In Manjari's Room:
After they pulled back, Manjari nervously asked him,
"Abhi! Tujhe yakeen hain na...ki Akshara se Roohi ko koi khatra nahi hain? Mera matlab, Akshara use kuch bata toh nahi degi na? Woh..." Abhimanyu didn't let Manjari finish.
"Maa! Agar Akshara ne aisa karne ke bare mein socha bhi....toh main bhool jaunga ki woh Abhir ki kuch lagti hain. Meri bachi pe aanch aayi toh yeh baap sari sharaft bhool jayega" His eyes were blazing.
Manjari wasn't convinced by Abhimanyu's claims because she knew how he becomes when Akshara gets involved in matters. She just hoped that he would stick to his words, at least for the kids. Akshara didn't deserve a single free pass then and she doesn't deserve any now.
"Roohi toh toot jayegi na Abhi. Uske baad chahe jo ho, uska dil toh dukhega na" Manjari pointed out. That was her main concern no matter how much she hated Akshara.
"Use sach na batana meri majboori hain. Kam se kam 18 saal ki hone tak, usse sach chupake rakhne ka wada kiya maine. Aur woh main nibha raha hoon. Isliye bhi kyunki us sach se Roohi ko takleef ke siwaye kuch haasil nahi hoga.
Per agar use sach pata chalne ka scope hain kahi aur se, main usse kuch nahi chupaunga. Jab bhi mujhe uske aasaar dikhenge, main khud use sab sach batadunga. Aagey Mahadev ki marzi. Uski past keliye main uski present ko control nahi karunga."
Abhimanyu declared boldly and walked out. Manjari's questions rattled something in him. He genuinely didn't consider the possibility of such a thing. He didn't expect Akshara to stoop so low but after what all happened recently, he couldn't be sure.
He was determined to not let Roohi meet Akshara alone. That is something Roohi will have to agree upon, and he was sure she will. He had too many things to ponder upon. Manjari's questions were valid.
Though he had answers for them and managed to convince her, there were a few things he himself wasn't sure of pulling off. He needed that conviction and he had to dig deep from within to source it. He was determined to do that and for that, he needed a clearer head space. So, Abhimanyu left for a jog in the evening to let some steam off.
Neil was feeling much better after an hour of power nap. He has been anticipating a reaction from his Bhaiyya but seemingly, he had bigger things to worry about. Neil wanted to find out if he managed to convince Manjari or not.
When he walked out of his room, he saw Rohan and Anahita walk in. He threw the worry away for some time and greeted them cheerfully. Rohan instructed the staff to take care of the cakes he got along.
"Kaunsa flavour?" Neil asked.
"Milky butterscotch. Madam ka favourite" Anahita answered. Before Neil made a face, Rohan clarified,
"Main do cakes laya hoon. Tereliye chocolate truffle lekar aya hoon. Tune itna responsibly decision liya hain. I am proud of that. Isliye meri taraf se woh tereliye hain. But kategi Roohi hi." All of them chuckled.
Roohi and Abhir were playing Mastermind. Roohi was waiting for Abhir who was in the washroom, when all three of them entered.
"Bhai kahan hain?" Rohan asked and Neil shrugged. He wanted to know the same.
"Inhe nahi pata Chachu. Yeh sogaye the. Poppy jog pe gaye. Aajayenge jaldi wapis."
Roohi rushed to hug Rohan. Rohan responded and held her close until she pulled out on her own. He missed her a lot and whenever he got upset with her, he missed her a little more.
"Abhi sab cool hain na. Aap bilkul gussa nahi ho na?" Roohi asked, just for clarity.
"Nahin hoon gussa. In fact, bahut bahut zyada khush hoon aur proud bhi."
Saying so, Rohan lifted her up and twirled her in the air just like she loved. Ever since she was a child, she always wanted Rohan to do that and that never changed as she grew up.
"Hello ji! Main bhi hoon yahan. Yaad hain na...sirf maine tujhe free pass diya tha." Anahita taunted.
"Ofcourse Di. Aur mujhe yeh bhi yaad hain ki aapne Chachu se sirf isliye pyaar kiya kyunki aapne unko mere saath dekha. Warna aapko toh khadus lage the na"
Roohi outsmarted Anahita with her sweet talk and winked at her. Anahita was being glared by Rohan and she shrugged sheepishly.
"You my girl are a snitch!" She blamed Roohi who just laughed it off.
