Aryan followed Kajol to her apartment. They don't talk much. They seem to have a dividing wall that keeps them from talking to each other. But no matter how much he hates it, Aryan still chooses to remain silent. He knows his limits.
Kajol unlocked the door and let her son in. Aryan observed his surroundings carefully. His mother's new house wasn't too big but not too small. Not even bigger than his apartment in California. From where he was standing now he could see a set of sofas in front of the television, a small dining table, and two white wooden doors which he assumed were the doors to the bedroom.
Kajol noticed that and gave a small smile. "Take a sit. It might not be as comfortable as Mannat, but you can make it your own home.”
"My home is wherever you live, Maa." Aryan took a seat while Kajol went to the kitchen. "You're alone here?"
"Of course. But sometimes my friends come and accompany me.”
Aryan nodded. “You will be so overwhelmed when the baby's born. I can do some help if you wish.”
Kajol just laughed at that. She came back with a big bowl of Pakoda. Aryan smiled brightly and looked at it with sparkles when she placed the bowl in front of him.
"May I eat it?" Aryan asked without taking his eyes off his favorite food.
Kajol sat next to Aryan and nodded. She watched him eat his Pakoda voraciously. “Lately I've become fond of eating Pakoda. I don't know why. So I always keep some in stock.”
“Looks like my sibling will also like to eat Pakoda as much as I do.” Aryan said.
"Your siblings." Kajol smiled. "You'll have twin siblings."
Aryan stopped chewing and looked at his mother with round eyes. He froze for a moment while Kajol just laughed at him.
"Is that true?"
"You think I'm kidding?"
"Wow." that was all Aryan could say. He didn't know how to express the joy in his heart. He smiled widely, more like a laugh, showing his two cute dimples.
Kajol took out some sonogram pictures from her purse and gave them to Aryan. The boy accepted it with a frown. It was the first time he had seen a picture of babies in the womb. He stared at them intently, amazed.
"I'm like seeing you and Papa." Aryan said after a while. "When I will see them?"
"Not much longer. But I don't think you're here when they're born." Kajol said. Riya has given her estimated due date and she is sure Aryan will still be in US when that day comes.
"Just call me. I'll fly right away." The two laughed before falling back into silence. Aryan still stares at the pictures while Kajol tries to find a new topic to talk about.
"Does Papa know about them?" Aryan asked again. Kajol answered with a small nod.
"Then why did you choose to leave? Did Papa not accept them?"
Kajol took a deep breath. Maybe it was time to tell him everything. She looked at Aryan, steeling her heart to reopen the old wound.
**
"What do you want, Shahrukh? Do you want me to call your lawyer?"
"Shahrukh, what is this? What happened with you two? Why did Kajol suddenly divorce you?"
Shahrukh was speechless while Shehnaz and Pooja were busy bombarding him with questions. His teary eyes stared blankly at the divorce papers in his hands. His entire body froze, feeling suddenly dead. He took several deep breaths to fill the tightness in his chest. He's never been this hurt. Even the scars from his injuries had never tormented him this much.
"I call your lawyer, okay? We'll get this over." Pooja said once again.
Shahrukh shook his head weakly. "I don't want this to end, Pooja. I can't."
"You have to meet her and talk things over. You can't go on like this." Shehnaz chimed in.
Shahrukh turned his head, showing his pain through his eyes. He shook his head again. Time seemed to stop for him. He was trapped in his regret. If only he had known this would end like this, he wouldn't have acted so stupidly back then.
He didn't say anything and instead left the room, ignoring everyone calling out to him. His ears became deaf to all sounds except for one, whose owner was no longer with him.
He went to Kajol's room and stayed there. The smell of her perfume still spread throughout the room. Their memories in that room began to stab his heart brutally.
"Baby? Where's my new shoes?"
"Should I look for it too?"
"They're not there. Could you please find it for me? I'm late for a meeting."
"Kiss me first then I'll find it."
Shahrukh smiled. Another tear rolled down his cheek. He stopped in front of a dressing table. Through the mirror he could see himself and Kajol, years ago, when they were still a happy couple.
"Baby, hurry up! I didn't ask you out for that."
"Five more minutes, okay?"
"You'll be the center of attention."
"Always, na? I like being the center of attention."
"You're only mine. I hate it when anyone looks at you more than me."
"Okay, okay, fine Mr Grumpy. I'm all yours. Satisfied? Shall we go now?"
The shadow suddenly disappeared. He no longer saw Kajol there.The mirror instead showed his broken, very chaotic self. His eyes were dark, red, and swollen. Very different from the side of him that he shows every day to everyone out there. He hated seeing that and immediately hit the mirror until it shattered. His reflection became irregular. His fingers were dripping with fresh blood but he ignored it.
He fell and knelt on the edge of the bed. His hand touched the soft blanket that usually wrapped her body. The gray blanket was now stained with drops of blood from his hand. He imagined that night when he lost his baby. He just felt what Kajol felt. He just understood her pain, her disappointment, everything. And he was too late to find it out. And he regretted it.
He laid his head on the pillow. The scent of Kajol's body pierced his nostrils. He couldn't hold it in anymore. He spilled all of his emotion.
"You know, the thing I wouldn't do even once?"
"What?"
"Hurt you."
"No one knows about the future."
"I love you. How could I do that?"
"Don't make a promise about that. Just say, if I do something wrong, you're willing to always forgive me."
"That is one of my seven vows. I will keep it forever."
"And if you break it?"
"You can leave me."
"Easy as that?"
"Easy as that."
He broke it. He broke his own oath and Kajol really left him. But it's not that easy. It's not as easy as he said.
"Papa!"
Aryan rushed to him when he saw a lot of glass shards on the floor. He no longer cared if his son saw him in such condition. He was tired of hiding everything. He left all his masks open and revealed his true face.
"Oh my God ..." Aryan immediately hugged his father. He was surprised to see his hands covered in blood. The middle-aged man was silent, doing nothing, just crying.
"Why are you doing this, Pa? Should I call a doctor?" Aryan asked. His face turned into panic. He rubbed his father's back, trying to calm him down.
Shahrukh shook his head. He wiped his tears and tried to calm himself down.
"I know everything." Aryan said. "Let's take her home."
"Too late." Shahrukh said in a low voice.
Aryan shook his head vigorously. "Not yet. Uncle Karan and I made a plan so you can meet her."
"No way. Karan hid her from me."
"Come on, Papa! I beg you, this time do it for your family."
"She divorced me, Aryan! She's fed up with me. How can we meet and talk to each other?" Shahrukh looked deeply at Aryan. They just stared at each other for a while.
"I know that. But we still have a chance to take her home. If it's not for your family at least do it for your children." Aryan shows Shahrukh a picture, which makes him speechless.
"Do it for me and your twin babies."
~ TO BE CONTINUED ~