Chaho kaho isey meri mohabbat

Chahe hasi me udaa do

Yeh kya hua mujhe, mujhko khabar nahi

Ho sake tumhi bata do..

Tum ne qadam ko rakha zameen par

Seene me kyu jhankar hui

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A month passed by since his mother's death.

Initial days were tough, very tough. But he somehow managed to survive, until he decided to make it a habit of not seeing her anymore.

The morning sun filtered through the thatched roof, casting dappled shadows on the courtyard. Abhigyan sat on the worn wooden bench, his gaze fixed on the tulsi plant that his mother had tended to with such care. The silence of the house, once filled with her gentle humming and the rustle of her sari, now felt oppressive.

Priya, sensing his melancholy, approached quietly and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Abhigyan," she said softly,

"Nashta ka samay ho gaya hai."

"It's time for breakfast."

He nodded absently, his thoughts still with his mother.

"Har subah, Maa humein bulati thi... Unki aawaz... Mujhe bohot yaad aati hai, Priya."

"Every morning, she would call out to us... Her voice... I miss it so much, Priya."

Priya's heart ached for her husband. She had admired the bond he shared with his mother, and now, seeing him so lost and pained, she wished she could ease his sorrow.

"Hume pata hai, Abhigyan. Hum sabko unki yaad aati hai. Lekin wo yeh nahi chahti thi ki aap aise rahein. Woh chahti thi ki aap unki yaadon mein shakti pae."

"I know, Abhigyan. We all miss her. But she wouldn't want you to be this way. She would want you to find strength in her memories."

Just then, Abhisar and Nupur entered the courtyard. Abhisar's face was drawn, the loss of their mother still fresh in his eyes.

"Bhaiya," he said, sitting beside Abhigyan,

"Humein unke updeshon ko yaad rakhna chahiye. Unhone hamesha kaha tha ki zindagi chalti rehti hai, chahe kuch bhi ho."

"we must remember her teachings. She always said that life goes on, no matter what, remember?."

Nupur, carrying a tray of food, set it down on the low table in front of them.

Priya gave a squeeze to his shoulder and then nodded her head towards Abhisar gesturing him that she'll feed his brother.

Abhisar nodded his head back, threaded his hands with Nupur, and walked inside along with her.

Priya shifted closer to him, and palmed his face, looking into his eyes. He sighed,

"Hume nahi bhook hai, Priya."

"Am not hungry, Priya"

She leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead,

"Phir aap kya chahte hai, hum aapko aise hi akela chor de?"

"Then what do you want, you want me to leave you alone like this?"

Abhigyan swallowed hard, and held her wrists.

"Aap kyu chinta kar rahi hai, Priya. Hum nahi chahte aap apna swasthya chor kar humare piche ghume."

"Why are you worrying, Priya? I don't want you to ignore your health and run behind me."

Priya shook her head, and leaned down to hug him. He gently ran his palm up and down her spine, smelling in her scent.

He knew that Priya had a big hand in whatever try he has given to move on from his mother's death. She would feed him, take care of him, make him sleep on her lap.

"Hume aap aise nahi pasand, Abhi. Sach. Hume humare puraane Wale pati chahiye."

He smiled slightly and kissed on the crown of her head.

"Ek baat kahe aapse?" Priya asked him.

He hummed in response while roughening her hair.

She clutched his shirt tightly with her fingers and murmured against his chest,

"Hum soch rahe the... Aapka... Mann kahi aur lagane ka..."

He held her chin by his index finger and thumb, and lifted her face up, raising his eyebrows.

"Um — Aap... Hum..."

"Saaf saaf boliye, Priya, hum naaraz thodi ho rahe."

She felt extremely shy. Very shy.

Then she ran her fingers slowly upon his chest. She looked into his eyes, her own reflecting a deep well of love and understanding.

"Main soch rahi thi....shayad... shayad hum unhe wapas la sakte hain, kisi tarah."

"I've been thinking," she began hesitantly, "maybe... maybe we can bring her back, in a way."