After few minutes, Abhir walked out of the washroom, all freshened up and smiled at Rohan. He didn't see Anahita yet who was playing with Roohi on his behalf. It's been so long that he met his buddy, his Rohan Chachu. He missed him. He walked to Rohan and told him,
"I missed you Chachu. Aap milne bhi nahi aa rahe ho aaj kal." He complained.
"Tere Dad hi mujhe idhar, udhar bhejte rehte hain. Yeh complaint unse karo." Rohan replied and gave him a side hug.
Abhir hissed when Rohan's hand came in contact with the cut and soon had everyone's attention. Especially Anahita's. She was glued to the game because it demanded lot of concentration and didn't notice when Abhir actually came out of the washroom.
His yelp made her watch out. What she saw made her eyes blaze. There were multiple bandages on Abhir. She knew he had a couple of bruises already, but she didn't know how the boy managed to hurt himself again within a span of few hours.
She could see at least 2 fresh bandages and she immediately reached him to check on him. Abhir's eyes widened in realization. He was super scared about Anahita's reaction. She hates seeing him all bruised and gave him a serious warning just a couple of days ago to not get any more bruises and to be watchful.
Her words were still ringing in his ears and now here he is. If she gets to know that he didn't get hurt because of his accident-prone nature and instead hurt himself in anger, he will be a gone case. He was already scolded enough for the day. He didn't want more but he didn't know how to escape either.
"Kya hua tujhe? Yeh naye chot kahan se lagwali? Pehle ki bandaids utri nahi hain aur tu do aur lagwaliye. Tujhe na band ke rakhna chahiye. Kabhi bhi, kisi se bhi, kahin pe bhi chot lagwata rehta hain."
She was venting out when Roohi's eyes glinted. Her anger towards Abhir for hurting himself resurfaced. She was anyways in a mood to be Snitch personified and she believed that Abhir needed the Anahita dose to really learn the lesson. So, she snitched. Again.
"Kahin se nahi Di, isne yeh chot khud se lagayi hain. Glass table pe zor se punch maara Birla Boy ne, gusse mein."
Roohi ratted him out and took cover behind Neil who was busy on a call with his air pods on. Blissfully unaware of the storm around. Neil looked up to find Abhir glaring at him but realized soon that he was actually glaring Roohi who hid behind him.
Neil failed to notice Anahita's angry eyes and got busy on the call again. He had to rush to his room to refer to some files and Roohi tagged along. Rohan was smart enough to chicken out saying he had to meet Maa and eat food, leaving Anahita and Abhir with each other.
Everything happened so fast that Abhir couldn't really stop anyone. He just looked down unable to meet Anahita's eyes. He was really ashamed of his act and the expression on his Maasi's face made that feeling worse. He didn't have words to even talk to her. So, he just stood there like a statue.
Anahita wiped off her tears that just rolled down and waited for Abhir to speak but when he didn't, she was about to walk out when Abhir held her arm and pulled her back.
"Mat jao Maasi please" That is all he could say.
Anahita turned around and whacked him hard. Abhir winced at the sting; it was really bad. His Maasi could wield her hand really well. It's been forever since he got whacked so badly because he never pushed her beyond a warning. Perks of being the good boy who listens.
SELF HARM is a huge red line for her too, and he crossed it with flying colours earning the stinging whack. He waited for the scolding or more whacks to follow but he got none. When he turned, he saw Anahita searching for something.
"Kya kar rahe ho Maasi?" He asked curiously.
"Tujhe baatein samajh nahi aarahi hain na, main bas kuch aisa dhoondh rahi hoon jisse teri akal thikane laga sakoon." Anahita's voice was sharp and Abhir was worried.
He sprinted towards her and hugged her. The best way to save yourself is to calm the person's anger down by giving them a tight hug. He learnt this trick from Roohi long, long ago. It never flopped but everything has a first time. Anahita pushed him back and glared him down.
"Bola tha na tujhe pichli baar bhi, ki SELF HARM karne ki koshish bhi mat karna. Bola tha ki nahin?" She questioned him as she shook him by his shoulder. Abhir nodded.
"Bola tha na ki agar dubara karega toh THAPPAD khayega mujhse?" She asked and he nodded again.
"Phir bhi kiya. Kyun? Thappad khane ka shauk chada hain? Lagaun ek THAPPAD?" She threatened him. Her tone was stern and unforgiving.
