Part 19 My Wife...

In the meanwhile,

Arnav stopped the bike and entered a small villa. NEST OF PEACE had been written on the main wall of the villa. He rang the bell and waited outside. A woman in her early thirties opened the door while talking on the phone. Her face brightened, seeing Arnav.

"Thank you for coming, Arnav"

"How are you, Nisha?" Arnav asked.

"Yeah... feeling relieved, seeing you. Come in" Nisha said.

Arnav got in. He heard a boy talking with someone. Talking means, not clearly talking. He was murmuring something. Arnav knew who he was.

"Where is he? With whom he is talking?"

"He is in the washroom" Nisha sighed.

Arnav rolled his eyes smilingly.

"This is his new habit, Arnav. He talks with himself. I don't know how I'm going to manage him"

"Don't worry... I'm here..."

"Of course... you are here. That's why I even think of attending the wedding. You know she is my cousin's daughter. I can't skip this wedding by giving any excuse just like, I always do. She is not ready to listen to me this time..."

"I can understand..."

They saw the boy coming out of the washroom, tying the knot of his half pant. His face brightened, seeing Arnav.

"Aaru..." he rushed towards Arnav and jumped on him.

The boy was none other than Aman and Nisha's only son Sanjay. Aman could not marry Lavanya and that was another story. Sanjay was a SPECIAL CHILD. He was six years but had not started speaking yet. Seemingly he was a normal boy, suddenly starts shouting and becomes uncontrolled. Very few could get him into their control. One among them was Arnav after Aman and Nisha. Sanjay always needed attention. That was why Nisha avoided attending functions. If she got diverted from him, he made the place just like a war field.

Now, she had to attend a very close relative's wedding. She could not avoid it no matter how hard she tried because, unfortunately, Aman went to Singapore for an official trip. He was working in the Singapore embassy. So, he got stuck. That was when Arnav came for their help. He served in the Indian Army for twenty years. He wished to come out of service only to be with Sanjay.

Let's see the story ahead...

"Don't you learn something other than Aaru?" Arnav asked Sanjay, making him sit on his lap.

"Pant..." he said showing his pant.

"Good. Then?"

"Ammu..."

"Wow... do you remember that?"

Sanjay nodded yes.

"You becoming smart..." Arnav tapped his shoulder.

"He drew a house last night," Nisha said.

Sanjay rushed to the room to bring the drawing. Nisha smiled painfully.

"Everything will be alright," Arnav said.

"He becomes uncontrolled if I stop the medicine"

"Don't stop the medicine then"

"No, Arnav... I don't think it's good to continue the medicine for long."

"We will decide later. We will find a good way to get him normal. Are you continuing his classes?"

"Yes, I'm taking him daily... I'm thinking of sending him to school next year"

"Special school?"

"Yes..."

Arnav nodded yes.

That was when Nisha got a call on her mobile. She attended the call smilingly.

"yeah, Aman, Arnav reached..." she conveyed the message of Arnav's arrival to his husband Aman.

"When?" Aman asked.

"Just now... talk to Arnav"

"Pass the phone but remember, don't ask him to get married"

"Mmmm"

Nisha passed the phone to Arnav. Taking it from her hand,

"Hello, Aman" said Arnav.

"Thank you for coming MAJOR Arnav..."

"Don't be formal... ok?"

"Even though I don't want to be formal what you did for us is something irretrievable..."

Arnav was silent.

"Were all the defense formalities over?"

"Yeah... everything is over...I'm an Ex-serviceman now" Arnav chuckled.

"Was your journey fine?"

"Yeah..."

"Then why I'm feeling a disturbance in your voice...?" Aman asked.

Arnav gulped down.

"Can I get something to drink?" Arnav asked Nisha.

"Ohh... I'm sorry... in the excitement of seeing you, I have forgotten to give you something..." Nisha rushed to the kitchen.

"I saw HER..." Arnav said in a low tone.

"HER? who...?" Asked Aman.

Arnav gulped down again, this time, a little harder...

"You mean...?"

"KHUSHI"

"When? Where? How? How is she? Did she talk to you? Did she see you?" Aman became over-excited.

"She saw me... but didn't talk..."

"But why? You should have talked to her..."

"She was in an auto... with her SON"

"SON?" Aman was shocked.

"Yeah..." Arnav chocked.

Aman's side became silent.

"She has not even changed... she looks as same as before but the smile in her eyes is missing. I was wearing a helmet and mask, yet, she recognized me. I saw restlessness in her eyes. I'm sure she would have talked to me if her son had not been with her"

"Please don't mistake me Arnav... please don't try to talk to her. Do you understand what I say? I know you would get upset with me for advising me this way. But you have to understand the reality. She is not that old Khushi. She has family... Son... I always admired your relationship with Khushi because it has beauty. If you try to continue it in any way now, the beauty will change into something and this society will name it something unbearable"

Arnav closed his eyes. His eyes started flowing.

"She is my Khushi... my wife..."

"Might be... but what about now? Is she in the same relationship status as you?"

Arnav was silent.

"Please, don't make her embarrassed... no son will bear seeing his mom with ANOTHER MAN"

The word ANOTHER MAN hit Arnav brutally.

"I will talk to you later" Arnav disconnected the call.

Aman hit his forehead with the phone receiver. He knew Arnav will definitely try to find Khushi. He won't be sitting doing anything after seeing her. it won't be good for Arnav and definitely won't be good for Khushi who has a family.

On the other hand, Arnav could not hold his tears. ANOTHER MAN? Was he another man to Khushi? Tears slipped from his eyes. Sanjay looked at his face and his facial expression changed.

"Don't..." (don't cry) he said in his language.

Arnav managed himself.

"Something went in my eyes" Arnav squeezed his eyes.

"Sanju, huff" (Sanjay will blow your eyes) he blew widening Arnav's eyes.

Arnav smiled.

"Aaru, k?"

"OK..." Arnav kissed his forehead.

For the past twenty years, Arnav was in Army. He got retirement from Army service just now. He joined in Army not to serve the nation but to divert his mind to what he needed the most. He wanted to divert his mind from something unforgettable. But he could not forget what he wanted to do. How could he forget if he was thinking about it each and every minute of his life? How could he even forget something that became his life? He didn't know how could he resist searching for her. Even though he didn't know her whereabouts he would definitely go searching for her as Aman thought. He will find her at any cost... she was his wife... yes, according to him, she was his wife no matter what her marital status was. he didn't care whom she lived with... for whom she became a wife and mother... according to him, she was STILL his wife... no matter what...

To be continued...