He frowned, "Kisey?"

She replied in a low voice, "Maa."

Abhigyan frowned, not understanding.

"Aapka kya matlab hai?"

"What do you mean?"

Priya took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke.

"Agar hum unhe wapas laayein... ek bachche ke roop mein? Humare bachche ke roop mein. Hume.. vishwas hai ki woh ek naye jeevan ke roop mein humare paas wapas aayengi."

"What if we bring her back... as a child? Our child. I believe she would come back to us, to you, in the form of a new life."

For a second, he wasn't able to analyse what Priya just said. When he realized, he was... shocked.

His eyes widened in shock, and he pulled his hand away.

"Priya, nahi. Hum nahi ...kar sakte. Jo hua uske baad... yeh bahut jaldi hai. Garbhpat... sirf do mahine pehle hua tha. Hum aapko dobara us dard se guzarte nahi dekh sakte."

"Priya, no. We... can't. Not after what happened... it's too soon. The miscarriage... it was only two months ago. I can't bear to see you go through that pain again."

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she reached for his hand again, holding it firmly.

"Abhigyan, humari baat suniye... Hume pata hai ki woh... bahut ..bura samay tha, lekin hum us darr ko apne upar haavi nahi hone de sakte. Hum hamesha uss darr ke saaye mein nahi jee sakte. Maa hamesha chahti thi ki hum khush ...rahen, aage badhein."

"Abhigyan, listen to me. I know it was devastating, but we can't let that fear hold us back. We can't live in the shadow of that loss forever. Your mother always wanted us to be happy, to move forward."

He shook his head, his heart heavy with the weight of his fears.

"Hum aapko khone ka jokhim nahi utha sakte, Priya. Aapko dobara takleef mein dekhne ka vichar hi hume dara deta hai."

"I can't risk losing you, Priya. The thought of you suffering again... it terrifies me."

She cupped his face in her hands, her touch tender and reassuring.

"Aur aapka kya? Aap abhi dukh bhugat rahe hai. Hum dono hi. Lekin sochiye, ek bachcha kitni khushi, kitni asha la sakta hai. Aapki maa ki aatma humare bachche mein jeevit reh sakti hai. Woh chahti thi ki hum koshish karein, vishwas karein."

"And what about you? You're suffering now. We both are. But think about the joy, the hope, a child could bring. Your mother's spirit could live on in our child. She would want us to try, to have faith."

Abhigyan's resolve began to waver as he looked into her eyes, filled with such unwavering determination and love. "Priya... I..."

She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing his doubts.

"Sirf sochiye. Hum apne aap ko, aapki maa ki yaadon ko, yeh koshish karne ka ek sammaan dete hain. Hum apni zindagi ko darr ke hawale nahi kar sakte. Humein phir se khushi ki sambhavanayein pe vishwas karna hoga."

"Just think about it. We owe it to ourselves, to your mother's memory, to try. We can't let fear dictate our lives. We have to believe in the possibility of happiness again."

She placed a kiss on his hands, "Aur pichli baar," her voice trembled, "Pichli baar humari... Humari galti nahi thi...iss baar hum dhyan rakhenge, Abhi. Aap honge humare pass humara khyal rakhne ke liye. Humare liye.. haan keh dijiye."

Slowly, the walls around his heart began to crumble. The idea of seeing his mother's spirit in the eyes of a child, of feeling her love in their little one's laughter, started to seem less daunting and more like a beacon of hope. He nodded slowly, tears streaming down his face.

"Thik hai, Priya...Hum koshish karenge. Unke liye, aur humare liye."

"Alright, Priya," he whispered, his voice breaking. "We'll try. For her, and for us."

She hugged him tightly, her own tears mingling with his.

"Thank you, Abhigyan. We will make it through this, together."

He cupped her cheeks and placed a kiss on her temple, "Aapse pehle kuch nahi hai humare liye.. aap jaanti hai na?"

She nodded her head, smiling finally. Then she fed him like every other day from her own hands.

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