The parent- 2,NEW THREAD-PG153,AUG 9,2013 - Page 86

"I am not hungry dadi.." Maan exclaimed with his gaze fixed at magazine in his hand,though his brain had not processed a single word from the article.His entire attention was at the "incident" happened few hours ago.

"You look worried,beta.."Dadi exclaimed,taking a seat beside him on the bed,before keeping the tray in her hands on the side table.

"Nothing serious dadi..I was just worried about finding new Hindi teacher for suta..." He said forcing a smile on his lips as he abandoned the magazine.

"You are feeling bad for yelling at suta like that..." Dadi said,softly caressing his cheek.

Maan looked incredulously at dadi,who had guessed his turmoil so well.He was hell angry at himself for talking to his daughter in a bitter tone.

"I should not have yelled at her.She is just a "growing up" kid..Her mistake wasn't that big." He mumbled as he laid down,placing his head in dadi's comforting lap.

"But you can't ignore her mistake,beta.." Dadi retorted."You should make her understand with love and patience..Its hard to handle teenagers..."She spoke further,caressing his fore head.

Maan sighed loudly as he closed his eyes to feel soothing and motherly touch of his grandmother.

"Why does she ignore me dadi???" He asked after some time."Since last fifteen days,she has not opened up with me despite my continuous efforts..She has never talked to me of her own.I can see change in her facial expressions in my vicinity..Her smile fades away and her eyes become indifferent..You know dadi..She has formed a strong bond with Nakul and I am still struggling with her formal behaviour.." Maan ended with much pain in his voice.

He waited for dadi's response but no word escaped her lips.She had even stopped caressing his fore head which made him open his eyes immediately.His confusing eyes met his grandmother's eyes as he raised his eyebrows in questioning manner.

"I don't know the reason behind Baby's indifference,Maan..Only she can answer your question..But somewhere I am thankful to her for her indifference towards you..." Dadi spoke with utmost seriousness displaying on her face.

"Why dadi???" Maan asked ,coming into sitting position immediately.

"Atleast now you can understand the pain your mother is enduring for last fifteen years..." Dadi said looking straight into his chocolate brown orbs.She could see the change of emotions in his eyes.Anger had replaced the confusion and pain in those eyes.

"She deserves my indifference.." He mumbled with clenched jaw and fists.

"According to suta, you might deserve her indifference in same way..." Dadi answered.Her words added more fuel to his blazing anger."Don't compare me with your daughter in law dadi..." He almost yelled this time."She is your mother too",She wanted to yell but controlled herself..

"Then prove that you are better parent than her.." Dadi said in challenging tone as she left the room with hurried steps.Finally she had taken the risk to show her grandson his mistakes.This time she would not be scared of his aloofness and cold behaviour.Its high time to make him realize the pain he was giving to his mother in his madness.Being in his mother's shoes would definitely remove the veil of anger from his eyes.

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Suta's eyes were fixed at the melodramatic scene going on the TV,however her brain was still wandering in the moments when Maan had scolded her.It was not first time when someone had chided her.She had got scoldings from her late biological father many times before. She had thought,she felt bad whenever her father scolded her but today she realized that she had always felt angry,not bad. Because Bad was "what" she was feeling at this moment.She had unknowingly increased Maan's troubles with her English lessons to Hindi teacher..Was she feeling bad for that???or she was feeling bad because she had deliberately hurt him with her arrogance and false acceptance of mistake!!! or she was feeling bad because It was first time,maan had talked to her in angry voice.Confusions were getting complicated more and more for her with time. She was trying to make herself believe that It was easy to bear his anger than his love..But her brain was not ready to bear his love,whereas her heart was not ready bear his anger.Her palms covered her eyes as she wished for this battle between her heart and brain to finish soon.She clenched her teeth as she made herself strong enough to continue this "being brat" drama.

Slight knock at the door brought much needed break for her "jumbled emotions".

"Come in..." She yelled,expecting Nakul at the door.He used to bring Milk for her every night at this hour.

To her utter dismay,Maan entered inside as she kept looking at him without blinking.Her heart feared of more angry words from him,where as her brain instructed her to behave as rudely as possible.

"Baby..." He called her,coming towards the bed.

His voice was as soft as his eyes were.She had no idea,why her eyes turned misty hearing his voice.

