Same day (Sunday) - 10:07 pm.
Arnav knocked the door of his mother's room to crack the second big deal of his life now. He already managed to convince Khushi to speak her heart out to her father when the big day arrives. But now he also needed to secure his place at the top of his future father-in-law's list of prospective grooms for his daughter, Khushi.
He heard his mother's answer of permission to enter the room and opened the bedroom door only to find her half lying on her bed and keeping her book on the side table which she had been reading before he entered the room. "Am I disturbing you?" he asked in a soft guilty tone, standing near the door as if waiting for her reply to decide if this is the right time to talk with her or not.
Ratna shook her head with a slight smile on her face as she patted the empty side of her bed calling him through his eyes. He closed the door behind and shrugged while speaking on his way to her bed with a teasing tone, "Aur waise bhi.. you don't ask permission when you come in my room to disturb me, so why should I?"
Ratna waited for him to sit near her on the bed to twist his ear playfully yet painfully earning a loud hiss from her son, "I'm your mother.. you're not my father and that's why you need to ask permission. Now tell me what do you want?"
Arnav gave her an offended look, "What do you mean by 'what do you want' Ma? Do I only come to you when I want something from you?"
"Accha sorry.. itna senti kyu ho rahe ho Chote (Why are you getting sentimental now?).. Come here," she patted her lap inviting him to sleep on his mother's lap with a manofying tone.
Arnav shook his head as he embarrassingly stated, "Actually today I came to ask you something.. and please keep this in your mind that it's only today I want something from you Ma.. otherwise there are other days when I just come here to spend time with you!" he frowned cutely at the end.
Ratna chuckled softly nodding her head at him, "Accha batao toh sahi kya chahiye (Okay.. tell me now what do you want?)"
"Ma I want to talk to you about Khushi's college fees," he initiated trying to sound casual as if it's not a well planned scheme of his to impress his future father in law, but simply his concern over this matter.
"What about that?" Ratna sounded alerted as she straightened herself on the bed to listen to him carefully.
"I was thinking that Shashi uncle must be facing difficulties to pay her monthly college fees.. so.. I mean.. maybe I should help him by half payment of the fees," Arnav said and waited in anticipation of his mother's answer. He already started highlighting few strong points in his mind that would help him convince his mother in case her reply turns out not in his favor.
Ratna remained in silence for few seconds as if registering his words in her mind, before she raised her eyes to met her son's, "Chote I already know how much you love to help people around you, but don't think you're on your way to become a charity home yourself? I mean you're already pick and drop Khushi to college and you bought her an expensive laptop. I think what you did is enough to be considered as 'help'. If Shashi sent his daughter here to study, then it means he must have made some arrangements for her college fees payment, you don't need to be worried about this also."
"But Ma, Khushi is your childhood best friend's daughter.. how can we not help her?" he insisted with the first point being used to melt her heart and convince her to agree with his idea.
"Do you really think if he was my best friend till now, Khushi would feel so shy and talk less around me? I would have treated Khushi and Meera like my own daughters and they would have treated me like their second mother, if Shashi was still my best friend.. unfortunately he's not my best friend anymore," Ratna replied to him.
