Frames of Destiny

Chapter 1

"Where is she?"...he comes hurrying into the main gate of the school..

"There... waiting for you."..replies an official responsible for dispersal..

He walks over and sits beside her, noticing her gloomy and upset expression, her hands cupping her cheeks..

"Lagta hai bohot gussa ho?!" he asks gently, peering at her face..

Samaira rolls her eyes annoyingly..

"Bilkul baat nehi karoge aap?!"

"No!"..she replies angrily..

"Hmm... I thought we could have a day out tomorrow, even Dadi agreed! But if you don't want to, we can skip it.."..he tries playing the strategy..

Samaira's eyes twinkle with excitement, and she quickly looks at her father who is trying to make up for a special event he has missed.. "Sacchi?!"

He nods with a smile..

"Promise? Phirse dump tou nehi karoge?!"..she seeks for a reassurance..

He pulls her onto his lap..."Bilkul nehi Princess! By the way, I heard you got a trophy today and you spelled the last word correctly in 2 minutes!"

"Yes, but you weren't there, as usual!"..She rolls her eyes again..

"I am sorry baba! Daddy was really busy and couldn't make it. But no worries, Dadi is coming back tonight, and we will surely celebrate this tomorrow! A whole day just for Daddy, Samaira, and Dadi..sounds good na?"...He kisses her forehead..

"It does!! Yayy..thank you Daddy! Want to see my trophy?"..she asks being all elated..

"Absolutely!"...He matches her excitement..!

Samaira proudly shows her father the champion trophy she won in the spelling bee competition..

"Ek picture tou banta hai!"..They take a lovely photo together with the trophy, and he posts it proudly on his Instagram story..

"Let's go..." He lifts her and the driver comes forward to gather their belongings..

"Ice cream?" he asks..

"Daddy, are you okay?!"..Samaira asks being surprised as he is usually strict about her taking cold foods due to severe asthma since her birth..

"Yes...breaking the rules for a special day!".. he says as he carries her to the car.

"Hehe..." She giggles..

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Sidharth Shukla, a renowned director, who is famous for his artistic vision and success in the Indian film industry. However, his personal life is marked by tragedy. Sidharth's wife, Meera, passed away during their only childbirth, leaving him to raise their daughter, Samaira, alone with his Mother. Since then, Sidharth has immersed himself in his work, building a tough exterior to shield himself from further emotional pain. Despite his busy life, he is a devoted father, though he struggles with balancing his demanding career and parenting..

Samaira, now 6 years old, is a bright, extremely talented and curious child who is equally innocent and mature for her age! She is very attached to her father, however, sometimes feels the absence of a mother figure in the family..

Sidharth's mother has been with them through thick and thin and her world now revolves around these two beings only.

Sidharth had an arranged marriage with Meera, which eventually turned into a deep and inseparable love! When Meera became pregnant with their daughter, Samaira, she was diagnosed with a tumor in her uterus. The doctor advised her to abort the child because the growth of the baby would also cause the tumor to grow, causing a risk to both mother and child! However, Meera was a brave woman who decided to take the risk, believing that even if she didn't survive, she would give birth to a healthy baby. And sadly, this is exactly what happened! In her final hours before the delivery, Meera told Sidharth that she felt she would not survive and requested him to remarry and find happiness again, at least for the sake of their child. Sidharth, who had deeply loved Meera, his first love, could never forget her neither bring himself to consider marrying again!

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Next Day, early morning..

"Good morning..Mom".. Sidharth greets his mother as he joins her in the garden where they always have Sunday breakfast..

"Good morning beta. So when are we heading off for the day-long picnic you promised?"...Mom asks with a chuckle..

Sidharth grins while scrolling through the news on his phone..""Abhi Samaira uth jaye phir chalte hai.."

"Are you sure you can manage the whole day? Shoot nehi hai aaj?"...Mom wonders..!

"Nah..cancelled everything..aapki ladli poti bohot upset thi kal, tabhi decide karliya tha, aaj tou jana hi hai!".. he says while shoving a biscuit into his mouth..

"Hmm... Chai kaha hai?"..Asks Sidharth, a tea lover he is for sure!

"Idhar!"...Samaira comes in, excitedly pushing the tea trolley with Geeta (their house help) by her side..

"Areh wah! Bilkul ready ho gayi aap tou! Kaise khudse ready ho gayi meri guriya?"..asks her Dadi by draping an arm around her waist lovingly..

"Uffoh Dadi, I am a big girl now! I can do everything on my own.."... Samaira says as she carefully hands out the cups while Geeta pours the tea into them..

"Aram se beta..!" ..Sidharth gets cautious for the hot cup she is holding..

"Don't worry Daddy, yeh lijiye aapki chai!".. Samaira passes him the cup while Sidharth moves forward to help her with it..

"Thank you meri jaan..!"..he says by setting the cup aside and lifting her onto his lap..

"Daddy, how do I look in my dress?"..she asks adorably...

"Bohot pyaari, just like a princess!"...he replies, kissing her hand.

"Aapko pata hai Dadi got it for me from Delhi..!"

"Really?! But Dadi hasn't brought anything for Daddy.."..he says, making a playful pout..

"Hehe.." Samaira giggles.

"Okay okay, I will have my breakfast inside with Geeta Masi..aap log jake ready ho jao!"...says an excited Samaira who is eagerly waiting for the outing...

"Sure, beta. Go ahead, have your breakfast first and acche se karna. Take your time.." Sidharth says, helping her off his lap and Samaira holds Geeta's hand and heads inside the house..

After a while..

"Sidharth main kuch soch rahi thi."..says Mom..

"Haan Mom, boliye na?" Sidharth replies, taking a sip of his most loved tea..

"Dekh beta, meri baat dhyaan se sunna aur samajhna bhi, I request! Samaira is growing up and she needs someone young and energetic around her! Geeta aur main, we are getting older and neither of us are very technologically smart. There is a lot of guidance that a growing child needs these days!"

"Mom, please! Not again! I have told you several times, it's not something I can do and it's not happening again!"...Sidharth gets agitated thinking his mother might be suggesting for a second marriage..

"Puri baat tou sunle pehle!"..she intervenes..

"Bataiye!"..he replies annoyingly..

"I know you are not considering remarriage and I am not even going there!  Lekin hum ek smart governess tou hire kar sakte hai na Samaira k liye?"

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Guys, let me know if you have liked the storyline..and aajkal in-line comments bohot miss karti hoon main.. aap logo ke emotions used to blossom in each para! 😔