The Binding String

T H I R T Y

"But she could ask it from us. Why she asked you?" Ishita know she was sounding stupid but still she dared to ask unable to meet her eyes with the elderly lady sitting in front of her.

"Maybe because she is comfortable enough to talk with me the way her parents are comfortable enough to sit and talk with me on their divorce issue. It's important to win someone's trust to read their hearts; that's how relationship builds and strengthen." Shobhna further continued looking at Raman Ishita with soft eyes.

"I'm trying aunty but it's not happening. Maybe my heart and mind clogged with so many bitterness that I have nothing left to offer Roohi." Ishita hated showing her vulnerability to anyone especially to her husband but something different was in demeanour of Shobhna ji which compelled her to speak which she avoided.

"A bitter marriage is not easy to keep Ishita and I know that but we are humans and we can try." Shobhna ji said after few seconds examining the couple. "Would you like to speak anything about it Raman?"

"Aunty we do love Roohi, is that I don't know how to profess my love. It doesn't mean I do not love her." Raman eyes spoke sincerity when he confessed his hearty feelings infront of Mrs Mukharjee.

"Aunty I was never ready for becoming a mother. I don't think I have that instinct of mother. My Amma says right, I'm hollow." Ishita spoke further, her head remained bowed down and her eyes were closed, afraid to see pity for herself.

"Look at me dear. Every girl had motherly instinct knowingly or unknowingly." Shobhna whispered caressing Ishita head with love, "you compromised and decided to stay with Raman, it shows your mother love for Roohi."

"But I slapped her. I shouldn't have to do it." Ishita eyes brimmed with tears looking at Shobhna ji.

"You did absolutely right by slapping her, it's a responsibility of mother to make her child aware about right and wrong. But you know Ishita, if a mother slap her child for two times, she hugs her child next second and caressed her head for million times, profess her love for zillion times, keeps the kid in her arms until her tears dry and than make the kid understand her mistake until she understands it completely. You just did the half part, what about the other half Ishita? If you have an authority to punish her being a mother than it's your duty to love her and make her realise that no one else can love her more than you."

Ishita looked at Mrs Shobhna with blank eyes and wondered how she is supposed to do it when she herself never experienced such love; a loving scolding, the bunches of worthy advices, a hands for blessings were never a part of her life than how could she give her the love she never got but whom she supposed to tell? A neighbour like Mrs Shobhna who is complete stranger yet ready to offer her love to Ishita or the husband who was always her but never cared to stay with her. She tightly clenched the sofa cover spread as everything started to make her feel dizzy; the worst feeling of being alone started to trouble her until a warm hand caressed her tightly closed fist and tangled her slender fingers with him.

Raman!!!

He was Raman. His spicy cologne was floating around her, his fingers were playing with her fingers and soon she felt herself coming out from her troublesome thoughts. Ishita wiped her wet cheeks and looked at Mrs Shobhna who was equally looking worried, "Are you fine dear?"

"I'm aunty I'm...aunty what I'm supposed to do than? Earlier I wasn't ready for marriage but it came to my way than when I wasn't ready for kid my pregnancy came and now divorce.....aunty everything happening around me is making me insane. I don't want anything wrong to be happened with Roohi but I have no idea how to do it." Ishita mumbled loosing herself, she looked distressed and worried but appearently the young mother had no idea how to get rid from those problems. "Mujhse nahi ho raha hai aunty, mujhse shayad akele nahi ho paayega."