Second Chance Love

A Silent Prayer

When Abhimanyu and Akshara reached the ice cream parlour, they were relieved to see that Kairav had engaged the kids in a conversation, and the trio were having a long conversation about their favorite ice cream flavors. But once the ice creams were done and they reached the orphanage parking space, the somber mood of the twins were back. Akshara was worried but Abhimanyu assured her that he will take care of it. The twins hugged her and wished her a happy birthday again, while she told them it was her best birthday because she could spend the whole day with them. This brought a smile to their faces.

But the ride back home was silent. Abhimanyu kept looking at his kids through the rare view mood and was getting more and more agitated when he saw both the kids looking out of the window without saying a word, something which had never happened since they had started talking. When they entered the house, the kids gave their Dadi a quiet hug and headed towards their room. Abhimanyu wanted to go behind them and talk to them but Avni held him by his wrist.

"Abhi, give them some time. I am sure tomorrow they will come to you with whatever is going on in their minds."

Abhimanyu nodded his head, wished her a good night, and walked into his own room. When he stepped outside the bathroom after completing his nighttime routine, he was both shocked and relieved to find both the kids lying on either side of the bed, waiting for him. They always slept in his room on Saturday nights, and he was happy that at least they did not break this routine. Abhimanyu switched off the lights and settled on the center of the bed. As soon as he laid down, Abhir and Roohi hugged him, with their heads on each of his shoulders. He kissed their heads and was relieved to feel their even breathing within a few minutes. As Abhimanyu too was quite tired, it didn't take much time for him to slip into dreamland.

Abhimanyu woke up to a dark room, well rested. He checked the clock on the bedside table to see that it was already 10 in the morning. It was normal for him as he and the kids would always sleep late on Sundays. But what surprised him most was the kids were not in  bed. He got up from the bed to move the curtains and stretched taking in the bright sun falling into the room through the window. He quickly got his morning routine done and walked outside to see Abhir and Roohi watching TV.

As soon as they saw him, they ran to him and hugged him with a Good Morning Baba.

"Good Morning, my bachas. Why did you guys wake up so early? I missed our Sunday morning cuddle time and masti."

"Sorry Baba. We woke up 8 and couldn't sleep anymore. So we got up so that you can sleep. You looked so tired yesterday." said Roohi gently moving her little hands on his face

"Yes, and we also closed the curtains so that you do not get disturbed because of the sunlight." added Abhir.

Abhimanyu held them close and said, "Oh my munchkins. Thank you for taking care of your old Baba."

Usually, this would have brought huge giggles from both of them, but Abhir and Roohi only smiled at their father's attempts of joking. Abhimanyu sighed and asked, "Did you have breakfast?"

"Yes, Baba. We had cornflakes and boiled egg. Dadi has made parathas for you."

"Ok and where is Dadi?"

"She is in the kitchen with Kavita Aunty."

"Ok, why don't you guys join me for breakfast."

The kids agreed and they all moved to the dining table. Abhimanyu had his breakfast while feeding the kids a few pieces. He was glad that they were not silent like yesterday, but he was missing their constant chatter. Usually, he did not have to contribute much to the conversations, but only be a good listener. This morning, he was the one asking questions about their time at the orphanage, while the kids answered him to the point.