Friday 11 September 2014
Aakash Ganga Society Community Hall
7.30 pm
As Ishita stared, Raman started to walk toward her and Abhi. "Murugan" she whispered for the umpteenth time that evening. "Murugan, please, please, please, help me."

************************************
"Friends, your attention please. Ruhi beta, Raman, can you come here"

The loud voice booming from the speakers stopped Raman in his tracks just before he reached Ishita and Abhi. Bala had desperately pushed Mihir on to the dias, pointing to Raman and the disaster about to explode before everyone.

Luckily, Mihir had been able to drag his eyes away from Mihika long enough to understand the situation and had leapt into action.

He stood on the small stage now, practically yelling into the microphone and effectively pulling all eyes towards himself.

Ishita saw Raman hesitate, then with one final smouldering glance at her and Abhi, he turned on his heel and walked to the stage.

Ishita shrugged Abhi's arm from around her, and went up to her jeeju, a worried look on her face, just as Ruhi came flying up to her, launching herself into her arms.

The next moment everything was forgotten as she picked up the excited little girl, holding her close in a hug, smoothing down her curls and kissing her flushed face.

"Ruhi beta, go onto the stage, go to papa" she whispered to her little daughter.

"Ishima, aap bhi chalo na" Ruhi whispered back, snuggling shyly into her mother's arms (Ishima, you come too)

"Beta, mein kaise? You go"  ( How can I baby? You go) Ishita tried to loosen Ruhi's arms from around her neck and put her down, but Ruhi had other ideas. She held on even tighter and Ishita looked helplessly at Mihir and Raman on the stage.

"Bha...I mean, Ishitaji, aap bhi aaiye please" Mihir said. "Please come and bring Ruhi."

Egged on by the cheers around her, but acutely aware of Raman's silence, Ishita walked onto the stage, Ruhi in her arms.

The next twenty minutes were all about Ruhi.

Raman had told Mihir earlier that he did not want Ruhi to dwell on the custody case, and not to emphasize that aspect of the celebration tonight. So Mihir spoke briefly about how Ruhi's papa had missed Ruhi's birthday earlier in the year because he had been in Mumbai, and so this party was to celebrate their all being together, and to thank Ruhi for being a good girl.

Ruhi had peered shyly at everyone from the cocoon of her Ishima's arms, her hand tightly grasping that of her father, who stood close by. His frown had turned into a smile as he looked at his little girl, and he resolved again that he would never let her go.

The elaborate Dora The Explorer cake that Raman had ordered was wheeled onto the stage and Ruhi was finally persuaded to get down from Ishita's arms. Ishita edged towards the edge of the stage as Ruhi cut the celebratory cake, but the next moment was dragged back by Ruhi, who after feeding a piece to her father, wanted to feed her mother too.

Then Toshiji and Mr Bhalla were also on stage, hugging their granddaughter and feeding cake to everyone. Soon after, Romi, Rinki and Simi also joined them, and this time Ishita was able to slip away. She walked over to her jeeju, who was standing by himself, and watched with tears in her eyes as her daughter was fussed over by her family.

"Ishu" Bala nudged her, noticing the tears glistening in her eyes.

"Haan jeeju" Ishita hastily blinked back her tears, offering a tremulous smile to her brother in law.

"Ishu, you guys have to tell everyone now. You saw how Raman reacted to Abhi. How long can you keep this up? And Ruhi needs you with her. It's too much to expect a little girl like her to keep something so big a secret. It's not fair on her Ishu."

"I know jeeju, I can't do this anymore either"

"Can't do what?" Ishita gasped and turned around. Abhi had come up behind them and was standing looking at her quizzically.

"Can't do what Ishita?" He asked again, with a smile.

🎶🎵 Abhi toh party shuru hui hai 🎶🎵

Loud music ripped through the hall as Romi cranked up the sound system. The younger partygoers had converted the space in front of the stage into a dance floor and were dancing energetically.

The noise allowed Ishita to escape having to give Abhi an answer, and she looked gratefully towards Romi. The truth had to be told, but this was not the place to blurt out the reality of her life and her marriage to her supposed would-be suitor.

Her gratitude to Romi turned to horror moments later though, as the sight of the dancers put ideas in Abhi's head.

"Dance, Ms Iyer?" Abhi put out his hand.

"No, Abhi, sorry, I can't dance" Ishita shook her head decisively, her eyes searching for Raman.

"Why not kanna?" Mrs Iyer had materialised bedside them. "Go and dance with Abhi. You love dancing at home. Go, po po."

