It was just one of her another sleepless nights. Tossing and turning in her bed, she rolled towards the darker side of the room. Though the curtains were drawn, but the small gap in between gave way to the light from the street light, a few meters away from their home, making tiny yellow squares on the wall she was now facing. A lingering haze of sleep kept knocking somewhere at the back of her mind but still seemed so far away from her reach.

When it all began, she tried forcing herself to sleep, but now she knew it was all in vain. Taming her mind, that kept floating in the endless pool of memories, had become almost unattainable for her. Lost in those painful memories constricting at the chords of her heart, she kept staring at the wall as those yellow squares slowly faded away, giving way to the white light as the Sun slowly made its presence known.

And then her alarm clock went off!

That was how she always welcomed the mornings. Tying up the loose strands of her hair in a low bun, she went to freshen up before beginning her daily chores, silently praying for the things to take a better turn today.

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Walking briskly across the small hall of their home, she headed straight towards the door to pick up the newspaper, probably lying outside, before making her way towards the kitchen. But a faint clink of utensils stopped her abruptly in her tracks. She knew who that was! Even without looking. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes in a feeble attempt to get a hold of these emotions about to burst her heart.

Why wasn't there even a single hint that things could be better?!

Turning towards her left, she slowly made her way towards the kitchen and finally stood by the doorstep, watching silently the man she loved the most as he effortlessly glided across the kitchen while preparing the breakfast for everyone.

"Sanskaar, I've said it a number of times already and I'm saying it again today. You don't need to do this", she finally said unable to bear the silence anymore.

Sanskaar turned around as he flipped the pancake and said with a smile of acknowledgement, "Good morning, Maa. The breakfast is almost ready."

A smile that had been hauling at her heart callously. A smile that never reached her son's eyes anymore. A smile that only she knew was to bring his parents at ease and his heart had stopped smiling ever since Aarti had left this world. Oh, how she wished to even move the heaven and the hell if that could make her child happy again!

Was she a superwoman? No, just a mother, who loved her child very much the same way every other mother did!

"Sujata, the newspaper?", her husband's voice broke her train of thoughts and she took a deep breath to contain the unshed tear before it could fall.

She brought the newspaper and his pair of glasses to her husband, Ram Prasad Maheshwari, as he sat on his usual wooden rocking chair in the open verandah in front of their house. Located hundreds of kilometers away from Kolkata, their house gave an air of tranquility. Calm and placid. Nothing extravagant, just a modest home where they wished to find solace from all the clamor of their lives.

The moment Aarti left this world, none of them was able to believe. Sanskaar had lost it all, and no matter what, nothing could bring him back. That was when Ram Prasad decided to leave the Kolkata city and together they came to this home with a hope that everything would be fine one day.

Even Sanskaar transferred from one of the most prestigious hospitals of Kolkata to a local hospital of Siliguri, for he couldn't bear the sight of the place where his love breathed her last. All he needed was a peace of mind from those haunting memories.

Placing the plates and the dishes on the dining table, Sanskaar brought the morning tea for his parents outside. "Maa. Papa. Your tea. I'm going to feed Vanya or she'll start crying the moment she wakes up", said Sanskaar as he placed tea on the small wooden table.

Sujata, who had been standing next to her husband, nudged him and Ram fumbled, "Aa... Um... Sanskaar."

"Yes, Papa?", Sanskaar stopped and turned around on his father's call. Ram cleared his throat, "Actually, your mother... I mean, both of us. We wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure, Papa. But can you please give me five minutes, or else Vanya will start crying. I need to give her milk."

"Don't you think, Son, that it would be better if we could get someone else to feed Vani", it was Sujata who finally spoke and that took Sanskaar by surprise. "Someone else? Why would I need someone else to feed my daughter, Maa?"

"But..."

"Not again, Maa. You know my answer", he interrupted even before his mother could begin to argue.

"Son, just have a look. They all seem good to us. Just see if anyone suits you", Ram spoke cautiously, aware well enough of his son's anger. Sanskaar was never the one to get angry, but ever since Aarti passed away, he had been losing his temper every now and then, no matter how trivial the matter was.

