"What suddenly happened to him?"

Ashok looked at Ishwari and sighed, not knowing anything about the issue.

"We have to do something, right? He is still a kid. He cannot take such big decisions!"

Ishwari was very worried for her son and it was visible to her husband.

"Ishu, calm down and take a seat."

Ishwari nodded in a no but Ashok signalled her to sit so she did.

"See, it was his decision to get engaged to Sonakshi, right? If he was capable then to take his own decisions, then why isn't he now?"

"Are you supporting his decision?"

He looked at her eyes which were widened because of shock. How can her husband support their son in such an issue?

"All I am saying is that we need to understand him as well."

"You keep on doing that! I know him since he was in my womb. I know him better than you. I am sure that it must be a very small issue and he is making a fuss out of it. I will try once again to make him understand. After that if they both want to take it ahead then I won't force anyone."

"But..."

"I am not going to listen to you. Don't you remember that the first time we saw them together, they were so deep in love. How can I accept suddenly that their love suddenly vanished?"

Both sighed as their minds took them to the sweet memory lane. They were instantly reminded of the first time they both saw... urhh... caught them together.

x-x-x

Ishwari and Ashok were standing by the roadside as their car had broken down. He was trying to fix the car while she kept scolding and taunting him.

"That is the reason I always keep telling you that we should buy a new car. But no! Has Mr. Ashok Dixit ever listened to me that he will listen to me now?"

"Oh God! How can you forget that this is the same car in which we got eloped. This car is the reason that we were not caught by our Families."

"Now what are we waiting for? For our son to get eloped in the same car and we won't be able to catch him as well?"

Before he could reply to her sarcasm, his eyes fell on Dev and a girl who were walking hand in hand.

"It seems like your son is very obedient. He has already made plans to elope with a girl."

Ishwari frowned on hearing him and as she turned around, her eyes fell on her son who was holding a girl's hand and they both were blushing.

"Oye! Why are you holding her hand?"

It was then they both noticed her and immediately left hands.

"Maa... She is my friend. She is Sonakshi."

"Really? Do you roam around in the city with all your friends in this way? By holding hands? She is your girlfriend, isn't she?"

"Ba... ba... ba..."

Ishwari rolled her eyes when she heard him stammering. She looked at Sonakshi and gave her a smile.

"I am his mother. I know he is good for nothing but I am sure you must be more than good for him."

Sonakshi smiled at her and then her eyes fell on the old vintage car.

"Aunty, is this your car?"

"Yes Beta. I had bought this car with my own salary at the starting of my career."

Sonakshi looked at the car in awe and nodded her head when Ashok replied.

"Uncle, this is so cool."

"See, this is how you appreciate such antique things. Now you and your Father push the car. Sonakshi, let's sit in the car."

Saying this, Ishwari settled herself on the driver's seat while Sonakshi took the passenger seat. Dev and Ashok started pushing the car with all their might while Ishwari continued trying to start the car.

"I told you many times to buy a new car. But your love for this car doesn't seem to end."

"Your Maa also told me to exchange our son. But my love for this son doesn't end."

Saying this sarcastically, Ashok continued pushing the car Dev narrowed his eyes at his father for his taunt.

x-x-x

"Go and talk to Dev."

Ashok was startled on hearing this sudden demand of his wife.

"You want me to talk to him?"

"Yes! You are his Father, right?"

"Fine! I am going."

Saying so, Ashok went upstairs to talk to talk to Dev. He knocked on the door of Dev's room who had gone to change the shirt.

"Dev! Open the door!"

"I am not talking about this matter anymore, and that's final."

"When did I say that I want to talk about Sonakshi? I just wanted to say that the dosa are ready. We can have our breakfast and then you can tell us the matter."

On getting no response from his son, he again knocked on the door and called him. Suddenly, the door opened and Dev appeared from the room, shirtless.

"I am half naked. Do you want me to come out like this?"

Ashok nodded in a no and Dev faked a smile at him.

"I'll come after wearing a shirt."

Ashok nodded and left from there while Dev wore a white T-shirt and a pair of black track pants.

***

"Are you serious?"

Sonakshi looked at her over dramatic parents and sighed.

"I simply said that I am boarding a flight to Mumbai tonight. What was the need to overreact in this Maa?"

"See Bijoy! This girl is telling us that we are over reacting. Are we really over reacting?"

"Ofcourse not!" Sonakshi spoke sarcastically and in a low voice but it was heard by both of them.

"Have you talked about this to Dev?"

Sonakshi calmed herself down when her Mother gave more importance to his thoughts than her decision.