"I am sorry beta...I should not have talked to you like that.." He said further with regret dripping in his voice.

Her heart constricted with a painful joy hearing "Beta" from him for first time.She was amazed with conviction and love his tongue produced beta,given the inappropriate difference in their ages for using this "term"of endearment.Her own father had never called her "beta" and irony was that,the same person who had bestowed this endeartment upon her so lovingly, was responsible for it.Thought made her brain overpower her "foolish" heart,as her eyes became cold suddenly.

Maan was waiting patiently and eagerly for some words from her.

"Fine,your apology is accepted...Would you please leave the room now..???" She spoke bitterly,fixing her eyes on the television.It was impossible for her to witness the hurt in his eyes that her words would have caused.

"Can't we talk for a while???" He almost pleaded.Parenthood makes you helpless sometimes.

"No.." She yelled.."You are disturbing me.!!!"She said pointing towards big plasma screen.

Maan had come there to get the answer of many questions which were troubling him.He wanted to know reason behind her cold behaviour towards her.He wanted her to answer why did she play that trick with Hindi teacher,But all he got was "Harsh words"from her. The parent in him wanted to chide her for such behaviour,but he had no right to scold her till she would accept him her father.With despair,hurt and anger in his heart,he left the room only to find his mother standing outside.

She had witnessed everything that happened in Suta's room.Knowledge flared Maan's subtle angle into fury.

She must be happy and content witnessing his daughter behaving rudely with him.For her,He was getting punished for his aloofness towards her..Both of them had same "fate" as a parent..But there was a slight difference.He did not deserve this ,whereas she deserved this rudeness for avoiding his kid,when he needed her.His furious state made such thoughts jumble in his mind,as he walked pass his mother,without giving her a glance,as if she was invisible.

Mamta,who had unfortunately witnessed the entire interaction between Suta and him,was restless.She had just brought some "Kheer" in a bowl for Suta but destiny made her witness all that.She very well knew,how maan must be feeling right now as she herself was enduring this pain since a long time. The motherly urge of soothing her son's pain did not let her move from the place,despite knowing,her presence was going to flare her son's anger.

"Maan..." Putting all her wits together,she called him.

To her surprise,he did not ignore her call this time as he stopped in his track and turned around to look straight in his mother's eyes. His eyes were blazing with anger. Mamta felt happy to see that anger in those eyes.It was better than the indifference,he had always showed. She always wanted him to vent his anger on her,rather than bottling it inside him.

He waited for her to say something but no more words came from Mamta's side.

After so many years,her son had paid heed to her call.She was so overwhelmed that words left her.She did not know what to say to soothe his pain.

"I think,You called my name..." His angry voice touched her ear drums.

"Ye..Yes.." Mamta stammered as her gaze fell at "Kheer bowl" in her hands.." Have some kheer beta..You did not have your dinner today..."

His lips curved in to sarcastic smile as he spoke,"So you want to celebrate your happiness with sweet dish.."

"Happiness???" Mamta exclaimed in confusion.

"Don't tell me you are not happy watching my daughter's behaviour with me.." He spat his venomous words.."But I am sorry ma'am..I can't celebrate my failure as a parent.."

"Maan..why I would be happy..." Mamta tried to explain only to intervened harshly by Maan..

"Neither I want your "explanations"..." He spoke coming towards her,"Nor your kheer.." He completed the sentence as he snatched the kheer bowl from hands and threw it at the floor.

Mamta was too shocked to react. Her eyes watched him moving towards his room with angry strides. Tears trickled down her cheeks finally when he was completely out of her sight..Her relation with her son was damaged beyond repair...She wondered as her hand covered her mouth to muffle the painful sobs.

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Suta gritted her teeth as she felt immense anger for her heart,who was forcing her to apologize for her rudeness since the moment Maan left her room.She had kept herself from looking in his eyes but she had seen his slumped shoulders and tired steps when he moved towards the door.She had pained him alot. Her brain asked her to rejoice his pain like a brat where as her heart was weeping for giving him this pain.

"Its not easy being a brat.." She concluded as she left the room to apologize for her mistake.

