P&P Part III - Page 77

Nisha mam hope you are fine

Missing you and your updates😌

mrita was relieved that Rakshit and Lekha will not have kids soon? Does she just not want the grandma tag?

Nishaaaa

Hope u r fine

Fears

“I did not know” Satyen was grinding his teeth

But quickly composed himself

“I don’t know if she talks to Lekha Tandon this way but I am going to go out on a limb and guess she does NOT”

Satyen nodded

The men were riding to work together

Rakshit was already there, they were all headed to Nasik in the afternoon

“I want to reassure you, I am going to hold you to the same standards I hold Rakshit to” Satyen’s eyes twinkled

“Good to know” Raanav looked out the window chuckling

“I want grandkids by the end of the year, I told Rakshit last night, I had no idea what mother had been upto”

“Its not a competition Dad”

“I know… I know… but Mum’s statement seems to have come out of nowhere”

“Mum seems to be holdinga grudge about what happened with inder and Naina”

“Mrs Mathur should be holding a grudge after the way we have treated that family”

Satyen sighed and turned his gaze to the window

“I did not expect things to devolve so quickly so frequently to tell you the truth”

“I genuinely believed she was visiting last night to express her concern over Viveka’s health

“Usi kaam se bheja humne unko”

“Maybe she did not mean any of it, but I don’t want Viveka to be subject to such condescension”

“If my Mataji had said something like that to Mum, do you think she would have taken it lying down?”

Raanav laughed

“Swords would have been drawn”

“Plural?”

“Yep”

Its OK to be principally opposed to who your son chose, great you like fashion and jewelry the other person does not, one DIL loves movies MIL does not, but to shake up the foundation of the relationship”

“You were not supposed to know about this”

“Well she announced it to me last night beta, she told me she was going to be modern and progressive and give BOTH kids the choice”

Raanav swallowed staring down at his phone

“The fact was, she never conveyed her desire to Lekha, only to Viveka”

“Don’t make a big deal out of it Dad”

“I know you are close to your Mum, you might have in some way enabled her bad behavior”

Raanav realized he deserved it….

“My opinion about some things cannot be the entire basis for Mum’s behavior” he bristled

“You make your indifference to people of a different class apparent, I don’t have to tell you that” Satyen was deeply troubled Smrita had hurt Viveka so very much last night

“Did you not want me to have an opinion of my own then?”

“Man up and be willing to admit how influential you are”

“wooow, Woow woow”

“I have repeatedly told your Mum not to encourage and not to use you as a sounding board for what she feels about people”

“OK… now that’s excessive”

“If that is not true then, if Mum is not airing her opinion in order to get your buy in, then do you at your core believe, someone like Viveka does not belong in our family? Cuz that’s even more disturbing”

He did not answer

The men went their separate ways after that not saying a word to each other

Raanav texted her around 2,

“If you haven’t eaten? Do u want to grab a bite?”

“Will you attach yourself to a drone and get her in 20 minutes?” she smiled calling him instead

“Umm.. no, I wanted to see you that’s all”

“Koi baat yaad aa gayi ladne laayak?”

“U would like that wouldn’t you”

“Nah…. If u are calling to check on me I am fine… I am not on the pill so I am perfectly fine”

“The Doc said we should meet her after your cycle”

“tum chalogey?” she chuckled

“What do u mean?”

“never mind… My Dadi would refuse to let papa go with Ma for any feminine problems”

“Ah”

“I have to tell her you are planning to”

“She likes me… DON’T” he laughed under his breath

She laughed and laughed much to his amusement

“Dadi ke liye you want to become regressive?” she gasped trying to get control of herself

“I am grasping at straws here” he said

She stopped laughing

“Tumhe aisa kyon lagta hai?” she was shocked

“I was roasted by my Dad this morning

“Kya kiya tumne?” she asked accusingly

His turn to laugh

“Lets atleast meet sometime today”

“Tumhe Nasik nahi jaana hai kya?”

“I guess, you are right”

“I can come to the airport”

“Would you do that for me?”

“What is bothering you?” she asked him baffled

“Umm.. I”

“Dad’s calling…. Is he OK?”

