Prejudice

23. Same Fate

In the last few months, Pranav's did not find anything suspicious in the information transmitted by Kite.

His father was not in Chennai and had actually gone to Canada, for a few months.

Pranav's found his suspicions to be true. His father was now satisfied that Pranav was settled with the girl of his choice. Not only did Pranav's had a healthy relationship, but he had gone ahead and extended the family too. What more could a father desire?

But Pranav was haunted with fear and he was paranoid. Now along with Shraddha, their young son was too, trapped in the Villa. Shraddha was not allowed out of the gates and now their son too, was being restricted.
Pranav would arrange all the vaccines of the baby, in the Villa itself.
He knew, it will not be long that the child would need to go to the school. He was thinking strongly on the lines of homeschooling the child.

Kabir was a naughty child. Just like Jay was, when he was a kid. The rebellious, notorious, child was the heartbeat of Jay. He would find his world in the drooly giggles. Jay was the one who spent more time with little Kabir than Pranav.

Shraddha would look down at the two playing in the open garden and wonder, why Pranav trusted Jay to this extent. She wondered why he thought she was safer with Jay, then he himself.
Jay would hardly talk to her. Not that they had a strained relationship, a moment of heart to heart talk never appeared.

Jay was trying his best to maintain the balance between the two homes.

He was struggling to keep his presence in the Charu Villa, as it was, and at the same time, he was doing his best to be with his wife, and prove to be her support system.

But Jay knew, he would not be able to carry on this for long.

One fine day, he reached home, just to find his brother at the balcony, as usual. He pushed the button to ring the doorbell and Neetu opened it. Jay's eyes went wide as saucers when he saw his father reading the newspaper in the living room.

He froze.

His father looked at him with not a very good mood. He blinked as he noticed his elder brother, walking down the stairs.

"Go freshen up. We are waiting for breakfast." Pranav said and Jay nodded.

He walked ahead to touch his father's feet, as a gesture of respect. His father smiled and slapped his back lightly.

Jay did not wait for long and sprinted to his floor.

While he was taking a shower, he thought on the fact, that he was hiding. He was pulled into a strange dilemma. He was sure that Pranav would never accept the fact easily. But he would not mind anything, if his father accepted and approved of his relationship.
He knew, Pranav would never go against his father's wish. From what Jay knew, his father had never interfered in the lives of the two. He had never asked what they wanted and why they wanted. They were free to live at their own will.
He was sure, his father would relish the fact and accept him and his wife with a happy heart, just like he accepted his sister-in-law, Shraddha.

Jay had made up his mind and came down to meet everyone at the breakfast table.

He was eerily silent that day, as he chews on the small morsels. He looked at his brother, who was focused on the food in his plate. His father was eating with finesse, with years of practice.

He decided to wait until everyone was done eating.

He was getting restless with every passing moment. Pranav was noticing his turmoil, but decided to wait until they were done eating. He wanted to talk to him, when they were in the safe confines of his study room.