There are many comments both in support of and against the plot.
My son studies in a global school and he was bullied by his own classmates. A teacher even body-shamed him for being fat. This happened when he was in class 7. He was left feeling completely alone and gradually he lost interest in his studies and focused only on losing weight.
It took nearly two years to help him overcome that insecurity. Even now, he hasn’t completely let go of his focus on losing weight.
A close friend of mine who works in an IT company is facing a similar situation. The truth is, while there are people who feel confident about their appearance and those who treat everyone equally, such exceptions cannot be taken as the norm.
Coming back to the story, A coin always has two sides. I have already made it clear that Aakash carries a traumatic past. Why should it always be the man who saves the woman? Why can’t a woman save and support a man as well?
This story is about equality between a man and a woman. It is about two people standing beside each other, not one rescuing the other.
Let’s be practical. In a middle-class family, change does not happen overnight, especially when the man carries emotional scars from the past and has grown into an extremely introverted person, often misunderstood and isolated even within his own family.
Aakash and Meenakshi will stand by each other and face all the odds in their lives together. The change has already begun.
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Two weeks passed.
Meenakshi was in the kitchen, washing the pile of dirty vessels after finishing her usual morning routine. Aakash had gone to the office, Lavanya had left for college and Rajesh had gone out to meet his friends. Balaram was taking a nap in the room, while Padma sat in the hall watching television.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps followed by loud voices disturbed the quiet of the house. Curious, Meenakshi peeked into the hall and noticed a few women, around Padma’s age, had arrived.
“Meenakshi, bring some coffee,” Padma ordered from the hall.
Meenakshi placed a vessel with milk and water on the stove and waited for it to boil when she began to hear hushed voices from the hall.
“Padma, why did you suddenly get Aakash married? And why to her? Our Aakash is so handsome. You could have found someone like a cinema actress for him,” one of the women said.
Meenakshi paused for a moment as she heard Padma sigh.
“I was even planning to speak to you about marrying Aakash to my niece. She is very slim, fair, and beautiful,” another woman added.
“What about that girl… Aishwarya? You could have married him to her. They would have made the perfect pair,” said another.
Meenakshi gritted her teeth. She poured the coffee into glasses and carried them to the hall. She forced a polite smile, served them and quietly returned to the kitchen to resume her work.
“What can I say? My husband was so stubborn. He even threatened to leave the house if we didn’t agree. I think Aakash only accepted the marriage because his father pressured him. Never in my dreams did I imagine our Aakash would end up married to someone like her. And now she is turning him against me. Aakash never used to speak against me all these years, but now he is supporting her.” Padma said with a dramatic sigh and for a moment, Meenakshi’s hands froze.
She began chopping the vegetables with more force than necessary, her heart boiled just like the rice bubbling fiercely in the pot.
Finally, after what felt like forever, the ladies left. Almost immediately, Padma stormed into the kitchen.
“Did you hear them? Every one of them wanted our Aakash to marry the girls from their families, girls who could actually stand next to him and look worthy. But look at our fate. What wrong did I do that my son had to marry someone like you?” she snapped.
Meenakshi stopped what she was doing and slowly turned to face her.
“Aunty, you know polygamy is illegal in our country, so you couldn’t have married him to all those girls anyway.” Meenakshi said calmly.
Padma gasped in outrage. “How dare you talk back to me? Is this how you’re turning him against me? Useless woman… know your place,” she warned before storming out.
As she stepped into the hall, she noticed Balaram sitting there. He had witnessed everything.
“We don’t need anyone outside this family to ruin our son’s life. You are more than enough. And mark my words, with the way you behave, one day he will leave this house. No man would want to live in a home where his wife is constantly humiliated.” he said calmly and picked up the remote and switched the television channel.
Padma froze and glared at him but said nothing and walked away to her room, slamming the door shut.
Meenakshi finished her work and stepped out of the kitchen. But she suddenly froze, a smile slowly spread across her lips as she saw someone standing at the threshold.
“Hema? What a surprise. Come inside,” Meenakshi said warmly, walking toward her.
Hema stood there in shock as she looked at her friend. It had barely been three weeks since Meenakshi’s marriage, yet she looked completely worn out. Hema remembered the Meenakshi she knew, always dressed in crisp cotton sarees, her hair neatly combed, walking confidently through the school corridors, entering her classroom with quiet authority.
The woman standing before her now looked like someone she could hardly recognize.
Meenakshi pulled Hema inside. Balaram smiled warmly in welcome but Padma had already retreated to her room and shut the door.
“Mama, this is my best friend, Hema,” Meenakshi introduced.
Balaram nodded kindly and gestured for Hema to sit.
“I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on. I’ll be back in a while.” he said, getting up. With that, he stepped out, leaving the two friends alone.
Meenakshi pulled Hema into her room and the two of them sat down on the bed beside each other.
