Manan : U complete me ✔️

HEART TO HEART TALKS

(Manik's POV) Mom eyed me with worry. I really don't understand what is happening. I laughed at the thought. Someone like me, who always predicted people's actions, even my Dad's, didn't know what was going to come about. It was almost nine when I went into his study. I saw through the glass windowed door that he was sitting by the window, having a glass of wine. It means I am going to have a long session of lecture today. My last lecture was before I joined college. When I opened the door, he looked at me and motioned to sit opposite to him. When I reached for a glass,

(Raj) "That is for your Mom later. You should remain sober throughout our nice chat." I almost bit my lips. For one mistake, I have to go through all these? There was a moment of awkward silence.

(Raj) "What is the problem, Manik? This is nothing like you. You suddenly took more than two months off. Instructed your brothers to take care of your work. You don't tell where you went. And you come back, you don't concentrate on work."

(Manik in his mind) I see, the unannounced holiday is the problem. Then I (Manik) spoke "Its nothing, Dad."

(Raj) "Still not confident talking with me? Well, Nyonika is worried about you. At least talk to her. Do you know how worried she was when you took off? You didn't get in touch with her for weeks. You come back, don't say anything. You called her daily and now, even if you call, you don't listen to her. Can you even imagine what I am going through?"

(Manik's POV) To think every night after dinner, when they both sit down to talk, they talk about me and mom bites his head off! I tried to control my laughter. It would bebad to laugh.

(Raj continued) "Laugh you head off, Manik. I know you want to." He barked. I restrained myself.

(Manik) "No"

(Raj) "I don't care even if you do laugh. After all, she is my wife who I love."

(Manik's POV) It struck me lightning to hear my rigid, stern Dad, who doesn't even give a little hole for being casual, talk so fondly of Maa. Maa has always been open to us about the love she has for Dad but I have never seen Dad talk lovingly about her.

(Raj) "What are you looking all shocked for? You thought I didn't love her?"

(Manik) "No. Its just that you have never shown how you feel about her or even my birth Mom."

(Raj) "Sigh. You heard about Kusum from the servants only. I didn't wish to speak ill of her but Kusum had a lover when we got married. She wanted to get out of married life. I was helpless as she was. It took some time for both of us to understand each other. Just when I thought our lives were getting better, she died giving birth to you. It was never that I didn't love Kusum but I never got the chance to get to know her better. When we finally got along well, she was not there with me." Dad stopped. I never knew that he loved my Mom.

(Raj continued) "I truly grieved her death, till I came to know of the deal she made with Dad for divorce which I knew nothing about until after her death. I felt disgust for women. But Nyonika changed me. Though she was young when she married me, she loved me and still loves me dearly and I love her. Let me tell you one thing, I was never keen on marrying Nyonika. I had both of you. I didn't want any trouble for you. She insisted on marriage when I got engaged for namesake. Her extent of emotions shocked me. Mukti and you loved her, adored her. I was scared if all of her love was just a mockery. It took a lot of time for me to understand her. She was dead scared to give birth because she thought Mukti and you would feel betrayed." He smiled.

(Raj) "But she couldn't stand Mukti's pressure for a younger sister. Mukti almost threw you outside saying that she didn't want a younger brother but a younger sister. It took everything in us to convince her and calm her. Also, I wouldn't have told you about Kusum when you reached high school, if not for her. She said you had the right to know about your Mom." He chuckled. "I still remember the expression she had when I told that I talked to Mukti and you about Kusum. You don't know how relieved she was when Mukti and you smiled back at her and treated her with love." To think my Mom, who was never scared of anything we knew of, was scared of being rejected by us.