Once bitten twice shy was a proverb too apt for Anupriya. Belonging to a poorer background of the society, she never had much, not even a family to call hers. All in the name of family she had was a brother who had to grow up so fast in order to protect her that he grew away from her as well. She had nothing till then to call hers so when she was married off to Atul, it was like she had found everything in the world that she had wished for, a family. But fate wasn't so good to her, to a girl who had nothing, who was nothing. The husband who had taken promises to keep her,to cherish her, to protect her had left her yet again sealing her fate. In all this Atul's family did not discard her whether it was pity or their own twisted way to cleanse their souls, she did not know and frankly she had not cared.
Anupriya had seen it all, endured it all. When the society that initially pitied her started condemning her she had beared it all. After almost eighteen years it was as if the fates was bored and decided to yet again play with her through the storm named Kalyani; the daughter of the husband who had left her. At first she had wanted to do nothing with her but when she realized she was faultless and was wronged, her heart went out to her. Kalyani had taken time infact a lot of it but she had accepted her called her Aai and it was the happiest day of her life she could swear upon it. That day she realized what belonging meant, what love meant and it was the day Anupriya had swore that until she existed she would protect, cherish, love Kalyani with all she had and that was what she intended to do.
In all this another storm had hit her life in the name of Sarthak. Anupriya was content with what god had provided her but no the fates were cruel and had always been. Otherwise why would it send another confusion that too a man when she had just decided that she didn't need them. Sarthak Rane was everything that her young fantasies had conjured up and to add on that he was a man that her husband had never been. But there was also the fact that Anupriya had never gotten what she had desired and when she did get it, it was brutally snatched from her. So she stayed silent not wanting to suffer from another heartbreak. But yet again fate played its game and she got married to him. The man she wished to love but but being so deeply buried in her past she didn't know how.
So when she saw a simple sign of infedility in the form of Riddhi she decided to run instead of trusting that her Sarthak ji wouldn't do that to her. In her this self destroying thoughts she had hurt him the most. She knew she should atleast ask him first before coming into conclusion but self preserving mode is okay till it is to a certain extent but if it crosses that then it burns everyone around with its fire. After the encounter with Sarthak ji in the workshop she realized she was wrong this time and she hoped it wasn't too late.
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ANUPRIYA entered the room she and Sarthak had been sharing and she saw him on the bed singing a lullaby to Riddhi and she smiled as she could see herself and Kalyani in the duo.
"Sarthak ji"
A wishper arose in her lips and Sarthak gestured her to settle down and took Riddhi to another room. He returned to the room silently and sat on the edge of the bed without uttering a word.
"Sarthak ji woh mujhe aapse baat karni thhi." Anupriya muttered with her trademark of fidgeting with her pallu.
"Ji kahiye."
"Woh kya haina ki mujhe woh aap pe... Mujhe aap pe bharosa rakhna chahiye thha. Is liye mein aapse maafi magna chahati thhi."
"Aap mujhse maafi maat magiye Anupriya ji. Mein janta hoon hamari shadi kin haalaton mein hui thhi aur aap ne mujhe ab tak nahin aapnayan hai. Isliye mujhe aapse kohi shikayat nahin hai."
"Maafi kyun nahi maag sakti mein jab meine koi galti ki hai toh. Aur humesha aap mere mamlon mein mahan kyun banjatein hai. Aap bohot hi jyada woh kya kehte aangrezi mein haan.. understanding maat baniye. Itni bhi achi nahin hun mein."
Sarthak just smiled Anupriya had that childish thing that was quite adorable when she ranted ir scolded someone it was too cute to not notice.
"Anupriya ji, yehi toh baat hai aapne bhi mujhe itne mahaan banadiya ki jab aapko dikha ki mein bhi ek normal insaan ki tarah galtiyan kar sakta hoon tab aap ko yeh baat sehan nahin hui. Anupriya ji aap ko samajhna hoga ki mein bhi normal insaan hoon mujhme bhi khamiyan hai. Aur mein bhi galtiyan kar sakta hoon."
"Aap shayed sahi keh rahe hai. Mein Kalyani ki aai aur aap Malhar k Kaka bankar is rishte ko nibha rahethe."
"Mere dimag mein ik idea hai bataau aapko"
" Kahiye Sarthak ji"
"Hun dosti se suruwat karte hai. Kyun har rishte ki buniyat toh dosti hoti hai na?"
"Thik hai toh aaj se hum dost hai phir." Anupriya had a serene smile on her face. She was relieved that there wasn't any problem between her and Sarthak.
"Agar hum dost hai toh aaj se hum ek dusre ko Anupriya aur Sarthak kehke bulate hain, na koi jyada bada nah koi chhota."
"Par mein kaise aapko naam se bula sakti hun?"
"Par war kuch nahin. Mein nahin janta hoon kaise bulayengi par aapko bulana padhega. Aur yeh aapka dost ka farmaish hai."
"Thik hai."
Sarthak was going to stand up when Anupriya suddenly called him,
"Sarthak kya aaj hum dono TV dekh sakte hain?"
"Ji kyun nahin."
An old show was going on in the channel that Anupriya picked and it was one she
had had the privilege of watching when she was young.
"Aapko pata hai Sarthak mein yeh show pehle dekha karti thhi. Mujhe yeh hero bohot pasand bhi thha. Mein aur meri ek dost ne toh usse Mumbai bhagkar milne ka plan bhi banaya thha."
Then the recollection of past had started with Anupriya and Sarthak both sharing minor details of there life and at a point painful aspects also started being shared. Sarthak told her how he lost his family when he was young and how he handled Malhar,the shock accident had caused him, the day he saw Riddhi and every other thing that had been the cause of his sleepless night was shared.
Then it was Anupriya's turn and she told him off her brother, Atul, Kalyani, her feelings throughout and her pain moreover she shared her heartbreak. This led to few tears bein shed and the holding of there hands physically manifesting each others pain to each other and also healing. It was a new feeling for both of them a feeling of completion.
Anupriya had been envious of the fact that there was certain things that Kalyani preferred to tell Malhar and not her but now she understood why she preferred to do that because sharing it with your partner was completely different but completely fulfilling. She didn't know lust neither did she undrstood love but she knew she had found a partner.
For years she had believed thar she was a scorned woman. Although she didn't know what to call herself but one thing was sure she wasn't a scorned woman.
Writer: Anna.adh
