I will be traveling for the next two days due to a personal commitment. The next update will be on Friday. Thank you for your patience and support
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One week later, on a Sunday, Meenakshi walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel and saw a lady entering the house carrying a few bags. Padma welcomed her with a smile and called Lavanya and Sharmi to the hall. She spread a mattress on the floor and all of them sat around it.
Meenakshi watched as the woman opened the bags and placed sarees and salwars in the middle of the mattress.
“Sharmi, she lives in our neighborhood and sells sarees and salwars. We can pay the money in installments. She called me to let me know that she has brought some new collections, so I asked her to come here before the other women could select the best designs. Choose whatever you like,” Padma said.
Sharmi and Lavanya immediately began looking through the collections.
Aakash stood at the doorway, silently watching everything. Padma noticed him standing there and quickly turned her attention to Meenakshi, who was about to walk back to her room.
“Aakash, tell your wife to choose something for herself,” she said casually, though there was no real interest in her voice.
Meenakshi initially wanted to refuse, but she thought about how she would need more sarees to wear to school. So she decided to choose one.
She sat beside Sharmi and picked up a beautiful sandal colored saree with simple embroidery.
Sharmi touched the saree in Meenakshi’s hand. “Wow, this is so beautiful and it’s my favorite color,” she whispered.
“Sharmi, take that saree. Let her choose something else,” Padma said immediately.
Aakash, who was passing by, stopped in his tracks. He looked at his mother with a frown before turning his gaze toward his wife.
“Meena, get ready. Let’s go out,” Aakash said and Padma looked at him, puzzled.
“Where are you going? Lunch isn’t cooked yet,” she asked.
“Meenakshi has to join school tomorrow and she will need a few things. Most importantly, she will need more sarees,” he replied and immediately everyone looked at him in shock.
“Aakash, there are plenty of sarees here,” the woman who had brought the sarees said, showing one after another. But he shook his head.
“My wife needs something special. These are very simple, so I would rather take her to a mall,” he said and gestured for Meenakshi to follow him.
Padma fumed in anger as she watched Aakash and Meenakshi leave the house.
Aakash drove the bike and Meenakshi held his shoulder.
“Why did you talk to your mother like that? She might get upset and think we are doing this because I’m going to start working now.” she said softly patting his shoulder.
“We have been tolerating too much for a long time. Some things need to stop. I’m fed up with the way she treats you,” Aakash replied.
He drove to a large store and personally chose a few sarees for her. He also bought a handbag, a water bottle and a lunch box for her. Later, they arrived at a hotel for lunch. Aakash rolled up his sleeves while Meenakshi placed the order for both of them.
“Should I call aunty to see if they have cooked lunch? Or shall we buy food for them?” Meenakshi asked.
Aakash shook his head. “They will learn that it’s not your responsibility alone to take care of everything. Sharmi hasn’t done anything even after all these months of her marriage. She is educated and could at least look for a job to take care of her own expenses. Instead, she is simply enjoying life with her husband. I don’t mind helping them if they truly need support, but they are misusing us,” Aakash explained.
Once the food was served, he served it onto her plate first. By the time they returned home, everyone was sitting in the hall watching TV. Their eyes immediately shifted to the bags Aakash was carrying.
“Did you buy everything?” Balaram asked and the couple nodded.
Aakash headed to their room while Meenakshi went into the kitchen. The new maid, Kamala, was washing the vessels.
“Kamala akka, saaptingala? ( Kamala akka, did you have lunch ? ) ” Meenakshi asked as she picked up a packet of milk to prepare tea.
“Saapten maa. Padma akka thayir saadham panni irundhaanga, ( I had dear, Kamala akka had made curd rice ) ” Kamala replied, continuing her work.
Meenakshi opened the fridge and noticed the chicken that Balaram had bought in the morning wasn’t cooked for lunch. She prepared tea and coffee for everyone and then entered the room with coffee for herself and Aakash.
Aakash was arranging her clothes in the cupboard and placing a few things neatly on the table.
“I’m joining the school as a teacher, not as a student. You are behaving as if you are sending a little kid to school,” she said.
Aakash smirked at her. “That will happen for sure in the future. Maybe I’m just rehearsing for that day,” he said and sat beside her with his coffee.
