6 month later

Pihu's pov

I was walking in the terrace. I'm waiting eagerly for a call. I don't know when he will call. I was pacing back and forth in tension.

Finally my phone vibrated and i received it immediately.

"Hello sir....."

"Yes, pihu"- The voice of Vaidya ji appeared from the other side.

"How is he now? Is he talking???"- i asked in panick.

"You need to come here to know the proper situation....i can't explain it on phone"- Vaidya ji said.

I immediately ran outside. On the way i met jiji.

"Hey, wait...where are you going like this? Baba will scold you pihu...."- she told me.

"Please jiji,,,let me go....it's urgent..."

"Baba told you to not go there anymore,,,why don't you listen pihu?"

"Jiji, he has noone except me right now....i promise jiji, if i see him fine, i will immediately come back here...i just want to see him safe"- i cried.

Jiji stared at me for a while.

"Okay go....but come quick"

"Thanks jiji"- i thanked her with a smile.

I immediately ran out of our village house. My heart is beating crazily.

6 months back the horrible night came to my life. When Rajababu's collapsing life fell over my fate. I really don't remember how i have managed to bring him here.

Sometimes people lost memory of some terrible moments of their life.

Same happened to me. I just remember that i bind his head with my duppata so that his skull bone stay in the intact position. We booked a car and the first thing we did is to come here in our village.

Still i remember those men who were roaming near the railway station and asking everyone if any accident happened today. It took some time for me to actually realise that they did this to Rajababu.

The 5 hours journey to our village was a pure torture. Seeing Rajababu like this was the biggest punishment of my life. Baba told me if he is alive then we should take him to Vaidya ji. He is the best traditional healer of our village. I know people these days never believes traditional healers, but we have a faith on him. Though he has no scientific degree but he has a great knowledge about human body and also ethnomedicine.

He has performed many critical surgeries in his small laboratory. That's why we decided to bring him here. He will be safe in this village.

When Vaidya ji saw him that night, he just whispered God's name multiple times. I saw tears on his eyes that day. He just looked at us and told us something which still echoed in my ear.

"Can't believe that a human can do something like that to a human....it's really shocking how this man is still alive..i think God has some plans for him that's why still he is still breathing..."

Then Vaidya ji performed his surgery for almost 15 days. I regularly went there. Infact i spend my sleepless nights at the door of Vaidya ji. I cried and prayed multiple to god just to keep him alive.

May be God heard my prayer. Rajababu came out of danger but he was in a coma for the last 6 months.

Few minutes back Vaidya ji called me and informed me that he has opened his eyes.

My trance broke when the rickshaw driver told me that we have reached at Vaidya ji's house.

I quickly paid him and walked inside with a thumping heart. I'm only reciting all the prayers that i have known from my childhood.

I make my entrance and found Vaidya ji standing outside Rajababu's room. He is looking little tensed.

"What...what happened?"- i asked him in fear.

He just pointed me to go inside. I gulped in fear and walked inside the room.

After walking in i saw Rajababu seating in the bed and drawing something on a paper.

I took a sigh of relief. It was a dream for me for the last 6 months to see him alive.

I slowly went near him. Then my eyes landed on the drawing and i shocked to see some haphazard lines on the paper.

He sensed my presence and immediately held a pillow and threw at me.

"Go away.....go...go...go....."- he started to utter the same words continuously.

I moved back in little fear. He is looking so different. He has grown huge beard and his hair is long reaching upto his neck. His face is looking lost and stubborn at the same time.

"Raja...babu"- i muttered.

"Go away, mom told me to stay away from bad girls...you are bad rina, i saw you yesterday...you are stealing Rajesh's pencil box...."

It felt like a thunderstorm landed in my head. I kept on staring at him painfully. Tears gathered into my eyes and one by one rolled down to my cheeks.

"I know why are you crying...you are scared that i will tell nikita mam everything...ha ha ha....."

He was smiling and clapping like a small kid.

One by one tears rolled down of my eyes by remembering the old Rajababu. I almost ran outside. Vaidya ji held me firmly.

"Sir...it's.....he...."- i broke out in sobbs.

"He has lost all his memory...he is stucked on his childhood....The head injury was so heavy that it has permanently damaged few nerves of his brain"- he told me.

I cried more.

"Is there any chance......"- i asked him in a shaky tone.

"Very little.....but i don't think he will ever be okay...Pihu, i think it's time for you to make a decision..."- he looked at me.

I stared at him blankly.

"There is home for these kinds of patients....I don't think it will be safe for him to go back to his house...."- He said to me.

I held a piller for support.

"I have talked to them and they are ready to take him in their home...."- he said to me.

"But he has a family"- i said.

"Pihu, i think his closed ones tried to harm him like this...i didn't tell you this before but i have found heavy neurotoxic elements on his blood....he was on toxic drugs for god knows how long....He is very much violent and aggressive at the same time...."

