The next update will be on Monday. Please don’t forget to vote and comment.
**************************
Meenakshi looked confused as she saw him holding out his glasses to her.
“These aren’t power glasses. The Aakash you saw before marriage… that was just a façade. I wore them to keep people away from me, especially women.” Aakash said quietly and paused before continuing.
“Appa wanted me to change. And after marrying you, I felt that the facade was no longer necessary. I do have reasons for behaving the way I did and you have every right to know about them. But I need some time to explain everything. But I swear, Meenakshi… I never saw you as a burden. I never felt disgusted by you.” he said further and with that, he dropped the glasses onto the floor.
“You could have said this on the very first day and treated me like a human being,” Meenakshi replied quietly, walking closer to him.
Aakash sighed deeply.
“I don’t even remember the last time I spoke to someone like a friend… or someone treated me like one. Varun is the only person who talks to me openly but he is busy with his own life. I don’t like disturbing him.” he said slowly and his voice softened.
“I don’t remember the last time someone cared for me without looking at me like I’m an ATM machine. Amma takes care of me but her care comes with endless demands for the family. Appa… he is the only one who genuinely worries about me. I had many reasons for not wanting to get married. But Appa was stubborn. He convinced that you were the right person for me. And I was too much of a coward to tell him that I might not be the right man for you.”
Aakash slowly stood up. He picked up the sarees that Meenakshi had pulled out and carefully placed them back inside the cupboard.
“You were wrong about one thing, Meenakshi. You said I never noticed you. But that isn’t true.” he said looking at her.
“If you had noticed me closely… you would have seen the guilt I carried every day because I couldn’t be the man you deserved. You would have realized that I did care for you. I just failed to express it because I’m not used to showing my emotions.”
He let out a soft, helpless chuckle as he sat on the bed.
“I may not be a good husband. But I do think about you. Every day, the moment I leave this house, I think about you… and I worry about how my mother might treat you while I’m gone. I’m a coward, Meenakshi. But believe me, I did try to stand up for you and when I did, it only made your life harder in this house.”
His voice grew heavy and he gulped.
“I grew up knowing only responsibilities. Somewhere between taking care of the family and dealing with my own problems, I lost myself so deeply that I don’t even know who I am anymore. I have never been respected at my own home. I never felt being home ” he said and looked at her again, his eyes filled with regret.
“I’m sorry, Meenakshi. Please forgive me.”
Meenakshi slowly sat down on the bed beside him, leaving a noticeable distance between them. The silence between them felt heavy with everything that had finally been spoken.
Meenakshi looked at the man sitting before her and felt a sudden wave of sympathy.
He was right. She had expectations from him and he had failed to meet many of them. But she could now see that he had cared for her in his own quiet ways. It was also clear to her that he was carrying something heavy within him, a dark past or a secret that was holding him back.
An introvert with buried pain, trapped in a family that treated him like nothing more than an ATM machine, Aakash himself seemed like someone who needed saving.
Taking a deep breath, Meenakshi spoke to him. “Aakash… what do you want?” she asked him.
He looked at her in confusion.
“Please be clear. I don’t want to live in the dark anymore. I understand that you have a past but tell me one thing honestly. Do you want me to stay?” she asked and paused before asking the question that truly mattered.
“Do you see a future for us?” she asked him in a soft voice.
Aakash remained silent.
“You don’t have to be a perfect husband right now. But you can at least try to be my friend. If you need help, you have to let me in. Nothing will change unless you decide to change.” she said gently but her words carried determination.
“I don’t expect you to abandon your family. But you must learn to stand up for yourself. Don’t let me down, Aakash. Show them the right way to live. Let them understand the struggles of life. Stop feeding them with a spoon. Your brother and sister should learn to respect you.” Her eyes grew firm as she said those words.
She hesitated before adding quietly, “It hurts to see them treat you like a worm.”
“But if you’re not ready for any of this… then I’m sorry. I will have to leave.” she finished calmly.
She waited for his answer. Aakash lowered his gaze.
“I… I will try, I… I m trying. I’m not sure if I can do all this… What if I fail you as a husband?” he said slowly and avoided looking into her eyes.
Meenakshi looked at the way he was feeling uncomfortable and understood what he was really referring to.