“Hes fine” Raanav was irritated

“I can see you at the airport, I have to see the Business Manager at Maurya now to square away the craft fair thing”

“Airport then at 5?”

“sure”

“I am not boarding until I see you”

“Then I better be late”

He hung up

Worked and went to ask his Dad if he wanted to grab lunch

His Dad was willing to let him in his office but “cannot do lunch” he said

“I came to make peace” Raanav was irritated

“Make peace with your wife, your encouragement of your mother caused her to misbehave last night” Satyen was very upset

“I am 31, she has been around a little longer than that” he mocked his Dad

“I agree, she let herself develop these ideas about what is appropriate and who is… along the years it just became worse”

“I wont go that far”

“so are you trying to tell me its OK to be prejudiced but you will make an exception for your wife?”

Raanav got up and left

Ran into Rakshit

Who also asked if he was going for lunch as well

Raanav realized he was not invited Rakshit was

He felt like being petty

He called his mother

“Want to meet me for lunch?” he demanded

She was of course ever willing

They met at a high end fast food restaurant in Gurgaon an hour later

“Kya hua? I thought you guys were eating together”

“well I am here aren’t I”

“Rough morning?”

“Dad refused to have lunch with me”

“WHYYYY?”

“He thinks I brain washed you into believing what you do”

“What WHATTT?”

Smrita was stunned

“He feels our ideas about class and status are identical and we feed off each other”Smrita went absolutely quiet

“He is not talking to me either”

He ate quietly

“Did Viveka say something to him?” Smrita played the wrong game piece

“This must be why Mum” he said looking at her piercingly

“Why?”

“You assumed she had something to do with it”

“Well you know she is knew, she is not like Lekha, we have known Lekha for years, your Dad loves Viveka, they had dinner together even” Smrita uncovered her own insecurities

“So she must be responsible”

Raanav regretted his decision of seeking comfort from his mother

“I don’t think she likes me” Smrita said with fake hurt

“I have to take this call”

He got up and walked around talking to a work colleague on something totally unimportant

He hung up after 15, sighed stared out the restaurant window and went back to the table

“Viveka thi?” Smrita winked

“Oh no… this… u mean… nope”

“Lekar ja rahe ho usko Nasik”

“Umm.. no… why?”

“I was just asking… she cannot do her umm.. NGO matlab the work”

“I can drop u home”

“don’t be silly I have my ride”

“I will see you when I return?”

She got up and hugged him and held him worrying if he was going to hate her for what she said

“I will take care of your wife” she smiled sweetly

“That’s what I was afraid of” he thought spontaneously wondering why he even thought that

Nouf: I hope you are staying safe. I hope all parents are doing well. I hope this wave ends in a day or two... I hope there are enough people willing to help those in need

I feel sick to my stomach worrying about family, friends and loved ones

I am sorry work was crazy busy I worked until after midnight, was on calls from 8-12 last 3 nights

I have a call again in 18 minutes

Much love

Ranaav, be a man. Stand up for what's right before its too late. He should have put his mother in her place. Viveka really doesn't have anyone except Satyen. Satyen might actually regret his decision of coercing them into this marriage if his son doesn't really learn to stand up for his wife.

Angry with Ranaav.

This is not going to end any time soon...

This time its affecting more doctors as well...

But still have that hope that this too shall pass....

I try to close my eyes at times and appear like nothing happened....

Satyens talk with raanav👍👍👍

Nisha ji, so glad to see you back!

I'm sorry your work is being so exhausting.. when the world already has enough stressors to test our strength! 🤗

These days, I panic whenever someone from family or a friend doesn't appear for a call when they were scheduled to! My anxiety hits the roof when someone doesn't reply to a message or receive a call.. I feel terrible that the worst of the scenarios are the first to come to mind! 😒

So, perversely though, I'm very glad that it's work that's keeping you busy and away from here! I hope you and your family stay safe..

As do all the other readers and theirs!

Let's pray sanity and peace returns to the world.. sooner, sooner, much sooner rather than later! ❤️

“so are you trying to tell me its OK to be prejudiced but you will make an exception for your wife?”

Wow, Satyen nailed it. Ranaav needed that loud and clear.