The parent-3'Ch 15-pg35,jan30 2014 - Page 18

Mustering all his courage,Maan looked in the mirror to see himself. A stranger clad in blue tshirt and Bright Red Denims,looked back at him.He controlled his urge to shut his eyes as his gaze travelled down to his chest.As per Suta's instructions,tshirt was adorned with "Cool quote",written on it in a "fancy font" "I am handsome and my mirror agrees with me".
"I am clown and my mirror agrees with me.."He said with a loud sigh.
"No..You are not looking like a clown.."
Savitri devi's voice startled him as he turned around only to find dadi entering his room.Her words consoled his embarrassed self.
"Really dadi???" Maan asked intently,taking a sip from his glass of lemonade.
"yes beta..You are not looking like a clown..You are looking like "Raj" of Rab ne bana di jodi.."Dadi spoke biting her cheek to control her laughter,only to see scowling and irritated face of her grandson..
"Not funny dadi.."Maan exclaimed with a frown..Before he could argue further with his grandmother,his buzzing phone grabbed his attention.
He took the call only to hear urgent and excited voice of his daughter on other side.
"Hey Maan..are you ready???"
Frown on his face vanished immediately.."I am ready baby..'
"What are you wearing???You are looking cool,right???" He heard her asking next moment.
"Yes,i am looking quite cool.." Maan answered giving an irritating glance to his reflection in the mirror.
"You have a "cool quote"on your tshirt,right???"Suta inquired further.
"yes and it says.."I am handsome and my mirror agrees with me"..Maan answered like an excited kid but his excitement was responded by a disappointed sigh from the other side.
"What happened baby???You did not like the quote???It is cool right???" Maan questioned impatiently.
"No..Maan..It is not at all cool..."Suta answered.
For once Maan wanted her to define this "cool" in proper words,but he controlled his exasperation as he read quotes on other five newly shopped tshirts,one by one..To his utter bad luck,None of them could meet the Suta's requirement of "coolness quotient"..
"What should i do now,baby??? Can I come to my party in my regular shirts..???"Maan asked in a hesitant and hopeful voice.
"No..you can't.."Suta exclaimed immediately.."I have already bought a tshirt for you,knowing very well that you won't be able to find something cool to wear.."
Till now,Maan had developed an instant hatred towards everything "cool" in this world.Even the Ice cubes in the glass of lemonade kept on the table had started to irritate him.
"Where is it???" He asked gritting his teeth.
"I have left the packet with Sexy..mm..i mean pardadi.."Suta informed.
It was then,Maan's gaze went to the small packet in dadi's hands..
"Fine..I will wear that baby..."
"Ok..lets meet in the party then.."Suta chirped before cutting the call..
Maan snatched the packet from Dadi's hand to open it hurriedly..
"What the f***..."Maan swallowed the curse word as he took out a "Neon green" tshirt from the packet..He had never worn such bright and sparkly color in his life.
"wow..what a lovely and "Cool" choice.." Savitri exclaimed air quoting the maan's not so favourite word.
"There is nothing "cool" in it..." Maan said with immense irritation as his brain registered the quote on this tshirt..It said,"Are your hands clean???" It was written in Bright red words.
"What does it mean???" He asked scratching his head.
"Even I don't know.."Dadi said shrugging her shoulders.."But I am sure,there is something cool in it.."
"Cool,my foot..There is no way I am going to wear it.." Maan announced throwing the tshirt away.."I would wear one of them."He spoke further pointing towards the five tshirts laid on the bed.
"I won't let you.."He heard his grandmother speak with a smirk.Next moment she had deliberately spilled lemonade on all the tshirsts..
"Dadi...!!!" He yelled while trying to stop her but till then damage was done.
"Bye and enjoy the party in this cool tshirt..."Dadi exclaimed before leaving the room and her grandson who was busy wondering..who was more childish..his daughter or his grandmother???
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"What is this "cool cool" now???"
Suta turned around,startled with sudden appearance of Abhi in the room as soon she ended the call.The suspicion swimming in her eyes as well as one cocked eyebrow of abhi told Suta that she had heard her conversation with maan.
"Nothing Abhi..I am just having some fun with my "cool daddy"...
"I know,you are going to trouble him..I can see it on your face..."Abhi exclaimed crossing her arms on her chest.She looked utterly cute in Baby pink salwar kameez,with puffed cheeks and pouted lips.
"Yes..I am.."Suta admitted.."and you should help me.."
"No i won't help you in troubling him.."Abhi denied.

