Behind the rigidity

The roots remain !

|• Continuation of ch 12 •|

"Ved,beta chalo, go to your room.It's already late" Bhavani said for the umpteenth time from her sewing machine,to her son who was busy playing.

"Beta ja,move your toys from the bed and lie down.I'm coming bas thoda hi kaam bacha hai" when she still got no response she looked at her husband
"Why are you sitting quietly? Can't you tell anything to your son? Sula dijiye na aap jaake "

Samarth just shrugged
"Today's Saturday,let him be na"

Why should he always be the villain afterall ?

Bhavani glared at her husband
"Aapke inhi harqaton ki wajahse hi na wo bigadta ja raha hai.Have you seen the time ? It's already 10:45"
and turned to her son

"Okay no need to sleep but if you don't stop playing right now na Vedant toh dekhna I'll make you study for the whole night today.Then don't whine and complain that I didn't warn you earlier "

In reply Vedant just gave her a toothy smile and zoomed his car loudly towards his mom.
Those threats no matter from whom it came,were always empty.He had gotten accustomed by now and it hardly had any effect on him in such situations.

Giving up she turned back to her work.

When the clock struck 11 she tried to trick her son into a masterplan
"Vedant idhar aa" she called out calmly

When he came near her,she gestured him to bring his ears closer.As he complied,Bhavani held his hand and whispered with the most neutral face ever possible

"I've already excused you from lying down alone.It's already late at night and I have warned you enough times.But if you don't stop playing now I'll remind Papa to prepone your coming back home after playing, by 10 minutes,which you had earned through your spelling mistakes "

Vedant's eyes widened with what he heard

"You want me to do that?" Bhavani whisper questioned again and he shook his head and kept his toy immediately.

He sat cross armed with a pout on his parents' bed and turned his face to the side.

Samarth was observing them keenly but couldn't make out the conversation.He asked his wife through eyes about the sudden changed behaviour of their son but this time Bhavani shrugged and gave an undecipherable teasing smile to him.

He rolled his eyes and decided to shift his attention towards his sulking son and circled his own arms around his baby's tiny frame

"Aare bachcha... what happened to my baby"

Ved pouted sadly and shook his head

"You know there were two friends,a rabbit and a squirrel"

Samarth started and that one sentence lightened up Ved's eyes.He squealed in happiness and laid down on his father's lap in order to enjoy the real essence of the story.

It was hardly 15 minutes and Ved fell asleep under the comfort of his Papa's soothing touch roaming in between his hair and Samarth kept looking at his little one lovingly while caressing him with feather touches.The serenity on Vedant's face always offered him an indescribable peace.
And,yet again he could not help but drift away with those thoughts .

That was how Bhavani found him at the end of her work.He was looking out of the window particularly at nowhere.She decided not to disturb him and started setting the pillows.

"You're done?" Samarth questioned getting alarmed by the movements
"Hmm"
"Let's make Ved sleep in this morning room itself"
"Yes nahi toh uth jayega"