Rab Rakha

Epilogue

5 years later:

It was the big day Siddhu's first day of school. The house buzzed with excitement as her parents, Sidharth and Shehnaaz, moved around preparing everything. Siddhu, who loved meeting new people, was more excited than anyone, practically bouncing with energy.

"Mumma, school me bada sa playground hoga na?" she asked, skipping around the living room. Her school uniform looked slightly oversized, sleeves covering her tiny hands. But she didn't care-she felt like a big girl now.

"Arre Siddhu, thoda ruk jaa! Pehle breakfast toh kar le!" Shehnaaz laughed, watching her daughter twirl.

"Mumma, mujhe breakfast nahi, bas tiffin chahiye! Mujhe Oreos chahiye tiffin me!" she demanded, jumping up and down. She stopped mid-spin, beaming.

"Achha, Oreos? Bas Oreos kha ke pet kaise bharega Siddhu?" Shehnaaz said, raising an eyebrow.

"Par mujhe Oreos hi chahiye, pleeease na, Mumma!" Siddhu whined, pulling the cutest puppy face she could manage. Shehnaaz tried to keep a straight face but failed, laughing at her daughter's determination.

"Okay, okay. Tiffin mein Oreos rakh dungi, but uske saath kuch aur bhi. Sandwiches hai, khatam karna sab kuch. Thik hai?" Shehnaaz said, holding out her hand.

"Thik hai!"Siddhu shook her mother's hand with a wide grin.

Meanwhile, Sidharth was busy polishing her little shoes in the living room, focused as if he were preparing for a big meeting. He looked up at his daughter, who had by now skipped over to him, eyeing her dad's work curiously.

"Papa, yeh shoes pe kya laga rahe ho?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Polish kar raha hu. Ek good girl ke shoes humesha shiny aur polished hone chahiye na? "Sidharth smiled, patting the small shoes with pride.

She nodded seriously, pretending to understand, and then plopped down next to him, watching him work. After a few seconds, she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Papa, mujhe aaj naye dost milenge na?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

He looked at her lovingly, setting down the shoe polish and gathering her in his arms.

"Of course milenge, sweetheart! Bohot saare friends milenge, par suno... ek important baat yaad rakhna." He put on a serious face.

"Kya Papa?" She asked, looking at him with big, curious eyes.

"Koi stranger aake bole ki mai tumhare Papa ka dost hu, toh unse baat mat karna, thik hai?" he explained, tapping her nose gently.

"Agar woh bole ki woh Mumma ke dost hai toh bhi nahi baat karni?" She scrunched her nose, confused.

"Bilkul sahi! Mumma ke dost ho ya Papa ke, koi bhi stranger se baat mat karna." Sidharth laughed, nodding.

Shehnaaz, who had been listening from the kitchen, joined them with a mischievous grin on her face. "Mumma ke strangers friends, Mumma nahi, samjhi Siddhu?" she teased.

"Nahi Mumma! Aap toh Mumma ho!" Siddhu burst out laughing.

"Acha! phir tiffin mein Oreos hai ya nahi, jaake check kar le!" Shehnaaz said, playfully pulling her cheeks.

Siddhu bolted to the kitchen to inspect her tiffin, her little feet padding across the floor, as her parents shared an emotional glance.

"Apni beti ka pehla din hai aaj. Mujhe toh yakeen hi nahi ho raha. She's 5 already?" he murmured, a little emotional.

"Mai bhi emotional ho rahi hu, lekin isko dekh... kitni excited hai!" She sighed, nodding.

Just then, Madhu entered, holding a bowl of dahi chini-a family tradition for first days and special occasions.