"Mama, down, down..." Ruhi wanted her momma to put her down so that she can run back to her Papa and see if she could kick that french guy a bit more for touching her.
Madhu set her down on the floor and Ruhi tried to escape out of the house but Madhu dragged her back and walked her to the kitchen.
"Mama, leave..." Ruhi struggled to get out of her hold.
"Ruhi!" Madhu put her finger on her lips asking her daughter to keep quiet.
"Why did you kick that guy?" Madhu asked.
"He touched Roohi!!!" Ruhi said dramatically with her hands on her hips as if that guy had committed a serious crime. Yeah, touching an offense for little touch-me-not Ruhi so she kicked the guy. Not a big deal!
"So what? He was only being nice with you, right?" Madhu didn't get why Rk and their daughter both got so mad at that poor guy who seemed friendly and harmless to her. "Are you a brawler? Now itself you started picking fights huh?" Madhu asked holding her hands on her hips.
Ruhi looked up at her momma with a pouty lip. She didn't get what her momma was saying but surely she can understand her momma was pissed at her and scolding her. Madhu picked Ruhi up in her arms and placed her on the kitchen counter. Then she took an apple from the fruit basket, watched it and started slicing it in thin slices for Ruhi to eat.
"Eat" Madhu ordered pushing the plate to her side. Ruhi took a piece in her hand and slowly nibbled it looking scared at her momma.
"If someone says you are cute or beautiful then what you should say?"
"Kick, Momma, kick" she kicked her leg in the air, her hands raised up and palms down. No doubt Ruhi and her daddy were watching Kung fu panda movie daily.
"Rowdy!" Madhu said trying and failing to keep a straight face. Ruhi's funny antics were making her laugh.
"Mama... um... wo... touch, Roohi, mama." Ruhi tried again to make her momma understand that what that guy did was wrong. "Roohi... not like touch-ching" Ruhi screamed shaking her head frantically. Only her parents, Bittuji and Roma can touch her. She was one picky and choosey baby when it comes to with whom she wants to be with and play with.
"That's wrong, baby. You should behave nicely or else everyone will call you a bad girl. Are you a bad girl?"
"Nah... Nah... Nah" Ruhi said in her cute sing song voice.
"Good. If someone compliments you then you should say thank you" Madhu said steadying Ruhi.
"Hmp?" Ruhi asked.
"Thank you" Madhu repeats.
"Q" that's all Ruhi could say. Madhu looked up hearing Rk's laughter. He was watching them at a distance as a silent spectator enjoying his lovely girls' cute little argument.
"What?" Madhu asked.
"When we were dating I thought you were so childlike and immature but now when I see you with Ruhi... the way you teach her what's good and what's bad... how to behave... how to eat... you are molding this little one so perfectly, Madhu... You have become one matured mother." Rk said hugging Ruhi from behind.
"I wasn't childish back then... I was just so stupid!" Madhu snapped at him.
"You weren't stupid, Madhu. You only trusted me and loved me." Rk said and Madhu turned her gaze away from him. "Madhu..." Rk touched her cheek and turned her face to look at him. "Do you still love me, Madhu?" Rk asked. "Well, not the same old deep mad passionate love but at least tiny bit of love is there in your heart? For me?" he asked hopefully. He knew it was too soon to ask whether she still had feelings for him or not but he couldn't help. He wanted to know the old Madhu who loved him crazily was still there in her.
"I can't believe you have the nerve to ask me that!" Madhu spat it him venomously. "There is only hatred for you in my heart."
"Something is better than nothing right?" Rk said grinning hiding his hurt. Madhu frowned. "At least you have hate feelings for me nah?"
"My heart is fully filled with love for Ruhi... only for her and no place for you" Madhu said looking at Ruhi who was now licking honey from the honey bottle. Her middle three fingers were in her mouth and honey spread all over her mouth.
"Hey baby girl, what's all this mess?" Rk asked laughing at Ruhi. In their heated talk they hadn't notice their naughty girl taking the honey bottle and tasting it with all mouth and fingers.
"Now, make some room and give Daddy a little place... to sit" in your heart! Rk said looking at Madhu.
Madhu judicially ignored what he was trying to tell her indirectly.
