"Suhana Safar" ~ Samaina SS

Part 10

It was a regular summer morning in Ahmedabad. The sun peeped through the horizon, signalling the arrival of  a new day. Bela, being the early riser she was, had already started the preparations for the breakfast. As she passed by her daughters' room on her way to fetch something from the store room, her eyes fell on Naina and Preeti sleeping, hugging each other, with a big smile on their faces. On any other day, she would have reprimanded them both for sleeping till late but that day, she didn't want to disturb their sleep. Her daughter Naina was back home after three years and her arrival had filled their home with happiness. It was true that she would come every year for her vacations and sometimes her stay extended for two months at a stretch but how could that suffice for the longing of a mother. She closed the door quietly, not wanting her daughters to get disturbed and returned back to her kitchen to complete her work.

"Kya baat hai, badi acchi khushboo aa rahi hai. Kya ban raha hai khane me?" Anand asked Bela.

"Puri aur halwa, Naina ko bohat pasand hai na. Bela replied.

Anand was amused seeing her excitement "Bela, tum to kal raat se aise khush ho rahi ho jaise Naina pehli baar mil rahi hai tumse Dilli jane ke bad se".

"Han to meri beti ab hamesha ke liye vapas aagayi hai mere paas, kyu na khush houn? Bhagwan jhuth na bulae, ab se na ghar me sirf Naina ki pasand ki chize banengi. Han." Bela rolled out the dough into small puris.

"Chalo accha hai, isi bahane ab Preeti aur mujhe tumhare tindo se chutkara milega", Anand giggled, only to receive an angry look from Bela. "Uda lijiye mazaak, kam se kam aapki tarah kal mai do ghante pehle to station pe ja kar nahi baith gayi thi", Bela countered back leaving Anand flustered.

"Chachaji, aap do ghante se station pe baithe the", Naina who had witnessed her chacha chachi's entire conversation asked bemusedly.

"Nahi, nahi. Ye tumhari chachi kuch bhi bol rahi hain. Mai to kuch kaam se station gaya tha", Anand bluffed.

"Chachaji, rehne do haan", Naina hugged him tightly in order to hide the tears that had started welling up in her eyes, "Maine bhi aap dono ko bohat miss kiya aur ab main kahin nahi jaungi aap dono ko chodh ke.

"Bharat milap khatam ho gaya ho to mummy kuch khane ko milega?" Preeti asked peeping through the small window that seperated the kitchen and the living room as she settled on the chair. "Vaise, kal raat se na aap teeno yahi karyakram 100 bar kar chuke ho. Ab kuch naya karo".

"Preeti, maar khaegi ab tu" Bela threatened her with the belan in her hand causing everyone to erupt into laughter.

That day and the next few days passed in a similiar fashion with Bela and Anand pampering Naina and Naina and Preeti thinking of ways in which they could tell Chachaji about Sameer. Earlier, Preeti was against he idea of informing her father about Sameer but Naina's consistent persuasion had forced her to change her mind. After trying various methods, from praising the love of Radha Krishna and the folklores which depicted the love stories of ancient India to talking in front of their parents about Meghaben, the only girl from their locality who had dared to fal in love, only to gauge what Anand and Bela thought about love marriages, they finally came to the conclusion that it was better to tell them directly. So one fine day, Naina gathered all her courage and decided to confront them.  Anand was working on some files and Bela was sitting on the bed, reading a magazine when Naina and Preeti knocked at the door " Chachaji, vo aapse kuch baat karni thi".