AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Luv and Aadarsh uncle held my dad up. He had a heart attack and it scared the shit out of us.
*********
The doctors and nurses rushed in and out of the operation theater while I and Anjali sat opposite to it. Kush had fetched Ritika from home, who was now bawling her eyes out on my mother's lap, while my mother had just fallen asleep over my aunt's shoulder, weeping. Anjali held my hand and intervened our fingers for moral support while I felt completely numb unable to feeling anything. I felt so empty that even the depression that had set in felt like numbness over my body.
I continued to stare at the wall, refusing to speak to anyone regarding anything. Aadarsh uncle and Anjali's brothers stood by the end of the corridor discussing something.
Finally, the OT door opened and the head surgeon came out, still instructing the nurse who was following him with a notepad.
"Doctor?" Everyone stood up except my aunt over whose shoulder my mom slept.
"He is out of danger now and should be gaining consciousness soon. Who can I discuss the other information and formalities with?" The surgeon looked around until Aadarsh uncle reply, "with me please."
They both walked towards where the doctor wanted to discuss the details. I sat back down sighing in relief. At least my father was okay. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes to relax a bit. Today's events flashed through my head causing fresh tears slip from the side of my eyes.
I was shaken awake by my mother, "Rynah..." her eyes had lost their usual light. She suddenly looked ten years older than her age, her childish nature and youthful radiance, all gone...
She looked so dull and dead as a zombie. Her voice was monotonous. It took my malfunctioning mind to realize that I had fallen asleep. I sat up straighter to let her know that I was awake.
She withdrew and looked distant, "your father wants to talk to you."
I got up and followed her down the hall towards the ICU where my father had been shifted to. My head not registering anything else just that I was following my mother to meet my father. I felt just as dead as she looked. She opened the door of a room and all sorts of machines came into view and my father laying there in the middle of those machines.
His oxygen mask formed a small fog inside it whenever he exhaled. His heartbeat steady on the monitor.
"R-Rynah..." His voice was hoarse making me rush towards him, "daddy."
He turned towards me and raised his hand, "Rynah... My daughter."
I held his hand as tears blurred my vision at the sight of his weak and vulnerable condition.
"I'm here, I'm right here," I comforted him making him continue, "promise me, Rynah. P-promise me something."
"Yeah, I promise you. Whatever you ask, I promise you that. I promise you, daddy!"
"I want you to leave the j-job and marry the man I-I select for you. I need you to trust me," he took a ragged breath causing my heart to clench. I and he both knew what he was asking of me.
"Daddy, I didn't-" he interjected me, "I know. My daughter can never be something that those wretched people say. I trust my upbringing enough to know what my children are." He coughed as he ended the sentence. He still had faith in us when he was humiliated to no end. He still believed in us, in me. I cried out of joy for the faith he had in me.
After recovering, he continued, "I trust you but the world only believes in rumors, no matter what you say. Before what Mrs. Saluja had accused spreads around, I want you to be already settled in your life. Maybe not what you actually expected your life partner to be but I need you to trust me. I will only choose the best among the available proposals."
I just cried on his chest not knowing what to do. He knew what he was asking of me was my dreams, my life, so that I may not live like this. Even though I may not know the man I marry, have no idea about him, or not like him, he might not even be up to my expectations but at least my sister would get a chance for a happier life, better than mine. I felt my mother's arms wrap around both of us, as she too cried at our situation.
I trusted my dad. The only thing that angered and depressed me was the fact that whatever happened in my life didn't affect even an ounce to the bastard who was responsible for this.
I had lost so much in less than a week. I had lost my job, my fiance, my hope, my reputation, my family's reputation and my chance for happiness. I had almost lost my father but looks like god wasn't so merciless towards me. Though all this happened, I still had my parents who still loved and believed in me. We were in this together.
And yet I didn't bring shame tohisname ashehad brought disgrace upon mine just because of a stupid file! I had done nothing at all tohim, yet had enduredhisanger and torture. Why was I still not speaking abouthisinvolvement? Why was I still protectinghim?
Nothing would have changed intheirlives while mine went down the hill. And this was all happening because of one guy, Viaan Raivardhan, who I was never going to forgive, ever!
18. ATHAARAH
Asthe seconds ticked by, my heart dropped further and further into my stomach. The upshot of my life was getting sealed outside this room.
Anjali held my one hand while Prerna held the other, giving a gentle squeeze to soothe my nerves. It had been two weeks, one whole week after my father got discharged from the hospital. One whole week since he started to hunt a groom for me without a pause. One whole week since I last thought of anything else other than the humiliation that we lived through. One week since I spoke anything other than the necessary quantity.
Whoever came to see me, turned me down right on my face. And no, it didn't hurt me, what hurt me more was seeing my parents hurt and anxious. In the span of a week I had been rejected for eighteen times. Seeing the rejection up front all the time did reduce my self-esteem to a great extent. It turned out that the guys only came to see what kind of girl I was and to comment over my family rather than considering me as an eligible candidate. That was the reason my dad restrained from showing me to them until a party who was really interested in me arrived...
