Love at "The Lord's"

Chapter #38: Honsla Rakh Sidharth!

Sidharth:

"Yes beta! Subah subah tera phone? Tu uth gaya kaise?" Mom asked me over the phone, mom will be mom!

"Kyu bey ghar ke sataye huye damad.. Sasural walon ne taana de de ke utha diya kya?" Rohan jiju joked from the back. They were already back to India and were preparing to come down to Punjab along with others.

"Chup karoge toh bolunga na!" I said face palming myself. Shehnaaz giggled from the side, the call was on speaker and all could hear it on my side. I knew the call there was also on the speaker.

"Mom, apko pata aj kuch hua! Accha wala!" Shehnaaz spoke stuffing a guava again. "Kya?" Mom asked.

"Mom, main aj lakdi ke siri se upar chadha aur amrut todd ke laya, koi pain nehi hua... baas everything felt as normal as before." I spoke and mom gasped. "Baccha, are you sure? Koi pain nehi hua? Baad mein bhi nehi?" she asked in surprise. "Nehi mom, aur mein khusi ke maare uchal uchal ke aya ghar taak, aur apke pyaare bahu ko batane laga toh usne daant diya ki mujhe risk nehi lena tha! Abhi dekho, maaze maaze leke wohi amrut kha raha hain moti!" I spoke poking my tongue out.

"Sidharth!" two stern voices came, one from my side and one from the other side of the phone at the same time. "Kya pyaar hain aap dono ka!" I mocked.

"Chup reh! Aur moti maat bula usko.. She is my cute baccha having your baccha!" Mom spoke. I was scratching the back of my head as I fell into a false position as all my in-laws were laughing at me, Shehnaaz now poking her tongue out at me wriggling her thumb like a child, the mother of my child.

"Am so happy .... so happy! I want to just come down and hug you both there. Duniya ki sabse khush maa hoon main. Main aa jau?" She asked, her flight was scheduled a day after that meant she had to wait but a mother's heart would crib for her child knowing about such new development.

"Hayeee mom, aa jao aap toh! Mujhe yaha koi attention hi nehi deta! Apse dedh sareey batein bhi karni hain... " Shehnaaz spoke in excitement. "Main apke haat ka soup aur khana miss kar rahi hoon, mom mujhe puranpoli khane ka maan ho raha hain!" she spoke slurping.

"Tu Pammiji ko de, main bol deti hoon kaise banana hain!" Mom spoke laughing at her cartoon of a Daughter-in-law. "Nehi... aap aa jao phir.." Shehnaaz spoke stuffing another guava.

Such was their bond, they both loved each other immensely. Mom always claimed Shehnaaz to be her third daughter. She always told that if Dad would have been alive by then, Shehnaaz and Dad would have been a great team. I have found out many a times of Shehnaaz listening about Dad and our childhood from mom very fondly, like she was trying to visualize our childhood and imagine Dad, of how he looked or how he was. She always claimed that my character trait was a very good mixture of Mom and Dad and that is what she loves the most in me. Okay Proud me!

***

"Shehnaaz!" I nudged her. We were sitting on the cot at the terrace. She hummed to look at me smiling. "Aaj halka sa laag raha hain!" I spoke sighing, smiling at her. She sat clinging to me like a child, holding my hand.

"Pata hain Sidharth, maine Dad ko dekha nehi, paar imagine ki hain... Mujhe ye hain ki.. Humara ek beta ho, aur main usko Dad ke aur tere jaise banau!" Shehnaaz spoke and that fluttered my heart in a positive way. I felt my heart would break open with the feeling of love that she possessed in me.

"Paar mujhe toh beti chahiye!" I spoke knowing that would irk her up. Honestly, whatever it was, we would love the baby as much as we could, sometimes beyond the limit also.