Chapter 11

Ishita came home that day determined to find out what drove her mother to this madness. She locked herself in her room, as she flipped through the diary entries, to find a starting point.

5th April, 2003

Dear diary,

Aaj hum ek rented ghar mein shift kar rahe hain, lekin abhi toh yeh bhi nahi pata ki iss ghar mein baithkar khaane ke liye bhi kuch hoga humare paas ki nahi. Main gayi thi aaj school, apni purani naukri waapas mangne, unka phone aa toh gaya ki naukri main kal se join kar sakti hoon as an English teacher, lekin main ishu ghar chodke kaise jaon kaam karne. Itne sapne lekar shaadi karke aayi thi main uss ghar mein, sab tha bhi sapne jaisa, par toot gaya, jab sasurji guzar gaye.

Batwaara ki zimmedari mummy ji pe aa gayi, unhone humein ek purana flat promise kiya at half price, riaan ne uska half price bhi dediya taaki mummyji ke paas thode paise hoon, aur registration aur saara kaam ho jaane ke baad, she backed out. Uhone woh flat aur khoti ka adha share dono apne chote bete ko dediya.

Aaj papa ka phone aaya, aur maine koshish ki chupane ki, lekin kahan kuch chupa paati thi main unse, aur roo li aaj main. Woh bhi mujhse maafi hi maangne lage, ki aise logon ke ghar shaadi kardi, lekin main unse naraaz nahi hoon, sasural waale jaise bhi hoon, riaan abhi bhi mera bahaut khayal rakhte hain...

"ishita beta, dinner karlo.." interrupted her father, as ishita quickly hid the diary under the pile of books in her study table.

"haan, aayi, bas..." hesitantly replied ishita, as her father raised a brow, knowing she was hiding something.


Purvi fiddled the spoon around the food in her plate, as she glanced at her mother sitting on the opposite end of the dinning table.

"mummy..." called purvi, as anjula looked up.

"shivani aunty aayi thi na uss raat?" questioned purvi, as anjula swallowed a lump down her throat.

"purvi, dekho..."

"kyun chuppa rahi thi aap mujhse yeh?" interrogated purvi.

"purvi, kuch baatein hain, joh tumhe jaane ke koi zaroorat nahi hai..." stated anjula sternly.

"what do you mean, mom? Kya kiya aapne aisa?" raised purvi a question that appalled anjula.

"meri nahi, tumhari karaamat hai ki main uski ahsaan mand hoon." Clarified anjula.

"oh really?" remarked purvi.

"tumne daaru peekar uda diya kisi ko apni uss, uss friend, poonam ki car ke neeche!" exclaimed anjula, as purvi was shocked with the revelation that her mother knew.

"haan, pata hai mujhe. Poonam ki maa ne bataya tha..." revealed anjula.

"par aapne kuch kaha kyun nahi..." doubted purvi.

"15 saal ke bache the tumlog, humne socha tumhe yeh daaru wagera se door rakhenge, sudhar jaaoge...isiliye maine tumhe poonam se milne se manaa kardiya." Explained anjula, as purvi was baffled.

"toh aapko yeh sab pata tha?" confirmed purvi as anjula nodded in agreement.

"shivani hi toh tumhe uss din ghar laayi thi..." said anjula, as purvi recounted that night

Purvi is shocked to see what she has done.

"gaadi chalao purvi, niklo yahan se!" ordered poonam.

"nahi, humein isse hospital le jaana hoga." Demanded purvi.

"drunk driving ka case lagega, upar se hum under age hain, pagal ho gayi ho tum! Aur yeh gaadi mere papa ki hai, aur mujhe naa toh unhe na khudko phasana hai." Explained poonam.

"par..."

"tum niklo!" commanded poonam, as she opened the door for her.

"arre par..."protested purvi, but all in vain, as she was thrown out of the car by poonam, who drove away after that.

Purvi sat crying on the bus stop, when shivani, who was driving by, stopped the car for her.


Ishita came to college exhausted the next morning, when she was preparing to go to class, her gaze fell on someone recognizable. She walked closer, to find a young man who was lying unconscious.

"dushyant..." she called, as she bent down, and shook him up a bit.

"dushyant!" she exclaimed, when her sight caught hold of a cigarette in his left hand. She quickly threw it on the other side secretively, as she carried him to the college nurse.


"kya hua hai isse?" asked the nurse, as ishita brought in dushyant.

"pata nahi, behosh pada tha..." informed ishita.

"naam kya hai iska?" she asked, as ishita grew nervous, as if she wanted to hide the fact she knew he was. Perhaps it was the reason she knew him for that made it worth hiding.

"uhh, woh, main nahi jaanti isse..." lied ishita, as the nurse examined him.

Kavin, who was passing by to reach his class, stopped when he realized it was dushyant there.

"kya hua isse?" questioned a concerned kavin.

"tum jaante ho isse?" questioned the nurse.

"haan, uhhmm, woh, bhai hai mera..." replied kavin, surprised at himself.

"kuch khaaya tha isne subha?" followed up the nurse with a question.

"haan..." replied kavin.

"aur koi beemari hai isse?" shooted the nurse another question, as kavin nodded in a no for an answer.

Meanwhile, ishita stood there with her hands crossed, concerned for him, but at the same time, not very keen to show it.

"thank you, isse laane ke liye..." expressed kavin his gratitude, which ishita acknowledged, as dushyant gained consciousness.

"aaram se..." remarked the nurse, as he was getting up while holding onto his chest.

Kavin's gaze fell onto him with a knowledge of what happened to him, as this story was way too familiar to him. It was like he was seeing his past self right now.

"kya hua, garmi lag gayi? Paani nahi peeti kya?" questioned the nurse.

"nahi, woh.." attempted dushyant to explain, only for his face to completely fall in shock as his gaze fell on ishita, who averted her gaze away from him.

"aise kya dekh rahe ho usse? Yahi layi hai tumhe yahan, warna pade rehte tum behosh kisi cone mein..." remarked kavin with undertones of a scolding.

"uhmm, thanks." Replied dushyant meekly, as unbelievable as it was.

She just smiled forcefully, this couldn't get more awkward.

"waise smell toh nahi aa rahi hai, par, peete-weete toh nahi ho?"questioned the nurse, as dushyant shook his head in no. ishita quietly chuckled, as if she knew he was lying. Not that she should be so sure, she just saw him once.

"lagta hai garmi hi lag gayi hai..." remarked the nurse with irony in her tone.

Meanwhile, kavin who clearly understood what was happening with dushyant, was planning to soon confront him.


author's note: ok, so for a chapter with a lot of twists, it is a lot, but most probably everyone is scratching their heads on the fact that ishyant already know each other, but are hiding it...well, i guess, these two have a lot of secrets of their own just like their parents, after all, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. btw, thanks yaar kavin's chinni, love you too!