Guilty
Part 1 Guilty
London
Meera entered the house. In no time, she heard,
“Moooommmm…” She saw her cute daughter, Isha, rushing towards her.
Meera lifted her in her arms and kissed her cheek. She then removed a box from her bag and gave it to her. Isha became excited to see a puzzle game.
“Thank you, mom…” Isha showered numerous kisses on Meera’s cheeks.
“Did you come?” Came from the kitchen entrance.
Meera smiled at Tina.
“Tina Mom, see, Meera Mom brought a puzzle game for me.”
“Wow… let’s play together,” Tina said.
“Oki”, Isha said, tilting her head cutely.
Tina took Isha from Meera’s arms and said,
“Go and get fresh, Meera. Tea is ready in the flask.”
“Thank you, dear”, Meera hugged Tina sideways.
“You are welcome”, Tina pinched her cheek.
“Tina Mom, come, we will play.”
“Yeah, sweetheart, coming”
Tina made her sit at the dining table, and Isha arranged the puzzle game using the given picture. Tina helped her only if needed.
After getting fresh, Meera brought them a cup of hot tea and sat with them.
That was when Krish rushed inside.
“Hi, Krish…”
“Hi, Krish Dad”, Isha smiled.
“Hi, Baby”, Krish kissed Isha’s forehead and sat with them.
“Why are you looking tense?” Tina asked.
Krish gestured to Meera something, looking at Isha. Meera stood up from the dining chair and went to the couch.
“Isha darling, Mom will just come and give tea to Krish’s Dad. Ok?” Tina said.
“Oki…” She said, not averting her gaze from the puzzle game.
Tina and Krish came to Meera and sat with her.
“Akhil called me. Sheetal’s wedding is fixed with Dr Yuvraj.”
“Whaaaat?” Tina was shocked.
Meera stopped sipping the tea for a while and then sipped it again without showing any expression on her face.
“After making your life hell, will they tie the knot with the same man you were supposed to marry?” Tina gritted her teeth.
“Meera, they are going to achieve what they want. What are we going to do now?” Krish asked.
Meera looked at Isha and said,
“I’m going back to India…”
Krish and Tina spared a glance.
“Meera, don’t make a decision when you are tense.”
“Who said I’m tensed? I’m so clear…! This is the right time for me to give an ENTRY.”
“What are you going to do, Meera?”
“I’m going to take revenge on those who deprived my life… I’m not going to leave them to be happy…” Meera with a calm expression. There was no anger on her face while saying that.
Tina and Krish looked at each other.
“They should regret playing in my life. They should answer all the struggles I faced in my life.” Meera kept the empty cup on the table.
“But you have no proof, Meera.”
“They knew the truth… It’s enough. They should have to piss off seeing me. I’m sure they will lose their peace of mind if I go before them. Will you say no?”
“Do you think your family will trust you?”
Meera gritted her teeth.
“Who are they to trust me? They didn’t trust me when I needed them the most. They gave up on me when I pleaded with them to trust me. Do you think I will expect that from them now?”
“No, you will not expect it from them after crossing so many odds in your life, but is it necessary?”
“What do you think? Do you want me to settle down in London itself? No, Krish. This is not our country. I just came to you to be away from the people who hurt me, insulted me, and degraded me. However, I have to go back to our country. I think this is a time.”
“Do you have any plans?”
“What’s the big deal? Ruhi and Akhil are there for us. They will settle Meera and Isha in India,” Tina said.
Meera nodded yes.
“Ok, I will arrange for your tickets,” Krish said, looking at Isha.
“How will we be without Isha, baby?”
“It’s very simple, Krish. Have your child. You will not have time to think about Isha,” she said, smiling.
Krish raised his brows at Tina, who rolled her eyes and made Meera chuckle.
Krish and Tina arranged Meera’s trip to India. Meera was firm in her decision to return to India. She wanted to make people shiver with the truth.
…………
India \ Delhi
Amrita Mansion
Arjun entered the home smiling at his mother, Amrita, who had just returned from the US. He hugged Amrita smilingly.
“How was your trip?”
“It was awesome, Mom… they are so satisfied with our deal.”
“Thanks to Devi Maiya…”
“I’m so hungry. Give me something to eat.”
“Go and get fresh…”
“Yup”
“When is your next trip?”
“No idea, Mom…” He walked to his room.
His legs slowed down when Amrita uttered,
“This is the last trip you went ALONE.”
Arjun frowned.
“What does that mean, Mom?”
“That means, you will not be SINGLE next time you travel abroad. I’m going to fix your wedding with a girl up to our status.”
Arjun flared his nose, gritting his teeth.
“Mom, please stop it, ok?” he walked, not ignoring her.
“Why, Arjun?”
Arjun didn’t stop. He marched to his room without answering. Amrita was not ready to leave him this time. She followed him. When he came to his room, she made him turn towards her, clutching his shoulder. Arjun looked at her rigidly.
“Why? Why should I stop it? Tell me one valuable reason.”
“I’m not interested in marriage… that’s why.”
“But why? How long will you give me the same answer? This time I want the REASON for your denial.”
“Mom, try to understand. If I deny something strongly, I would have a strong reason for it.”
“That’s what I’m asking. What bloody reason do you have?”
“I can’t marry anyone, Mom… I won’t be peaceful with anyone.”
“But why? Any girl will celebrate you like anything, Arjun. No one can ignore your charm. You are already thirty-one…”
“I will be the same no matter if I’m forty-one or fifty-one.”
“What do you mean, Arjun? Don’t my words have respect?”
“Don’t my feelings have respect?”
“Feelings? What feelings are you talking about? You are behaving like you don’t have feelings, Arjun…”
“I have feelings more than a common man has”
“Then why don’t you want to marry?”
“That’s why I don’t want to marry…”
“Why are you torturing me like this, Arjun? Why are you doing this? What stops you from getting married? Why don’t you want to get married? Tell me, Arjun…” she shook his shoulders.
Arjun closed his eyes, tightening his jaws.
“Tell me, Arjun. I‘m not going to leave you until you tell me the reason. Tell me, Arjun…”
Arjun answered. His answer hit her hard like ever before.
“It’s because I RAPED a girl.”
Amrita was shocked to the core. She looked at Arjun unbelievably. She nodded her head from left to right.
“No… I won’t believe this. You would not have done that. You are lying. I know you. You can’t ruin a girl’s life…”
“But I ruined…” he said, fisting his fingers.
Amrita’s eyes overflew. Arjun’s next stance confused her.
“Without my consent…”
“What do you mean?”
“I was not in my senses, Mom.”
“You mean, were you drunk?”
Arjun nodded no.
“My drink was spiked.”
“Spiked? Who did that?”
“Vidhula…”
“Vidhula? You mean Vidhula Rai?”
Arjun nodded yes.
“I didn’t get you. The more I know, the more I see that Vidhula is so much into you. Then how did she let you be with another girl?”
“She planned to get me in bed. So she can marry me. But as she didn’t expect, I ended up with another girl. It was unexpected…”
“Who is the girl?”
“I don’t know”, Arjun said, making Amrita disappointed.
To be continued…
