Chapter-15 Manav was still the same,marriage couldnt change anything for him.

One month after his marriage his grandfather died.Jaspreet was alloted a different room right next to his room and he hardly talked to her,he didnt even bothered to look at her.There were many times when she tried to woo him but all her efforts went in vain.He used to eat separately in his room,hardly talked to anyone except with his mother sometimes.He often used to go to Mairas house,sit there for hours and ruminate over their thoughts.There was beard keeping on growing on his face,he became thinner day by day inshort hischarm was totally lost.Everyone used to worry about him but he diidnt gave a damn.Jaspreet on the other hand always fearedwhat would happen if oneday Maira suddenly appeared before him,what would happen if he went away to her again.It was only her who knew this that she was not dead hence it botheredher every single minute.Manav on the other hand did tutions at Mairas house every morning and evening,being surrounded by kids made him happy and his mother was atleast a little happy about that. Maira on the other hand settled at Patiala.Her father used to live in a big mansion once when he did his bussiness in India long ago when her mother was there before her birth.They lived in that huge old fashioned 2 storeyd mansion now again.Coming back to India always and every moment reminded her of Manav and it made her weaker day by day.She was now on her sixth month of pregnancy.She was changed a lot,her body language changed,her appearance changed,she used to wear sarees now,she put sindoor on her forehead which surprised her father and Zaara.She put that because according to her she was married to Manav long ago right from the time they were united with their wholebody and soul.It was a symbol that she loved,loves and will always love Manav throughout her life.She always had been a girl with always a smile on her face but now it was dissappeared,she smiled but there was always a hint of pain and sadness in her smile.Zaara understood that and she tried to cheer her up often but the pain in her smile was still there.Still she took care of everyone,shemade sure that her father had his medicines,she used to cook food daily despite several warnings byher father and Zaara not to do so just because she knew how much her father loved to eat when she cooked,he often used to say her that that she had the same taste of her mother.She still used to write love poems which were tragic in nature.At night she would

stroke her belly and cry.She felt the movements of the baby inside and cried,she thought how beautiful would have been if Manav was by her side now,he would kiss her belly,place his ear on it and get excited like a kid when he would feel its movements,but now everything is over,she wondered what would she tell her child when it would grow up and ask who her or his father was.She weeped whenever she thought of it.She looked at the empty bed,she wondered if their dreams would have come true then Manav would have slept by her side and just looking at each other eyes they would fall asleep.But then she again she cheered herself thinking that just 3 months more this empty place would then be occupied by her baby,whom she will hug close to her chest and sleep which bought a happy tear in her eyes. Time passed by,as days went by she used to get painful attacks inside her womb and she would scream Mannuuuuuuuuuu several times and it was a kind of telepathy that whenever she screamed his name,he would shout and respond back her name,"Mairuuuuuu main aa raha hun" and get up fromhis bed and run to her house even at the darkest of the nights,everyone was worried for him Jaspreet thought that he was becoming mad. One day in her eight month she was weaving a tiny sweater for her baby sitting on the veranda and Zaara sat next to her,she laid her head on Zaaras shoulders and said in a painful tired tone,"aacha nahin lagta Zaara kuch bhi aaj kal kuch bhi nahin".Zaara caressed her hair and said"aare bibi aise kehene se thodi hoga bas kuch hi dino ki to baat hai phir to teri godi mein ek nanha munha koi khel raha hoga hai na to phir yeh udasi kyun?" "Bas usike liye to zinda hun Zaara",she said giving a soft smile with a drop of tear falling from her eye.Suddenly something struck her inside,it seemed like soomething was tearing her apart,she pinched her saree and held her belly tight and screamed "Zaraaaaaa Zaraaaaaa Aahhhhhhhhh..............".Zaara held her tight and she was nervous herself,she called her abbu and she was taken to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. She was taken to the OT,it was a very crucial case as it wasa premature delivery,her abbu and Zaara couldnt even sit properly for a moment,her abbu constantly prayed to Allah for her and the babys safety.Maira contantly screamed Mannu Mannu till she lost her senses and the baby came out.Manav ran outside again screaming "maira main aa raha hun" and desperately searched for

hereverywhere.But he couldnt find her and sat on the veranda on Mairas house and cried his heart out there was something inside him which made him believe that she was alive,that he will meet her.Soon the OTs lights went off the doctor came out and said,"Congratulations beti hui hai!".happy tears ran through her abbus and Zaaras eyes.They saw the baby,the nurse had just cleaned her,both of them took her on their lap,she was the cutest and softest creature ever,she weighted only 3 pounds,her eyes were closed and she was milky white with bloosoming rosy cheeks and she lots of hair on her head which made her aabu and Zaara think that she had taken her mothers hair.After 2 hours Maira gained her senses,she opened her eyes and saw her Abbu carrying her baby Zaara slowly made her sit on the bed and her abbu handed her baby on her lap.Mairas hands were shaking,she wasafraid because she seemed to be such a delicate and soft creature,she was scared it she would getany hurt.As soon as she took her on her on her lap,there was a certain kind of a light of joy in her face,she smiled wholeheartedly,she shed happy tears.She smiled truly from her heart for the first time ever since Rehans death.She kissed her forehead and said"Meri nanhi pari bilkul apne papa par gayi hai",and kissed her continuously and cried holding her closed to her chest.She fed her her own milk,as soon as she fed her her milk she felt everything changed inside her,she felt like it was a new birth to her,along with her baby also a mother was born,she realised that she has to live,live for this child,she would give her everything that would make her happy,She just meant the world for her.She cried holding it,when feeding milk was over the nurse took it away from her an Maira was so innocent that she cried when she took it away from her and said"aare kahan le ja rahe ho meri bacchi ko" and everyone laughed at her sillyness and the baby cried and maira retorted"Dekho ab kya hoga meri bacchi ro rahi hai".The nurse laughed and handed her the baby again.And as soon as the baby reached Mairas lap there was pin drop silence.Maira kissed her tiny nose and smiled to herself at her sillyness and said "Payal payal hogi meri bacchi ka naam jo iske papa ne socha tha".Adrop of tear fell on payals cheek and she rubbed it and kisssed it.From today she was a new Maira.