Missing

 Four years later…
“Is she back yet?” Pratap's worried yet calm voice sank into his mother’s heart. She shook her head with a soft “No.” He looked like he had searched the whole world outside for her. The tie from the morning meeting hung loosely around his neck and his shirt was wrinkled. His face was tired, eyes weary. He sat down on the lounge room couch with his hand on his head and sighed. Sajja promptly took the jug from the table and filled the glass with water and handed it to him. He looked up and his eyes shone. 

“Where else do I look for her?” He asked, almost choking. Jaivanta sat down beside him. She ran her fingers gently through his ruffled hair. For the first time, she had no words of comfort for him. She stared across the room at her husband sitting on the accent chair. He sighed and looked away. Shakti walked in with urgency prompting them to look up and he shook his head. Sitting down facing his brother he couldn’t help but wonder aloud.

“But…” his brows arched “where can Ajabdeh go….?” Silence filled the room.
 “We will find her; I won’t let anything happen to her.” He whispered as his mother exchanged a look of worry with his brother. They both stared back at him now sitting like a stone on the sofa.” But Shakti…” her voice faded.
“Dadabhai.” His brother walked up to him and gently patted his shoulder. “I think we should inform the police…”
“Police. Media. Then newspapers. All the frenzy and gossip will be of no use. How can she be so careless?” He felt frustrated and a sudden span of anger engulfed his mind. “Does she care about anyone at all?”
“Dadabhai. Am sorry but…” Shakti interrupted “We all know Ajabdeh is not irresponsible… her mental state is such that…” He stopped at his mother’s stare.
“Yes.” His elder sibling gave him the coldest stare possible. “It’s just that she is facing it all, not us? Not me?” He got up and left the hall, for his master bedroom as the family sat worried.

Jaivanta picked up the phone to dial a number. Shakti knew whose. He sat down beside her trembling cold hands and pressed them gently “Ranima don’t.” It was more of an order. “Heer is already very worried about her health. I talked to her… she has no clue that Ajabdeh is missing from the hospital.” Shakti’s mobile rang as Jaivanta stared at him, worriedly.
“Hello?” He picked it up immediately.
“Mr Shakti Singh, we are calling from the hospital.” A lady spoke.
“How could you people be so irresponsible?" He was irked but checked his voice quickly. This was no time to lose his temper.
“Am sorry sir but we are calling to inform you that she came back.” The lady cleared her throat.
“She… what?” Shakti was taken aback by her words.
“Mrs Singh came back on her own, she said she was out for some fresh air…Mr. Singh is not picking up his phone so we...”
“It’s okay. Fresh air? Umm… thanks.” He disconnected the call and ran upstairs. “Dadabhai… Dadabhai…”

Pratap sat down in the particular set master bedroom with a huge portrait of him with his wife, on their wedding day. Her graceful smiling face was what he missed the most now. Moments flashed in his head like it all happened yesterday.  He had spent all his life on his education and business trips, being the perfect son to his mother, and fulfilling the dreams of his father. Until she happened. She gave him purpose and direction. Made him realise how his privileges could be of use to those who are not as lucky. All the charities he ran today were under her name, because of her. They volunteered whenever they found time. And they made sure most of it was anonymous and away from the public eye. Ajabdeh always said that charity was not meant to be boasted about.

Five years flashed by adjusting to each others’ likes and preferences, as they became friends. Ajabdeh now knew where he liked his purse, handkerchief and watch to be kept to make sure he didn’t forget it, and he knew her preferences for working at midnight for last-minute checks.  Many times he was greeted with wonderful ideas for new projects and he most often asked her opinion before a meeting with an important client. He knew how a midnight snack of brownies made her smile, while she made sure he had healthy homemade food for lunch. He had seen her become a kid, running around the garden with the kids at their NGOs or chasing Shakti around.  Ajabdeh had made the Sisodia mansion “home”.

She was too happy managing her business, office and home, the social work with his mother, playing chess with his father, and talking about Shakti's Love interests with him.
When the talks of an heir were doing the rounds in the media soon after their marriage and their social circles were expecting some good news of the Sisodia heir since the marriage, he had felt awkward, often thinking about how to even talk to her about it. 

She had her ambitions and dreams. He never wanted to push her into it. Ajabdeh like always had understood his thoughts. She had noticed how much he loved the kids in the NGO and adored them. She had noticed how he watched her play with them and perhaps even visualized a future. She knew he wanted to have a family perhaps. She had often smiled at the idea herself. How they weren’t ready for marriage and now wanted a family together. 
She in her gentle way, calmly patted his hands and said “I think it’s time we… plan a baby…” surprising him completely.

“But… you want to extend the business… your event department just took off and…”

“I can do that after taking leave too, right? Or you want me home then?”
“Not at all. But are you sure?” He had asked her more than once. That was perhaps the last time they had shared a few good laughs and he had seen her truly happy. 

That is when the problems started. Three years and two miscarriages later, he had no idea when was the last time she had laughed heartily or her smile had reached her eyes. Jaivanta had decided on sending for Heer for some time to make her happy but two days after Heer left, she suffered her second miscarriage even before the trimester of her pregnancy was over.  Now, he had no idea where she was and how she got out of the secured hospital in the first place. Yes, she had been her daring self at times, protesting against wrong, helping the needy, and going out of her way, especially when she was being an overprotective sister to Heer and Shakti but she had never been one to break rules just for the sake of it. This Ajabdeh was new and unknown to him. Today for the first time he wished he could be more vocal about his feelings, care and worries. He wished he could just tell her…. Where is she? Why did she leave? How could she leave? Where will I look for her now….

He was utterly confused when Shakti called out “Dadabhai.” making his heart skip a beat.
“She is back.” His voice was low as he stood at the threshold.
“What?” Pratap thought he heard wrong as his eyes widened.
“Ajabdeh… she returned to the hospital.” He shrugged equally confused. “On her own.”
“Get the keys.” Pratap’s temper suddenly shot sky-high at his irresponsible wife. How could she be so stupid?

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