The Secret Wife of the CEO

Sanju takes her grandfather to the hospital

Sanju checked her wallet and sighed. She had only a 5000 rupees left. She had spent most of her money on her grandpa's medicines and some daily expenses. She had been looking for a job for the past two weeks, but with no luck. She had applied to numerous cafes and restaurants, but they all required experienced staff, higher education, or proficiency in English and Hindi. Unfortunately, she only knew Kannada. She had also asked Parimala, to help her find a job. Parimala had tried her best, but nothing had materialized yet. Sanju felt hopeless and helpless. She wanted to earn money and help her grandpa with his treatment as soon as possible. He was all she had as her family. But she felt like she had no opportunities or options at the moment. She mentally prayed to Lord Shri Ram asking him to show her the path. She put her wallet back in her bag and held her grandpa's hand. They were at the hospital, where they had come for a follow-up appointment with the physician. The physician had examined her grandpa and told them that he needed to see a senior cardiologist asap. He had recommended more tests and scans on her grandpa. Her grandpa was taken in for further tests, leaving Sanju in the waiting area.

Sanju sat on a chair and waited patiently. She looked around and saw other patients and their relatives, some of them looking worried, some of them looking bored, some of them looking tired. She felt a pang of sympathy for them. She knew how hard it was to deal with illness and uncertainty. She heard a loud cry and turned her head. She saw a man holding a one-year-old boy, who was wailing and squirming in his arms. The man looked flustered and frustrated. He tried to soothe the boy, but nothing seemed to work. He rocked him, bounced him, patted him, but the boy only cried louder. Sanju felt a surge of compassion for the man and the boy. She got up and walked towards them. She smiled and said, "Hello, anna (brother). Do you need any help?" The man looked at her and said, "Oh, hello. No, thank you. I'm fine. He's fine. He's just a little cranky today and his mother is inside. He'll calm down soon."

Sanju nodded and said, "I understand. It must be hard for him. And for you." Sanju looked at the boy gently smiling and said, "Hello, little munchkin. You are so cute. Who made my darling cry? Shall I sing and make your feel better?" She starts humming softly while tickling his feet. She then asks the man "Can I hold him for a while?" The man hesitates. He didn't know who she was or why she was offering to help. He was wary of strangers. But he also noticed that the boy had stopped being so fussy and was looking at Sanju with curiosity with his teary eyes. He saw that Sanju had a gentle and friendly face. He decided to trust her.

He said, "Okay, sure. Thank you. Here you go." He handed the boy to Sanju. Sanju took the boy and held him close to her chest. She felt his warmth and his heartbeat. She gently rocked him and started singing the lullaby "Jo jo shri krishna paramaananda". Sanju finished the lullaby and looked down at the boy. He was fast asleep in her arms, his face peaceful and relaxed. She felt a warm and tender feeling in her heart.

She looked up and saw the father staring at her with awe and gratitude. He said, "Wow, you are amazing. How did you do that? He never sleeps with anyone else. He has a severe case of stranger anxiety. He cries whenever he sees a new face. But today, he was so cranky after the vaccination, and you just came and calmed him down. You have a magic touch. "Sanju blushed and said, "Thank you, anna. I don't have any magic. I just love children. I'm glad I could help you and your son." The man said, "You are very kind and sweet. What is your name?" Sanju said, "My name is Sanju." The father said, "Nice to meet you, Sanju. I'm Vijay. And this is my son, Anvith." Sanju said, "Nice to meet you."

Just then, the door opened and a woman came out, followed by a doctor. The woman was Ragini, Vijay's wife. She had gone for a routine checkup with her OBGYN and Bhargav's mother, Dr Radha. She saw Vijay and Anvith was sleeping in a girl's hand. She was surprised to see that Anvith was not in Vijay's arms, but in the arms of a girl whom she did not recognize. The girl was holding Anvith close to her chest and singing a lullaby to him. Anvith was fast asleep, his face peaceful and relaxed. Ragini wondered who the girl was and how she had managed to calm Anvith down. She knew how Anvith was very fussy and clingy, especially after getting his vaccination. She reached Vijay and said, "Hi, honey. How was Anvith doing while I was gone? How did you manage?" Vijay looked up and said, "Hi, darling. We are fine. Anvith was super duper cranky after his vaccination and he refused to calm down even after I tried for half an hour. Then, Sanju here came and started to sing. He calmed down a little. Once she held him and sang one song, he was totally asleep. She has magic in her voice."