Shubhi was not happy about it but she followed Daivik to the shade. The parking lot extended on both the sides. The tree was huge and theer was a small bench right underneath it. Daivik hovered around the bench indicating that Shubhi can sit there and as she had told him, he would not sit next to her. Shubhi kept her bag on the bench and stood next to the main trunk of the tree, looking towards the foyer entrance wanting to spot her car and driver as soon as he came around. Daivik came to stand in front of her, a foot away facing her.
Shubhi: Err....he would be here any moment
Daivik: Hmmm
Shubhi: You can go to your car...
Daivik: You want me to leave?
Shubhi: I am saying that you surely have better things to do...than be here....waiting
Daivik: Actually, no, (smiling and enjoying the way Shubhi's eyes nearly popped out)
Shubhi: What do you mean? You do have a business...?
Daivik: I have businesses....and many interests....like this hospital as well...
Shubhi: (thinking he is an arrogant idiot) So you are a busy person....
Daivik: I was getting bored in office....
Shubhi: And I am....your entertainment!
Daivik: No, that entertainment was Rajan, but he transferred the role to you (Daivik was smiling)
Shubhi could barely control her laughter, she was trying her best to look offended. She was surprised by Daivik's behavior, but if anything she had learnt from the past, it was not to trust it. Daivik on the other hand thought that this was the best time to get rid of his guilt.
Shubhi: You can return to him now...
Daivik: There was something I wanted to say to you...
Shubhi: (surprised and looking up at him) What?
Daivik: I do not think my mom's behavior with you on that night...(he paused for Shubhi's shocked face and then continued) I recently heard about it...I did not know that she turned you out....
Shubhi: (shock etched on her face) you did not know when I and Mahesh had visited?
Daivik: No I did not know about that....I was busy with the US business, and no one told me about the incident...till now
Shubhi: It was a very painful...(looking away trying to compose herself)
Daivik: You know that I do not talk much.....but when I heard all that, I knew that I have to apologize to you and Mahesh
Shubhi: Yes he was horribly insulted as well (not wanting to talk about herself)
Daivik: But I feel that you should not have claimed that the child was mine....
Shubhi: What? (surprised)
Daivik: Maybe that threw my mom off the rationale....you see she believes till now that....our marriage has not been consummated....
Shubhi: (too shocked to respond)
Daivik: She must have thought if we have not been together, how could the child be mine?
Shubhi: (barely containing her anger) I agree, lets keep it that way only-- we have never been together -- and I will leave now (turning away from him)
Daivik: (holding her by elbow to face him again) We filed annulment, you see and that means legally the marriage was never consummated
Shubhi: Thanks for enlightening me, now stay away from me and my daughter
Daivik: You know what surprises me, is that how could Dyuti's father could let you go?
Shubhi: What?
Daivik: Your eyes....they always captivated me....I still cant'
Shubhi: What?
Daivik: I mean if we had...not signed the annulment...so early...I would not have...let you go so easily....so I wonder how he did that?
Shubhi: (glaring at him, trying to restrain her temper) hmm
Daivik: How could he get bored of you so easily.....were you too much for him in bed?
Shubhi: None of your business!!
Shubhi smacks a punch right of his nose and while he screams 'arghhh' loudly she picks her purse from the bench and runs to her car which had just now appeared on the horizon.
When Daivik reached home late in the afternoon, Viren had already returned home and Veni was expected back from school in the next ten minutes.
Viren: What is this, your nose is red and looks damaged
Daivik: I apologized to Shubhi, your favorite person!
Viren: But why would she punch you, when you were apologizing?
Daivik: Lets say I asked her something about Dyuti's father
Viren: Ohh
Daivik: Whenever I ask her something about Dyuti's father she gets violent!
Veni: Ohh that is understandable.
Daivik and Viren both surprised by Veni's entry into the room and the discussion.
Veni: Her father went Missing In Action six years ago, he was in the Indian army, so she does not like talking about him
Viren: How do you know that?
Veni: Dyuti told me the secret sometime ago....whenever she would ask her mom she would say 'I am your father and I am your mother.'
Viren: Ohh then?
Veni: Her Tush--aar mamu told her this secret and she told me...now both of you need to keep this secret.
