A Tale As Old As Time - Page 16

Chapter - 25

"We've reached," Ansh said softly. As he glanced at Piya, unknowingly a smile crept across his face. He noticed she started dozing off while they were on the road. However, seeing how peacefully she was lying on her seat, with a gentle smile adorning her face, he didn’t feel like waking her up. After all, it had been an eventful day for both of them. They knew the world they were leaving behind was a beautiful dream, and yet, saying goodbye to a version of their loved ones was more painful than they had imagined. Perhaps that’s why it felt so imperative to get back to the family that was patiently waiting for them. And boy, what an experience that was!

Ansh still couldn’t believe how two little kids could have exhausted all their energy! From one park to another, running behind them and fulfilling all their wishes as a compensation for the last few days - him and Piya were literally out of their breath. Lucky for them, Pari fell asleep in the car before she could pick their next destination and Adi decided they would continue their expedition the next day, providing momentary relief to their parents. Thet’s why Ansh felt a bit surprised when Piya told him to drop her off at Nishant’s. Nonetheless, he knew Piya must have had something personal to share with her family that she didn’t want to say in front of him or Naman. Hence, he didn’t ask her anything and complied.

“Piya,” “Hmm?” She mumbled in her sleep. “We’re here.” He tapped on her shoulder to wake her up. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize when I…” “It’s okay.” He gently pressed her hand. “You were tired, no big deal. The kids are already asleep, so don’t worry about them.” “Thank you!” Piya looked back to check on them and smiled, “This will buy us at least a couple of hours before they can come up with a new idea to explore.” “I hope so,” He said chuckling. “Do you want me to wait or…” “I want you to leave.” The sudden change in her tone caught Ansh off guard. “I…” Piya paused for a second and looked into his eyes, “I’m not trying to push you away Ansh. It’s just that… I have something to tell Baba, and I don’t want torush it. I need time.” “I understand.” He got down from the car andopened the door by Piya’s side.

“If you need me for anything, you know I’m one call away, right?” “Ansh,” “Seriously Piya, do you really think I need an explanation for this?” He gently caressed her face, smiling, “I know you’ll tell me when the time is right. I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you, whenever you need, alright?” Piya stared at him for a while before hugging him tightly. “Hey, what’s wrong?” “Nothing.” “Are you sure?” He broke the hug and lifted her chin. “The way you are clinging on to me, people will mistake us for newlyweds.” “Seriously? That’s the only explanation you could come up with?”

“Well, I had to say something stupid enough to divert your mood. On a serious note, I know it must be extremely important that you wanted to talk to Papa at this hour. I also can’t help but feel you are tense about whatever it is that you want to share with him. That’s why I’m asking you again, are you sure now is the time to have this conversation?” “Unfortunately, I have no answer for that. If I have to be completely honest, I don’t think there’s an appropriate time for certain things in life. But you’re right, I won’t know until I cross that door.” “That’s my girl!” He hugged her again before starting the car. “Goodnight Piya!” “Goodnight!”

Once Ansh had left, Piyaturned around and took a deep breath, “Maa, I’m finally going to tell Baba the entire truth. Bless me that everything goes smoothly…”

Saavi was busy arranging the books in their library when the doorbell rang. “Who came at this hour?” She opened the door and was surprised to see Piya. “Di?” “Hi!” Piya smiled nervously. “Won’t you invite me in?” “Oh right,” Saavi moved away to let her come inside. “Is everything alright Di? Is Jiju fine?” “Relax Saavi, I just wanted to check up on you guys.” “Makes sense… The entire day I have dreaded receiving a call from Naman or a surprise visit from Pandit Ji, informing us about the next apocalypse.” “That would explain the condition of the library. I am assuming you got an epiphany to clean all the covers of the books using 70% ethanol, if I’m not wrong?”

“That bad, huh?” “Sweetheart, I could smell the ethanol from across the hall. We should come up with a good explanation by tomorrow morning before our neighbors barge in complaining.” “Who cares? They already think we’re crazy.” Piya cocked her eyebrow. “Fine, I’ll find an excuse. I had to keep myself busy with something.” “I understand,” She replied smiling, “I’m not judging. It has been hard on all of us.” “I guess it would take us some time before we can accept that it’s over.” “How’s Baba doing?” “As usual… He locked himself up in his room. Every time I went upstairs, he said he was fine and didn’t need a pep talk.” Saavi frowned. “Typical Professor Nishant Sharma.”

