Raman’s POV:
It was time for Ruhi to come back from school so I phoned at home and asked if someone brought her home. Mom said Simmi went to bring her. I got relieved and asked her to call me back and make her talk to me whenever she comes back and then I retired back to my work. I just want her to be happy no matter what because she is my life and I live only for her. She smiles, I smile. She cries, I cry. In short my mood depends on her emotions, she is the music of the house.
As Christmas is tomorrow and she likes it very much, I will celebrate it just for her. She loves it when I become Santa and give her a lot of gifts. Anything for her. Not only I think about her happiness but she too thinks about mine. She would make me smile if I cry and then kiss my cheek and if I have got a thick beard, she would say it hurts her when she kisses me and she would shy away and run laughing making me laugh as well. I packed tiffin for her every morning, it was my favourite work.
I do it even now. I braid her hair as well. Sometimes I don’t understand if I m her father or mother? But anyways being a parent of someone isn’t as tough as people say it is. If a child is calm, it won’t be tough. Just pamper the child as much as you can but not too much that he sits on your head in future and plays kabaddi. No, everything should be in limit but I know my Ruhi won’t do this, my love for my doll is unlimited since forever, she is my little angel, my fairy, laaddo.
Ruhi’s POV:
It was time to go home and so I was coming out of the class along with everyone in a big crowd. I continued walking until I saw her, Miss Ishita. She waved at me and I waved back and her and ran to her. ‘Were you calling me?’ I asked. ‘Yes,’ she replied and gave me a card. It was an invitation card of Christmas party. ‘You will also keep a party? My family will do the same,’ I told her. ‘You can come to my house for this party, you’re most welcome.’
‘Really ma’am?’ I asked excitedly and she nodded in approval. I jumped in joy and asked her to bend down. She was confused but bent down anyways. I kissed her cheek and she was surprised at first but then smiled cupping my cheeks and kissed me on my forehead. ‘You’re just like a fairy, that too of Pari Lok, and remember one thing always, let your smile change the world but don’t let the world change your smile,’ she said and I smiled at her. ‘Ruhi,’ someone called me from behind and I turned back and it was Simmi bua.
‘Simmi bua, she’s our new teacher miss Ishita, and ma’am, she’s my bua,’ I introduced them to each other and they greeted each other. ‘I got to know that her mother…please take care of her,’ she said to bua and she nodded and we bidded bye to each other and started leaving. While bua was taking me holding my hand, I turned and waved her bye and she too waved back. After we went home and freshened up, Simmi bua took me to mall instead of toy shop as I didn’t wanted toys. I love malls. We shopped till we dropped and returned home.
Ishita’s POV:
How can I develop motherly instinct for the child who’s not mine? Who will accept me? No Ishita, don’t be stupid, teachers are like mothers only and you’ll have to become such a teacher that she never gets sad in presence of you. Just be a good eraser and erase her sadness. I too went home and freshened up. I came out of the washroom after bath wiping my hair and laid on the bed closing my eyes. I went into my memory lane where I was a married lady back then, it was one year after my marriage.
I got pregnant and it was my first day. I was married to Subbu, I was cooking humming to myself. As I went to dining table to give him food, what I saw was enough to make me shocked. He was hugging a girl with long hair, her face was towards me. I walked towards them and tapped his shoulder. ‘Subbu, who’s she?’ I asked. They broke the hug and looked at each other than at me. ‘Our neighbour, Tanuja, and Tanuja she is Ishita,’ he said as if I didn’t knew what was going on.
‘No need to lie Subbu, and Tanuja, I and Subbu are married for three years, then why didn’t you come to our house not even for once? Now you’re hugging my husband,’ I said with hands on my hips. ‘Sorry to say Ishita, but I have loved her since forever and was forced to marry you,’ he said and tears welled up in my eyes. ‘Congrats Subbu, you betrayed me that’s bad, and you betrayed our unborn baby as well,’ I said and he looked at Tanuja. ‘Unborn baby, you’re pregnant?’ he asked. ‘Yes, but now he’s no more your baby, from now, it’s only my baby, you both marry and make kids afterwards, but this one is only mine.’
Next day, I went from there and soon I shifted to another country with my unborn baby and now I m a single mother of my nine years old daughter Natasha, she comes an hour later from the time I come from school. I am both her father and mother. Till now Subbu might be married to Tanuja, and I don’t care about him anymore. All I care about is my daughter Natasha and Ruhi, for who I have newly developed feelings.