42. Parents

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Nandini was back to her routine, office while Manik was busy shooting. As the days passed, the pictures and the discussion subsided and Manik being unavailable for any sort of interviews because of his shoot, helped them well.

It's been a week Nandini returned and she was home on Sunday. She was preparing her lunch when the doorbell rang. She wiped her hands and checked who it was and opened the door seeing Cabir.

Her smile slowly dropped seeing a middle aged couple along with Cabir. Looking at her confused face, Cabir answered "Manik's parents"

She gasped in shock and her legs shivered for a moment. She gulped and moved aside to welcome them in and they passed a warm smile.

Once Cabir moved inside, she bent to touch their feet and took their blessings.

"Please sit" She said slowly and they seated on the couch. She rushed to get them some water and gave them.

She looked at Cabir and he closed his eyes as in assuring her.

"Co...Coffee or tea Aunty?" She asked bending her head down.

"Let me help you" Manik's mother said and moved forward as Nandini followed her to the kitchen.

"Uncle has diabetes...No sugar in the coffee beta..." She said while looking around the kitchen.

"Jiii" Nandini said and took the bowl for coffee and placed it on the stove while Manik's mother stared at how she worked. She noticed Nandini's shivering hands and smiled shaking her head in disbelief.

Once Nandini kept milk on stove, she called her "Nandini"

"Jii Aunty" She responded and turned to her side.

"You don't need to panic beta...Relax" She said and Nandini smiled slightly. She poured the coffee in cups and moved to the living area and served them.

"Sit beta..." Manik's father said and she said "It's ok uncle..."

"We have lots to talk beta...Sit..." His mother suggested and she sat on the other chair hesitatingly.

Once they were done having coffee, Manik's mother said "Nandini beta...I don't know what relation you and my son has till now...Even I'm one among the audience who is getting to see all the rumors and pictures about him...And even Manik didn't know about our arrival...He didn't tell us about you till now...He might have his own reason for that...As a mother, I couldn't wait and when I asked Cabir, he said Manik likes you and the pictures are all true...I had to confront my son and got to know about you...that you guys need time..."

Nandini looked at her once and bent her head again.

"Bacha I know...A girl thinks a lot to take a step and accept the person as a life partner...That too a person from this field...But trust me beta...If you also like Manik, you will not regret your decision ever..." His mother said in an assuring tone.

"I know that Aunty...I will never regret any decision that I take about him...I trust him..." Nandini said.

"Then why don't you guys get married beta...?? Shall we take this forward...?? You still need time to think...?? Are you guys scared to tell us about that...?? We don't have any problem..." She asked holding her hand.

Nandini closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Little one...Don't cry bacha...Relax...Aunty uncle just wanted to talk to you...We will not force you guys..." Cabir said moving beside her and Manik's mother seconded him.

"Aunty...The thing is...He...He proposed me...And...and...Mein bhi...I...I...I never said this to him...Not because I'm doubtful or scared that I'll regret...But because...I don't want him to regret..." Nandini said in between her sobs making everyone confused.

"I didn't understand..." His mother said.

"I don't want him to regret thinking that he took a decision in hurry or without checking any other options...I'm giving him time to think whether he has taken the right decision by falling in love with me..." Nandini said closing her eyes with both her hands and Cabir rubbed her shoulder to control.

A moment later, Nandini continued "Aunty...I don't know what all you know about me...Let me tell you...I'm an orphan...I don't know who my parents are...where I was born...I don't know anything...The nun from orphanage has found me on the road side when I was just days baby...When she inquired at that time, it was said that a lady of mid-twenties had left me there and vanished...That...That clearly means...I was an...unwanted child...My...My mother regretted giving birth to me...My father...might not have accepted my existence...or...they considered me as a mistake...I was a mistake...A result of their mistake...I...I don't want that to repeat..."

Cabir side hugged her and she cried clutching his shirt as he too wiped his tears.

Manik's mother placed her hand on Nandini's head and brushed her hairs softly and Nandini continued "I...I can't imagine my life without him...But...at the same time...He should never regret his decision...There can be many unknown things about each other...we have to explore...and he should accept me without any second thoughts...and that needs time...If I too confess my feelings and lock our relation, we never know what can happen...We too might think that we have taken decision in a hurry...Also...Aunty...He meets lots of girls in his daily life...I don't want him to get stuck with me rather he has to check beyond me...That helps in strengthening his decision about me..."

"At least now, if he finds a better person than me, he has an option to leave...because I have never opened up my feelings..." She said and Manik's mother shook her head in disbelief.

"Choti si ho...You think a lot...and you are stressing yourself a lot...Marriage itself is a commitment where two people explore each other...their likes, dislikes, interests, habits and everything...If you want to know everything before and then get married, that will not happen in a lifetime...It takes a whole life to know a person and that's what marriage is...Well...We will never force you guys into marriage...But your thought process is not entirely correct...What I understood is, you guys need to talk...communicate...I trust my son's choice...If he likes you, that means he found something beyond words and there's no going back in his decisions as far as I know him...Have an open talk and decide..." She suggested.

"We will leave beta...Take care..." They said after a brief silence.

"Aunty...Have lunch and go please..." Nandini insisted.

"Other time bacha...definitely...We have to leave now..." His father said and they moved out.

Cabir looked at her with a worried face and said "I thought you understood him so well...Do you really think Manik will back off about you...??"

She nodded in a no and said "I'm just giving him time that he never took in our relation bhai..."

Cabir took a deep breath and moved out as Nandini closed the door and sat resting her back to the door.

Cabir turned towards the door and thought 'I'm sorry Little one...I can never do anything without his knowledge...' as he took out his mobile and said "You there...!?"

"Thanks Cabir..." Manik replied as he wiped his tears before cutting the call.

Ignore mistakes...

So yeah that's Nandini's reason for her silence...You may find it dumb or meaningless or anything but that's her insecurity being an unwanted child...

And now that Manik has heard their conversation, keep guessing his next step...

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