Estranged | ✓

XXII. family

vanraj :

I looked at her, she looked beautiful in a casual t shirt and pajamas. She looked tired.
She had just returned from her dance academy.

Despite little or no make up, she looked ethereal.

"Nooo! Mummy this is cheating! I want theplas!", Pakhi said inflating her cheeks with air now.

"Ha ha! See that's how it works! Now mummy will cook for only me!", Samar said grinning with his teeth out.
Pakhi looked away and hugged me back.
"Handsome uncle, you cook for me, okay? No one loves me.", She said dramatically.

She glanced once at Anupamaa with an innocent face and then buried her face in my chest.

"Drama Queen..", Anupamaa said smiling to herself as she kept her bag on the bed and sat down, right beside me.
"I am never talking to you..", Pakhi said still not looking up.

Taking the opportunity I wrapped one arm around her.

"Don't talk! Mummy has Toshu Bhai and me!", Samar said crawling down to his Mummy and hugging her.

I saw Toshu sitting awkwardly and watching everything.
He was always slightly introverted, and needed that push.

"Toshu, choose your team.", I said grinning.

He smiled weakly.
I suddenly remembered he had been subjected to the same choice before.
Probably he'd choose his mother this time.

But he just crawled down and squeezed himself between Anupamaa and me.

"I am in both teams!", He said holding my hand with one hand and Anupamaa's with other.

"But this is cheating na!", Samar said.
Pakhi finally looked up.

"Why? You want to stay only with Mummy that's your call.. I want to stay with both. We are all in one team only na.. We are all one family.", He said.

I could not believe my ears.

When did he grow up so much?

"Family is a team?", Pakhi asked perplexed.
"But.. handsome uncle.. is he also family?", Pakhi asked confused.
I looked down, drawing in a deep breath.
Anupamaa glanced at me.

"Yes.. because he is your Papa.", She said.
I looked at her, almost grateful.

Did I even deserve to be called Pakhi's father after casually abandoning both of them?

Pakhi looked at me with furrowed eyebrows.
"Fine. From today you are Papa.", She said and then went back to resting her head on my chest.

"So.. we are a family..", Samar said thoughtfully.
"And family stays together.", Toshu said.
"Correct.", Samar said.

Samar looked like he was reaching higher levels of intellectualism.
The amount of drama my younger kids did was absolutely amusing.

"But I'm still mummy's bakuda!", He said and went back to hugging Anupamaa.
"Ah yes..", She said smiling, brushing his hair lovingly, clasping Toshu's hand tightly.

"Umm.. now that we are all together.. maybe we should spend some quality family time together.", I said.

Anupamaa looked at me with a beaming smile.

"So? How do we do it?"

"Truth and dare!", Toshu said.
Both of us looked at me perplexed.
"Please..", he said, trying very hard to mimic Pakhi's tantrums.

"Ah.. doesn't sound bad.", I said.
"Absolutely not.", Anu said, looking at me with a smile.

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