A word

Author’s P. O. V.

Yash looked at the sack of clothing he needed to put in the boxes; he kept looking at Shayra’s picture once in a while and smiled at her.

“You remember, you gifted me this shirt on our 9-month anniversary?” He looked at the peach-colored shirt and smiled.

“You were heavily pregnant with Aahana and sometimes so grumpy because of the mood swings,” He said to her picture as he chuckled.

He finished keeping all the clothes in transparent boxes and put them in the corner of his closet. “I am a widower and I shall live like one,” he said to himself before he put all the white clothes on hangers; everything now in his closet was white; not even a trace of color anywhere near his side of clothes.

He did not separate Shayra’s clothes; he kept them the same, “It will feel like you are still here,” He said as he touched one of her dresses.

Taking a quick shower, he wore his white clothes; even his belt was white.

“Jaan, I need to have a word with Sherlin, I will be back,” He said to her photo before he walked out of his room and went straight to Sherlin’s room.

“Sherlin,” he called her name as his eyes---

“FUCK!” He cursed as he turned around.

“What the heck Yash!” Sherlin screamed at him as she pulled the bed sheet to cover her body. She can’t believe he just walked in on her naked.

“Don’t you have manners Yash? You are ought to knock before coming inside a lady’s room!” She quickly wore her panties but a sudden cramp made her slow her movements.

“I did not know you were changing, hell, Don’t you know one should lock the door before changing?” He was burning in anger; the image of her naked back came in front of his eyes as he dug his nails into his skin.

He was not supposed to see her like that.

“Yash, go out please,” Sherlin said in a low voice as she held her belly in pain.

“I need to have a word with you, I am waiting outside,” Yash said and walked outside leaving Sherlin alone as she sat on her knees trying to rub her belly.

A tear escaped her lips as she remembered the cause of this pain; falling from the stairs was the worse thing that happened to her. She was perfectly fine and so was her baby but she lost him.

“Mimi… Mimi,” Little Aahana caught her attention as she called Sherlin in her baby voice; aahana was smart for her age; She could walk straight, and had activities like an adult girl. You should watch her wearing a skirt and how she folds it before sitting anywhere.

Too smart for a two-year-old.

“Hey, mera baccha,” (my baby) She cooed at her as she came to her; her voice was still filled with pain but when she felt little aahana wiping her tears as smiled and kissed her forehead quickly.

“Mimi…” that was what she called Sherlin, she would not call her maasi even after telling her thousands of times that she was her aunt not her mother.

Well sweetheart now you are her step-mother 

Sherlin ignored the voice in her head as she put little aahana in the middle of the bed so that she does not chase her toy and fall.

Quickly wearing her clothes this time she heard a knock on the door of her room. Making sure Aahana was safe and playing she walked towards the door and pulled it open.

“Yash,”

“Sherlin we need to have a word,” He said as she nodded and gave him space to step inside her room.

“Why did you lie to maa?” Yash asked as soon as Sherlin closed the door behind her. Folding her arms around her waist at the pain she looked at him like he was the biggest idiot of the century.

“Are you really this stupid or did your brain got wiped out with all the gel that is resting on one side of your hair?” her say attitude did not set well with him as he frowned.

“This is not—“ She cut him off as she put the hand mirror in front of him; true to her words; half of the gel in his hair was on one side.

He groaned; shayra used to make his hair every day and now he is getting difficulty in everything; even his hairstyle does not listen to him.

“Can I help?” she asked when she saw his knuckles were bleeding a little; she did not ask him the reason but started to fix his hair once he dropped his hand to his side.

“I lied so she could be free of guilt,” Sherlin said as she picked the comb from the table; standing on her toes she started fixing the gel.

Yash chose to keep quiet as he looked at her; “ why would maa have any guilt?” Yash asked.

Sherlin shook her head at him, men!

“You were forced to grow up so soon because of your past and now she could not save you from the pain of love, maybe I would not have understood it 3 years ago but now? I am a mother too, I know how it feels to see your child in pain and not able to do anything about it,” She said as she remembered the time doctors gave a shock to bring her Babyboy back to life; he left the pain, the little human went through so much pain but she could not do a thing to lessen that pain

And then he left. He gave up fighting for breaths.

Sherlin quickly wiped a tear off her cheeks before she looked at him,” If you would have told her that her son was about to commit suicide what would have happened to her old heart? She is aging Yash, we need to take care of her,” She said to Yash as he nodded.

“Thank you,” he said as she finished fixing his hair.

Yash walked out of her room as a maid came with a hot water bag, “These will help,” He said before he left the room.