Tired of waiting for an available rickshaw, Khushi sighed as she turned to go and sit on a bench near a tea stall to take a rest for a while. When she reached the tea stall, she was surprised to find Mohan Kaka sitting alone there, having his tea and snacks.
She smiled, sitting beside him, "Mohan Kaka.. Namaste! Aap kaise hain? (How are you?)"
Mohan Kaka turned his face away as if conveying that he didn't want to talk to her.
"What happened, Kaka?" Khushi looked at him confused.
"I'm upset with you," he replied.
"Why?" Khushi asked with a soft guilty tone, "What did I do to upset you? I really don't remember anything I could have possibly done to hurt you.. but I must have done something as nowadays I keep making mistakes after mistakes. I'm sorry if I did or said anything unintentionally, and it made you upset with me."
"Arey, don't take me seriously, bitiya. It's nothing serious," Mohan Kaka regretted making this girl feel sad and guilty even after knowing how her life turned upside down recently.
"Really?" Khushi asked, still not satisfied.
"Haan sach mein (yes, it's true). It's just that I didn't like you called my Arnav beta a Rakshas.. isliye.. (that's why)," Mohan Kaka explained.
"Oh. So you can't hear a word against your Arnav beta?" Khushi asked with a realisation smile.
Mohan Kaka nodded his head innocently.
Khushi held her ears, "I'm sorry for calling him Rakshas then."
Mohan Kaka shook his head vigorously while gesturing her not to apologise by holding her ears, "It's okay, bitiya. You don't need to say sorry. I just wanted people to know that he is not perfect, but he's not a monster either. I felt bad when Anjali bitiya agreed with you and called him a Rakshas. This means everyone thinks the worst of him. But he's not a bad person. I just wish I could go back in time and stay with him when he was sent abroad by his parents to a boarding school. How I wish I was there for that little boy when he was abandoned by his own parents. He was crying so much that day.. he didn't want to leave me.. he begged his parents to let him stay.. to forgive him.. he fainted in front of us.. still, it didn't melt his father's heart.. he was hell-bent on sending Arnav to a boarding school.. poor boy.. I couldn't sleep that night crying for him. I still remember that day when he was taken away from me... he went far away from me, his home, his family. His parents killed the lively, caring, and innocent boy he was. Now he looks so lifeless, he doesn't take care of his health and diet, he doesn't talk much with anyone, he doesn't have friends, he only keeps working every time."
Khushi had tears in her eyes listening to Mohan Kaka, who sounded so disturbed and helpless while sharing about his Arnav beta with her.
"But why did his parents do this cruelty with him? Why was only he forced to join a boarding school abroad and not Di?" Khushi asked.
"He was sent to boarding school under the pretext of being an unruly child who should be punished and send off to a boarding school to learn discipline. But the truth is that his father wanted to send Arnav beta away from us because he wanted to train Arnav beta to become a businessman like him. He believed Arnav beta should receive different treatment than Anjali bitiya as he's a boy. He shouldn't be treated with love and care, and we shouldn't pamper him a lot. He believed it's not good for boys to become emotionally attached and dependent on their families, so they should live far from family and become independent on their own. He didn't want Arnav beta to become a sensitive, loving type of person. He wanted Arnav beta to be like him, a cold, ruthless, fearless, sharp minded businessman. That's how he thinks a man should be like. On the other hand, as a daughter, Anjali bitiya was loved and pampered by him. He always smiled whenever she was around. He gave her everything she wanted. She was treated like a princess by her Arvind Malik, unlike Arnav beta," Mohan Kaka replied.
