मैं उसे जानता हूँ, फिर भी मैं उसे नहीं जानता..... II

The previous part is here.

It is one's conviction that permits them to do everything in life. And it was the same conviction that had coerced Wazir to grab Farida's hand and pull her out of the blues. Wazir had taken to Farida the first time itself when he'd seen her. Her brazen honesty had shocked him like no other. He'd expected her to inquire him about his life and work till now. But her confession about being pregnant was the first thing that blurted out of her mouth, and he was completely taken aback. And he knew he had to, wanted to do something for her, marry her. He knew he had been in love with her, and her child, from the first moment on. Their first meeting. It all came flickering like a wispy life before death. The sound of Maya had never been so grave.  The hour hand moved half an inch as the clock struck 5:30. Maya should have been there. Wazir was starting to worry now thinking she might not have been caught over-speeding again. And he heard the stones in the driveway scrunched against each other as Maya spaced her car. 

It had taken Maya's all strength, and even more to come up here. She wanted to refrain from going inside, wanted to believe all this to be a nightmare. Too young to have lost her parents, Maya's grandparents had been her parents since then. She could already smell the citrusy essence of the tea Wazir always made. 

"Baba.", Maya went through the tiny kitchen and hugged him.

As they seated themselves on the table, and poured tea, Wazir envisaged there was no point in delaying a conversation which would evidently have to happen. 

"Maya, please understand. Your father was unaware of this too. Not that we wanted to keep him in dark, but we feared if he wanted to go out looking for his real father, Farida would have lost him. And hurting her, after all she'd been through, I could not have afforded for that to happen."

Maya smiled. He knew she was mocking him, his statement rather. 

"Baba, have you ever realised that you both were actually my parents, when my real ones died? Don't you think that makes me feel like I haven't known my real father?"

Wazir felt like he was punched hard in the chest, creating a void in his heart. But Maya continued.

"I do not mean to hurt you. I love and respect you, and all that you've ever done to raise me. But I need to.."

"You want to meet him, Maya. Isn't it, meri bachchi?"

"You do know who and where he is, don't you?"

"Yes."

To be continued.
Escaping,
Ak.