Chronicles Of My Darling Husband | ✓

Prologué: Aroh

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Year: 2008

"Jagdish..."

He heard his mother's affectionate voice calling out from a distance and turned his head to meet her gaze.

As she approached, she gracefully placed a cup of tea on his desk, saying, "Here, have your tea." With a warm smile that conveyed both reassurance and concern, she added, "You seem stressed. Would you like to talk about it?"

Yashoda Veer Singh- the smartest woman in the world, obviously, according to him- possessed an uncanny awareness of her children's emotional states; even the slightest hint of worry- a slight frown or blink of eyes- was enough to catch her attention. His younger brother Krishna often teased that she was "madly in love" with her kids. She could be as fierce as a lioness when it was about protecting them but transformed into a comforting presence akin to a gentle bunny when caring for them.

For him, she would move mountains and deflect rivers from their path. World knew that her love for her firstborn was boundless and unparalleled.

"Mr. Gaikwad handed a case to me, it's a bit..." he sighed.

"Nothing is impossible for my Sher," his mother gently patted his head. "You are Jagdish Veer Singh, remember that."

His worries dissipated instantly into thin air at the sound of her soothing words. There was something inherently calming about his mother that seemed to dissolve all his concerns. Surely, he must have accumulated good karma in his past lives to be blessed with such a wonderful lady as his mother.

He smiled, his eyes scanning the case study before him. "Why do you love me more than the others?" he ventured.

"Others?" he heard her echo in surprise. Surely, the false surprise as he knew that she understood his question.

"Maa..." he shook his head, a mixture of resignation and appreciation in his voice. "It's alright. I've come to accept that there are certain things you'll never quite agree with. I can see it in Subhadra; she's just as stubborn as you are."

"Well, women have a way of bending the world to their will," she remarked.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Like you finding me a wife?"

Yashoda playfully tapped the back of his head. "You're turning twenty-five soon. How long should I wait for my grandchildren to bless me with their love?" Her fingers tenderly ran through his wavy hair, comforting him.

"Maa..." he blushed, gently swatting her hand away. "You're too young to be called Dadi. You can wait."

"Young?" she looked at him incredulously. "I'm forty-four. I don't think that's too young. I want to see you get married soon and have a lot of babies so that I can raise them like I did you all."

He smiled warmly at her. "Whatever you wish, Maa," he replied, his voice filled with devotion.

"I wish the best for you, Jagdish." his mother replied and he believed her.

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He entered the dining room and discovered several photographs scattered across the table.

Prospective brides.

His annoyance flared as he scrunched his nose in disdain. It felt demeaning to see people treated like items on a grocery list. The whole concept of arranged marriages struck him as absurd. While his friend Chandrakant found the situation amusing—his parents weren't eagerly awaiting his marriage—Jagdish's mother seemed to be on an endless quest. If she could, she'd have him hitched in a heartbeat.