Three days had passed since the drama created by Lavanya but Aakash behaved as though nothing had happened. He continued with his work as usual and took care of his wife. Meenakshi felt he needed time to make a decision, so she didn’t pressure him by bringing up the matter about Lavanya.
Meanwhile, at Balaram’s house, Padma sat slumped on the sofa as if her world had collapsed. Earlier that day, Balaram had invited a real estate agent to sell their home, which only intensified her fear of being abandoned in old age. He had gone to meet a family interested in buying the house and she was terrified about their future.
“Everything happened because of this foolish girl. Do you have any sense? You could have spoken to me and I would have talked to Aakash and your father at the right time. Because of your stupidity, everything is ruined. Aakash hasn’t called so far and I don’t even know where he lives,” Padma said, sobbing.
“I know where he lives,” Rajesh replied. Padma rushed to him and held his hands.
“How do you know? Tell me, Rajesh or take me to him. I will beg him to help us out of this situation,” she said and after thinking for a moment, Rajesh nodded.
Padma quickly got ready and left with Rajesh.
At that moment, Meenakshi was checking the teachers schedules and the attendance for online classes. She heard the doorbell ring and Sarala went to open it. When the door opened wider, Meenakshi saw Padma and Rajesh standing outside.
Closing her register, Meenakshi welcomed them in and gestured to Sarala to bring them some juice.
“How are you, aunty?” Meenakshi asked gently and Padma simply nodded.
“I thought Aakash would be at home taking care of you. I wanted to talk to him about Lavanya,” Padma said, fidgeting with her fingers.
“We have Sarala akka to take care of me until Aakash returns from the office. He will be back in the evening. I can call him if it’s urgent, or you can wait. I will ask Sarala akka to prepare lunch,” Meenakshi said, picking up her phone but Padma quickly stopped her.
“It’s okay, don’t disturb him. Can you… can you talk to him? He will listen to you. We made a mistake and we regret it. Lavanya is his sister and now mama has decided to sell the house to arrange her marriage,” Padma said and Meenakshi was shocked to hear this.
“Where will we go at this age? He is planning to go to Kasi and Rameshwaram, leaving me to beg on the streets. I gave birth to three children and this is my fate. I’m sorry for everything I did. I only thought my son deserved someone better and more beautiful. Put yourself in my place, would you have married your son to someone who is fat?” Padma asked and Meenakshi simply chuckled.
“Aakash was right that some things never change. You may leave, aunty. I will talk to my husband and ask him to stop uncle from selling the house. He will come and meet you in a day or two. I’m tired and need some rest,” Meenakshi said, opening her register and continued her work.
Padma walked out, while Rajesh lingered for a moment and cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know she would speak like that. I shouldn’t have brought her here,” he said before following his mother out. He remained silent until they reached home.
“She has him completely under her control and now she expects me to fall at her feet. She behaved like a queen and I’m some kind of servant,” Padma ranted.
Rajesh threw his helmet aside and glared at her. “Stop blaming others when you are not ready to change. I shouldn’t have taken you there. If you truly wanted their help, you should have spoken to her with respect. Despite everything we did, she was still kind to you and you used that chance to body-shame her. She was right. You will never change,” he shouted at her.
Padma glared back at him. “You speak as if you have changed. And why should I beg her? I went there to talk to my son,” she snapped.
“I have changed and I want to bring my wife back into my life. If this is how you plan to live the rest of your life, then I will move out too,” Rajesh said, turning to leave only to freeze when he saw his father standing there.
“I knew you would do something like this. That’s exactly why I never told you where Aakash and Meenakshi live. I should slap you, but I’m glad you got what you deserved. I have already spoken to the agent, they are ready to buy the house. I will fix a date to sign the papers at the sub-registrar’s office,” Balaram said before walking away.
Later that evening, Aakash returned home and handed Meenakshi a box of millet laddoos sent by his colleague’s wife.
“I have become a dabbawala, carrying boxes from office to home,” he joked, sitting beside her. He kissed her cheek and his hand caressed gently on her baby bump.
After dinner, as they lay in bed, Meenakshi decided to bring up the matter.
“Your mother and Rajesh came home to see you. She thought you would be here taking care of me,” she began and Aakash turned serious as he looked at her.
“She said mama has decided to sell the house to arrange Lavanya’s marriage. She was crying, saying she is being abandoned at this age. She pleaded for help… one last time,” Meenakshi said softly, taking a breath as she cupped his face.
“Aakash, I think we should do something. I have been waiting for you to talk about this. What have you decided?” she asked gently.
“We shall discuss that later. First, tell me everything that happened today. I know my mother, she would have definitely said something to hurt you,” Aakash said firmly.
“Nothing happened. She was just crying and asking for help,” Meenakshi assured him.
“I haven’t decided anything yet. Let’s talk about it in the morning. Now sleep,” he said. When Meenakshi tried to continue, he silenced her with a soft goodnight kiss.
In the morning, Meenakshi woke up to see Aakash standing in front of the mirror with a towel wrapped around his waist. He noticed her watching him and winked playfully. She threw a pillow at him and he chuckled as he walked toward her.