"Lag gayi mujhe already. Papa ne maara mujhe."
Abhir disclosed meekly, showing his cheek which still had a very faint redness and Anahita backed out. She didn't know that. She knew how strict Abhimanyu can be when needed. She didn't want to scold the kid more than required especially when he was already in pain.
"Kyun kiya aisa?" She gentled her tone and asked him, cupping his face. Abhir gave her the entire account of everything.
"Acha hain ki Bhai ne samjhadiya tujhe. Warna aaj tu mere haathon pakka maar khata. Aise kaise kar sakta hain tu? Kuch oonch neech hojati toh? Aankh pe, face pe lag jati toh? Kisi aur ko bhi toh lag sakti thi na. Kitna dangerous hosakta tha yeh?" She gently chastised him.
Abhir held his ears and apologized, "Sorry Maasi. Nahi karunga repeat. Mat daanto na please."
Anahita gave in just like that. She trusted her Bhai too much to interfere in his parenting. If Abhimanyu had already dealt with his son, she had nothing much to add.
"Abhir! Agli baar itna gussa ayega toh boxing bag ko maaro, bed ko maaro ya kisi aisi cheez ko maaro jisse dard kam ho aur risk bhi na lena pade. Apne mind ko tune karde soch soch ke tu gusse mein kya karega.
Kehte hain ki aisa karne se subconsciously aapki brain mein yeh baat baith jaati hain. Ho sakta hain ki us time pe tere mind mein yeh thought aaye. Try toh kar sakte hain na" She suggested him and he nodded.
She ruffled his hair and pressed a kiss on his forehead.
"Aap abhi upset nahin ho na?" Abhir asked.
"Tu bol. Hona chahiye mujhe gussa?" Anahita countered. Abhir fell silent and Anahita loved his honesty.
"Nahin hoon. Tumhare Papa ne samjhadiya na. Woh kafi hain. Woh best samjhate hain, tumhe bhi aur hum sabko bhi." Anahita playfully commented and Abhir smiled.
They happily opened the door to come out and were shocked to see Roohi and Neil standing at the door and eavesdropping on their conversation. Rohan didn't mind stopping them. Abhir and Anahita folded their hands across their chest and glared both of them down.
Roohi and Neil took cover behind Rohan, dragging him into the mess. Rohan looked clueless but those promising looks of payback from Abhir and Anahita made all three of them gulped. Soon both of them chased the three of them all around the house.
What started with Abhir and Anahita in a team ended with Anahita, Abhir and Roohi targeting Neil and Rohan. They were all running like lunatics and Rohan clashed with Abhimanyu who just happened to enter the house, soaked in sweat.
Rohan immediately covered it up and made it look like an over enthusiastic greeting. Abhimanyu greeted Anahita as well and left to freshen up. By the time he was back, every one of them were tired and were hogging on to snacks like there is no tomorrow.
His mood was much better because of the visual in front of his eyes. His family always managed to soothe him.
Manjari went to Abhimanyu and told him,
"Tu sahi tha Abhi. Sach se hum nahi bhag sakte. Tu sach nahi bata sakta. Agar Roohi ka sach jaan na aise hi likha hain toh aise hi sahi. Hum sab ek saath milke use sambhal lenge. Chinta mat kar.
Roohi teri beti hain, teri parwarish. Humein us per bhi bharosa hain aur tere parwarish pe bhi" Her words soothed all of Abhimanyu's fears, at least for the time being.
He was feeling stupid to not consider that factor, earlier, but Manjari's words made him feel better. He felt that he will just have to be extra cautious, and everything will be alright. He convinced himself of that, before joining the gang.
He was then greeted with broad smiles and warm hugs from everybody. They all cheered for Roohi's achievement and celebrated it with a lot of elan. They had a blast with Roohi singing and everyone breaking into an impromptu dance.
Roohi couldn't have imagined a better way to enjoy her success because her family is the best and they genuinely know to make their own feel special. She thanked Mahadev for his cooperation with all her heart, seeked his blessings and went on with enjoying the celebration.
What's your takeaway from Manjari, Abhimanyu and Neil's conversation?
What truth is Manjari referring to?
Will Akshara actually stoop so low?
Did Abhimanyu make the right choice?
How were Rohan and Anahita with the kids?
What do you have to say about Anahita and Abhir's bond?
What has Mahadev planned for the Birlas?
Well! Let's wait and see.