𝕊𝔼𝕍𝔼ℕ 𝕀ℕ 𝔸 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 {𝙼𝙰𝙷𝙰𝙱𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝚃 𝚃𝙸𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝚁𝙰𝚅𝙴𝙻}

76. Love and Courage.

If someone had told me I would have spent seven years on foreign soil, I'd have believed them.

If someone had told me that I had spent seven years in an entirely different timeline, I'd have laughed at them before they landed in the ER for making a fool out of me.

Watching my child grow up in front of my eyes was something I never thought I could feel before I was nearly thirty something, but now I was watching it happen at twenty three.

Life plays the strangest of games with you sometimes does it?

"What is my dear wife thinking? " I heard a voice ask, as I felt myself being pulled into a hug, with my head under his own.

"I was wondering, about what I want for a gift from you today. " I said, swaying in his arms.

"Now what? " He asked, sighing.

"So you think buying me a gift is a burden? " I asked, turning around, watching his face morph from confusion to fear in a moment.

"No- that's not what -no. What? No. What?" He began and I laughed.

" My dear husband. " I said, putting my hands over his shoulders, " If you really want to give me a gift, then... " I bent low to whisper in his ears when.

"Mummyyy! " Called a chaotic voice, barelling into our room.

I sighed, stepping away while my husband shook his head.

"First it was the sisters and brothers, now we have our daughter. " He mumbled, rubbing a single finger against his forehead, grounding himself before looking up with a smile.

" Madhu? " I asked, as she nearly slipped into the room, her clothes stained with mud and dirt, her hair had too eaten a few streaks of it, while her face looked as if she'd put on a facemask of multani mitti.

"Madhu! What is this? Why are you covered in mud? " I asked angrily, going over to her to wipe the ones away from her face, the one threatning to enter her mouth.

" Well- I - I -papa! I can't tell you! It's a surprise! May I go back? " She asked, looking past my shoulder to see a Yudhishthir stuck between his wife and his daughter.

"Uhh -yes. Go putri, we'll ask no question-"

"But? "

" Thank you! " She exclaimed, running out, escaping my hold on her wrist with a slippery hand.

" You're spoiling her! Agreeing with whatever she says! " I fumed, watching her trailing form in the hallway.

My husband laughed before pulling me close to him.

"Who else will do that? Sagarika, it is a very important thing to have boundaries with children, of course it is, but it's also important to know when to bend them, for a small human brain cannot understand that we care for them, they take it as a form of hate to them, that we don't love them. So, it's better that we make sure that they know we love them, than someone trapping her in the same false promises of love. " He said, kissing my forehead.

"I know, but -"

"No buts. I thought you were about to ask me for a presesnt, what is it? " He asked smiling widely.

" Well, I will tell you. Wait. " I said, leaning up to whisper when he stopped me short.

"Why are you doing it like this, we're the only ones in the room. " He said, chuckling.

" I am shy. I will ask like this. " I said, furiously wishing my blush to go away.

" Oof! I can cook food here, what's so embarrassing my dear, you do know I'm your friend and you can ask anything of me, right? " He said, although his tone was teasing but his eyes sincere as he held my face with one hand.