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After Manik and Meira took off to have their bonding time, Kanika and Shivraj excused themselves to the kitchen on the pretext of setting up the dinner table for all of them. Cabir walked out to speak over his phone on which Navya was calling him. With everyone gone, Nandini decided to take a careful look on the photo frames that were a bit far to be visible from the couch.
There was one big frame that occupied most of the space on that wall with Shivraj and Kanika hugging Meira who stood between them. The smiles on their face gave away how happy they were. She didn't know if what she did by abruptly bringing Manik in altogether was even right or not but she was sure that her man deserved every bit of happiness that these three in front of her had on their faces even if it was on a picture.
There were a lot of small frames with Meira's childhood pictures but there were two frames that caught Nandini's eye. Those two frames are slightly bigger than the other frames but smaller than the first photo. One of the two frames had a picture of a big family that Nandini guessed to be the entire Agarwal clan and since Shivraj looked very young, it meant that it was a very old picture. A woman with exceptional beauty and grace had held Nandini's gaze also because she held a baby in her arms and a little boy stood close to the lady holding onto the drape of that woman's saree. It did not take much time for Nandini to figure it out that that woman was Manik's mother and the man hugging her from side was Manik's father. They looked equally happy that made her heart crumble at everything that was taken away from Manik.
The other picture was of the same four people whom she just concluded to be Manik, Meira and their parents thus confirming it for her as well. What a beautiful family! She couldn't even imagine how it must have felt to lose everything in a night. She was always at loggerheads with her parents but atleast she had them, here all that Manik had were blurred memories of his actual family. That thought made her feel so guilty for talking rudely to her father just the other night even if that was not how she intended it to sound.
She spoke to Manik about how all this was going to bring up all sorts of feelings but in reality it was the same for her too. Things related to family always stirred her insides no matter how trivial they were.
“What happened, dear? Why are you crying?” Nandini was startled hearing someone from beside. She turned to find Kanika standing just at a feet's distance from where she was standing. It was then she realised that she had been shedding silent tears. She couldn't really put a reason behind all those tears but she could say that she was hurting.
“Nothing aunty! I guess, I'm just overwhelmed for Manik. I'll be okay. Can I help you?” Nandini questioned in the end wiping away her years as she noticed Kanika holding a bunch of plates in her hand.
“Firstly, call me chachi since that is our relationship. I'm so grateful to you, that I cannot express in words. Shivraj says that he stopped looking for Manik after a while but I knew that he did his best to locate Manik for so long and was only forced to give up after years had passed. I have to thank-you for reuniting Manik with his chachu and sister.” Kanika expressed truthfully.
“It was just fate, aun.... Chachi! Besides, Manik is my family and I'd do anything to get him the happiness that he deserves. So there's really nothing much for you to be grateful to me. I'm a lot younger than you so you shouldn't thank me and instead just ask me to help you in your chores like carrying these dishes to the dining table for you.” Nandini said and that made Kanika chuckle. She happily handed out the dishes to Nandini as she put her hands out for her to place them.
“You're really sweet and I'm glad you are a part of this family now.” Kanika said leading their way to the dining table with a beautiful smile. Nandini could literally feel the happiness bubbling inside her at the words Kanika said to her.
“Thanks Chachi!” Nandini said with a slight blush on her cheeks.
“Chachi, I was thinking that Cabir and I should return to our hotel post dinner since our luggage is there. Also, we need to leave tomorrow so I'll drop Manik's bag in the morning. I figured you'd want him to stay back for a few days and have some quality family time.” Nandini spoke that etched a frown on Kanika's face.
“Why would you think that we don't want you both to stay as well? You are the reason we could meet Manik again. You're family too so I'll say go back and check out of the hotel, get your bags here and stay with us for as much time as you can.” Shivraj said grabbing their attention who had heard what Nandini said while coming closer to them.
“Chachu, I don't know.... I mean we don't want to impose and I guess it'd be better if Manik gets to spend some alone time with you all.” Nandini spoke with uncertainty in her voice.
“Definitely not kiddo! I want you and Cabir to stay back as well and if you try to deny then it'll be like you're disrespecting me.” Shivraj said with a serious face. Kanika stifled a laugh at her husband's usual drama. Cabir smiled at how similar Shivraj was to himself as he had reached the dining area to say the exact same thing Nandini said a while ago but he would have spoken just for himself.
“I rest my case, chachu!” Nandini raised both her hands as if surrendering to him making them chuckle at her antics.
“Then, I think I should go and get the luggage before dinner since Manik and Meira are already away and looks like they'll be taking more time. The hotel is just a 10-minute drive from here so I'll be back in time for dinner too.” Cabir spoke from behind gathering all of their attention.
“That is the kind, one should be talking!” Shivraj commented making everyone smile.
“I'll go with you. We'll be back soon chachu, chachi!” Nandini said and they nodded in understanding.
Nandini and Cabir soon took off in Cabir's car to get their bags back from the hotel they were staying in with a promise to return within the next thirty minutes time.
