Bhalla House - two days later, 8:30 pm
"Dadu! Dadi! Look what Ayush gave me!" Adi burst in through the front door, waving a purple pamphlet in the air, with his father following behind him.
"Ki hoya puttar?" Omprakash asked from the sofa. [What is it son?]
"Look at this." Adi squeezed between his grandparents and opened the pamphlet. "There's regional football tryouts this weekend. It's open for ages 9-13. And I really wanna go. If I get selected, I'll be playing with kids from all over Delhi! We could go to national, even international meets!"
"Wow, sounds really great beta," Toshi said, beaming at her grandson's excitement.
"Papa, can I go? Please please please?" Adi pleaded.
Raman sat down on the opposite sofa, listening to his son's pleas. Ishita came by with a glass of water and handed it to him, sitting down beside him.
"I think it's a good idea beta," Raman said. "What do you say Ishita?"
Ishita hesitated to agree. Adi loved football. But the moment he entered competitive football, it would turn into a source of stress instead of a stressbuster. But then again, he was already so competitive, just like his father. Maybe he needed an avenue to express it.
"Please Ishita Aunty?" Adi implored.
"Okay beta. But only as long as it's not too stressful for you," Ishita conceded.
"YES!" Adi jumped up in joy, punching his fists in the air.
Ishita and Raman chuckled at his excitement, pleased to see he had come out of his shell, and his confidence soared.
"Aap logon ko dinner karna hai?" Ishita asked. [Do you guys want dinner?]
"Nahi Aunty, maine Ayush ke ghar pe dinner kar liya," Adi answered. [No Aunty, I had dinner at Ayush's house.]
"Raman, aapko?" she asked. [Raman, you?]
"Nahin." Raman groaned and stretched his back. "Adi ko lene gaya tab Ayush ke parents ne thoda thoda karke bahot kuch khila diya. Ab pet mein paani ke liye bhi jagah nahi hai. Mujhe bas seedha shower lekar so jaana hai."
[No, me neither. When I went to pick up Adi, Ayush's parents fed me too much food. Now I don't even have space in my stomach for water. I just want to have a shower and go to sleep.]
"Thik hai, aap naah lijiye. Main kitchen samet kar aati hoon." [Fine, you go freshen up. I'll tidy up the kitchen and come.]
As Raman proceeded to the bathroom, Ishita cleaned up the kitchen, washing the remaining dishes in the sink. Before heading to her bedroom to turn in for the night though, she made a quick stop at the kids' bedroom.
"Ishimaa, aaj kaunsi story sunaaoge?" Ruhi asked, as Ishita walked in. [Ishimaa, which story will you tell us today?]
"Aap dono ko kaunsi story sunni hai?" she asked her kids. [Which story do you guys want to listen to?]
"Ummm... pata nahi..." Ruhi rubbed her chin in confusion. [Ummm.... I don't know.]
"Main suggest karu?" Adi said. [Can I suggest something?]
"Haan bolo na Adi," Ishita encouraged. [Sure Adi.]
"Aap woh Yashoda Ma aur Krishna ki story suna rahe the na, waise hi koi story sunao na?" [Can you tell us a story like the one the other day, of Yashoda Ma and Krishna?]
"Chalo thik hai, aa jaao." [Sure, come here.]
She situated herself in the middle of Adi's bed, as Adi sat beside her, while Ruhi climbed into her lap.
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Connected: A YHM Story ✔️
FanfictionFour separate souls -- Raman, Ishita, Ruhi, and Adi -- in four separate cities; but somehow CONNECTED. How? Read to find out.... Ishita Iyer has been dreaming of a life as a dentist, wife, and mother, but destiny plays a cruel joke on her, as her dr...