The music had changed now, from the loud dance beats to a simple nineties ballad.

Tu pyar hai kisi ki
Tujhe chahta koi aur hai
Tu pasand hai kisi aur ka
Tujhe maangta koi aur hai

"Abbey, yeh kya hua" ( What the hell just happened?) Romi shouted out, stopping mid-stride in his energetic bopping, and looking with horror at his music controls.  He was shushed by his father, however, as several older couples began moving to the dance floor.

"Amma please" Ishita said desperately even as Abhi grabbed her hand pulling her forcefully onto the dance floor.

"Abhi no" she was repeating as Abhi locked his hands with hers, pulling her into a waltz pose.

Kaun apna hai
Kaun begaana hai
Kya haqeeqat hai
Kya fasaana hai
Yeh zamaane mein kisne jaana hai

Ishita looked desperately around and her eyes spotted her husband.

Raman was standing a few metres away from her, his hands clutching a glass, his eyes boring into hers. As she watched, he drained his drink and gestured to a passing waiter for another.

Tu nazar mein hai kisi aur ki
Tujhe dekhta koi aur hai

Raman was seething as he watched his wife in Abhi's arms. He could sense how unhappy she was, see how uncomfortable she looked, how she struggled to keep that man away, even as her mother pushed them together. He knew this was not her fault. If anyone was to blame, it was he. They had created this mess together, but it had been fuelled by his circumstances, by the realities and exigencies of his complicated life. 

And yet, he felt an irrational anger towards Ishita. She was his, dammit, his and his alone. He remembered how she had looked in his arms a week earlier, her eyes glazed with passion, her lips swollen and tender, bruised by his. He could still feel the silky softness of her skin beneath his fingers. Could still taste her on his tongue. Could still hear her voice moaning his name, gasping with need for him. So how could she let that Raghav touch her, dance with her, act as if he had a claim on her.

He wanted to go and wrench her out of Raghav's arms, to clasp her possessively to himself, seal her lips with his, brand her as his in front of this entire roomful of people. He wanted to shock everyone out of their wits with his unequivocal avowal of his rights. But this was Ruhi's night. He could not create a scene here. Not here. Not now.

Pyar mein aksar aisa hota hai
Koi hasta hai
Koi rota hai
Koi paata hai
Koi khoota hai
Tu jaan hai kisi aur ki
Tujhe jaanta koi aur hai

Ishita stood still within Abhi's arms, her eyes locked on Raman. Around them other couples danced. The excited looking Mr & Mrs Bhalla, a worried looking Bala and a puzzled Vandita, the defiant Mihika and an extremely surprised but ecstatic looking Romi, and many others waltzed past.

But all Ishita could see was her husband. She could see the anger mixed with pain in his eyes, she saw the way he stood, holding himself tautly. She could guess at how he must be burning inside and she wished, she wished desperately, that she could go to him, to reassure him in front of everyone that she belonged to him alone.

Sochti hoon mein chup rahoon kaise
Dard dil ka mein yeh sahoon kaise
Kashmakash mein hoon
Ye kahoon kaise
Mera humsafar bas ek tu
Nahi doosra koi aur hai

"Ishita, what's wrong?"

Abhi had been persistently questioning Ishita, but she could not move, could not dance. Her eyes stayed fixed on Raman, as he drained yet another drink, then turned on his heels and left the hall.

Ishita stifled a sob, and again wrenched herself out of Abhi's arms.

"Abhi, I'm sorry" she whispered, moving rapidly away from the dance floor, towards the door.

Ruhi was busy with Shravu and the other children, taking part in the games organized for them, and Ishita could see both Simi and Rinki fussing over her. Ruhi would be okay, she did not need her Ishima right now. It was Raman, her husband, who needed her. It was Raman who she needed to be with now, who she needed to talk to.

She knew that they needed to end this charade. It had served its purpose, but now it would only lead to pain.

Granted, they hadn't been able to prepare their families for the truth, but this situation with Abhi was getting out of hand. She was Raman's wife. She was Mrs ishita Raman Bhalla, no longer Ms Ishita Iyer. To have Abhi hovering over her, to have her amma, her sisters throw them together, it was completely untenable. She knew her appa and amma would be very hurt by what she had done, by her incredible deceit, but she could not see her husband suffer either.

She had reached the door when Abhi caught up with her.

"Ishita, what is wrong?" he demanded, clutching at her hand. "Why were you looking at Bhalla like that? What is going on?"