Meenakshi blushed and leaned on his shoulder.
“So, did they all have lunch or did they starve because Meenakshi didn’t cook today?” he asked teasingly.
Meenakshi raised her head and looked at him.
“The chicken mama bought is in the fridge. Aunty prepared curd rice for everyone. Tell me what you would like for dinner. Shall I make biryani?” she asked eagerly.
“Don’t burden yourself too much. Just prepare curry and rice,” he said and she nodded.
Meenakshi placed a pot on the stove to cook rice but Padma stopped her.
“Make chicken curry with dosa,” Padma said and walked out of the kitchen.
Meenakshi prepared the chicken curry and served dosa to Balaram first and then to Aakash. Before she could start serving the others, Aakash stopped her.
“Meena, I’ll get dosa for you. Now go check if everything is ready for tomorrow. I’m sure Sharmi or Lavanya can take over now,” he said gently, pushing her out of the kitchen.
The rest of the family, who had been waiting for hot dosa to be served, felt disappointed. Aakash placed a few dosas on a plate and walked out of the kitchen.
Rajesh pleaded with his mother to make some crispy dosas and Padma cursed Meenakshi under her breath before taking over the task.
She walked back and forth between the kitchen and the dining table, her legs started aching, while Rajesh, Lavanya and Sharmi showed no signs of finishing their meal anytime soon.
Meanwhile, in their room, Aakash fed Meenakshi while watching her choose a saree to wear the next day.
The next morning, Aakash woke up early and followed Meenakshi into the kitchen. He helped her prepare breakfast and pack their lunch boxes. After finishing, they returned to the room to get ready.
The whole family silently watched the couple move around the house together.
When they walked out of the room, Meenakshi looked graceful in a beautiful light green linen saree with simple embroidery. Aakash was wearing a shirt that matched the color of her saree.
Aakash served breakfast onto their plates and after they finished eating, Meenakshi bent down to touch Balaram’s feet for his blessings.
“Mama, everything is ready on the table. Please have your food on time,” Meenakshi said and Balaram nodded with a warm smile.
“Bye, aunty,” Meenakshi said softly, but hearing no response, she walked out. Aakash was already waiting for her.
“All the best, Meena. Let this new beginning pave the way for more surprises, success and happiness in our lives,” he wished her before driving her to the school, which was on the way to his office.
“Bye, baby,” he said with a playful wink as he dropped her at the school gate.
Meenakshi thanked him with a blush coated on her cheek and walked inside the school. She was introduced to some of the teachers from the secondary section before she was given her timetable.
At the office, Aakash was nervous about Meenakshi’s first day at school. Even his colleagues could sense the difference in him.
He kept walking to the pantry with his eyes fixed on his phone. Sometimes he paced near his desk, anxiously waiting for her call.
Finally, around lunchtime, Meenakshi called him and he answered on the very first ring.
“Meena, How was your day? Is everything okay? Are they treating you well? How are the children behaving? Are they giving you a tough time? Did you have lunch? Are you feeling tired? Are your legs hurting from standing for so long? Do you want me to come there?” he fired questions one after another.
He heard her chuckle on the other end.
“I believe your BP has increased, Accountant Sir. Calm down. Everything is fine and I’m doing perfectly well. Everyone is treating me with respect and the children are behaving nicely too,” she replied.
Aakash breathed in relief and a smile slowly spread across his face.
“Good to hear, madam. But I do have some doubts and it would be my pleasure if you could help me with them. Maybe a night study?” he teased.
Meenakshi gasped at his audacity to flirt with her.
“Let’s discuss this at home, Accountant Sir. I need to get back now,” she said and quickly cut the call.
Aakash finally felt his tension fade away and returned to his work with a satisfied smile.
By evening, Aakash arrived at Meenakshi’s school to take her home. Meenakshi was surprised to see him waiting outside.
“Don’t look so shocked. I wanted to hear about your day, so I took permission and came early. Let’s go home and I want to hear every detail,” he said.
Meenakshi happily climbed onto the bike behind him.
