Mother’s Advice

Part 9: Mother’s Advice

Evening

Arjun arrived at Meera’s mother’s place to pick her up. Narmada invited him to sit down while she prepared tea for him. Meera came out of her room when Buaji called her. She saw Arjun smiling at her and smiled back.

“Buaji, where is Amma?” Meera asked.

“She is preparing tea for Arjun, beta,” Buaji replied.

Feeling perplexed, Meera hurried into the kitchen, causing Buaji to frown. She took Narmada's hand just as she was about to add sugar to Arjun's tea.

“What’s wrong, Meera?” Narmada asked.

“Arjunji shouldn’t have sugar because he has diabetes,” Meera explained.

Narmada looked at her in shock. Meera then handed Narmada a cup of sugarless coffee and followed her to the living room, where she gave it to Arjun. As Arjun took a sip, he looked at Meera and raised his eyebrows, realising it was sugarless.

“Meera told me that you have diabetes, so I didn’t add sugar,” Narmada explained.

Arjun smiled, indicating he understood before she even mentioned it.

“Aunty, we are leaving Lucknow tomorrow and will await you. You don’t have to worry about transportation; I will arrange it for you. Just keep in touch and let us know everything regarding that,” Arjun said.

“Sure, beta,” Narmada replied.

“Try to come within a week,” Arjun encouraged.

“We will…” Narmada assured.

Arjun stood looking at Meera while Narmada handed her a bag of sweets. Before Meera could start crying, Narmada hugged her and whispered, “Don’t cry. Remember what I’ve told you.”

Meera swallowed her tears and nodded in agreement while Arjun observed the scene.

“Don’t worry about Meera, Aunty. I will take care of her,” he assured.

Narmada and Buaji nodded happily in response. Arjun and Meera then said their goodbyes to them.

In the Car

Arjun sensed that Meera was suffocating. It seemed like she was trying to say something. She looked at him and then looked down, murmuring.

“Do you want to say something?” he asked.

“Han han…” she nodded hurriedly, indicating yes.

“Yeah, tell me.”

“I want to thank you first,” she said hesitantly.

“For what?”

“To bring my Amma and Buaji to Delhi.”

“Then?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Now, for what?”

In the morning, I didn’t call you inside and rushed out, leaving you behind. Amma scolded me for that.”

“It’s okay. You are forgiven. (pause) That’s all?” he ssmiled.

Amma advised me a great deal today. I spent time with Amma, Buaji, and my friend Rima. Amma prepared my favourite dishes for lunch and gave me a lot of sweets to give to your family.”

Arjun felt confused about why she shared these simple details with him.

“Why are you reciting everything you did at home?” he asked.

“Amma told me not to hide anything from you. That’s why.”

Arjun rolled his eyes, smiling. “It’s not about saying everything. It’s about important issues.”

He looked at her pouting face.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not interested in hearing. You went to your home at 10 a.m.; now it’s 5 p.m. Do you need seven hours to recount everything that happened? You can edit what you say and mention important things, okay?”

Meera nodded, understanding.

“Let’s start.”

Meera took some time to EDIT the happenstance and began sharing her day according to Amma’s advice.

“It would have been nice if Amma had also advised her not to resist me touching her,” he thought.

Arjun continued driving, smiling as he thought about her while listening to her talk. He didn’t miss the chance to engage in conversation with her.

……….

Once Arjun and Meera reached home, Pooja rushed to Meera and hugged her, exclaiming,

“We are going to study in the same college!”

Meera looked at her, confused. “College?”

“Yes, Bhabi! You are going to join our college.” Rahul said.

“I don’t understand what you're saying.”

“Chintu wants you to study, beta,” Granny said.

She looked at Arjun, who was smiling and walking to his room. Meera couldn't take her eyes off him, her confusion evident. This was unexpected for her. She never thought she would get such a great opportunity after her marriage.

“Poojaji, will I study with you in the same college?” she asked.

“I won’t answer you,” Pooja said, turning her face away.

“But why, poojaji? Am I asking anything wrong?” Meera asked, worried.

“Stop calling me ‘JI.’ Call me Poo.”

“Okay, PooJI.”

Pooja rolled her eyes. “Not PooJI. Just Poo.”

“Okay, Poo…” she said hesitantly.

“That’s great! Now tell me what you want to know.”

“Did you see our college?” she asked excitedly.

“Yeah…”

“How was it?”

Pooja observed the curiosity in Meera’s expression. “It’s the number one college in Delhi. All the BIG SHOT children study there. It’s very tough to get admitted.”

