Arjun’s Decision

Part 8: Arjun’s Decision

Next Morning

Meera was asked to cook "Kheer." As she stirred the Kheer, she lost herself in deep thought. Isha came running toward her, shouting, “Mami!” Meera smiled at her and helped her sit on the kitchen counter.

“Good morning, Mami,” Isha said cheerfully.

“Good morning,” Meera replied with a smile.

“I’m so happy that you came here permanently.”

“Why?” Meera asked, intrigued.

“Because I get to play hide and seek with you!”

“Do you like hide and seek?” Meera inquired, excitedly.

“Very much! Will we play?”

“Sure!”

“Friends?” Isha extended her hand for a shake.

“Friends,” Meera said as they shook hands.

“I saw you thinking about something when I came in. What was it?” Isha asked.

“Nothing...” Meera replied evasively.

“It seems like something. Mami, you can ask me anything. I will help you with everything.”

“Really?”

“Yes, because we are friends.”

“What does 'Damn it' mean?” Meera asked, whispering.

Isha widened her eyes, realising where the question came from. It was one of her Mama’s favorite expressions, and Meera must have heard him say it. Just then, Ganga entered the kitchen.

“Have you finished, Meera?” Ganga asked.

Meera nodded in response. Ganga noticed Isha was deep in thought.

“Ishu beta, what are you thinking about?”

“Chotti Nani, Mami wants to know the meaning of Damn it.’” Isha said, trying to control her smile.

Ganga chuckled.

“Ohhh… That one? It’s nothing. 'Damn it' means ‘I love you.’”

Isha giggled, covering her mouth. Sanjana, who had just entered the kitchen, also laughed, while Meera grew nervous and rushed out, embarrassed.

“Choti Nani, Mami will see how much Mama is in love with our servants,” Isha exclaimed as she ran off, leaving Sanjana and Ganga in fits of laughter.

……

Meera stood at the door, listening to Arjun’s phone conversation. She gazed at him, confused.

“Do what I said, DAMN IT. You’re not getting a salary to question me. Send me the report through email in an hour.”

He hung up in frustration and noticed Meera looking at him. He smiled when he saw her.

“Who was on the phone?” Meera asked quietly.

“My PA, Rita...” he replied.

Meera was shocked. “What! Was that a girl?”

“Yes,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Meera's eyes filled with tears. “If you're ‘Damn it’ with your PA, then why did you marry me?”

“What? I’m ‘damn it’ with my PA? What do you mean?” Arjun frowned.

“I found out about you. You're in ‘damn it’ with another girl,” she cried.

Arjun stood there, confused. Sanjana, passing by, overheard the conversation and rushed in, panicking.

“Sanjanaji, you said your brother is a good person. Look, he’s in love with someone!” she exclaimed.

Arjun was taken aback. “What? I’m in love with someone? Who the hell told you that?”

“I heard you say it,” Meera insisted.

Arjun looked at her in utter confusion. When did he say that?

“Sanjanaji, I heard him say ‘damn it’ to his PA, Ritaji,” Meera explained.

Sanjana closed her eyes, sighing.

“Chintu, I’m really sorry. Mami just mentioned it to make fun when Meeraji asked the meaning of ‘Damn it.’”

Arjun turned to Meera, still in disbelief.

“Meeraji, Mami told you that for fun! That’s not the real meaning. Chintu uses that word when he gets irritated. We didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry.”

Sanjana looked at Arjun, worried but saw him laughing. She had never seen him laugh like this before. He was laughing, holding his stomach, but stopped when he caught Meera's gaze.

“Chintu, I’m really happy to see you happy,” Sanjana said.

“Interesting…” he smirked.

“You should drop Meera at her house for Paghperah after breakfast,” Sanjana suggested.

Arjun nodded, and Sanjana left.

“I’m sorry for misunderstanding you. I didn’t know the meaning of ‘Damn it,’ and since you said it last night, I asked them about it,” Meera explained hesitantly.

“So what if I love someone?” he said with a smile.

“How could anyone love more than one person?” she asked, pouting.

“One? Who is that?” Arjun asked.

“Who else? It’s me. Your wife.” She paused, then looked at him in horror.

Arjun crossed his arms, smiling. “So, according to you, my love belongs only to you?”

Meera glanced at him, gulping nervously.

“I’m glad you don’t have a problem with that,” he said with a lopsided smile and walked away, leaving Meera's heart racing.

Dining

All the family members gathered in the dining hall. They loved Meera’s Kheer. She placed the Kheer bowl in front of Arjun and felt perplexed as everyone stared at her. Sanjana started to say something when she remembered that “Arjun has diabetes.”

Arjun took a spoonful of Kheer and tasted it. It was delicious. He had another spoonful, and everyone watched in awe.

“Arjun Beta, why are you eating double-sugared Kheer?” Ganga asked.

Meera looked at him, confused.

“Meeraji, Chintu shouldn’t eat sweets; he has diabetes,” Sanjana explained.

“It’s okay, Di. How could she know?” Arjun said gently.

Meera looked at him sadly, and her eyes filled with tears.

“Meera beta, please don’t cry,” Granny said.

“It seems like he loves sweets so much, but…” Meera wiped her cheek.

Arjun rolled his eyes, smiling. He continued to eat the Kheer because, in that moment, he didn't want to upset her. He felt nothing could be sweeter than Meera’s presence.