“I’m asking you to be my friend. Can you do that?” she said gently and Aakash immediately nodded his head.
“I’m sorry.”, both of them spoke at the same moment and looked at each other in surprise.
Meenakshi smiled faintly as she tied her hair into a bun.
“Why are you apologizing? You are not at fault. We all treated you badly. We let you down.” Aakash said softly.
He stood up and began straightening the room absentmindedly. Meenakshi walked out quietly and returned a moment later with a mop.
The silence between them was no longer heavy. It was the quiet beginning of something new.
“I wasn’t feeling well. I badly needed some rest. My mood swings weren’t helping and all the exhaustion made it worse.” Meenakshi said softly.
She tried to mop the floor but Aakash gently stopped her and took the mop from her hands.
“Sit down. Let me do this. After this, let’s go to the hospital.” he said but Meenakshi immediately shook her head.
“No, there’s nothing to worry about. It happens… I’ll be fine in two days,” she mumbled.
Aakash understood instantly that she was on her period and didn’t push further.
“Alright, let’s have lunch first and then you should rest. Appa has taken Amma and Lavanya out for lunch to give us some space to handle everything. Once they come back, whatever happens, you stay out of it. Let me deal with them.”
Meenakshi looked at him silently.
“I’m not used to arguing with them but I will talk some sense into them. They might turn the blame on you and say that I’m acting according to your words. Everything will be new for them too. I have never questioned them all these years… so obviously they will blame you.” Aakash admitted.
With that, he walked out of the room and Meenakshi followed him slowly. Aakash served lunch for her and they began eating quietly.
Just then, Balaram, Padma, Lavanya and Rajesh entered the house. Padma was clearly furious but one sharp look from Balaram silenced her.
After finishing his meal, Aakash noticed Meenakshi getting up to wash the vessels, but he stopped her.
“Leave it,” he said gently and then he turned towards his family. Meenakshi stepped aside and waited silently for what was about to unfold.
“Aakash, I spoke some sense into your mother and sister. But I think it’s important that you address this yourself. Let’s talk about this as a family.” Balaram said calmly but Padma scoffed loudly at his words.
Lavanya, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up with anger burning in her eyes.
“Why did she shout at me in front of my friends? If she had a problem with me, she could have confronted me after they left.” Lavanya demanded, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Lavanya, who is she to you?” Aakash asked her and everyone turned to look at him.
“I know you hate me, so I’m not surprised that you hate my wife as well. But calling her a maid in front of others is harassment. Abuse is not only physical. She has been mentally abused since the very first day she entered this house. I have been patient all this time. I waited, hoping you would eventually understand and respect her. But what happened today was unacceptable.” he said firmly and paused briefly before continuing.
“I don’t want to keep discussing this again and again. But from now on, I expect you to behave. You are not a child anymore. Soon, you will get married and go to someone else’s home. Tell me honestly, would you be happy if someone treated you the way you treat my wife?” he asked looking directly at her.
Lavanya lowered her gaze.
“Be mature. And let this be the last time we are discussing something like this.” Aakash finished and everyone in the room stared at him in shock.
For the first time, they were not seeing the timid, introverted Aakash they had always known. He stood straight, confident, his voice was firm. There was a sharp clarity in his eyes that none of them had ever seen before.
Only then did they realize something else. He wasn’t wearing his glasses.
“Where are your glasses?” Padma asked, confused.
Aakash smiled faintly.
“They weren’t allowing me to see things clearly so I removed them.” he said and instantly his expression turned serious.
“Now, I have a few questions for you, Amma.” he said and Padma stiffened slightly.
“Did you really want me to get married because you wished for me to have a partner in life? Or did you want someone who would work like a maid without salary?”
Padma’s eyes widened at his words.
“This morning, Meenakshi wasn’t feeling well. Even then, she was left alone to handle all the work. Would you be happy if someone treated Lavanya like that in her husband’s house?” he said.
He gestured toward Meenakshi. ” Avalum oruththaroda ponnu. Ippo avan en manaivi ” ( She is someone’s daughter too. And now… she is my wife) .”
Padma immediately stepped forward and anger flashed across her face.
“What do you mean by that? I have been working in this house all my life. Does that mean I’m a maid here?” she demanded.