Rk slightly moved Ruhi aside and he hopped up on the counter sitting beside her and dipped his index finger in the honey bottle and licked it. "Hmm... sweet madhu... I mean honey" Rk corrected quickly when Madhu threw a murderous look at him. Ruhi kissed her Papa with her slobbery mouth because she was happy that her daddy also loved honey just like her and went back to suck her honey dripping fingers.
"You are spoiling her rotten" She accused him.
"Me? What did I do?" Rk asked innocently. Madhu rolled her eyes. He is such an actor! She muttered under her breathe.
"If she does some wrong you should correct her... you should not sit with her and lick honey like a kid"
"So kids can sit and lick honey? Then my baby is doing no wrong." Rk championed for his daughter.
"Gah! I just wanna wring your neck." Madhu advanced to him like a tigress ready to kill him but suddenly noticing Ruhi's horrified expression, Madhu smiled at her and casually snaked her arms around Rk's neck as she stood in between his legs. Rk shot his brow up in surprise seeing the sudden change in her.
"Ruhi is looking at us" Madhu whispered near his ear. Rk turned and looked down at his daughter curiously looking at them.
"Hey, munchkin, Papa is going to swim in pool, you coming?" Rk asked Ruhi to distract her.
Ruhi stood up on the counter top discarding the honey bottle and wrapped her arms around her Papa's neck and nodded her head.
"Ask your momma to change you into your swim suit." Rk said to her.
"Mama" Ruhi stretched her arms for Madhu to take her. "Swimming means no ice cream" Madhu ordered and looked at Rk to defy her. Rk raised his hands up and shook his head indicating that he wouldn't dare to defy her.
--0--
Rk quickly stripped out of his Pants and shirt and wore a black color swim jammer and left his chest bare. He went ahead to the swimming pool and waited for Madhu to bring Ruhi. He hoped against hope that Madhu will also join swimming with them. He remembered all their hot-wet romance in the pool when they were together. They had had sex in the pool n number of times. He loved taking her under the water. Their wet bodies glued to each other when Madhu straddles him and crossed her legs behind him and her arms tightly wrapped around his neck and the way she moans his name... Gosh! The erotic though itself gave him a hard erection.
"Papa" he was snapped out of his thought when Ruhi came running on her toes to him.
"Hey, watermelon" Rk knelt down to Ruhi's height and kissed her cheeks. Ruhi was wearing a green swim shorts which looked like the outer layer of watermelon and her tops was of red in color with black seeds all over it. Oh and the swim cap was also in green color as if she was wearing a half cut watermelon over her head.
Madhu slowly walked and stood behind Ruhi. She was wearing a jean shorts and white spaghetti revealing a little portion of her tummy.
Rk's hand itched to trace her tummy were he could find the faint line of stretch marks. He will give his life to see her pregnant with his child again.
"God!" he groaned inwardly.
How he wished to go back in time and rectify his horrible unforgivable mistake and paint their lives to something beautiful, not that his present life with Madhu and his daughter was not beautiful, he surely was blessed to get a second change to be a part of their lives but if he hadn't committed such a sin at the first place then Madhu could have avoided all the sufferings. Madhu would still be so in love with him like before and may be by now they would have married to each other and lived happily with their little Ruhi.
How he wished he had reacted appropriately for the good news Madhu shared him years back... a perfect reaction would have been jumping in joy of becoming a father and hugging your beloved promising her that he would be there for her in every step she takes instead he hurt cruelly with his mean words. Oh God! How he wished he had man up and took his responsibility instead of behaving like a coward. How he wished he had been there for his Madhu and his child much earlier. He let them suffer for nearly 2 years without his presence. How he wished to see her tummy growing big with his child. How he wished to pamper her! How he wished he was there at the time of Ruhi's birth. How he wished he had held his baby girl for the first time when she was born. How he wished he had fallen in love with Madhu much earlier when they were dating? He had fallen in love with Ruhi, with his beautiful daughter irrevocably, that too instantly, as soon as he heard her call him "Paa" which happened to be her first word... as soon as he face her, as soon as he held her in his arms, Oh God! He fell in love with Ruhi so quickly as if she had bewitched him unlike with Madhu. That's where things went wrong. Love! One word! One feeling! Love indeed played drastically in his life by making him realize his feelings for Madhu way too later though she was worthier to be loved instantly, just at the first sight because she was so pure, beautiful, fragile and innocent. He fell for her instantly too just by seeing her dance in the award function gracefully embellishing her beauty perfectly to his eyes. He fell for her external beauty and failed to see her internal beauty then but now he was adoring both her inner and outer beauty and truly in love with her.