“Meera beta, go and get ready. You have to go to your mother's place for the Pagperah ritual,” Granny remained.

Meera's face brightened, and she gladly ran to their room to get ready. As she was preparing, she saw Arjun walking in.

“I’m sorry. I gave you sweets,” she said, feeling sad.

“It’s okay,” he replied.

“You like sweets so much, don’t you?” she asked.

“No…” he said.

“Then why didn’t you deny it when I offered them to you?”

“I didn’t want to upset you by saying no. That’s why.”

“But it's not good for your health,” she warned.

“It won’t harm me if I eat one or two spoons,” he reassured her.

"Really?” she asked, feeling relieved.

Arjun nodded in agreement. “Then just ask me if you feel like eating sweets some days.”

“Sure. Let’s go,” he smiled.

Meera nodded enthusiastically and followed Arjun.

After dropping her at her home, Arjun waited for a while, hoping she would call him inside, but she didn’t even glance at him. With

a gentle smile, he shook his head from left to right and drove away towards his place.

.......

Meera rushed to Narmadha and hugged her tightly, tears in her eyes as if they had been separated for years. Narmadha also felt emotional; it was her first time living without Meera. But it was just for a night.

After composing herself, Narmadha asked, “How did you come? Who brought you here?”

That was when Meera sensed Arjun had dropped her off. She rushed to the window but saw no one outside.

“He's gone,” she said.

“Who?” Narmadha asked.

“Him,” Meera replied hesitantly.

“Who was that?”

“Arjunji,” she said.

“Didn’t you call him inside?” Narmadha asked.

Meera shook her head. “I forgot to call him.”

“My God! Why are you like this, Meera? I don’t know what he felt,” Narmadha said helplessly.

“When will you learn these things? Poor him thinks a lot about us, but you?” Vedha interjected.

“What does he think about us?” Meera asked, puzzled.

“He wants us to move to Delhi immediately to be near you,” Vedha said.

“Are you going to shift to Delhi with me?” Meera exclaimed, hopping with excitement.

“Yes…” Vedha confirmed.

“I’m so happy, Amma! Thank you so much.”

“If you want to thank anyone, thank your husband. He wanted this because he wants you to be happy,” Vedha said.

“But why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“You would start nudging us to do it right away.”

Meera pouted playfully. Narmadha then pulled her to the couch and made her sit with her.

“Meera beta, you should not be like this anymore. I hope you understand their status by now. They are rich and have an outstanding

reputation in society. It’s not easy to be their daughter-in-law. You need to learn things from people; it will help you gain a good name with your in-laws. Don’t give anyone a chance to make fun of you or tarnish your mother’s reputation. Most importantly, you shouldn’t let your husband feel low about being married to you. You should always obey his words and never hide anything from him, no matter what. Be the most loyal person to him and make him proud. You should eat only with him and wait until he comes home from work. Understood?”

Meera nodded, deep in thought about her mother's advice. She gulped hard, realising her husband wasn’t that bad after all. He wanted Amma and Buaji to move to Delhi, which showed his care. But thoughts of her lessons on GOOD TOUCH and BAD TOUCH made her nervous. What if he told his sister about it? Would they scold her for not letting him touch her?

Meanwhile, Arjun returned home after dropping Meera off. His family members chatted about a certain issue in the living room with Sagar and Pooja. Arjun joined them with a smile.

“Di, I want to tell you something,” he said.

Everyone turned to him, silencing their conversations.

“Tell me, Chintu,” his sister replied.

“I can’t believe a girl could be so innocent! She thought 'damn it' means 'I love you' because Maami said so!” he exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Don’t worry; she’ll learn,” Sagar said.

“How?” Arjun raised his eyebrows.

“We’ll teach her,” Sanjana added.

“No, Di, I’ve decided something,” Arjun said firmly.

“What’s that, Chintu? I hope it won't hurt her,” Granny said, looking concerned.

Arjun shook his head. “It won’t. We can’t just sit quietly. I’ve decided to send her to college.”

Sagar, Pooja, Rahul, Raj and Nisha smiled happily while Nani, Mami, Sanjana, and Dev exchanged surprised glances.

“But Chintu…” Sanjana started.

Arjun raised his hand to stop her. “This will help her see the world on her own. Let her change and learn everything by herself.”

“But she is so innocent! People may make fun of her, Chintu. It could affect her confidence,” Sanjana said worriedly.

Pooja cut off the conversation, saying, “I will be there for Meera if she joins our college.”

“Of course! I will also protect Bhabi as a senior,” Rahul added excitedly.

“Problem solved,” Arjun chimed in.

“But Pooja joined BBA. It will be tough for Meera. How can she cope with the course? After all, she is from a small village and

doesn’t know English, which is necessary for BBA,” Dev, Sanjana's husband, pointed out.

“Let her try. Why should we limit her potential?” Arjun replied.

“You’re right; we can’t underestimate someone’s talent,” Sagar agreed.

“Why are you all worrying? I’m here for Meera. It’ll be fine,” Pooja reassured them.

Sanjana looked tense.

“I don’t think it will work,” she said.

“How can we say that without giving it a chance? We can think of alternative solutions if she struggles,” Arjun suggested.

“I’m nervous,” Sanjana admitted.

“Relax, Di. Everything will be alright,” Arjun encouraged her.

Sanjana nodded, still looking worried.

To be continued…