ArShi FF - It Meant something (completed)

Part 18

The kids were playing hide and seek and it was Navya's den, she was supposed to search. She managed to find all their friends, but Roshan was still to be found. Since Roshan was always good at hiding and would often resurface when his friends got tired, they decided to move onto next round and eventually forgot that it had been a while, but their friend didn't come out yet!

Arnav returned from his jogging and as his morning routine went to take a shower and got ready for office. Payal-Akash, mama-mami and Anjali's family were also going to leave for Chandigarh today, so he had to have a talk with them too.
When he came downstairs, he saw most of the family members at breakfast table and Payal and Khushi emerging from kitchen with a tray of food.

"I will go and call kids for breakfast, they are playing early morning today" Khushi said

"Yeah, Ansh is going to miss his cousins so he insisted they played outside for a while. Its ok Khushi, let them be outside for a while" Anjali said and Khushi reluctantly agreed.

"Ji Khushi bitiya, I anyway have something to talk to all about. So, it's better if kids are away for a while" Nani said and Arnav braced himself for his nani's verdict while Khushi too waited anxiously. Last night was the first time she spoke in that tone in front of her elders. But a mother in her had taken precedence over every other relation.

"What you both said yesterday was a lot to take in." Nani said looking at Arnav and Khushi and as they almost guessed her answer, she raised her hand to let her complete, "But it was not wrong either. I thought a lot and Khushi bitiya's words kept ringing in my ears 'what's the fault in a mother's motherhood?' and then my chote's words 'can't I love my child as his father without sharing same blood?' and I understand you both. I understand why khushi bitiya did what she did or why Arnav said what he did." Nani said and everyone on the dining table had similar thoughts as they nodded in response. While a slow smile was emerging on Arnav and Khushi's lips, but Nani had more to say,

 "You know kids, our culture has only glorified a step-mom or a foster-mom, never a step-dad or a foster-dad! And then we are trained and accustomed to expecting a man to have a past but when it comes to a woman, we suddenly become close minded. You were right khushi bitiya, motherhood can never be wrong, and parental love is the purest form of love in this world. You opened this old lady's eyes!" Nani said and an overwhelmed Khushi got up from her sit to hug Nani. Arnav too was smiling ear to ear, nani continued, "I can't change the whole society and its ways of thinking, but we can start somewhere. What better than our own home? A mother is a mother despite her status, and a wife's past is as ok as a husband's past in our society, as long as they are loyal to their present! And finally, a father's love is equally precious, equally pious as a mother's love, whether he is a biological father or foster-dad, what matters is he is the one doing his parental duties. Thik kaha na?" Nani asked everyone. For her age and her upbringing it was not easy to mold her way of thinking but a lot of points that her grandson and granddaughter-in-law raised had been valid and had made her think and accept she was wrong till yesterday.

Everyone was happy and had tears of joy in their eyes.

"Go and bring my great-grandson, I want to feed him a sweet dish with my own hands today!" nani said and Arnav and Khushi both got up to go outside. 

Just then Navya and Ansh barged in jumping and in happy mood,

"Navu, where's Roshan?" Khushi asked looking behind them if Roshan was trailing behind

"Mamma, he already came inside no? He wasn't with us" Navu said

Arnav went to his room, only to find no one there.