Fisting his hands to his side, he tried to keep himself from bursting out but still failed to keep his voice contained, "Two years, Papa. Not even two years have passed since Aarti and both of you want me to get married again."

"Aarti has gone, Sanskaar. She's no more. But you are. You're just alive. You need to live, my child", Sujata was on the verge of tears.

"I am living, Maa. See I'm breathing, my heart is beating and I can very much walk and talk. I guess that proves that I'm living. But as far as second marriage is considered... No. No. And no", saying that he turned around to head back inside the home. Sujata and Ram knew very well what would be coming next.

He burnt the entire stack of pictures Sujata had brought wishing for his alliance and the ashes were once again dumped in the dustbin.

The elderly couple had never felt so helpless as they did now. They would give their lives any time, any place, if that was what needed for their son's happiness. With tears in their eyes, they just wished for the God to be a little merciful, for all they knew... Their son deserved happiness. If not the happiness of the entire world, then at least the bit that was fated to be his.

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A lone drop of tear that had silently escaped Sujata's eyes, landed soundlessly on Bhavana's finger. Bhavana, Sujata's best friend ever since they came to Siliguri, had been her sole support and confidant when it came to venting out her worries, fears for her son, and frustration for not being able to do anything for him. Sujata felt free when she was with her and Bhavana understood her more than anyone else did, if not more then not any less either. The understanding they shared was something that would have taken several years for someone else to develop but for them, they connected the instant they had met as neighbors.

"Sanskaar refused again, didn't he?", Bhavana sighed and Sujata's another drop of tear was her answer, "I don't understand, Bhavana. What should I do? My child... my child is suffering so much but he never says. How can God be so cruel? Doesn't my Sanskaar deserve any happiness?"

"Of course, he does", was Bhavana's instant reply, "God is not hard-hearted. He always has something in his bag for all his children and I'm pretty sure, Sanskaar is a special one. So, if God is taking his time, then he is preparing something equally special for him. We just have to wait, Sujata."

And that was why Sujata felt her pain subside a bit every time she was in Bhavana's company. Her words worked like magic for Sujata's heart and that gave her hope.

Sujata sighed, wiping away her tears, "I just hope God doesn't take so long that my child just gets broken from inside, even more than he already is."

"Your son is much stronger than you think he is. You must give him more credit for that. I have a feeling that things are going to get better pretty soon", Bhavana smiled in encouragement and almost instantly Sujata gave a small smile in return as well.

Bhavana beamed, "Finally, now that you have smiled, let me bring you to this wonderful place. I assure you that you're going to feel so relaxed that it will amaze you like anything."

Sujata sighed. Could her best friend get any more dramatic? She wasn't a young lady any more. But was she going to tell her that?

Of course, not!

"But why do I need to go? I should head back home. There's a lot of work to do. Moreover, I don't feel like going anywhere. Sorry", Sujata expressed downheartedly to which Bhavana rolled her eyes, "I didn't ask you, Sujata. I told you that you're coming with me. No ifs and buts."

"But..."

"I said... No buts. Let's go or we'll miss something really good", and without giving Sujata even a moment to refuse, Bhavana pulled her along with her, out of the park near their house and towards her said wonderful place.

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Siliguri, the Gateway to Northeast India, in itself was a sight to behold. A witness of the spectacular confluence of the glorious River Mahananda and the majestic snow covered Himalayas. And amidst this breathtaking  artwork of nature, a little towards the north, was a little Sun that shone like an effulgent star.

Sujata raised her head to read the blue colored board hovering over the rusted iron gates and smiled the instant her eyes landed on the name, for the name completely justified the aura this place held. Written with an off-white shade was the name...

'HOME SUNSHINE'

"This place is beautiful", she whispered to no one in particular as she stood in awe still trying to take in the beauty of the place and yet not getting sated with it. The peaks of the Himalayas crowned with a headdress of ice looming not too far away, and the forests on the foothills like a cloak of greenery, this place held it both with utmost diligence.

