After the Last Goodbye (16).

 

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Vipul moved his fingers through his hair, as he got up, in the morning. His head was spinning. Curtains were drawn back and the room beamed with sun's bright rays. He gulped some water and freshened up. And rushed to Manavi's room. It was a daily ritual that he kissed her forehead before going to sleep. But, Vipul had missed doing it for the first time since he was drunk. He always avoided alcohol, even at business parties. However, yesterday, he had over-indulged in the heat of the moment. 

He unlatched the room  hastily and halted, all of a sudden. Manavi was sleeping with her head on Manasi's lap. Manasi, leaning against the headrest of the bed, was fast asleep. Manavi had clutched Manasi's hand tightly. 

"The bond sure never breaks", Vipul thought and shook his head to steer clear of those ideas . "But why is Manasi here?". And in a flash he recollected the happenings of last night. "Did I tell her about Manavi? Oh God! My head....it's dazzed", Vipul sat on the chair near the study table, head held down, massaging his temples. 

Manasi opened her eyes and glanced at her lap. Her hand fell on her car keys which were out of her bag. She touched the clover leaf and put it back in the bag. She then caressed Manavi's head, with a gentle smile. But after noticing Vipul, she suddenly felt guilty. Feeling apologetic, she started justifying, "Sorry Vipul.....I didn't mean to stay...I don't know how I ended up sleeping here. I was going to leave as soon as she falls asleep. Manavi insisted that I should sing a lullaby to her so.....I'm really sorry...I'd promised you but.....".

"It's okay Manasi. I know that a father is never enough for a little girl like her. She deserves her mother's love", Vipul said and rubbed his face with both his palms. 

Manasi was stunned. She got up from the bed and blurted, "What did you say? Her mother? Vipul please tell me what the truth is". She closed her palms and urged him.

Vipul exhaled and said, "Manavi is your daughter". Manasi cried profusely. She couldn't believe her ears. She stroked Manavi's head, her hands. "How...why...how is this possible? I had delivered a still-born baby.....that's what they told me Vipul", Manasi couldn't stop crying. She was living in a bubble of thought that she could never be a mother, when she already was one. 

"What do you mean Manasi? Your husband, you and your in-laws had discarded the baby as she was a girl. All of you wanted a boy". Vipul's gaze seemed hostile now. 

"Thankfully, one of the doctors in the hospital is my friend. He called me and I reached the hospital asap. I got to know that the baby girl was being sent to an orphanage. I couldn't fathom how you, out of all, could do this. And I decided to adopt her. For me, she was an inseparable part of you Manasi. I raised her like my own. I never wished to marry anyone else. I was lost in the labyrinth of your love. There was no way out for me. My mom opposed my decision. But I told her that just like her love for me is infinite, my love for Manavi knows no bounds. She was vexed in the beginning, but Manavi's cute gestures and innocent smiles melted her heart eventually. My dad too convinced her to let me be. And Manavi became my life, my universe shrunk to her size", Vipul had tears in his eyes. 

"Vipul! I'm eternally grateful to you. You saved my daughter. They told me my baby didn't survive. And later I found out that I can never be a mother. My in-laws, didn't want me anymore. I couldn't give them a heir. I had become useless for them. And we divorced. I had nowhere to go. But I had my qualifications and resumed work. I met Kripa, who guided me through, became my family. I slowly gained pace and settled down in the new environment. My boss Kumar Sir, he was incredibly supportive. I had stopped believing in benevolence, but these people, made me trust again. And now it's you, whose faith I'd once broken, yet, you raised my daughter. Without any relation, you welcomed her into your heart like family", Manasi burst into more tears. 

She plumped down on the floor. She couldn't handle the thought that her baby was alive and she was oblivious to it. 

Vipul held her by the shoulders and lifted her up. Made her sit on the bed. "Sorry Manasi I blamed you for all this. I should've known that you aren't such a person. But I became opinionated, that you'd betrayed me. It resisted me from thinking straight. I believed that you must be happy with your husband somewhere". 

Vipul looked at Manavi. "She is so much like you. She likes clovers, she likes purple colour, she hates eating cabbage, she's good at drawing. See, she has sketched a happy family. That's the dog you'd rescued during our college days, remember? We'd adopted it. It died last year though. Manavi didn't eat the whole day. Some days it was difficult for me to raise her alone. I wished you were with me". Vipul looked at Manasi with misty eyes.

Manasi wiped her tears and held Vipul's hand, "I'll be forever indebted Vipul. I never knew that love doesn’t end even after the ending. It doesn't restart, it continues.....continues being there. There is an 'after' even after the last goodbye!".

Hearing the commotion around Manavi woke up. She rubbed her eyes and smiled, as she saw Manasi sitting on the bed. She hugged her again. Manasi held her close to her bosom. Vipul stood there watching the mother-daughter reunite.

"I guess the four-leaf clover is really lucky as Manasi always says. I'm glad I've kept it safe with me", Vipul smiled. He moved his fingers through his hair, his head had already stopped spinning. Now his heart fluttered once again, like the college days.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a fictional story. Resemblance of any sort in real life is purely coincidental. I hope you enjoyed this novella, if so please shower your live by commenting and sharing. Keep following for more!