Fortuitously Yours (Previously known as Accidentally Yours)

5.b. Papa's Wish (Part 2)

The two brothers were sitting on their seats, waiting patiently for their father to speak, when Mr. Malhotra was constantly fidgeting with his fingers, which was clearly showing that he was a bit nervous to bring up the topic which he wanted to discuss. Alast, he began to speak. 

Mr. Malhotra: 'Boys, listen to me very carefully. I wanted to discuss a very serious topic with you, which involves a very important decision of your life. So, I want you to listen to me very clearly' 

Mr. Malhotra waited for the two brothers to settle their minds. When the two of them signalled him to continue, he started speaking again. 

Mr. Malhotra: 'Boys, I wanted to share with you an incident which I never shared before. When your mother was at her deathbed, and only a few days were left in her life, one day, she called me home early as she wanted to discuss something with me. When I arrived home, I saw that she had decorated the entire room with candid photos of both of you, and was sobbing silently. I went to her and asked her what happened, to which she started crying even louder, instead of replying anything. I gave her some time to settle down, after which, both of us sat on the bed, as I knew she wanted to tell me something'.

'After a few minutes, she told me that she is feeling terribly guilty because according to her she is a failed mother. She could not fulfill her duties as a mother because she was ill. Both of you had to do household chores at an age when every other child used to enjoy his life. She wanted to see both of you happy. And so, she wanted a promise from me.'

'That day, she made me promise her that I would always be by your side till my last breath. I promised her that I would give you both love of a father and a mother and would always keep you happy till I am alive and..' 

(Mr. Malhotra stopped a bit before proceeding with the next set of promises.., then continued) 

'And would ensure that you two are happily settled in your lives and are not alone, before I die.'

At first, the two brothers were confused, as they were not being able to understand why their father was suddenly telling them these things. But, after carefully thinking over what their father just said, realisation struck them as hard as it could. 

Their father knew that the operation could go both ways, and if anything goes wrong, he would lose his life. So, he wanted to fulfill the promise given to their mother right now. 

Mohit: 'So, what do you want us to do?' 

Mr. Malhotra smiled at the question, before answering in interrogative: 'What do you think I would want?' 

When the two brothers could not come up with suitable answers, Mr. Malhotra started to speak again. 

'I have always tried my level best to be your best friend and companion first, father later. I had promised your mother that I would find a suitable life partner for you, but I do believe that both of you have your own rights as well. I am giving you two three days time to decide if you have anyone whom you want to spend your life with. Today is Monday, If you don't come up with any name till Thursday, I will decide whom I feel would be your best partner. In both cases, you are getting married this Sunday'. Mr. Malhotra ended the conversation with a smile. 

As Mr. Malhotra was speaking, the two brothers could feel a sense of urgency in his tone. They knew that this is really important for their father, but somehow, both of them were not ready for this marriage. So, when their father ended the speech and looked up towards them expecting a reply, they could give nothing but just a faint smile, which was enough to tell their father that they were not happy with his decision.