"Yes, it is", Bhavana smiled seeing a completely awestruck Sujata.

"How is it possible that I've never seen this place before?", Sujata was baffled and Bhavana shrugged, "Maybe because nobody cares about it that much and also, it is a bit far away from the city. So, that makes sense that you've never seen it before."

"But what is this place?" Endless number of questions loomed over Sujata's head and Bhavana just huffed in reply to her queries, "I'm not answering all your question at the entrance itself. Just take a look at what this place nourishes inside. I told you that you'll be amazed and this is just the beginning."

With that being said, Bhavana pushed open the gates and what Sujata witnessed next was something that just blew her away. Painted in the lemon yellow shade, the main entrance of the place held the most adorable paintings she had ever seen... a group of around seven to eight children were running after a huge bunch of balloons as they soared up high up in the sky, and the next painting was that of a little girl, smiling as she bent down to look at the newly blossomed mountain flowers.

This place was just not beautiful. It was aesthetic and these paintings just added to its splendor.

"What's going on over here?", Sujata enquired as her eyes roamed around and Bhavana instantly beamed with excitement, "We are at a birthday party, Sujata!"

The sudden declaration caught Sujata by surprise. Shocked, she looked around once more. It did look like a birthday party with those colorful balloons spread like a carpet all over the lawn and paper ribbons wrapped over the tree branches in a haywire condition. A group of grandfathers struggled hard while preparing something that looked like pasta on a table placed in one corner of the lawn while a group of children encircled two grandmothers as they narrated some of their childhood stories.

"W-What?", Sujata stuttered, to which Bhavana chuckled. "Are we barging in just like that? Won't we get thrown away?", Sujata was quite apprehensive about the whole situation and it was Bhavana who got shocked this time. "Excuse me, Madam! Do I look like some infiltrator to you? I've been officially invited to this party."

"Why?", Sujata raised an eyebrow. She wasn't still very much convinced and Bhavana suddenly had an urge to bang her head against a wall, but somehow she decided against it and just kept herself satisfied by rolling her eyes, "These people are my friends."

"Really?"

"You still don't believe me, right? Come let me introduce you to them", Bhavana was about to pull Sujata along with her again but Sujata pulled her back and said, "You said this is a birthday party. Isn't it? So, if you want to introduce me to someone then introduce me to that person."

The expression on Bhavana's face instantly softened and a small smile graced her features, "You mean, Sulochna! Come, let me introduce you to her then."

And with that Sujata was yet again pulled by her best friend towards what looked like the backyard of the place. They were just around the corner when they heard a soft yet excited voice.

“Look, how have you grown, Sulochna Kaki.”

Sujata came to an abrupt halt as she saw a young girl talking to a small Tulsi plant planted in the backyard and addressing it as 'Sulochna Kaki'.

The girl wasn't beautiful in the classical way, no shiny flowing tresses or porcelain skin, but the smile she held rendered a strange placidity to Sujata's heart. She looked somewhat shorter than average, but still in her ordinariness she was captivating. She was all about simplicity and held a friendly aura all around her. Perhaps, that was why her skin held a radiant glow, it was her inner beauty that made her eyes so mesmerizing and her features so tender.

She whispered something softly to the Tulsi plant and then gave out a buoyant laughter and instantly like being pulled by an invisible force, Sujata's lips stretched into a smile as well... a smile that was gracing her worn out face after two long years.

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A/N

Hello everyone!

So, did you guys guess it? Of course, you have.

I, officially, accept it today that TU HI YAAR MERA is the second season of TUJHH MEIN RAB DIKHTA Hai. 😅😅 The way TMRDH still has a place in your hearts, I'm afraid whether I'll be able to do justice to the first season or not. But I'll give it my best. Thank you so much for the love and support. That really means a lot to me. ❤️❤️

I hope you guys would have enjoyed it. A lot more is coming up guys.

See you all soon. Till then, stay blessed and happy reading!

With love,
Stella ❤️