“Meenu, I won’t ask how you are, because I can already see it. But what exactly is happening here?” Hema said, still in shock.
“My fate seems to be at its peak, giving me the best of its plans. At least I’m lucky that my father-in-law doesn’t look at me with disgust.” Meenakshi said with a faint smile.
Hema stared at her in disbelief. “What about your husband? Does he treat you well?” she asked, still hoping for some good news.
Meenakshi chuckled softly and began counting on her fingers.
“What are you doing?” Hema asked, puzzled.
“I’m counting the number of times he has spoken to me all these days,” Meenakshi replied. The smile on her lips slowly faded, revealing the pain she had been carrying.
“He doesn’t look at me… he doesn’t talk to me. He comes to the room only to sleep. I sleep on the floor and he sleeps on the bed. I don’t even know who he really is. He is different Hema, very different. His own family treat him differently ” she said and Hema’s heart sank as she listened.
“He once told his mother to give me some space so that I could adjust to the family. He even tries to make sure I eat when he is at home. I could feel, he keeps a watch if I eat. It feels like he is trying… but not enough. Sometimes I feel angry with him and at other times I feel pity for him. I want to fight everyone but my mother made it very clear that I must fit in here, no matter how they treat me.”
She paused, wiping the tears forming in her eyes.
“My mother-in-law never misses a chance to taunt me. She has filled the place of my mother in my life… but not with love. I feel so humiliated ” she said and tears rolled down Meenakshi’s cheeks.
Hema pulled her into a tight hug as tears filled her own eyes.
Just then, they heard a knock on the door. Meenakshi quickly wiped her tears and opened it.
Balaram stood outside with a gentle smile, holding a bag in his hand.
“Meenakshi, I know you must have made a simple lunch since it’s only you, me and Padma today. So I brought biryani for you and your friend. There are some snacks too. You both have a good time. I’ll ask Padma to serve food for me.” he said kindly and handed the bag to Meenakshi and smiled warmly at Hema before walking away.
Meenakshi closed the door and looked at Hema with a soft smile.
“He is the only person here who treats me like a human being with emotions… not just flesh, blood and bones. Come, let’s eat. It’s been a long time since I had a proper meal.” she said quietly.
They sat down to eat, but Hema kept serving food onto Meenakshi’s plate and even feeding her from her own box.
“Meenu, why don’t you resume working? You don’t have to lock yourself inside the kitchen like this.” Hema asked gently while placing a piece of chicken on her plate.
” Mama is the only person who talks to me. He already argues with Aunty because of me sometimes. I don’t want to create a bigger rift in their relationship just because he supports me. Let’s wait.” Meenakshi replied softly.
After finishing their meal, they stepped out to wash their hands.
Padma glared at Meenakshi as she sat eating beside Balaram.
Sharp words rose to Hema’s lips, ready to give Padma a piece of her mind. But she knew it would only make things worse for Meenakshi. So she forced a polite smile and followed her friend to the backyard.
Meenakshi began collecting the dried clothes from the line and together they returned to the room.
“Meenu, why don’t you talk to him? Try to understand what is on his mind. You can’t continue living like this forever.” Hema said after a moment.
” He don’t seem like a bad person. May be, I will try ” Meenakshi said slowly. They talked for a while longer before Hema finally left.
Meenakshi entered the kitchen to get some water and saw Padma arranging the vessels she had just washed.
“Looks like you had quite a feast. Why don’t you invite your friend every day? That way your uncle can buy biryani for you daily. I suppose he’s worried that you’re losing too much weight.” Padma said mockingly.
Meenakshi gripped the edge of the counter to steady herself.
“I would have washed the vessels later, Aunty,” she said hesitantly.
“Oh, would you? But I think my son and husband might abandon me if I let you do any work. After all, you’re the maharani of this house. It would be a sin if I made you lift a finger.” Padma scoffed.
She placed a plate on the counter with a loud thud and stormed out.
Meenakshi silently resumed the work Padma had started. As she scrubbed the vessels, more tears rolled down her cheeks.
By evening, Aakash arrived home and found the whole family sitting in the hall, everyone except his wife.
Soon, Meenakshi came in and served dinner. As usual, she ate very little but Aakash noticed and he made sure she was eating well in his presence.
” You are eating very less. have some more,” Aakash mumbled quietly, placing the casserole before her.
“She must already be full after the biryani she had for lunch,” Padma said sarcastically.
Meenakshi’s hand froze mid-air.
Balaram mentioned Hema’s visit and Aakash nodded his head.
” That was in the afternoon and I m sure she must be hungry after doing all the chores ” he said and continued to push the dishes slightly closer to Meenakshi.
But she stopped halfway, quietly got up and went to wash her hands.
“Aakash, what about your salary this month? We haven’t settled the bills yet.” Padma called out as he got up.