“I had four classes today and during the remaining time I was asked to correct the students classwork. During one of the free periods, I also got to know more about the Grade 12 students. The staff members were very kind and we even shared food on my very first day. It feels wonderful to be back in my profession,” she said excitedly.
Aakash felt incredibly happy hearing her speak with so much enthusiasm.
When they reached home, they saw Balaram watching TV, while Lavanya and Sharmi were folding clothes. Padma was talking to someone on the phone.
“Meenakshi, how was your first day?” Balaram asked, turning off the TV.
Meenakshi shared her experience and the old man was delighted to see the genuine smile on her face.
The couple then went into their room and Aakash immediately hugged her, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
“Oh God, I’m so happy, Meena,” he said before pressing soft kisses on her lips.
“Let me freshen up first and start preparing dinner early,” Meenakshi said as she walked toward the bathroom.
But before she could close the door, Aakash slipped inside behind her.
“I know you must be tired, so I won’t disturb you. But we can save time by refreshing together,” he said mischievously while watching her start to untie her saree.
Meenakshi blushed deeply and threw the saree at him.
“Get out, Aakash. Your presence is not welcome here,” she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Aakash smirked and walked closer to her. “Just accept that you can’t handle my charm. Should I wait until night?” he teased her.
Meenakshi pretended to think for a moment before slowly nodding her head. Aakash smiled and pressed a gentle kiss on her cheek before walking out.
A little later, Meenakshi changed into a salwar and walked out of the room only to freeze when she saw her parents sitting in the hall.
“Appa… Amma… how are you?” she asked in surprise.
Aakash followed her out and greeted them respectfully. Both Meenakshi and Aakash could sense that something wasn’t right. Aakash sat opposite his father-in-law and mother-in-law.
“Meenakshi, how are you? Yesterday I was talking to your mother-in-law and found out that she has been suffering from long-term knee pain. So we thought we should come and visit,” Radha said.
Meenakshi immediately understood the plan Padma had played.
“My knee pain is a never-ending story,” Padma added dramatically, pretending to be helpless.
Aakash controlled his smile seeing her act.
“Meenakshi, you could have stayed home to take care of the elders. Nothing is more important than family,” Radha said and her husband, Madhavan, immediately gave her a disapproving look.
“We have a family who is ready to support us, so why would there be any problem with Meenakshi working? And it’s only her first day, yet you are already discouraging her? I’m proud that my wife is working. As for my mother, we have Sharmi and Lavanya here to help take care of her. We also have a maid to handle the household chores and Meenakshi still manages the cooking even when she is tired. So I don’t see any problem here. And even if there is one, I will handle everything for her,” Aakash said firmly.
Madhavan and Balaram both felt proud of the couple.
“I’m very happy, Meenakshi. My instinct about you was right,” Madhavan said warmly.
Meenakshi nodded and glanced at her husband with gratitude.
Later, Meenakshi prepared dinner for everyone, while Padma remained completely silent after Aakash’s words.
Once Madhavan and Radha left, Aakash called everyone to the hall.
“I know exactly what happened today and I don’t want to talk about that in detail but let this be the last time. Meena has been patient and has done everything to take care of this family. I believe a family should support each other but I don’t see any of you supporting me or my wife. Kamala akka won’t be here to wash the vessels at night, so either Sharmi or Lavanya will handle the dishes from now on,” Aakash said firmly.
Padma, who had been silent for hours, finally opened her mouth to speak.
“Sharmi gets wheezing,” Padma began, but before she could continue, Aakash cut her off.
“Then Lavanya can do it,” he said firmly and walked back to his room. Meenakshi felt he was doing the right thing and quietly followed him.
Inside the room, she hugged him from behind. Aakash turned, lifted her chin gently and pecked her nose.
“We have a party at the office next week and families are invited. Every year I attend it alone, but this time I want you with me. I want everyone to know the angel behind my transformation,” he said, his hand resting around her waist.
“What do I get as a bribe?” she asked playfully.
Aakash smirked. He wrapped her braid around his palm and pulled her closer. Leaning toward her, he brushed his lips lightly against hers.
“God… stop reading those novels. You are terrifying me with your stamina,” Meenakshi whispered, trying to push him away.
Aakash only chuckled softly, reminding her of the promise she had made about a long night.
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A/N:
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