“I got a distinction in 12th grade.”

“That’s nice! You will get a seat, but…”

Sagar came over, gesturing for Pooja to be quiet. “You don’t have to worry, Meera. You will get admission since you have good marks.”

Meera looked at Pooja, who nodded in agreement. Rahul joined them, listening in.

“Yes, Bhabi, you will get a seat at our college,” he confirmed.

“Are you studying at the same college?” Meera asked.

“Yes, I’m in my first year of a Master's in Visual Communication.”

“Visual Communication means?” Meera asked innocently.

“It’s related to the media field. I’m very good at photography, you know?”

"I don't know", Meera said innocently.

“You will learn everything once you enter our campus,” he assured her.

Meera nodded, feeling a sense of disbelief that her lifelong dream was about to come true. She imagined running in slow-motion with a handful of books, shouting, “I’m going to college…” Pooja shook her shoulder, seeing her smile like an idiot. Meera grinned back at her and left the room. The trio laughed at her crazy expression.

“Bhai, why did you stop me when I wanted to talk about our college?” Pooja asked.

“You wanted to discuss the donation issue, right?” Sagar replied.

“Yeah…”

“That’s exactly what I want to avoid.”

“But why? We must pay a few lakhs to secure a seat at our college, as it’s a reputed institution.

“But what if she decides not to join upon hearing about the money? What if she backs out?”

“Do you really think so?”

“As I’ve observed her…”

“She seems so innocent. She doesn’t even know who Arjun really is or what power he holds in society. She should know that, Bhai,” Pooja argued.

“Of course she should, but not like this. Let her discover it herself. Once she learns about Arjun, she will start seeking information about him. Don’t break the egg and spoil the thrill.” Sagar smiled.

“Thank goodness you told me about it.”

“But don’t forget, you should be a shield for Meera. I trust you. You need to introduce her to our lifestyle casually, not in a serious manner. Meera shouldn’t know our true intentions.”

“Sure, Bhai. My friend Simran also joined the same college on a scholarship.”

“That’s great! Tell Simran about Meera and use her to help ease the situation.”

Pooja nodded, accepting.

“Looks like you guys are planning seriously,” Rahul remarked.

“Don’t you know about the culture in Delhi?” Sagar asked.

“Yes, I'm also worried about that. I have no idea how Meera Bhabi will cope with people. They might make fun of her, and that could lead her to lose confidence,” Rahul said sadly.

“That's why I want Pooja to be her shadow,” Sagar replied.

“Don’t forget that Rahul will also be there for Bhabi,” Rahul chimed in.

“What do you think? Arjun would have come up with some task for you by now,” Sagar said with a smile.

“It’s my pleasure,” Rahul responded.

…

Arjun saw Meera entering the room and smiled at her. “Is it true that you will send me to college?” she asked hesitantly.

Arjun nodded in agreement.

“How did you know that I want to study?” she continued.

That was when Arjun realised she was interested in her studies.

“I didn’t know that. Did you want to study?” he admitted. He decided not to mention that he wanted her to learn about their lifestyle, as she might feel low because of it.

“Yes, I wanted to study. That’s why I didn’t want to get married.”

This surprised Arjun. She wasn’t interested in marriage? It crossed his mind that her family might have pressured her into marrying him. His decision to send her to college now seems like a good choice. He smiled, noticing she looked happier than he had expected.

“Why did you agree to marry me if you wanted to study?” he asked.

“My Amma didn’t want me to miss a good alliance, and our family’s financial situation wasn’t conducive to my studies, so she didn’t want to send me to college,” Meera explained.

What would you like to study? Do you have an interest in any subjects?” Arjun inquired.

“No, I don’t know what to study,” she replied.

Arjun was amazed.

“When will you take me to college?” she asked curiously.

“After we reach Delhi,” he answered.

“Can I ask you something?” she continued.

“Of course, ask me anything.”

“How did you come up with the idea of sending me to college?”

“I don’t want your knowledge to go to waste, that’s why.”

“Knowledge?” she questioned.

“Yeah, you explained the concepts of good and bad touch to me brilliantly, which no one has explained to me before. That’s when I realized the extent of your knowledge,” he said, his tone serious, without a smile.

Meera nodded in agreement, smiling proudly at him.

Arjun stifled a chuckle, bemused by her pride.

“This girl is absolutely crazy. She feels proud without realising that I’m teasing,” he thought to himself.

He admired her innocence for a moment, but he also felt a sense of tension. How would she cope with the high-class, haughty people in her college?

To be continued…