Anokhi goes into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Shaurya doesn't know how to deal with this. Aanya still doesn't get the point and here Anokhi is faking happiness.
Shaurya-Aanya papa explained you something naa?
Aanya-Yes but yeh toh mumma ki choice hai naa.
Shaurya-Nhi but kaise samjhaoon aapko. Achaa chalo room mein jao and rest karo papa aate hai ok.
Shaurya walks into the kitchen where Anokhi is cutting veggies with tears in her eyes. He sees a bunch of cut onions which is the excuse she has got ready to explain her tears to any by Stander.
Shaurya-Anokhi ye trick naa pata hai mujhe.
Anokhi-Koi trick nhi hai. Aanya ka favourite paneer bana rhi hoon.
Shaurya-Hmmm. Fir bhi. Tumhe toh pata hai naa ki onions ko pani mein rakhke katne se woh aankhon se aansoon nhi aate toh kyu nhi kia. Ab bologi bhul gyi toh iska matlab tum distracted which still means you are upset.
Anokhi-Shaurya chodo naa. I tried but I couldn't.
Shaurya-No Anokhi you just did. You put Siac at the top. You did put Aanya also on the top but often when is one on the top you don't where you actually are. Aanya bachi hai usse samjhayenge.
Anokhi-We can only explain her but that doesn't mean she doesn't need me. She is just going to learn to not express her need for me.
Shaurya-Anokhi you know you want Aanya to be happy forever right? Toh uske long term happiness ke liye yeh zaroori hai. She needs to know it's ok for her to put herself forward. She needs to know that she is not living for us or for her future partner or for her kids. And if you don't teach that to her how is she ever going to get it. So Anokhi don't do this. Please don't.
Anokhi-What about the baby? I mean I have to manage the 2.
Shaurya-Oh god. Maine tumse pucha hi nhi did you want it or not. But you know I do. But the demands it will place on you are greater than on me by simple biology. I want you to be happy. And that's the world to me. So do what you want. Gonna stand by you.
Anokhi-I want it too.
Shaurya-Hmmm. Anokhi we will manage. Yaad hai jab Aanya was a baby you never wanted to leave home for work. I mean you wanted to keep postponing your joining. You felt you are not ready for it. But the day you did you were ready for it. Sure we had our fuck ups but we got over it all. So thats what is going to happen now. We may fuck up once in a while but we will get over it. We have our fam to help us out but we will be able to do it. And I am there with you all the way.
Anokhi-Hmmmm.
Shaurya-Just because you are working doesn't mean you aren't there for her. Mujhe yaad hai when she had that fall in school you rushed there leaving your seminar jahan agar tumne woh paper present kia hota tumhe prize milta. You remember you stayed at home for a week, tending to her, managing stuff online and also being with her. Running around her sleep cycle, her medication and food cycle and your college cycle by the end of which you seemed dead almost. Anokhi yeh Aanya ko samjh nhi aa rhi but she will understand the day she will be a young woman and will have to make the choices you are making. Don't you want to make it easier for her to make these choices?
Anokhi-Hhhmmm.
Shaurya-And now you stay away from her for me because tum hum dono ka load manage kar rhi ho. Anokhi I could not have asked for anyone better for me or for Aanya. Hum Aanya ko yeh sab nhi bata rhe about your sacrifices because I know you will never be happy putting the gun of emotional blackmail on her head. You want her to understand as is because you believe the sacrifices you did for her were your choice, you did it for love and pyaar ko kabhi aise prove nhi kia jata.
Anokhi-Hmmm. But I will need you. I will really need you.
Shaurya-And you will have me. Always by your side. But don't change for anyone ok only for yourself.
Anokhi-Hmmm.
Shaurya-Ab bohot ho gya chalo rest karo. I will make her paneer.
Anokhi-No yaar. And tumhe kitchen tak aana bhi nhi chahiye with this chicken pox.
Shaurya-Anokhi you need to rest. Maa bana degi.
Anokhi-No. Mein kar lungi.
Shaurya-Anokhi!
Anokhi-Shaurya please jao. I know Aanya is miffed with me so just be with her. Mein sambhal lungi khud ko.
Shaurya-Anokhi yeh sabke baare mein sochna naa! Khair I will make up to you once I get better in a million ways!
Anokhi-Haan haan jao.
Anokhi makes the food and gets to the room. The paneer pacifies Aanya.
Over the next few days Anokhi's life revolves around taking Shaurya's and her classes, taking care of Shaurya and Aanya. So as Aanya is on the verge of getting better:-
Aanya-Papa aur kitne din?
Shaurya-Hmm ho gya chutti? Ab bore ho rha hai?
Aanya-Yes papa. Mujhe aapke sath aur mumma ke sath khelne mein bohot mazza aata hai aur tv dekhne mein bhi but school mein art class miss karti hoon and school mein annual day ka bhi announcement ho gya aur mujhe participate karna hai. Please mujhe school jana hai.
Shaurya-Achaa? Aur mumma ka kya? Do you think unhone ne bhi miss kia hoga apna school? Mumma ne apne friends ko miss kia hoga naa jaise apne kia?
Aanya-Mumma ka annual day aa rha hai kya?
Shaurya-Nhi woh ho gya.
Aanya-Kya? Kab? Prize mila mumma ko?
Shaurya-Hmmmm. (Doesn't want her to know about the seminar as they don't want to hurt her or want that becomes her basis. Rather she should understand Anokhi because it is the right thing.)Woh chodo mumma ko bhi aapke jaise jane ka mann karta hoga but jaise aap mere permission ka wait kar rhe ho mumma bhi aapke permission ka wait kar rhi hai.
Aanya-Oh! Isliye mumma sad hai? Matlab happy rehti hai but jab unhe lagta hai mein nhi dekhti tab woh sad ho jati hai.
Shaurya-Hmmm.
Aanya-Matlab maine mumma ko sad kia? Mein bohot buri hoon naa?
Shaurya-Nhi bilkul nhi. Sabse galti hoti hai. Maine bhi galti ki. Aur jab galti hoti hai toh pure dil se koshish karte hai samne wale ko happy karne ki and khud ko forgive karte hai warna hum ussi mistake ke baare mein sochte hai and aur doosri mistakes karne lagte hai. (Writer intends to encourage kids to learn from mistakes but not die of guilt. )
Aanya-Ok so ab?
Shaurya-You miss art naa. So thoda art bhi karenge and mumma ko happy bhi.
So they make a card with words Get back to work mumma!
Shaurya and Aanya go and give to Anokhi who gets emotional. She looks at Shaurya thinking of how he did it.
Shaurya-Mein bas jo baatein uske life mein hoti hai usko tumhare life se connect kia bas. I didn't force her?
Aanya kal agar mumma kaam pe jana chodna chahe toh aap kya karoge?
Aanya-Mumma nhi jayegi toh annual day miss ho jayega unka. Fir ghar pe prize aur ice cream kaise aayega? Aur mumma bhi sad hogi aur sad mumma utni acchi nhi lagti.
They share a group hug and they hang out. Finally Anokhi is truly happy because she has it all now even if she has it at the cost of sleep depravation (not glorifying sleepless night just drawing attention to how hard she works to keep it together). She is happy and so is Shaurya to find Anokhi happy and of course there is a new bundle of joy which will come, with its challenges and happy moments but they will be ready for it as a family.
End
I know this wasn't comic or romantic. I wanted to say something and I just said it. End in the sense end of this story that is twinning. Next will try to come up with something fun. Will try....... I know I may disappoint you guys but I do try hard to give you the best.