“At one point, I considered cooking up some random stories so he would talk to me but then again, you know how good he is at catching lies.” “You could have called me. You know I would come running, right?” “Precisely… I knew you would leave everything the moment you saw my name or Dad’s flashing on your screen. I didn’t want to bother you unnecessarily when we both know everything is alright but subconsciously waiting for something to go wrong so we can get back to action.” “Maybe… I still think we should go and persuade him to open the door though.” “Couldn’t agree more. Bright side - I don’t have to come up with a lame excuse anymore. He’ll never say NO to his Gudiya.”

“About that,” Piya stopped in her steps, “You do realize I won’t be around always, the same way I wasn’t here when you were growing up. One day, you’ll have to knock on his door alone. And when that day comes, you should be persuasive enough so he gives up.” “What is that supposed to mean? Are you planning to leave again!” “What? No!” “Then stop saying such rubbish. It wasn’t funny.” “Saavi… I’m serious. In fact, I wanted to tell you something before we meet Baba.” “Di, you’re scaring me now. What is this all about?” “I realized, I never apologized to you properly.” Piya cupped her little sister’s face lovingly.

“I was so focused on Ansh and our mission that I didn’t acknowledge your effort. Whatever happened in the dream world, I know you did everything in your power to protect me. Despite having no supernatural power, you gave me a run for my money when I tried to block you from entering. I was reckless as always but you… You never lost your focus. You saved me… You saved us! I cannot thank you enough for that… I… I’m sorry Saavi! I truly am… I never should have vented my frustration on you that way, making you feel responsible for whatever went wrong. I want you to know, it’s me who faltered, not you. I’m sorry that I didn’t come to you sooner. Please forgive me!” “Di!” She held Piya’s folded hands immediately, “Why are you saying sorry? I know you had your reasons.”

“Still, it didn’t give me a license to walk all over you and ignore your feelings. What’s wrong is wrong and we need to rectify it… Saavi Sharma, you are me and more…” “What?” “Watch “The Good Dinosaur”, you’ll get the context. Anyway, what I meant was, you don’t need me to get through any problem, and most certainly not Baba. Yes, I’ve always been his Gudiya but you are the baby of this family. Use that to your advantage, don’t let his guilt create a barrier between you two.” “Wow! You almost sound like Naman.” “As in?” “Optimistic to the extent that it seems delusional.” “Or maybe you’re too afraid to accept what’s right in front of your eyes.” “Di…” “I’m not trying to win an argument here little one. I simply want you to realize where your place is, both in our hearts and in the magical world.”

“Great! Now I’m stuck with not one but two unique pieces.” Saavi remarked, rolling her eyes. She started going toward Nishant’s room again but stopped when she realized Piya was still standing in the hall, looking at her intently. “Aren’t you coming?” “You’ve talked with Naman to sort out your issues, haven’t you?” Piya exclaimed excitedly. “How did you…” “The way your eyes sparkled when I mentioned his name, it’s unmissable. I had the same spark in my eyes the day Ansh said he loved me.”

Saavi looked away to avoid Piya’s gaze. Hiding her emotions was never her strong suit. It was one of the reasons why Naman and she bickered more than often as she always came out too strong with her opinion. But when it came to expressing her feelings for someone, she never thought it would be so effusive. “Saavi?” “Look away Di!” “Oh my god! You’re blushing!” “Please don’t embarrass me.” “Okay, I’ll stop,” Piya walked toward Saavi and chuckled seeing her flustered face. “You know, it’s not a bad thing to be expressive. The people you love, they should know what they mean to you, and more importantly, how you view them as an individual. Because love can’t withstand the test of time alone if there isn’t clarity and respect.” “Di,” “Naman and I had a conversation in the dream world, right before everything went haywire…” “Was he trying to convince you to patch up with me?”

