An arranged love story of two independent souls who hold their family traditions and culture close to their hearts. What happens when their worlds collide? When they meet, bringing with them their own dreams, ambitions, and past experiences, and ent...
The past year had been a whirlwind of sleepless nights, countless diaper changes, and more laughter than I could ever imagine. Our twins, Hridhaan and Hridha, had turned one, and with that milestone came their newfound freedom-walking. Or rather, tottering around and creating absolute chaos everywhere they went.
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Hukum and I had quickly realized that nothing in our house was safe anymore. One minute, I would be folding laundry, and the next, Hridha would be pulling the clothes off the couch while giggling, her tiny feet pattering against the floor. Meanwhile, Hridhaan had taken a particular interest in the kitchen cabinets, constantly pulling out utensils and banging them together like a little musician.
"Hukum!" I called out one afternoon, exasperated as I caught Hridhaan trying to climb onto the couch using a pillow as a stepping stool. "Your son is attempting to defy gravity again."
Hukum, who had been working on his laptop nearby, looked up and sighed dramatically before rushing over. "Hridhaan beta, your mother and I would like to see you live past your second birthday. Can we not give her a heart attack today?"
Hridhaan, of course, ignored him and clapped his tiny hands in delight.
Despite the never-ending mischief, we had also managed to maintain our professional lives. It wasn't easy, but we had found a way to balance work and parenting. We took turns taking the twins to our respective workplaces, which had become an adventure in itself.
On the days I took the twins to my office, Ayush and Shreyas-my ever-entertaining friends-would abandon all pretense of being working professionals and instead become part-time babysitters.
"Alright, come to your favorite Mama Ayush!" Ayush cooed as he stretched out his arms towards Hridha, who, after a moment of consideration, tottered straight to him with a big smile.
Shreyas snorted. "Stop competing for their affection."
Ayush smirked. "Jealous? Just admit it, I'm their favorite."
As if on cue, Hridhaan reached for Shreyas, who picked him up and threw me a victorious grin. "Looks like we each have a fan club."
Meanwhile, my boss had long since given up on maintaining a strict office environment when the twins were around. "Just don't let them take apart any computers," he had sighed once, shaking his head with a fond smile.
Hukum had his own version of chaos at work. Unlike my office, where my colleagues adored the babies, his employees were still getting used to having their usually strict boss walking around with a baby strapped to his chest in a carrier.
"Sir," one of his assistants had hesitantly asked one day, "should I reschedule your meeting?"
Hukum glanced down at Hridha, who was snuggled against him, half-asleep. "No need. She's quieter than most of the people in the meetings anyway."
