"I'm sorry. I think we have grown apart. I don't think living together anymore is the right thing to do," he said in a voice heavy with some sort of emotion. It couldn't be remorse, he hardly looked like he felt bad. Asha shook her head, in an fruitless effort to clear her muddled head.

"I don't think you'll have a problem. The kids have all got their own lives now. I've spoken to both our children, and they've handled the situation with great maturity," he said.

Asha smiled proudly. Her children knew how they were going to handle this new hurdle in their life. She had taught them well. But what was she going to do?

"This house if yours,it always has been...." he said, his voice trailing off, as if he didn't know what else to say.

Yeh Mera Deewanapan Hai
Ya Mohabbat Ka Suroor
Tu Na Pehchaane To Hai Yeh
Teri Nazron Ka Kusoor
Yeh Mera Deewanapan hai....

She was hardly 21 years old when she had met Adarsh. Her parents had set her up with the 'handsome boy from the community every mother wanted for a son-in-law'. Adarsh had then seemed like the sort of level headed person she could spend her life with. She never had any illusions of any great love stories. So Adarsh had seemed like her most sensible choice.

She had set up home and had her first child within the first year of her marriage. It seemed odd to her now, as she sat in her living room, how she had never confessed to Adarsh that she loved him. She had grown into a love that her mother told her about before her marriage.

Her children told her that it was okay to be divorced now. It wasn't such a big deal anyways! They were ofcourse sad that their father had moved away from home, but then they would do so too soon, so it seemed again- okay.

Asha looked around her living room, looked at the pictures adorning the walls. Happy times, peaceful times. Times of great contentment.

What was she going to do now? She had a degree in fashion designing, ofcourse 20 years back it wasn't called that. Besides, definition of fashion was so much different now than before.

She figured though, that if her daughter Reena could bring her up to date with what length hems now ruled the market, she could open her own boutique. Living was a neccessity. One couldn't stop that just because someone wasn't around.

It was true though, that in some part of her mind she still hoped that Adarsh would realise the fraility of this phase her was going through. She couldn't make up her mind however, whether it was worth forgiving him or not. Asha drummed her fingers absently on the table top.

Would she take back a man who left her? It wasn't like he was involved with someone else! Maybe this was some form of male menopause!

Shaking her head in silent laughter, Asha came to the conclusion that maybe, if Adarsh came back, she would take him back. She still loved him.

Aise Veerane Mein Ek Din
Ghut Ke Mar Jayenge Hum
Jitna Ji Chaahe Pukaro
Phir Nahin Aayenge Hum

Asha looked at her old family photographs fondly. They looked happy together. Maybe something went wrong somewhere. She shrugged absently. Well, we'll never know, will we!

Wincing slightly, she rose from her seat. She looked at her new sketches. Turned out that retro was back in fashion. Her business was doing well. She was stable. Her son was married to a beautiful girl named Lata. Reena was doing well financially, and was happy.

"Ma, come on now. We're getting late for the reception," said Reena from the doorstep.

Asha looked up. Old memories really caught up with you when you least expected it to. Adarsh was getting married again. To someone he had met at work. It had been three years since their divorce. Asha had long ago given up hope of ever reconciling with Adarsh. What will be will be.

She had cried in person, when Adarsh told her about the new woman in his life. Well, there was that question answered.

Reena had once in her innocence of still one very young asked her if she would take Adarsh back if his second marriage didn't work out?

Asha thought about it for a minuite and then replied - "No". What is done is done! Right?

Yeh Mera Deewanapan...

Disclaimer: The song "Yeh mera Deewanapan" is from the movie "Yahudi", sung by Mukesh. I do not own any rights to the song. No copyright infringement is intended.