“Yes, but what caught my attention was how he was trying to put forward your perspective. In his description, I could hardly identify my sister but a person who wore her heart on her sleeves. It almost felt like he was introducing me to this wonderful young woman who’s so unapologetically firm in her stance. And that’s important because for him, you’re not just his fiancé or Dafli’s mother. He sees you as a whole person - with your virtues and vices, someone who’s capable of committing mistakes even when her intention is pure. He doesn’t put you in a certain mold or sees you through a specific lens. He values every single aspect of your personality and believe me, there's nothing more beautiful than that. With Dilruba in the picture, I was afraid you two might mistake each other’s silence as compromise. I’ve seen how a small seed of doubt can destroy a relationship. I’d never want that for you. I was actually thinking about talking to him but I’m glad that you guys have sorted it out already.” “Thank you, Di.” “Now come on, we need to check up on Baba too.”

Nishant was blankly staring at an open wooden box containing Divya’s belongings. A pendent, some old photographs, all the letters she wrote to him when they were still in their dating phase. He bent down to pick one of the letters when he heard footsteps. “For the last time Saavi, I’m okay.” “Good, you can certainly open the door for me then.” “Saavi please! I want to stay alone for some time.” “And I want to talk to my father. Is that too much to ask for?” Nishant stopped before replying. This was what he had been doing all along - wallowing in self-pity while his little daughter learned to embrace loneliness. If he was truly repentant of his actions, shouldn’t he be starting with mending his relation with Saavi?

“Give me a moment.” “See, you didn’t need me at all.” Before Saavi could reply, Nishant opened his door. “Gudiya! What are you doing here? Is everything alright?” “I’m fine Baba. I just wanted to talk to you about something, to both of you.” Saavi stood puzzled. Until that moment she thought Piya only came to see if they were okay. But it seemed like there was more to it. “Can we come in? Or should we wait for you in the library?” “Umm,” Nishant hesitated for a moment, “Come inside.”

As the two sisters stepped inside, a stifled gasp escaped their mouths. Several boxes were scattered around the room. Some of them contained photographs, some of them had kids’ outfits, while some of the boxes were occupied by an identical pair of toys. “I vaguely remember this,” Saavi picked up an old photograph. “It was Di’s birthday.” “Yes,” Nishant couldn’t help but smile looking at the picture. Piya and Danish were in his arms while Saavi was playing in Divya’s lap. Piya’s cheeks were smeared with chocolate and Danish was laughing pointing to her. The birthday cake in front of them had the inscription “Hap_ Bir__thd__ Pi__” courtesy to Saavi.

“You were so eager to cut the cake with your sister. Divya placed you in her lap and the first thing you did was dip your finger in the frosting.” “Apparently she didn’t just stop there,” Piya said laughing. “You went ahead and displayed your painting skill all over my face.” “Admit it Di, I made you look more adorable.” “That you did,” Piya went ahead and grabbed an old teddy bear. “Hello little guy! I remember you… You’ve kept him all this while!” “Of course, how could I throw your favorite toy away?” “And this one,” She picked an identical second teddy bear lying next to hers, “Was it for Ayush?”

“Yes, every time we got you something, we got one for Ayush as well. Till the last moment… Divya had this hope that we’d find a way to get him back, that our family would be complete. If only…” His voice choked. “Dad!” Saavi rushed to him immediately. “Why did you lock these away Dad? Why didn’t you let me…” “Because… I convinced myself that I had already robbed you off of your mother’s love, your siblings’ affection. I couldn’t torment you more with their memories. The truth is... I was a coward. I couldn’t bring myself to face you and accept how I failed our family.” “Then why now? Why open this treasure trove of memories when I know for sure I can’t reunite with them in this life?” Tears blurred her vision but she didn’t care, “Isn’t it funny Dad? Just when I start to think I can move forward, I find myself back to square one again.”

“I made a lot of mistakes Saavi. I can’t bring back what’s lost. But I can give you something that will help you move forward. I looked at these items as a reminder of my failure. You don’t have to carry the burden of my past. Find solace in the notion that I… That Divya loved you with all her heart. Your siblings, they really treated you as their precious.” Saavi went ahead and picked another one of the photographs. It depicted a moment when she was just a toddler and keen on joining her siblings in their painting session. So, Piya put some colors on her hands and Danish made her press her palms against a piece of white paper to create an abstract art piece.

“He really does love you!” The use of present tense startled Saavi. “What did you say!” “I saw them Saavi. Remember when I told you guys my soul had reached Paatal Lok?” She nodded her head. “I met them there. Maa, Ayush, Danish - all of them were waiting for me together.” “That’s impossible!” Nishant mumbled. “If you reached that threshold, how did you come back?” “With their help of course; they weren’t there because they wanted me to join them Baba. They encouraged me to fight back when I lost my will to do so,” Piya paused for a second.