"Oh my God abhi..You won't help your best-est friend just because this time the victim is your "soon-to-be-changed" crush.." It was Suta's turn now to become drama queen..."

"But why are you doing this with him..He is so nice..."Abhi exclaimed with a pout.

"You don't know him yet dear.."Suta spoke seriously remembering the way he behaved with his mother that night."and you are choosing your crush over our precious friendship,abhi...I have not expected this from you.."she spoke further presenting her drama skills...

Abhi sighed before consenting to help her best friend in her mission with a reluctant and sad heart.."Fine..Tell me what I have to do???"

"Well nothing...Just keep your lips sealed..."Suta explained.

"Hmm??/what does that mean now???"Abhi inquired with confusion.

"You will come to know very soon birthday girl"..Suta told with a naughty gleam in her hazel eyes.."By the way you are looking very pretty in your birthday dress"..She spoke further adjusting Abhi's baby pink dupatta.

"You will also look pretty dear.."Abhi exclaimed as she placed a packet in Suta's lap.

"Whats this??"Suta asked with confusion tearing the packet."No..."She yelled next moment."I can't wear this salwar kameez,Abhi.."

"For our friendship Suta.."Abhi said batting her eyelashes while holding Suta's hand with a melodramatic sigh.Real and original Drama queen was back to action.Suta kept looking at the shiny fabric in her lap and puppy eyes of her best friend alternatively as she succumbed to birthday girl's wish helplessly.

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Mr.Sharma tried to suppress the shock on his face while welcoming this "strangely dressed" guest to his daughter's birthday party.Neon green tshirt and Red Denims of the guest reminded him a species of parrots with bright feathers, he had seen in a zoo few years back.

"Welcome beta.."Mr.Sharma spoke giving a fleeting glance to Red aviators and spiked hair of Maan."Abhi is in her room..Let me tell her that her school friend has arrived."He said further.

"I am Maan Singh Khurana ,Mr.Sharma..."Maan introduced himself with an embarrassed voice.Mr.Sharma had not recognized him in this "Clown avatar".His words shocked Mr.Sharma beyond limits as his brain contemplated the reason behind this strange dressing of Maan.He was looking quite mature during their last meeting.

"I am Suta's father..Remember we have met at Railway Station..."Maan spoke after few minutes to Mr.Sharma whose gaze was fixed on the quote on Maan's tshirt.

"Of ..of course I remember you Mr. Khurana..."Mr.Sharma said getting aside from the door.."Please come inside..Abhi has told me that she had invited you..Its just I could not recogn..."

"Abhi and Suta are in Abhi's room Mr.Khurana..You can wish her there..."Mrs.Sharma,who had witnessed everything,intervened immediately.She knew her husband's next set of words were going to embarrass "already embarrassed" Maan more.

"Yes..Mrs.Sharma.."Maan exclaimed with an awkward smile walking inside the Sharma's residence.It was then he realized that he had forgotten Abhi's gift in the car.

'Excuse me please..I forgot something.."Maan excused himself and ran outside again with the speed of light.

He came back after sometime with a basket in his hands.It had a cute labrador puppy in it.Suta had specially instructed him to get this gift for Abhi.There was no one at the door this time,hence he decided to enter inside and wait in living room.He could hear Mr.and Mrs.Sharma's voices from Kitchen.They were busy with the food preparations.