"Maa, is it necessary that we should discuss everything about our professional life with each other?"

"It might not be necessary to share everything with each other. But this is a very big decision! When two people are bound in such a sacred related, then don't you think that you should atleast consult each other before taking these decision?"

Not wanting to argue further on this matter, Sonakshi simply nodded her head. Hell! When has he ever consulted someone, let alone Sonakshi before taking huge decisions?

x-x-x

Dev and Sonakshi were sitting in a café. They were taking their relationship ahead with baby steps. It was just after a few days when Dev had confessed to his Parents that he was in a relationship with Sonakshi and he was very serious about it.

On the other hand, Sonakshi had still not informed her Parents about Dev. But she knew that they both won't have any problem.

"That man is a jerk! He has made my life hell in the office. Do you even know what he did today? He said that...."

As Dev continued speaking, Sonakshi kept looking at him with a soft smile. She knew that she was madly in love with the person sitting opposite to her. But then she remembered something and her smile faded away from her face. She needed to clear out things with him.

"Dev!"

But when he still continued speaking as he had missed out on her voice calling out for him, she spoke in a bit louder voice than usual.

"Dev! Listen to me!"

He stopped speaking and looked at her. She took a deep breath and then looked in his eyes.

"I know you are lying."

He chuckled at this and asked, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean that is I know that you have resigned from your job."

Dev shifted his eyes from her face to the rim of his cup, embarrassed. Sonakshi understood it and quickly placed her hand on his.

"Hey! I didn't mean to embarrass you. But why did you leave your job and you didn't even tell me about it?"

"Sonakshi, I find it very difficult to do this job when I know what I want to do! Just imagine, what if you were also forced to do a stupid job instead of what you love to do? It would be a torture, right?"

Sonakshi didn't answer him because she knew that he was right.

"Then why didn't you tell me? Do AD and ID know about it?"

Yeah! That's right! She used to address his Parents as AD and ID as Ishwari had ordered her to do so.

"Sonakshi, I was about to tell you all. It's just that I had thought that I would have told you all when I would have bagged the job of the photographer for a famous magazine. I even have an interview tomorrow."

"Dev, all I want to say is that if you would have told this to someone then you would have felt better. We wouldn't have judged you. You know that, don't you?"

He kept his another hand on her hand which was already on his hand.

"I have always known that, Sonakshi. It's just that I wasn't able to understand anything."

"It's okay, Dev. I completely understand. But whatever happens tomorrow, you are going to tell me, okay?"

Dev nodded in a yes as they both passed warm smiles to each other.

x-x-x

"Sona, why do you always zone out? I am asking you whether you talked to Ishwari ji or not?"

Sonakshi sighed and nodded in a no. This made Asha widened her eyes in shock. She turned to Bijoy and faced him.

"See, this is your daughter. She can't even talk to her Mother-in-law before taking such a big decision."

Sonakshi rolled her eyes up and grunted in irritation because of the dramatic nature of her Mother. She got up and went to her room while Asha kept on scolding Bijoy.

***

As the three of them had dosa for breakfast, Ishwari and Ashok looked at each other. Ishwari signalled him to talk to Dev while he signed her to calm down. Dev saw this exchange of gestures between them and narrowed his eyes at them.

"If you are done then can we come to the point already?"

They both looked at him and nodded their heads in a yes.

"Why don't we sit in the lawn and then you can tell us everything?"

Dev nodded at Ishwari's suggestion making both of them smile. The three of them walked out to sit in the lawn. Dev sat on the swing while both the elders sat on the grass with their legs folded.

"Actually..."

Before he could continue, Ashok got a call. Ishwari signalled "What is this?" while Dev threw his head back. He mumbled a "sorry" and then attended the call.

"Hello? Yes? What is it? I had told you that you manage everything at the shop today. Why did you call me? What! A man came to the shop to return the spectacles that he bought one month ago? And you allowed him to do so? Why are you people so useless? Never mind! I am used to meeting such idiots."

As he spoke the last line, he looked at Dev and he immediately looked at his Father. He opened his mouth wide and looked at his mother. He pointed towards himself, indicating whether he was an idiot.

Ishwari nodded in a no and patted his knee to assure him. Ashok disconnected the call and looked at Dev.

"Yes! Continue!"

Dev looked at Ashok with his narrowed eyes.

"Main yahan pravachan de raha hoon jo aap log apne haath jodke baithe hain?"

It was then they both realised that they both were sitting with their hands joined. It was because they both were used to sit like this only when they had to attend any devotional function. They both chuckled awkwardly and Dev grunted in irritation.