Echoes of MaAn: Love beyond Separation

||59|| Anuj and His weird Imaginations

Anuj sat comfortably in the living room, the warm glow of the afternoon sun filtering through the curtains, illuminating his quiet space. With a steaming cup of tea cradled in his hands, he stared into the distance, lost in thought. The chatter of Aadhya and the playful sounds of Aadhymaan provided a comforting backdrop, but Anuj's mind was wandering into uncharted territories.

He sighed, swirling the tea in his cup, and suddenly the quiet of the room was shattered by a bold thought. What if, in the future, Aadhya elopes? The idea caught him off guard, making his heart race with a mix of concern and bewilderment.

In his mind's eye, Anuj pictured Aadhya, now a vibrant 20-year-old, bursting through the door with a wide grin plastered on her face. Next to her stood Aarav, handsome and charming, wearing a simple kurta, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Dad! Mom! Guess what? I just got married!" Aadhya exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.

Anuj's expression morphed from confusion to disbelief as he imagined himself frozen in shock, mouth agape. Married? What do you mean married?

"Married? To who?" he would stammer, his heart racing.

"To Aarav!" she'd reply, beaming with pride.

Just then, in this fictional scenario, a low-budget television serial-worthy pandit would emerge from behind Aadhya, shaking a little tambourine. "Yes, I just married these two in the temple! With only me, a few flowers, and a lot of blessings!"

Anuj continued the daydream, picturing Aadhya and Aarav striding into the living room, hands interlocked, with a proud gleam in their eyes. Anupama, standing beside him, would drop the glass she was holding, shattering it on the floor.

"What did you just say?" she would ask, utterly flabbergasted.

"Mom, it's official! We're married! Just us and the pandit!" Aadhya would declare, spinning around as if it were the most normal announcement in the world.

"No invitation? No ceremony?" Anupama would murmur, her voice rising in pitch. "And how could you do this without telling us?"

Anuj imagined himself looking at Anupama, a mixture of outrage and horror etched on his face. "This is unbelievable, Anupama! We've raised her to respect traditions and to understand the significance of marriage!"

Meanwhile, Aadhya, full of youthful bravado, would turn to Aarav and say, "See? They're just being dramatic!"

Anuj's daydream continued, as Aadhya and Aarav would then announce their plans to move to Canada. "We'll settle there!" Aadhya would say, her tone suggesting they were off to explore the universe rather than just relocating to another country.

"Canada? You're leaving? Just like that?" Anuj would exclaim, completely aghast.

"Yeah, we're going to have an adventurous life!" Aadhya would smile, almost too smugly for Anuj's liking.

"And you won't call us? You won't even tell us how you're doing?" Anupama would plead, looking genuinely hurt.

"We'll be too busy living life, Mom!" Aadhya would laugh, her words dripping with nonchalance.

Anuj couldn't believe the audacity. "You think you can just walk away from your family like this?" he would shout, his voice rising in pitch, creating the classic soap opera drama.

Just when he thought it couldn't get any more ridiculous, Anuj envisioned Aadhya and Aarav returning after a few years with their child. "Meet our baby!" Aadhya would exclaim, her excitement palpable.

"What's the baby's name?" Anupama would ask, her eyes sparkling with grandmotherly affection.

"Kamini-Charu-Sapna-Poonam-Saathiya!" Aadhya would announce proudly.