"Aaah...I can't handle this duppatta Abhi...Why are you torturing me with this salwar kameez.."Maan could hear Suta yelling at the top of her lungs.He did not know when his steps started following his daughter's voice and he reached at Abhi's room.

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For the first time in his life,Maan had felt the moment when one gets confused between a dream and reality.It can't be real..His brain told him."That means Its a dream"..His heart surmised.A dream which had nestled his conscience since the moment he had kept Geet's picture in his wallet..A "dream" he had always feared to dream knowing it was impossible to materialize this into reality.He kept on standing at the door as he enjoyed his dream with open eyes.Geet was busy in securing the duppatta on Suta's shoulders with safety pins.

"It won't slip now .."Suta inquired cutely checking herself in mirror.

"No..It won't.."Geet answered as she pulled out the rubber band from Suta's hair.

"What are you doing to my hair GD???"

"I am braiding them.."

"But Why???"Suta whined like a kid. She herself had no idea why she was so open with this person whom she had met just few hours ago.

"SSShhh..."Geet said patting suta's cheek slightly.."French braid would look good with this suit,baby.."She spoke further as she started combing Suta's tangled hair.

Maan's lips stretched in to a serene smile watching the interaction between his daughter and this "known stranger".

"Why did you call me baby..."Suta inquired suddenly.

"Because you were whining like a baby.."Geet answered all lost in Suta's hairdo.

"I don't like this name,GD.."

Smile on Maan's lips vanished instantly on hearing Suta's statement. His daughter's bitter words had proved his dream to be real.

" why???"Geet inquired as she noticed the sudden seriousness in suta's voice.sut did not answer the question as she met her eyes with Geet in the mirror.

Not a single word was spoken but Moment made Geet feel all the pain anger frustration and struggle in the innocent eyes of Suta. She had no idea why her eyes turned misty as she cupped Suta's face so lovingly.All she wanted at that moment was to hug and soothe her.

"Are you sure,you both have met each other for the first time today..."Abhi's sudden question startled both of them.

"Hmm???"Geet asked quizzically.

"GD you are behaving like her mother since morning..."Abhi answered nonchalantly without having any realization how her words had affected Geet.The word "Mother" had scratched old wounds for her.

Suta felt the tremble in Geet's hands as she removed them from her face.

I don't deserve to be a mother...Geet wanted to scream while leaving the room with hurried and long strides.Tears had blurred her vision when she spotted a stranger,to be more precise an eavesdropper at the door step with a puppy in his hands.

"Who are you???"She asked,her throat chocked with tears.

No word escaped Maan's lips.He did not want to introduce himself at this moment.All he wanted to do was to wipe those tears from her hazels.

"He is Maan.."It was Suta who answered Geet's question.

"Maan who???"Geet inquired further.

"He is Maan Singh Khurana..Suta's father.."Next question was answered by gooey eyed bithday girl. Geet was shocked and surprised as she turned around to take a proper look at the man.Maan was embarrassed beyond limits .Geet was checking him out from tip to toe with surprised eyes.At last her hazels got fixed on quote at his chest.."Are your hands clean???"

Maan certainly wanted Mother Earth to swallow him but somewhere,in the smallest corner of his heart,he was feeling happy.His weird and funky clothes had distracted this hazel eyed girl.Her surprised eyes were better than her pained eyes.

"I will wait for you guys in living room.."Maan stammered with much awkwardness.In his embarassment,he even forgot to wish the birthday girl as he turned around to leave the room.

It was then Geet noticed the back of his tshirt had another quote.Actually,the quote at the front was completed on the back..Geet's cheeks turned visibly pink as she read the quote..

"If yes..then please scratch my as*..."

Maan left the room without having an iota of idea about the quote at his back which had actually raised the "coolness quotient" of the tshirt selected by his daughter.

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Sorry for the delay dearies...😛😛

Thank you everyone who have waited for me...I am really lucky to have such readers here...!!!

Special thanks to lakshmi for all lovely pics...

love you all

palin...