She had opened the door of her room,when sight outside in the hall,made her steps freeze. She saw Maan yelling at his mother rudely as he snatched and threw some bowl on the floor before leaving the premises. Suta had never expected such behaviour from her "soft spoken" father,that too with his mother. He would have understood the value of a mother,if God hadn't blessed him with one like her,She thought taking tentative steps towards Mamta,who was standing shattered in the hall. Mamta's tears angered her beyond limits.

"This brat son indeed deserves a brat daughter.."She concluded as she dropped the idea of apologizing and came near Mamta.

"Can I get some Kheer??" She asked sweetly to Mamta.

Her voice startled Mamta as she wiped her tears quickly."Yes..why not..baby..come with me.." Mamta answered in a soft voice,making her way towards Kitchen,only to be followed by Suta.

"mmm..Yummy.." Suta exclaimed shoving the spoons full of kheer into her mouth hurriedly.

"Easy baby..Kheer is not running away.." Mamta said with an amusing smile at her lips.

Suta felt calm witnessing that smile on her face.Finally she had done something good in this day.

"I can't control ma'am,,Its so tasty..." She said with a wink.

Suta calling her "ma'am" freshened the pain once again.She did not like the addressing but she could not stop her either.When her son was not ready to call her Maa,she had no right to get some love from her son's daughter.

"What happened???" Suta asked watching the pain making its appearance in Mamta's eyes again.

Concerned and innocent eyes of the kid infront of her did not let Mamta lie to her.."I did not like you calling me "Ma'am".." She admitted.."But Its your choice..I won't force you to call me...'

"Dadi????" Suta completed the sentence for her with wide eyes.

"Yes..." Mamta consented with little hesitation.

Whole family is in hurry of getting old faster,Suta wondered in her mind as she spoke,"You are too young to be called "Dadi"..."

"I am not that young,baby.." Mamta said with a smile "and moreover,when my son is not hesitating to be called Father of 13 years old daughter,then why should I???"

"hmm.." Suta exclaimed thoughtfully licking the spoon.."Fine..I would call you "Dadi",if it makes you happy..."

"Wow..Now we have "two dadi-s" in house.." Savitri devi said cheerfully entering inside the kitchen. She had heard a bit of conversation between Suta and Mamta and she was quite happy and thankful to Suta for bringing that smile on her daugher -in-law's lips.

"But you have become "PAR-Dadi" now,Maa ji.." Mamta spoke immediately.

"But I would always be Maan's Dadi.."Savitri devi retorted.." By the way,Thank you my "Red bull".."She exclaimed further pinching Suta's cheek,who was now sitting comfortably on the kitchen counter,busy in scratching Kheer's pan with spoon.

"Why are you thanking me?? and why are you calling me Red bull??? Suta asked with her furrowed eye brows..

"Because you have given me "wings" aka "parr in urdu" to make me your "parr-dadi.." Savitri devi exclaimed with a wink,only to get hearty laughter from Suta and Mamta..

"But I won't call you pardadi..I would call you "sexy"...Suta said with a wink too

"Aaah...I just loved my new name.." Dadi said in a dramatic voice placing her hand near her heart.

"Why won't you love it,sexy..after all,it would have reminded you of my Hindi teacher..If you want,I have his number too..." Suta had said those words but she regretted her over active tongue as soon words escaped her lips.She had crossed her limits in the flow of cheerful moments.

"Don't worry baby..I have already searched him on Face book and I have sent him a friend request from my new account with the name "Sexy Khurana".." Savitri devi spoke,bringing much relief for Suta,as whole kitchen echoed with the laughter of three ladies.

Mamta whose cheeks were cherry red hearing shameless talks of her grand daughter and mother in law was amazed with Suta's behaviour.She did not seem the girl who had behaved so rudely with Maan.She wanted to ask her reason behind her coldness towards Maan but she did not find this moment right for raising the question. Suta had just opened up little with them and she would wait,till Suta would start considering them her own family.

"By the way sexy,what else my father hates apart from this kheer???" Suta asked suddenly.

"He hates everything cooked by me.." Mamta wanted to answer but did not speak.

"He hates my "telly serials" most,baby. I can't watch them on TV when he is around.." Savitri devi said in a sad voice.

"Don't worry sexy, He will watch those telly serials with you from tomorrow..." Suta said with a wicked smile as her brain weaved a wicked plan to trouble Maan..That house had "Two brats" now..