his best friend. Had Vishambhar not developed this business rivalry after Mehul left the company, things would have been better.
Much much better.
"We cannot escape our destiny nor can we change the past. The only option left is make sure that our present is on the right track so that our futures are somewhat safe. There is no point in wasting time for something that is already gone, instead focusing on the moment we are in makes life a little easier. The main point being, even if you regret for your past it makes no sense in your present."
Abir says calmly, offering a glass of water to Vishambhar. The tough part of being a psychologist is you've to be empathetic to everyone around you, be it a friend or an enemy. And right now Vishambhar is a broken person clearly in need of help and the coldness of hearts don't matter when you're at work.
Empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. That is the only thing you need to make this world a better place. It's always hard to practice what you preach. Abir sighs.
"Vishambhar uncle.."
Vishambhar looks at Abir. Abir reads the disbelief in his eyes which turns into tears of contentment in seconds. First job done, Abir Rajvansh.
"I'm listening to your Vishambhar uncle. I know you've something important to say. Please don't hesitate. No matter how hard the past was, right now I'm here for you." Abir assures.
The irony hits Vishambhar to the core. He expected Abir to shoot bitter words and express his hatred. Tears roll down his cheeks and so do the numbness of his heart. With each second, the guilt is overpowering and he deserves every bit of the pain. He has known Abir since he was a little boy. Things would have been different if he could delete the last few years from their lives but now he has a chance to do something for the betterment of the future.
Abir's eyes are still stuck on Vishambhar's face. No matter how much anger Abir holds, his heart screams that something is terribly wrong for a man like Vishambhar Maheshwari is weeping this way.
"Everything went wrong, Abir Beta. I lost everything. This is so unfair, whatever mistakes I've made, why should my family suffer for them? What is their fault? I always said I'll protect them but I couldn't. I'm ruined, Abir. And now I realize only Mehul could have helped me. If not anything, he was a friend, a dear friend. And now I lost him too. Look at me, Abir. Where do I stand now? The Businessman of the Year, self-confident, proud Vishambar Maheshwari is just a defeated husband and a lost father now."
"Vishambhar uncle, please stop crying. I'll definitely try my best to help you. But for that you've to clearly tell me what exactly happened. But uncle, first of all you need to be strong."
Abir has always seen Vishabhar as a great man. As someone who is best known for his rationality, in honest words, a business mindset that lacks a single pinch of emotions. Vishambhar has been someone who might be defeated but would never give up. He held his head always high and was definitely someone who Abir looked up to. But as they say, everyone's time changes and so does Vishambhars. He might be the great hulk in business, but today he is just another man who is crying over his loss; the shocker being the loss is nowhere related to business. Vishambhar has lost the only thing he never appreciated.
His emotions defeated him.
"Almost five years back, Mehul came to me to ask for Mishti's hand in marriage to you. But my blind pride didn't allow me to accept you and your father as my family. I didn't know then, but today I realize that was the biggest mistake of my life. To satisfy my ego I stooped so low that I tried to trap him in a false case of smuggling. I am sorry, Abir Beta. When I understood the reality it was already too late. I got Mishti married to Nishant Singhaniya, a family friend. But I didn't know that family would turn out to be a snake! They attacked us in our softest corner. They used Mishti, Abir."
"How did they use her?"
"I let them use Mishti."
Vishambhar is completely broken and Abir is in shock. Yes, Mehul once asked Vishambhar about Abir and Mishti's marriage and that is when every wrong thing started. Abir was 24, studying in London and had no plans to get married. But it was Mehul's wish to strengthen the ties between the families by making Mishti his daughter-in-law. Abir has never met Mishti before and after that, just a little bit of stalking on social media sites and that's it. He was never so interested, nor was she, Abir thinks. But instead of respectfully rejecting the proposal the egoistic Vishambhar Maheshwari started planning and plotting against Mehul and ultimately accused him of false allegations. Mehul was in police custody, was humiliated in the public, mentally harassed and in the end, he died.
Abir closes his eyes to let that sink in. There's a ruckus in his mind. He wants to scream and shout as the image of his Baba flashes in his mind. And this time another image tortures his thoughts - a helpless daughter who is played by her own father. Abir is not the only victim in this nasty game.
He's not alone.
Mishti.
The girl he knows nothing about yet someone he can relate to.
"A few months ago I lost my wife. Rajshree was my strength, but God took her away from me. I'm destroyed, Abir. Mishti is unhappy, she needs someone to support her, love her but she won't come to me. Even though we lived under the same roof, she was a stranger. Abir, I want my daughter back. What will I do without my family? I've no one to help me, except Mehul. I want to ask for his forgiveness but..."
Tears don't stop and Vishambhar's broken strength asks for support. For the first time Abir feels pity. After doing wrong to so many people today he is defeated, he needs someone to hold on to. Abir looks at Mehul's photo at the desk. Abir knows, had his Baba been alive he would have taken not a single moment to go and hug Vishambhar, forgive him and land his hand for support. Even Vishambhar knows this. Isn't that why he is here even after everything that happened? Maybe Vishambahr is still a selfish man, but he has received his punishments. He has endured his part of suffering and if not anything, just by looking at the condition of this man, one has to overlook all his past misdeeds.
And now Abir has to do the same.
"I will help you, Vishambhar uncle. I will bring your daughter back to you."