Daivik: Sure we will keep that a secret
Viren: Princess, lets get you changed and have some snacks. We will look at the homework after that!
Daivik talks to the deity once he walks into his room, cleans his face and his skin is sensitive from the punch.
So is this why she gets angry because the fellow...Dyuti's father.... has gone missing....and now that six years are complete she can marry again...
...why are you laughing?
....I apologized to her for my mom's behavior! And what does she do? punches me on the face
Viren settles Veni and calls Sampat bhaiya to talk about something else. After that conversation he decides to close the conversation on the fateful night that he had with him earlier.
Viren: Bhaiya is there anything else that I should know about that day?
Sampat: Well, this is what I was able to put together from others. They told me that her things had already been sent to her house, so she was in a way thrown out of the house. But what happened that day was bad. It still hurts how badly she was treated. If not for anything else, she carried the baby of this house, she deserved better!
Viren: Why did you not tell all this to Daivik?
Sampat: (arms crossed on chest) Why should we be the ones to tell him? Should he not know....?
Viren: He was not in India. So he has no way of knowing.
Sampat: (still cross) He refused to honor his child.
Viren: How do you know that- that it is his child?
Sampat: Ohh you only have to look at the little girl. Can you not see the resemblance with chotte baba? She and Veni gudiya look like sisters at the first glance itself.
Viren: Have you seen her?
Sampat: Yes, when Raju, your driver, told me of her. I was very curious, so I made it a task to accompany Veni gudiya to their place one day. I saw her myself. Actually, even more than Veni, she is the spitting image of your sister.
Viren: But they have told her that her father was in the army and went missing
Sampat: What other story will they tell a little girl? That her father kicked her mother out of the house and abandoned the child as well?
Viren: Daivik would never do that! He is not expressive and a had some bad experiences with women but he would always take his responsibility seriously! It was mom who did that!
Sampat: He should have done something when his mother kicked them out!
Viren: Oh God! this is so confusing...I will talk to Daivik
At the other end of the city Shubhi was lost in her thoughts when she reached home. Dyuti was playing with her cousins and friends. Shubhi's mom was happily busy as Anita and Soumya had also come to meet the little one and the house again seemed happy.
Anita: Hey girl, it took you a long time
Shubhi: Dr Rajan took some time to get the documents, let me hand them over to mom
Soumya: You have this water, and sit here, I will give this to aunty.
Shubhi sits on the sofa on the corner, Anita is on the other side. Soumya returns after a minute to sit across from Shubhi.
Soumya: What did Dr Rajan say about Dyuti's recovery
Shubhi: He said that she has mostly recovered, some care at home should do it
Anita: hmm Dyuti has a big Teddy bear that she said Veni's chachu gifted her?
Shubhi: Yes that was gifted by Daivik
Soumya: What?
Shubhi: And Veni, Veni had brought it as a gift, he had accompanied her to the hospital
Anita: And...you accepted it?
Shubhi: I had no way to refuse it...
Soumya: Did he..... say anything....?
Shubhi: It better if he keeps his mouth shut...
Anita: Did he ask again about.....Dyuti's father?
Shubhi: What else can he ask...it seems he cannot think of anything else!
Anita: Blind as a Bat, the name suits him!
Soumya: But how could he say all that in the presence of Dyuti and Veni
Shubhi: I ran into him again, today (both Anita and Soumya gasp)
Anita: What happened? You had gone to meet Dr Rajan...
Shubhi: He had come to meet Rajan....
Soumya: Then?
Shubhi: He ate my Brownie and drank my coffee!
Anita: Were they half eaten?
Shubhi: Yes
Anita: Woman, he has hots for you!! He wants to eat you!!
Shubhi: Yeah sure (sarcastically) and then he told me how could Dyuti's father let me go so easily? Was I too much in bed?
Soumya: Is he crazy? Mr Blind as a bat!! What did Rajan say?
Shubhi: Rajan had asked him to escort me to the back gate....he insisted on seeing me off....
Anita: Did he drop you here?
Shubhi: I would rather walk than let that happen! We stood in the parking area as I waited for Charan to bring the car around...
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Authors Note:
He apologizes and yet manages to put his foot in his mouth.....will Viren investigate truth?
We take a pause as the girls discuss Daivik.
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