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“This is my haven! I paint whenever I feel too emotional like feeling sad or angry, per se.” Meira said as they finally stopped by a small room in the attic that was filled with art supplies and numerous paintings on every wall in there.
“Wow! All of these look amazing.” Manik was rendered speechless at the form of art in front of his eyes. A little sense of pride kicked in as he realised that all this work was a product of his sister's talent.
“Thank-you!” Meira smiled at his compliment and watched him keenly observe every painting in the room. Manik was nothing like what she had imagined her brother to be after years of separation.
She was definitely angry at him over the years for fleeing away like that but there wasn't a single day that she hadn't missed him. The thought of him being out there in the world all by himself when she was nurtured by their uncle and aunt kept haunting her. Over the time, she learnt how to shut those feelings off but it never really left her mind.
And now, knowing that all of it was a lie had thrown her off course. Her brother did not run away, in fact he was brutally uprooted from his own house after their parents left this world. Hell, he was betrayed by the very family she had trusted so much and to whom she felt she owed her life but the truth was far from what she was told while growing up. In a way, her being in coma had spared her a miserable life of an orphan like the one Manik had. The thought itself felt sickening. She couldn't handle what he had been through in a thousand years.
“What kept you alive and how did you manage to become this person that you are today after all that happened to you? I don't think, I wouldn't have survived a single day on my own.” Meira questioned him out of the blue and remarked by the end. Manik chuckled lightly at her comment before responding to her question.
“Honestly... I have no idea. Mom, dad and you were gone according to me and I had nothing to turn back to so I left the city. Orphanage isn't the perfect home for anyone but to a person like me it was a big relief. That is where I met Cabir. He's been with me since childhood and then I met these other people who stuck by me for such a long time. Obviously, it isn't exactly a family but it was enough for me until Nandini happened in my life. She brought everything with her into my life that I already did not have and she never lets me settle for less. I mean if it hadn't been for her, I might have never even gotten to know about you being alive. It seems like such a big coincidence but to me it feels like destiny. About your question of how I turned out to be like this, it's all the people I surrounded myself with, right from that truck driver who brought me to Mumbai to Nandini, my loving wife. Life indeed did throw very unfair things my way but if it hadn't been that way then I might have never met all these people who mean so much to me now.” Manik expressed in a way he didn't even know existed in his mind. Speaking that out loud made him realise how he felt about this. He wasn't that disappointed or envious like he was thinking of himself to be. Like Nandini said, he was strong and he did not regret the way his life turned out to be. It wasn't obviously the best way to have lived but he wouldn't want it to be any other way. Reuniting with his sister just meant more happiness and he was glad that it happened.
“I'm glad you got all of them but I'll always find it better had you been with me. It was a terrible way to separate two siblings right after we had lost our parents in that fateful accident. I'm not going to spare any of those guys who did this to you, to us.” Meira spoke with a certain kind of hatred that Manik couldn't relate to. He never felt the need to hate those guys since he always found it better to be thrown out instead of spending a tortured childhood in a house where people did not want him. But, he understood Meira's point of view since everything she believed for so many years turned out to be a big fat white lie.
“I'm no one to advice you but still I have to say that don't waste your energies on people who don't deserve it. In a way it's good that atleast you had a full childhood and you even get to inherit the heritage our dad had built. Chachu is the only person who could have taken care of you and you got lucky with even a loving chachi too. I'm back in your life and we can work this out atleast for the rest of our time rather than wasting it on some sort of revenge.” Manik said and sounded unsure of her reaction. He didn't know Meira so he couldn't gauge her reaction. One thing that he was sure of was that Meira had taken after their father and he had taken over their mother.
Meira was more of a rebellious person who'd never settle with smaller things. She had the zest to fight her way through anything and everything while Manik was more of a compassionate person. He appreciated little things in life and was satisfied with everything he possessed at the moment.
Manik could now see as to why could Meira and Nandini get on so well. It was because they had very similar personalities and were different than a lot of people out there.
“Firstly, not chachu and chachi but mom and dad now. Also, I'd consider that but I'm not making any promises. I'm just happy I could finally meet you again and now we can be a full family.” Meira spoke and that made Manik smile. He was happy that she had a second set of parents to support her. Her words also made him feel wanted and he realised that was all that he needed. He didn't feel jealous of all that she had but he just wanted to be a part of a family with the same emotion. He understood that it cannot happen in a day but they can definitely build it up with time and effort.
“The feelings are mutual, Meira! We can become a proper family now but I cannot address chachu as dad. It's too wierd for me. I have lived with the fact of not having parents for twenty something years and suddenly referring to my uncle as father seems bizarre just because my long lost sister is their daughter now. I hope that's okay with you!” Manik added in the end with a little smile.
“I don't expect you to do that. As long as you call me your sister, I'm okay with everything else you say.” Meira said playfully and walked ahead taking slow and unsure steps to hug him. Manik grinned as he reckoned her intentions and thus he hugged her close more than willingly to let the feeling of reuniting with his sister actually settle in him.
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Rate the chapter between 1-10.
Do you think Manik should get his revenge from the evil family that seperated him from his own sister, like Meira wants to?
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