Aakash went into his room and quickly returned with some money and handed it over to Padma.
“I withdrew the money from the ATM earlier but I forgot to give it to you, maa,” he said and Padma chuckled softly.
“You are married now, so it’s natural that you forget,” she remarked teasingly.
Before Aakash could respond, Lavanya stepped forward and held out her hand.
“Amma, I need money to buy some books. And I’ve been taking an auto often since the bus is always crowded, so I need some extra money this month,” Lavanya said.
Padma nodded and handed her some cash.
Rajesh, standing beside her, scratched his head awkwardly. “Amma, I have applied for a few jobs and I need money for travel expenses,” he said and Padma gave him some money as well.
She then opened her account notebook and began reading out the expenses.
“Electricity bill… vegetables… non-veg… chit fund… tablets… groceries… cosmetics for Lavanya… and other household expenses,” she listed methodically.
Meenakshi stood quietly watching the entire exchange.
Aakash cleared his throat, “Amma, Meenakshi will need money for her expenses too,” he said.
Padma glanced at Meenakshi indifferently. Without saying anything, she folded the notebook and placed the remaining money into her purse.
“She can ask me if she needs anything. And remember, your cousin’s wedding is coming up. We’ll need money for that as well.” Padma replied casually and with that, she walked back to her room.
Later that night, Meenakshi was spreading the mattress on the floor when Aakash entered the room with a water bottle.
“I was twenty-one when I started working. The salary was very low. Appa wasn’t well then and I had to take responsibility for the family. But I had no idea how to manage expenses, so I simply gave my salary to him.” Aakash said and paused for a moment.
“Since he wasn’t well, he handed the money to Amma. From then on, she took care of everything. I just continued giving her my salary. Years later, I started looking through the notebook where she records all the expenses. I don’t eat outside and I don’t spend much on myself. I try to save every rupee for the family. Usually, she gives money to everyone for their needs from the money I give for family “
He then took out some cash and handed half of it to Meenakshi. She looked at him in shock and immediately shook her head, refusing the money.
” You will for your petrol expenses. I don’t need it. I stay at home, so there’s no need for me to have money.” she said softly.
Aakash felt a pang of guilt at the situation they were in.
” I know, I have not been in my best since day one of our marriage. But I will try to fix things. You are my responsibility and you can ask me for anything you need. I will keep this money in the draw and you could use it anytime ” he said and placed the money in the draw of the cupboard.
“You deserve much more, Meenakshi. I may not be a good husband to you but I will try to be a good human being and take responsibility for you ” he thought.
He opened his laptop and began searching for a part-time job. He knew he would never win an argument with his mother about taking care of his wife. But he will do his best to support the woman who had buried all her dreams the moment he chose to sleep on the floor on their wedding night.
Meenakshi felt curious about him and watched as he stared seriously at his laptop screen.
She lay down on the mattress while Aakash searched for part-time consultant jobs and even online tutoring opportunities to teach accounts. Soon, he found a vacancy for an online accounts tutor and another part-time position at a coaching center. Luckily, the coaching center was close to his office.
The next morning, Meenakshi packed his lunch and placed breakfast on the table. As usual, Aakash walked out of the room with his office bag and sat down for breakfast.
Rajesh was sitting nearby, playing a game on his mobile phone when Meenakshi placed plates for everyone and served the food.
“Meenakshi, I will be late from today,” Aakash said.
Meenakshi looked at him in surprise. It shocked her that he was informing her directly while his mother was sitting right there.
“Rajesh, I hope you will find a job soon. Otherwise, I will find one for you. It would be better if you do some work until you get the job you want.” Aakash said but Rajesh frowned immediately.
“What do you mean by some work? Do you want me to deliver food or work in some mechanic shop?” he asked rudely.
Meenakshi was shocked by the way Rajesh spoke to Aakash.
“Delivering food isn’t a bad job. At least it will help you manage your expenses until you find the right job.” Meenakshi said calmly.
Everyone looked at her in surprise. Aakash slowly nodded with a faint smile, approving of her words.
“Your wife is very smart, Aakash,” Padma said but the mocking tone in her voice made it clear that she was indirectly taunting Meenakshi.
Aakash finished his breakfast and walked out of the house, forgetting his lunch box. Meenakshi quickly followed him and handed him the lunch box as he started his bike.
“Please have your food on time,” she said softly.
“I will… in the hope that you will have too,” he replied before driving away.
But Meenakshi stood there for a moment, her thoughts lingered on something she had been noticing.
His hands trembled everytime she approached him. And it wasn’t the first time. She had noticed his hands trembling the previous night as well when he gave her the money.
” What’s wrong with him? Why do his hands tremble like that?” she wondered.
Lost in thought, she returned to the kitchen. Padma immediately began taunting her again for trying to create a rift between the brothers.
But this time, Meenakshi simply ignored her and continued with her work.
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A/N:
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