"Abhi, I'll explain everything later, tonight. Just give me some time. Right now, I have to do something. Please let me go." Ishita brushed aside Abhi's restraining hand and ran out of the hall.

"Where did he go?" She wondered, as she looked around helplessly. "Raman, where are you?" The buzz of her phone interrupted her thoughts and she quickly checked the display.

"I am in my apartment. If you can spare time away from Raghav, can you come here. We need to talk."

Ishita sprinted towards the stairs, unmindful of Abhi watching her.

Raman needed her. And she needed to see him. To tell him what she wanted. That the whole world know their truth. That she was Mrs Bhalla. Mrs Raman Bhalla.

******************************************
Mihika had been dancing with Romi but her eyes had as always been searching for Mihir's reactions.

He had been watching her with a puppy dog face earlier, but then he had suddenly jumped onto the stage, and it wasn't until the formalities were over that she was able to manoeuvre herself back into his sphere of vision again.

She watched him now as he stood near Raman Bhalla, who was gulping back drink after drink. "Periamma is right" Mihika thought, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "That guy is a drunk. He can't even stay sober at his own daughter's party. Who is he looking at so intently though? He looks as though he wants to eat up someone alive"

She twisted around in Romi's arms and was shocked to see that Raman Bhalla"s eyes were fixed on her akka. And Ishu akka was staring back at him. As Mihika watched, Raman Bhalla gave a last anguished look at her akka and then stalked out of the hall.

Mihika looked on in horror as her akka also ran out of the hall, Abhi jeeju behind her. She pushed Romi away and ran to the door, in time to see her akka disappear around the corner, Abhi jeeju staring after her, perplexed.

"Jeeju, what happened?" She asked.

"Mihika, I don't know. Ishu said she would tell me later. I think she went after Bhalla. Mihika, I'm worried about her. She was looking at Bhalla as though ..... I don't know why she's behaving like this..."

"Jeeju, don't worry. Akka hates that Raman Bhalla. You have no idea, but she absolutely cannot stand him. She really loves Ruhi though. I'm sure it's something about Ruhi. He must've done something again and Akka must know about it. You don't worry. I'll go and talk to her."

And Mihika smiled reassuringly at Abhi, and also walked out of the hall, to follow her akka.

**********************************************************************************************************
Mihir had left the stage after the formalities had ended, one eye looking for Mihika, the other fixed on his bhai.

Bala had told him what the problem was. That Abhi.

Mihir hoped that Raman bhai would not do anything stupid in front of everyone, but he knew, had seen for himself,  just how much in love Raman bhai was with Ishita Bhabhi. He had never seen such possessiveness as bhai showed when he spoke of bhabhi, had been blown away by the intensity in bhai's eyes whenever he looked at bhabhi. And he could understand the jealousy that Raman bhai must be feeling. It was the same sort of feeling that he was wrestling with right now, as he saw Mihika flirting with that idiot Romi.

Mihir spotted Raman standing in a corner and started to walk over to join him. His bhai was watching the couples on the dance floor, and as he had feared, Ishita bhabhi was dancing too, with Abhi. Or actually, Ishita bhabhi was standing still on the dance floor staring back at Raman bhai, while Abhi attempted to dance with her.

He was just about to reach his Raman bhai when the persistent ring of the telephone interrupted him. It was Mr Mehta's personal assistant. Mihir was still speaking to him when he saw Raman storm off, followed by Ishita, and then Mihika.

As he disconnected the call, he too rushed off. There was an emergency. He and bhai would have to leave for Mumbai now. But before that he wanted Raman and Ishita to have some time together, to resolve the anguish he saw in both their faces. That meant he had to head off Mihika.

And so Mihir too rushed off out the door.

**********************************************************************************************************

Tu pyar hai kisi aur ka
Tujhe chahta koi aur hai
Tu pasand hai kisi aur ka
Tujhe maangta koi aur hai

Kaun apna hai
Kaun begaana hai
Kya haqeeqat hai
Kya fasaana hai
Yeh zamaane mein kisne jaana hai
Tu nazar mein hai kisi aur ki
Tujhe dekhta koi aur hai

Pyar mein aksar aisa hota hai
Koi Hasta hai
Koi rota hai
Koi paata hai
Koi khoota hai
Tu jaan hai kisi aur ki
Tujhe jaanta koi aur hai

Sochti hoon mein chup rahoon kaise
Dard dil ka mein yeh sahoon kaise
Kashmakash mein hoon
Ye kahoon kaise
Mera humsafar bas ek tu
Nahi doosra koi aur hai