Nina Gupta was the kind of woman who had something to say about everything. When listening to her, one would feel that the world was a dreary place where everything went wrong and everyone were only vessels of flaws.
Only very rarely did she accord anyone with praise. That rare moment had arrived when Nina praised the neighbor's daughter, Anuradha, endlessly. Her eldest son was rather surprised, paying careful attention to her words all the way back home from the hospital. The little act of kindness had touched his mother deeply.
"I knew just from her seeing her mother that the child would have good manners and etiquette. Her face has that glow to it that my mother said I have-" Nina rambled on, with a twinkle in her eye. Her children had never seen her this excited before, nor had her husband.
"Yes. Nina, I think you should lie down-" Her husband, Bharat, had begun nearly pleading. He had been listening to the same story for nearly a day in the hospital. His eyes were red and he felt his back ache furiously.
"No, you don't understand," Nina said, frowning. "That child is not like the other children. Look at our Shrest. He would have simply walked away after seeing me faint."
Shrest, who had pasted his back against the wall, nodded righteously. In fact, he decided he would do exactly what his mother expected from him.
Her husband managed a weak smile, feeling his patience wear thin. "Nina, you should lie down on the bed and take rest-"
"That girl is very well-mannered and very graceful-" Nina went on, oblivious to her husband's expression.
"Nina, lie down." Bharat's firm command finally had her lying down, mumbling about how no one wanted to listen to her words. A blanket was hastily draped over her. Then the three dispersed, afraid of being the object of her rants.
Vineet went back to his room and faced his desk. He tried to recollect the hazy remains of his vague impression of Anuradha Anand. He could remember only very little.
'I think she had long hair and...a brown complexion?' His eyebrows scrunched. 'I can't remember anything else...'
Feeling a little regretful about not taking a good look at her before, his eyes turned to the books before him. The various equations before him made his heart feel a little weary but he shook it off and continued with his studies.
✿
[behind the scenes]
At 12 AM,
Nina: The girl stayed with me in the hospital until I woke up. Can you believe it? These days, children-
Bharat: (sleepy) Yes, right...
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1.1 | Under The Clear Summer Sky | ✓
Romance❕UNDER EDITING❕「 light-hearted contemporary romance x slowburn x timespan 」 ▬▬▬ Anu and Vineet's relationship can be summarized in many ways - tutor and student, friends, grade-mates, neighbors. After 10 years, they can confidently add another to th...
