SHE SAW ME

MAASI MAA

Hello Readers 🤗 

This chapter is about Gauri, Gauri Acharya Kahini's Amma (grandma), who was Gauri? How she was related to Kahini? And how she quietly shaped Kahini's life. But from Veena's perspective.

Happy Reading ❤️🤗

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"Masi, you are the best..." Little Veena twirled in her new dress, her laughter filling the room with pure joy.

"Veena beta, slow down you'll feel dizzy," Gauri warned gently, though her eyes gleamed with affection. Her smile that held a world of love.

A young woman stood nearby, her arms crossed with a playful look in her eyes. "Gauri, I told you not to give her the dress just yet. Now she will not sleep," she scolded softly, as she glanced at Veena's giddy excitement.

"It's okay, Sobha, It's her birthday tomorrow. Let her enjoy herself today." Gauri pulled little Veena into her lap, her arms wrapping around the girl.

Veena beamed, wrapped her arms around Gauri's shoulder. Gauri's hand lightly brushed through her hair.

"What about my dress, Masi?" Ten-year-old Preeti asked innocently.

"On your birthday, Preeti beta," Gauri promised with tenderness, as she looked at Preet. The words were simple, but the warmth in her eyes made them feel like a gentle embrace.

Sobha watched the interaction in silence, Her gaze lingered on the way Gauri's hands moved with such care, the way her fingers caressed Veena's hair, and the look of complete trust in the little girl's eyes. Sobha's chest tightened for a moment, and she felt her heart swell—not with jealousy but with admiration and something softer, something unspoken.

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"Masi, how long have you and Mumma been friends?" Preeti a girl in her early teens asked, her voice full of innocent curiosity as she plopped down beside Gauri in the courtyard.

Gauri exchanged a knowing glance with Sobha, both women smiling as if they were sharing a secret from long ago.

Before either could respond, Sobha's husband, Alok, chimed. "Since forever, they've been inseparable since the beginning." he teased lightly, a playful glint in his eyes.

Preeti giggled, her eyes wide as she turned to her father, eager for more. His smile broadening. "You know, when first time we went to your mother's house to fix our marriage, she didn't came to see me. But guess who did? Your masi," he revealed, earning more laughter from Preeti and a shy smile from Sobha.

"Because she had to make sure I was good enough for her friend," Alok added, his words laced with affection, as if acknowledging the depth of their bond.

Sobha ducked her head slightly, hiding a soft flush creeping up her cheeks. Gauri smiled, her heart warming at the memory. But there was other side that memory that only they know.

As Sobha and Gauri's gazes locked, there was something hidden in the folds of the memory they both carried—memories they never spoke of now. The air between them thickened with an unspoken understanding, a bittersweet mix of nostalgia and unacknowledged longing.

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"Masi, what do you think about this?" Eleven-year-old Veena asked, holding up two shirts. Her eyes wide with excitement as she waited for Gauri's opinion.

"I think the white one, paired with the blue skirt and that cute belt. You'll look absolutely gorgeous," Gauri responded, her voice wrapped in warmth."And the red one is perfect for your sister."