This news made me speechless.

"But his family loves him so much"- i said to him.

"Neither you know the real truth, nor me....but it's my opinion...the rest is upto you....i don't think that it will be a good option to keep him at your house...this is a village and people will start gossiping soon...."

I understood his point. Only for this reason baba is not allowing me to meet Rajababu for the last few months. I think people are already gossiping about me.

I nodded my head slightly. Vaidya ji walked inside the room. He sat beside Rajababu.

"What are you doing Rajveer?"- he asked him very politely.

Rajababu smiled so innocently.

"I'm hungry....Can you prepare noddles for me?"- he asked so innocently that my heart ached like hell.

I gathered my tears and ran from there. I can't see him like this. This is breaking my heart so much.

As soon as i reached my home, i found my baba standing at the entrance. He is looking so much angry. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside. After locking the door, he came near me angrily.

"What you want pihu??? Why are you playing with our reputation like this?? I have never asked anything from my daughters....for the first time I'm begging you....stay away from Rajababu....people are gossiping so many bad things about you......you want me to die soon???"- Baba was screaming so much.

I held baba firmly.

"Please baba, don't say like this...i was never a rebel...i have always did what you told me....and i will do the same....don't say like this"- i tried to make him understand.

He became little calm after listening this. He started to caress my hair gently.

"Then promise me that you won't go to see him again..."

It felt like he asked me to do the most difficult thing of my life. I stayed silent.

"I'm also feeling bad for Rajababu but he is a gone case now...you can't heal him, then why to destroy your future? I'm looking for a good life partner for you....it's my dream to see my both daughters getting married and living a happy life with their husbands"

He is my past, my present and my future.....

"Promise me Pihu, that you won't see him again"- Baba again asked me.

Tears brimmed into my eyes. I just nodded my head a little and ran inside the house.

I wish baba could see my inside. I will die if i won't see him again.

2 weeks passed after that.

I kept my promise to baba.

I was dying from inside to see him but at the same time i don't want baba's health to deteriorate. So i cried lonely during night and prayed to God through the whole night for the safety of Rajababu.

Vaidya ji will send him to the Home of mental patients tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a day of my punishment.

Baba's childhood Friend Rishikesh uncle and his son is coming to see me. Baba has send them my photos and they are showing interest on me.

I felt dead from inside.

Jiji came and gave me the tray of food.

"Go pihu....they are waiting for you"- she said with a gentle smile.

I slightly nodded my head and walked in the living room.

Baba along with Rishikesh uncle and his son were waiting for me. I placed the tray infront of them and folded my hands.

"Pihu beta is looking like goddess laxmi in saree"- Rishkesh uncle was praising me.

His words were not invading my ears. My legs were trembling. Only Rajababu's innocent smile was appearing infront of my eyes.

"Please beta seat with us...Do you remember my son Sachin? You played together in childhood..."- Rishikesh uncle said.

Suddenly my phone vibrated and my heart skipped a violent beat after seeing Vaidya ji's number. Without thinking much i picked up the call.

"Hello, pihu.....Rajveer has escaped somewhere....He was not willing to go to the home.....he ran somewhere..."

The phone fell from my hand. I looked at Baba and then at Rishikesh uncle.

"I respect you so much uncle but i can't marry your son...I'm sorry......"- i told him.

Baba held my wrist angrily.

"Baba, i never told you this before...but i love Rajababu so much....I don't care what people say about me....i just know one thing that i can't leave him when he needs me the most.....someone has to hold his hand....and i will...."

I didn't looked back. I just ran outside my house. I don't know where my future will lead me. I just know that i can't leave him.

......

It was evening when i finally saw him sitting on the river bed. I took a sigh of relief. I went and sat beside him. He stared at me suspiciously.

"That oldie send you na??? But i won't go to the boarding school..."- he said stubbornly.

I smiled a little.

"I won't send you there...."- i told him.

He stared at me for few seconds.

"Promise?"- he forwarded his hand infront of me.

I held his hand tightly.

"Promise...I will protect you from the bad people..."- i said by holding his hand.

His face covered with so much innocence. He smiled broadly at me.

"You are my friend?"- he asked me.

I nodded my head.

"Yes and my name is pihu...Will you come with me Rajababu?"- i asked him.

Suddenly he grabbed my waist and stood up. He was holding me tightly near his chest. My heart sped up with his proximity.

"I will come with you and you are my doll....i won't share you with anyone..."- he said by holding me tightly.

I lift up my head and smiled.

"Then let's go...we have a long way to go"- i said.

"Do you know how to make noodles?"- he as

ked me eagerly.

I ruffled his hair softly.

"Yes definitely...."

We both held each others hand and walked forward.

This is the beginning of our story. A long way to go. A long journey to make and at the end we will succeed.