sso ki Zindagi

Part - 23

Anika entered the dark room , she was very disturbed by the days events and she knew that shivaay needed her beside him to let his anger , insecurities , fear out . shivaay never let anyone know his vulnerabilities except her . even his family is quite unfamiliar with the fact that the great shivaay singh oberoi has many insecurities , many fears . As she enters she saw shivaay and pinky inside the room . shivaay was hugging pinky from her waist and pinky was ruffling his hairs .

PINKY : "Stubborn! You are still so stubborn."

shivaay gave a chuckle. "It is either stubborn or being obstinate like rudra." He cocked his head at her, "Your call."

Exasperatedly, she shook her head. "Vitality of youth! Ah, you three tire me out these days."

shivaay smiled and began to smoothen up the jutted surface. His fingers deftly singled out the uneven texture even invisible to the eye and continued his strokes. "Tired mom ? Of us or your dearest sons and daughter-in-laws?"

The old woman gave a deep sigh that could be felt to her bones. She really felt her age now.

PINKY : I doubt I have to even respond to it. It is always those unethical saplings whose roots I had nurtured, that continue to make me feel like the biggest failure of my life."

"Hmm," Shivaay nodded, "you are being considerate. I call them Sharks and Piranhas. They just love to devour."

She gave a gentle laugh. "You really know them very well."

"All of us do mom . Their toxicity affects the whole family and no one is unaware of it."

"But then again," pinky mused as she turned her eyes on the profile of her son, "you know them far better than any of your brothers. Perhaps even better than me or your dad for that matters ."

shivaay stiffened and pinky took a moment to survey her son.

He was a handsome man, she reflected. May be not in the eye catching way like his younger brother was, but there was a subtle intensity in him. A certain depth that made him appear wiser, older and encompassing specially when cornered. Her eyes drifted to his lightly tanned complexion, which complimented his unshaven look making him appear rather rugged. She knew his personality was perhaps the calmest of the three, but his appearance spoke a different story and she knew that it was not that wrong either. He appeared serene, but there was a bubbling wrath inside him that burnt fiercer with every moment and while it was well hidden from others, her experienced eyes could penetrate his masks.

"I don't know what you mean Mom," he spoke after a short gust of silence.