Aakash shook his head calmly. “Amma, you worked for this family and gave everything you had for us. I would never deny that, not even in my dreams. But there is a difference between what you did and what Meenakshi is being expected to do.”
Padma frowned at his words.
“You worked out of love for this family. And whenever you were tired or unwell, we took care of you. Appa helped you. Even Lavanya would do small things, like collecting the dried clothes from the terrace. But Meenakshi is ordered to do everything, without ever being given the comfort of feeling that this is her family.” he said further and his voice grew firmer.
“Even a maid would refuse to work in a house where she isn’t respected. But here, she is taunted every single day. Please, Amma. You don’t have to treat her like your daughter-in-law if you don’t want to. But at least remember that she is my wife.”
His voice carried quiet conviction. “You may not like her. But I like her. And I respect her a lot.”
He gestured toward Meenakshi. ” Ava en pondati, en kudumbam… namma kudumbam ” ( She is my wife, my family too. Our family) “
Aakash looked at them one last time. ” Ungalukku puriyumnu ninaikkiren ( I hope you all understand )” he said firmly.
Then he turned slightly and gestured for Meenakshi to follow him. Inside the room, Aakash picked up Meenakshi’s pillow and placed it on the bed.
“Sleep on the bed,” he said.
Before she could protest, he pulled a chair and placed it beside the table where he intended to sit. He opened his laptop and began working while Meenakshi lay down quietly.
As she looked at him, her lips curved into a faint smile. After a few minutes, Aakash turned to glance at her and realized she had fallen asleep.
“I didn’t know I was capable of talking so much after all these years. Thank you for the lesson you taught me today. I learned that I shouldn’t keep putting myself down for someone else’s mistakes.” he murmured softly to himself and paused, looking at her sleeping face.
“I always wanted a life like everyone else. I wanted to try… but I was scared of rejection. I won’t let you down anymore. Thank you for coming into my life.”
With that, he returned to his work. Once he finished, he quietly stepped out of the room. His father was asleep in the hall and both Padma and Lavanya had already gone to their room.
Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, Aakash entered the kitchen. There were many vessels piled up in the sink. Slowly, he gathered them together and began washing them one by one.
The clinking sound of the vessels woke Balaram, who soon walked into the kitchen. He stopped at the doorway, surprised to see Aakash washing the dishes and chuckled softly.
“Sorry, Pa, ungala ezhuppitena ? ” (Did I wake you? )” Aakash asked and Balaram shook his head.
“I expected to see this scene someday. But I’m surprised it took you this long.” he said with a smile.
Aakash smiled faintly.
“You did well today. You should have spoken up years ago, but it’s alright. It’s not too late. You have a long life ahead with Meenakshi. I’m sure she’ll take care of you… just like she brought this change in you today.” Balaram continued and looked at his son proudly.
“I spoke to your mother. But you know her… this won’t be easy. Still, let’s hope for the best.” he said further. As he spoke, Balaram began preparing tea.
Just then, Padma walked into the kitchen and stopped in surprise at the sight before her, father and son doing the kitchen work.
“Wow, What a sight. My husband and son have suddenly become so responsible.” she said sarcastically. She moved forward to take the vessels from Aakash, but he gently stopped her.
“Amma, Meenakshi isn’t well and you must be tired too so I just thought I could help both of you.” he said calmly and gave her a small smile.
“It’s not like I’ve never washed vessels before.” he added and with that, he finished washing the last dish.
He poured coffee into a glass and walked back to the room. Meenakshi was still asleep and he gently called her name.
Meenakshi refreshed and Aakash gave the coffee to her. She thanked him with a smile and quickly finished the coffee.
” Coffee is different, who made it ? Oh my god, you would have woke up me earlier. There is a lot of vessels to wash ” she said and was about to leave the room but Aakash’s voice stopped her.
” I washed the vessels and appa made the coffee. Don’t worry about dinner, lets order tonight ” he said and Meenakshi looked at him shocked.
” Why would you do that ? ” she asked him feeling bad he had to do some much work.
” I said that I will try to be a good human and a friend to you so I thought its ok to share works ” he said and walked out with the empty glass she placed on the table.
************************************
A/N:
Please like and comment
Take care and Thank you
