Veer left the table and went towards the river. He sat on the log near the river bank. It was dusk and the place looked serene tinted with the orange rays of the sun.
He opened the letter and started reading.
*
Mera pyare Veeru,
First and foremost I want you to know that mumma loves you so much. You are the first angel that came into my life. You are our lucky charm.
Happy eighteenth mere jaan.
How I wish I was there. Bas thuje ek baar gale lagane ke liye. If all our wishes came true then it won't be life. Always remember that. You used to say that you wanted to become a businessman like your father and if you are still behind that dream then I promise you , you will be a much better business man than your father. (Don't tell him I told you that. )
And no you are not responsible for anything. Yes you should protect and look after your brothers but don't lose yourself along the way. Live your life to the fullest. Never take up my duties as if they are your responsibility. They will always be mine. Be there for your brothers but the most important thing is being there for yourself.
Then there's a matter of your marriage. I'm pretty sure your father will find you the best bride possible but that's not what I am worried about. I want you to promise me that you will look after your wife like your father looked after me. Love her and cherish her but make sure to never hurt her. The hearts of women , especially strong women , tends to be really tender. You will never know what they are going through , unless and until you know them. A woman's smile can hide an entire storm and their silence is a statement. Promise me that you will never intentionally become the reason of that storm in my daughter in law's eyes.
Also give me some beautiful grandchildren and tell them their dadi loves them.
Love you. Miss you. Always love your father. Protect your brothers. And one day live for yourself and not for your family. Wherever you are my blessings will always be with you.
Love
Teri Maa
*
V
eer was a crying mess once he finished reading the last words of his mother to him.
He had failed her and he didn't plan to do so in the future.
Veer was the son of Gayathri Singhania as much as he is of Raghav Singhania.
And he was going to own upto his doings and start fixing them.
He can do atleast that much for his Maa.
Meri angel ke liye,
I love you Dhruv. I love you so much. You may be a carbon copy of me but you are just like your father and God you two together , drives me nuts. Your mischief and the innocent smile after have made my countless days worth remembering. Please don't do anything too crazy today.
And as you love to say , tum ek Singhania he. Uss garv sabhi apne pass rakh lena. You were always your father's son. Grow upto make him proud. I was always proud of you.
I was proud of your birth , of your first step , of your first word and will continue to be proud of everything you do. Make sure that there is fun in your Veer bhai's life and some amount of strictness in Rehan's.
Your first ever word was Dada. That day you established the fact that you love him. All I am asking you is to keep doing that. Sometimes during the time of grief people forget who they are. They become this shell of their older shell. Try to bring your father out of that shell. We loved you the day you came to this world. We love you when you are out in this world doing what you love. And we will continue to love you even after our death.
Dhruv you have to promise me that you will never lose your mischief. Most of the times the destiny loves to break the most cheerful spirit by taking away the brightness out of them. Your laugh , your smile and the love you have to the people close to you are the reason for your brightness. Never let go of them. You were named after the star that is holy to every traveller , the Dhruv nakshtra. Because you are our star , the star that shines brightly to give light to the people around him. Never lose that light.
Always remember to cherish the bond between your siblings and your friendships.
I will miss you my star. Keep shining. And happy birthday to you meri angel.
Love
T
umhari Maa
*
Dhruv broke down. On the soft grass.
He weeped for all the things the destiny took from him and the things he lost because of his absent minded behaviour.
A hand tapped on his shoulders.
He looked upto find Veer Bhaiya looking back at him with glazed eyes.
I didn't ask him anything.
He didn't reply anything.
Instead they just stood their hugging each other in the sunset.
"I love you. You know that?" He said gazing at me.
"Hmm"Â I said nodding.
"I'm really sorry for not being there for you when you wanted me the most. "
"I love you too Bhai"
Meri Rehan ke liye,
I always felt like our family was incomplete. That was until you. You were the missing piece of my story.
I don't know if you will miss or even remember be but know that your mumma loves and she wished if she was there with you on your adventure. You were always a curious child. You loved stories more than any toy. We could make you do anything by bribing you with stories. If there was anything you were more interested than stories, it was asking questions.
You needed to know why the fairy god mother didn't save Cinderella earlier or why it was three musketeers and not four. Your curiosity would be piqued by anything and everything. But remember. Curiosity killed the cat. And try to enjoy your life and not question everything unlike what you do when you get a story.
Aur teri birthday gift ke liye ,one last story. From your Maa,
There once was a girl who lived in a town few miles away from the castle. She was a dreamer. She had loving parents and two beautiful bestfriends. She loved to help people in need so that's what she did. She was happy with her life. But one day a boy came to her life spontaneously and took her to the castle. She didn't trust him at first but then she found out that he was the prince of the country and that he was forced to abduct her. They decided to become friends. What she didn't know was that they were both falling in love with each other. So when it was time for the prince to ascend his throne he asked her to do it with him. Hence they became the King and Queen of the country. They lived happily for sometime. The gods blessed them with three beautiful angels as their children. It was a blissful time for the king and queen. Still their happiness didn't last long. The Queen was kidnapped by a demon who fed on her soul. The king tried to save her but everything was in vain. The Queen was a warrior. She fought the demon but lost to him during the fight. But she had promised her family that she will never leave them. So she became a star instead and looked after like a guardian angel.
I love you my angel and always remember that I will be their for you. You have listened to enough stories now go and write one of your own.
Love
Tumhari Baby.
Rehan wiped his tears.
" I love you too maa. "
He whispered into nothingness hoping that his confession somehow reached her.
His stream of thoughts were interrupted by the knock on the door.
" Hello chotte. "
Dhruv Bhai said. He was not alone. Veer Bhaiya was with him , beaming.
Can we come in. He nodded not looking at their eyes.
He knew that if he did , he would break into sobs right in front of him.
"Tabs on the upper bunk bed."
Dhruv Bhai yelled and jumped into the bed to establish his point.
"I can sleep on the floor, there might be spare blankets. " He offered.
"No. You are going to sleep there." Veer Bhai said pointing towards the bed.
"But then where will you...."
"Oh Stop worrying. "
"I will sleep on the floor. "
"But...."
He was interrupted again.
"No ifs and buts. I will not fit in it anyways. "
Bhaiya winked
"Are you saying that I'm short? " I gasped.
"Maybe " he replied nonchalantly pulling the pillow that was underneath me.
"Dhruv Bhai didn't you hear what he just said. "
Rehan whined.
"Don't worry chottu , I will make sure he gets a thappad from maa." Bhai said giving me a thumbs up.
My eyes started to water at the mention of maa.
Both my brothers came and sat beside me.
"Hey. You know she loves you right "
I nodded.
"Then she wouldn't want you to cry. "
I stifled my sobs.
'You both are so damn lucky. You got to spend more time with her. "
"You know I am lucky. I got the best elder brother and younger brother in this world. "
Dhruv Bhai replied with a smile.
â
Thank you to my kahna.
Without you this update wouldn't have happened.
How was the chapter guys?
How do you feel about Gayathri?
One things for sure , she is a major part in our Singhania boys' life.
FYI Dhruva nakshatra= pole star.
Bring on the comments!!!!
And let me know which was your favourite scene.
Lots of love
Aswa_maya
A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.