“Maa accompanied me on a spiritual quest. She helped me relive some of my core memories. Like, I was actually present in those moments and saw the events unfold. She helped me gain perspective on how my actions have affected every single person connected to me. And then I saw my brothers. When I refused to let them go, they pushed me to fight for you, for our family… I felt guilty for moving forward. They kept telling me that by holding onto my grief, I wasn’t doing them any favor. Instead, they told me to live my life if I truly wanted to honor their memories.” “Is that why you were so sure of Jiju losing his immortality?” “Yes. Ayush and Maa practically spelled it out for me - why certain things took place, how it was going to restore the natural balance - everything.”

“Then why didn’t you disclose this information this morning?” “It’s not a mere piece of information Baba. It’s about our family. I can talk about the technicalities for hours. But those handful of moments I got to spend with our loved ones, only we have right on them, not anyone else.” “We?” “Yes Saavi, WE. I’m not the only one who has carried this burden throughout her life. They are well aware how those tragedies have affected you and Baba. It’s simply a twist of fate that I got into a life-threatening situation which allowed me to see them. Other than that, I’m only a messenger…”

“Tell Saavi that I couldn’t be more proud of her. Tell her that she has truly carried my legacy forward...”

“Tell Papa that I love him; tell him that he doesn’t need to turn back the wheels of time to reunite with us. We are, and will always be with him.”

“Yes, tell Mr. Reevavanshi not to feel bad or lonely for I will always be watching over him.”

“And that Maa loves him.”

“Always keep smiling. Also, tell our stupid little sister that I love her and… She doesn’t need to change a thing about herself for I have lived vicariously through her…”

Piya stopped after narrating her experience in Pataal Lok. She observed how every single word she uttered had affected Nishant and Saavi. There were guilt, happiness and relief - every emotion blended in their response as slowly they came to terms with the reality and ultimately broke down into tears. “This whole time! I kept thinking Divya would never forgive me, but she did!” “Mom never left me!” Saavi smiled through her tears. “She’s proud of me!” Piya slowly nodded her head as the lump in her throat prevented her from saying anything.

“You know what Di? Even when I got my closure in the dream world, a part of me couldn’t accept it. My brain kept telling me Jiju designed the perfect world where each one of us would get our happy ending. That’s why I got to have such pleasant moments with Mom. But after knowing the truth from you, even though it means I’ll have to wait a long time before I get to rest in her lap - my broken heart has finally mended.” “I know.” “And the best part, I kept Danish Bhaiya alive in me… Can you believe it?” Piya pulled Saavi into her arms and let her cry her heart out.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you this sooner. I just wanted you to have one last moment with them... Or at least a version of them before our worlds separated for good. I know I took that decision on your behalf but believe me, all I intended was to protect you from the regret of not saying goodbye while you had the chance. Forgive me!” “You did the right thing,” Saavi clutched Piya’s arms, melting further in her lap. “I’m not sure how to say this but thank you for almost dying, I guess?” “My pleasure!” Piya brushed a strand of hair from Saavi’s face and planted a kiss on her cheek the same way as they were kids.

“Thank you Gudiya!” Nishant engulfed both of his daughters in a hug. “There’s truly no proper way of thanking you for relieving me of my lifelong guilt that almost cost you your life. But I give you my words, to both of you, I will spend the rest of my life rectifying the errors of my ways. So the day I finally reunite with the rest of our family, I can at least look them in the eyes and tell them, I did it for all of you…”

And so it ended… Decades of guilt and heartache finally found their ways through their tears, as two young women vowed to live their life to the fullest to honor their loved ones… A grieving man found solace in acceptance… Three broken hearts healed each other and themselves, as they all embarked on a new journey with hope and assurance of reuniting with their loved ones…

Author's Note: Hello my dear readers! I hope all of you are doing well. As I mentioned in the begining of this FF, originally the idea belonged to me and my dear friend Nikita. For this particular chapter, I copied a certain paragraph from one of her one shots as it went well with the flow of this FF. I took her permission of course, before inserting her idea. If you want to read her original OS, following is the link...

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/nazar/5170706/os-a-treasure-trove-of-memories