Leaning closer, he placed a soft peck on her lips and then ran his fingers through his wet hair, sprinkling droplets of water onto her face.
“Aakash, let me sleep for some more time. Don’t disturb me and stop trying to seduce me. I can’t even think of anything now. I have grown so big, it would be impossible,” she complained, but he silenced her with another kiss.
“Say one more word about your weight and I’ll punish you,” he whispered before stepping back.
He opened the cupboard and placed a file in front of her. Meenakshi opened it to find the savings passbook and fixed deposit bond papers he had set aside for Lavanya’s wedding.
“I’m going to meet them and there are some things I need to settle with my mother and everything will be finished today,” Aakash said. The tone of his voice made her uneasy. She got out of bed and stood beside him as he picked out a shirt and trousers.
“What are you saying? This is your sister’s wedding, don’t do anything you might regret later,” she said, worried. Aakash turned and looked at her sharply.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know what happened yesterday if you didn’t tell me? Now get ready. I’ll leave only after you have had breakfast. And I will regret it if I don’t settle this today so don’t lecture me,” he said, handing her a gown and a towel.
Meenakshi got ready and Aakash left only after making sure she had eaten breakfast.
He arrived at his parents house, where everyone was delighted to see him.
“Aakash, I knew you would come. Please come in. I will cook lunch for you. It’s been so long since we all ate together,” Padma said, smiling widely.
“I don’t have time. I need to go back to my home, to my wife,” he replied, placing a bag in front of his father.
Balaram opened the bag and was stunned to see bundles of cash. While he was shocked, Padma and Lavanya looked pleased, assuming Aakash had brought money for them.
“Appa, I have been saving this money all these years for her wedding. There is eight lakhs in total, six lakhs from the fixed deposit and two lakhs from my savings account. I saved every rupee, even denying myself simple things like tea. I rarely bought clothes or ate outside. Every single rupee is my sweat. And with this, my responsibility ends here,” Aakash said and everyone stood in stunned silence.
“Aakash, why would you give all this? You need to take care of Meenakshi too. Take it back, I have already made arrangements, so you don’t have to worry,” Balaram said, trying to return the money but Aakash refused.
“Aakash, thank you for everything and please forgive us. I have made a list of everything needed for the wedding. The gold prices are very high now, so we will need more money. Should I ask my brother for help?” Padma asked, showing him her notebook.
Aakash merely glanced at what she had written.
“Isn’t this a love marriage? Then why do you need more money? Isn’t he ready to marry her without all this? And I’m sure I’m not the only son in this house,” Aakash said, looking at Rajesh and then at his mother.
“Aakash, are you still angry with me? Won’t you forgive your mother? We shall speak to Charan’s parents and manage with the money you have given. I’ll even give my jewels for her. Please come back and let’s conduct this wedding as a family. There is so much to do, shopping, inviting relatives… a wedding is not simple. You are the elder son, we need you to take responsibility as Lavanya’s brother,” Padma pleaded, glancing at Lavanya.
Lavanya rushed forward and fell at his feet. “Anna, please forgive me. I didn’t do this intentionally. You have misunderstood me. Please come back,” she cried.
Aakash stepped away from her.
“Why would you need me? I’m the same Aakash you hated with every cell in your body. You hated my presence in your college and you hated my wife’s presence in this house. You called my wife a maid. I’m sure you would feel ashamed of our presence at your wedding. My wife could deliver our baby at any moment and my family needs me more than anyone else,” he said coldly and his words hit Lavanya like a slap.
“Aakash, please forgive her. Bring Meenakshi here and we will take care of her and the baby. Let us be a family again,” Padma said, gently touching his cheek but he pushed her hand away.
“If you truly wanted us back in this house, you wouldn’t have insulted or mocked my wife yesterday. She is carrying my child, yet you didn’t have the basic decency to treat her with kindness. I will never allow my wife to step into a place where she is not respected. My responsibility towards your daughter ends today. Send the wedding invitation by post and I will think about attending as a guest, depending on my child’s birth. Once your daughter is married, it will only be you and Appa, so you won’t need more money. I’ll transfer whatever is necessary to Appa’s account ” Aakash said and Padma stood frozen in shock.
“Aakash, you are abandoning your mother,” she sobbed.
“No, I’m not. I have given this money to stop appa from selling this house so you will have a roof over your head. I’ll come whenever you or Appa need me ” Aakash said.
Balaram pulled him into a tight embrace. Aakash felt his father’s tears and struggled to hold back his own.
“Forgive me. You wouldn’t have suffered like this if I had been a better father and taken care of this family properly. You have given more than enough. It’s time for you to move forward with your own family,” Balaram said.
Aakash gently pulled away and wiped his father’s tears. “You are the best father, Appa. You brought Meena into my life, I will always be grateful for that. I will forever remain your son. I should leave now… Meena will be worried,” he said before taking his leave.
When he reached home, he saw Meenakshi sitting nervously on the sofa. Without wasting time, he explained everything to her.
“You, me and our baby, that’s our family,” he said softly and Meenakshi nodded with a smile and leaned on his shoulder.
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