Abhir was bored at home. Abhi, was busy working on some files and had told him not to disturb him. Abhir wanted to play with someone, but he had no friends in the building as he just moved to this city. He remembered that anaira mentioned that she stays next door, and she seemed nice and remind him about his mumma. Abhir decided to go and meet her. He quietly slipped out of his apartment and knocked on the door of the next one.
Anaira opened the door and smiled when she saw Abhir.
Anaira- "Hi, Abhir. Hiw is you injury is it still hurting or is it okay now?"
Abhir- "Hi, Anaira Aunty. I am fine now it doesn't hurt anymore. My dad is a doctor dadi says he has magic in his hand that he can cure anyone and it's true he cured my injury as well. Do you want to play with me?"
Anaira- "Sure, come in. I have some toys and games we can play with," she said.
Abhir followed her inside and they went to her room. They played with dolls, cars, puzzles, and cards. They had a lot of fun and laughed a lot. They forgot about the time and everything else.
Meanwhile, Abhi had finished his work and looked for his son. He checked his room, the living room, the kitchen, and the bathroom, but he couldn't find him anywhere. He started to panic. He wondered if Abhir had gone outside or if someone had taken him. He ran out of his apartment and searched the building. He asked the security guard, the neighbors, and the shopkeepers, but no one had seen Abhir. He felt a surge of fear and anger. The days of Akshu accident running in his mind and fear clouded his brain. The fear of loosing Abhir like Akshu starts to grow in his brain and he starts to panic. He ran back to his apartment to get his phone and call the police.
He opened the door and hear Abhir laughing sound coming from next door. He went to house next to his and saw Abhir sitting on the sofa with Anaira. They were watching cartoons and eating popcorn. They looked happy and innocent. Abhi was shocked and furious. He shouted at Abhir and Anaira.
Abhi- "Abhir, where have you been? Do you know how worried I was? How could you leave the house without telling me? Do you know what i went through all this time? Why didn't you informed me? What are you doing here? What are you doing with her?" he yelled.
Abhir and Anaira were startled by his sudden outburst. They looked at him with fear and confusion. Abhir tried to explain.
Abhir: (scared) Dad, I'm sorry. I was bored and I wanted to play. Then i remember Anaira Aunty. She is my friend. We were just playing and watching TV. We didn't do anything wrong.
Abhi: (angry) Don't lie to me, Abhir. You were not supposed to go out of the house without my permission. You could have been kidnapped or hurt. You disobeyed me and broke my trust. And you, Anaira, how dare you take my son away from his home? What were you thinking?
Anaira: (shocked) I... I didn't take him. He came to me. He wanted to play with me. I didn't know he was not allowed to go out. I'm sorry.
Abhi: (furious) Sorry? Sorry is not enough. You are a bad influence and a troublemaker. You lured my son into your apartment and put him in danger. You have no manners or respect. You are not a good friend for my son. Abhir toh bacha hai aapko toh samjhana chahiye tha ki ek baar abhir ke ghar walo ko inform kar de that Abhir is with you. Jaan nikal gayi thi meri itni der se aur aap log cartoon dekh rahe the.
Anaira: (crying) But...
Abhi: (turns to Abhir) And you, Abhir, go to your room and stay there. You are grounded for a week. No TV, no games, no toys, no friends. You have disappointed me, Abhir. I expected better from you.
Abhir: (sobbing) Dad, please. Don't be mad at me. Don't be mad at Anaira Aunty. She is nice. She is my friend. We were just playing. We didn't mean to upset you. Please, dad, please.
Abhi: (cold) Enough, Abhir. Go to your room. Now.
Abhir: (runs to his room in his house and slams the door)
Anaira was still crying. She felt humiliated and hurt by his words. She didn't deserve to be treated like that. She was not a bad person or a bad influence. She was just a friendly neighbor who wanted to make friends with Abhir. He was a sweet and lonely boy who needed some love and care. He had lost his mother when he was a baby and had never seen her face. He had only his father, who was always busy and strict. Anaira felt a maternal bond with Abhir. She wanted to protect him and comfort him. She wanted to be his friend and his family.
She decided to stand up for herself and confront Abhi. She hold Abhi hand when he was going to leave.
Abhi: (angry) What do you want now? Go away. Leave us alone.
Anaira: (firm) No, I won't go away. I need to talk to you. You owe me an apology.
Abhi: (shocked) An apology? For what? For saving my son from you? For protecting him from your bad influence? For teaching him a lesson?
Anaira: (indignant) No, for insulting me, for blaming me, for hurting me. For being unfair and unreasonable. For being a jerk.
Abhi: (offended) How dare you talk to me like that? You have no right to judge me or my parenting. You don't know anything about me or my son. You are a stranger, a troublemaker, a nuisance.
Anaira: (angry) And you are a liar, a bully, a tyrant. You don't care about your son's happiness or well-being. You only care about your rules and your work. You don't let him have any fun or freedom. You don't let him have any friends.
Abhi: (furious) That's not true. I love my son more than anything. I work hard to provide for him and give him a good life. I have rules for his safety and discipline. I don't let him have friends like you because you are a bad example for him. You are too old for him, too wild for him, too different from him.
Anaira: (scoffs) Too old? Too wild? Too different? What does that even mean? Age is just a number. Fun is not a crime. Diversity is not a problem. You are just narrow-minded and prejudiced. You are afraid of anything that is not like you. You are afraid of change, of growth, of life.
Abhi: (mocks) Oh, please. Spare me your lectures. You are not a philosopher, you are not a teacher, you are not a friend. You are a nobody, a nobody who tried to interfere with my family, a nobody who tried to steal my son.
Anaira: (hurt) I didn't try to interfere with your family. I didn't try to steal your son. I tried to be nice to him. I tried to be nice to you. I tried to be your neighbor, your friend, your family. I treated him like my own child, because he deserves to have a mother's love. He deserves to have someone who cares for him, who listens to him, who plays with him. He deserves to have someone who makes him happy, who makes him smile, who makes him laugh. He deserves to have someone who loves him unconditionally, who accepts him for who he is, who supports him in his dreams. He deserves to have me.
Abhi: (stunned) What? What did you say? You treated him like your own child? You love him unconditionally? Are you crazy? Are you delusional? You are not his mother. You are not his family. You are nothing to him. You are nothing to me. You are nothing to anyone. Now go away and leave us alone. Don't ever come back. Don't ever talk to us again. (slams the door)
Anaira: (cries) Fine. Fine. I'll go away. I'll leave you alone. I'll never come back. I'll never talk to you again. But you are wrong. You are wrong about me. You are wrong about your son. You are wrong about everything. And one day, you will regret it. One day, you will realize how much you hurt us. One day, you will be sorry.
She left Abhi hand as he walk into his apartment.