He hoped one day she will see his true love for her... and also forgive him at one point. Well, she may or may not forgive him but he will never forgive himself for what he did to Madhu and Ruhi. His past will haunt him forever and he will keep on repenting and making up to them for the pain he caused to them in any way possible and keep them happy.
"Rk!" Madhu voice brought him back to earth. He was completely lost in his thoughts.
"You are joining us?" Rk asked finally cranking his head up to meet her eyes. She was glaring at him, obviously noticed what he was staring at for minutes now. He was staring at her cute little belly but she didn't know where his thoughts were lost in. She pulled her top down to cover her bare skin.
"Nope! I will just sit and watch you both play in the water." Madhu said.
Rk stood up leaving and asked "Then why you changed your dress?"
"I worry Ruhi will insist me to play with her so in advance I changed my clothes to something comfortable..."
"Yeah, right! She can be very adamant and persuasive."
"Either she cries her eyes out or give her beautiful baby smile to get things work in her way." Madhu said.
"She reminds me of you when she smiles." Rk whispered and Madhu unconsciously smiled.
"There. The same smile." Rk pointed.
"She has your dimples. But it looks cute on her face."
"Not cute on mine?" He asked little disappointed.
"Well, your dimples are..."
"Are?"
"Sexy" she muttered meekly which she doubt he heard it. When she looked up he had a wide grin plastered on his face proving that he heard her remark.
Splash!
"Ruhi..." Madhu screamed in panic. Rk quickly dived into the pool and disappeared under the water. Few seconds later he reappeared with Ruhi in his arms. She was coughing and laughing at the same time. Rk hugged her and kissed all over her face. Then he looked up to see Madhu still rooted to her spot, she looked pale, scared and frozen.
"Madhu..." Rk called as he swam to the edge of the pool. Rk stood in the pool and set Ruhi out so that she can go to her momma.
"Mama..." Ruhi ran to her momma and hugged her legs bringing her out of her trance. Madhu slumped down on the floor and hugged Ruhi as tears made its way without any stop. "What am I going to with you Ruhi?" Madhu shook Ruhi holding her arms. "Why you always scare momma? You will surely take my life away one day." Madhu cried
"Madhu... calm down. Don't go hard on her." Rk said as he stepped out of the pool and knelt beside them. "She is fine. In fact she was laughing with her little adventure." Rk said softly and squeezed Madhu's shoulder. Madhu took a deep breath to compose herself and felt Rk's gentle touch on her cheek wiping off her tears.
Madhu turned to his side and unknowingly placed her hand on his cheek, caressing it she spoke "Rk... Rk... please..." she breathed erratically.
"Madhu, relax. Don't panic."
Ruhi leaned against her momma's chest and settled herself on her lap, silently.
"Always make sure you keep an eye on her. Always make sure she is safe. Always make sure she is happy. Never let anything wrong happen to her, Rk... please... please, do this for me... you know what she is to me... to us." For the first time after their separation she asked something from him. His assurance to take care of their baby girl
"I'll, Madhu. I will protect her." and you too! "I promise" he gave her the assurance she required from him. She nodded and looked down at Ruhi who was clinging to her. Whenever Ruhi upsets her mother she goes utterly silent.
"Ruhi, my baby, look at me." Madhu lift Ruhi from her lap and made her face him. Ruhi had a sad face and she was in the verge to cry. "Mama is not angry with you. Now, go play in water with your Papa" Madhu encouraged Ruhi with a smile.
"Come, darling, Papa will teach you swimming." Rk opened his hands for her and Ruhi jumped into his arms not before kissing her momma's cheek. Madhu sat at the edge of the pool, her legs immersed in the water as she watched Ruhi play happily with her daddy. Both father and daughter kept splashing water at each other, laughing and giggling in mirth. A sight to behold! Madhu thoughts with a contented smile on her face
... To be continued!!!
Vote, Comment & Share!!!