Only Mine
Chapter 32: Family Bonding

The few days at Lonavala was like a dream for all of them… Nanu got to see his grandson enjoy like a kid… Munna and Pandit got to spend quality time with their childhood friend once again… PB was ecstatic to see Naina’s childlike joy that had gone missing for more than a year when she had arrived to Mumbai… Sameer and Naina experienced the joy of family vacation for the first time in their life… They covered one more waterfall and bhushi dam, choosing to limit their outing and rather spend time in the cottage. It was fun to play cards, get drenched in the backyard and then have piping hot pakodas made by PB along with ginger tea. Soon it was time to return; the drive back was split between the three boys, finished with an early dinner in one of the famous restaurants in Mumbai that was suggested by PB.

As they reached PB’s home a new worry entered Sameer’s mind… It wouldn’t look good to spend another night here. His birthday celebration was a different thing, but now they should return to his home… Munna and Pandit would be leaving tomorrow night, but Nanu would be staying back for the week… His home was enough to accommodate Nanu, but how would his friends stay. Where would they sleep, and how would they adjust in that small space. Should he ask Naina to let them stay here?

The sumo was emptied out properly as it needed to be handed over to the rental agency. Revathi was making coffee for all of them. PB offered them to stay back as they must be tired… Nanu thanked her for her generosity but politely refused; citing that he had come here to stay with his grandson and so it was only fair that he stayed at his apartment. Munna and Pandit also agreed to that saying they would like to see their friend’s home. Naina, who was sitting beside Sameer, whispered him to come upstairs… He watched her stand up and leave, his eyes following her till she was visible and he wondered how he could even go behind her in-front of everyone. After couple of minutes, Nanu asked, “Sameer… can you get my other bag? It’s still in the room upstairs.”

Sameer smiled, thanking Nanu in his mind, and quickly scooted upstairs. Naina was waiting for him at the door of her room and grinned at him as he reached… He stopped before her, “uh… I have to get Nanu’s bag.”

She nodded, holding her hand, “come… we will sit there for few minutes, and you can tell me what’s bothering you.”

He didn’t ask how she knew… By now he knew that she understood every variation of his mood very well, and there was nothing that he could hide from her. He sat on the bed, pulling her on his lap sideways… She hugged him, stroking his hair as he rested his head on her chest. Taking a deep breath he confided, “my apartment is so small… How will they all stay there?”

She was silent for a moment, and then asked, “are you just worried about how they will stay or also what they will think?”

He closed his eyes, knowing he wasn’t successful in hiding his deepest concern, and in a low voice he mumbled, “that too…”

“Sameer”, her voice was soft and soothing, “tell me something… Munna and Pandit are your childhood friends, aren’t they?” He nodded against her skin, and she further queried, “did they become your friends and maintained that friendship all these years just because you were rich?”

He frowned on hearing that question, and drew back a little, “of course not… they don’t care about the size of my wallet…”

She smiled, “exactly… then why are you even concerned about what they will think about your home? You need to remember that you chose this life… you worked hard – very hard – to be able to maintain a decent lifestyle in this city. And each one of us is proud of you… You have to stop feeling insecure.”

He hugged her tight, relieved on hearing her words. “I won’t come to college tomorrow”, he mumbled against her shoulder, “Munna-Pandit will leave at night, so I will have to take leave from office as well.”

She caressed his back, “I know… don’t worry… it’s just one more day.”

He nodded, “what shall I cook for them? Will you come tomorrow?”

She replied, “not tomorrow… spend some time with your friends. And make bread-omlette for them… For Nanu you can make cheela… For lunch, you can cook pulao-kadhi, and in evening take them out for some Mumbai street food.”

“Good idea”, he pulled back with a smile, and then kissed her softly.

She reciprocated, but soon broke the kiss, mindful of the open door, “I have asked Sudha Aunty to loan you extra mattress, pillows and sheets. Nanu can sleep on your bed, and the three of you can spread the mattress on floor. Go now… I will see you day after…”

They stood up, and he hugged her one last time. Dropping a kiss on her forehead, he complimented, “you are amazing…”

Just as suggested by her, Sameer spent the next day with his Nanu and friends. Munna and Pandit had no complains about the size of his apartment or sleeping on floor, or the lack of luxury. Nanu loved the small balcony where he sat down to read the morning newspaper. Netra was a hit among all of them, stealing their hearts with her cuteness and making them laugh with her rant of Sameer uncle. Nanu was surprised at Sameer’s apparent lack of irritation, and queried, “you don’t get angry on being called an unlce?”

Sameer simply shrugged, flipping a cheela on pan, “her name means the same as Naina, and she also used to have two pigtails like Naina did in school… so I could never be angry on her…”

Munna and Pandit was also astonished at Sameer’s bond with Netra, especially when the little girl held up her arms to be picked and he obliged without any hesitation. It was clear that Sameer was used to having the kid around him… Sudha aunty gave a big bowl of payasam for the four of them at lunch, which was thoroughly enjoyed by them… In evening, Sameer took them around to the beach side where they gorged on some local snacks and later went to a small restaurant to eat Maharashtrian delicacies. Around 11pm at night, Sameer went to drop Munna and Pandit to the railway station, finally bidding goodbye to his friends with a promise to come to Ahmedabad over Diwali if possible.

The next day Nanu saw another aspect of his grandson that he had never witnessed before. Sameer was up before dawn… The alarm even woke up Nanu since they were in same room, Sameer apologized asking him to sleep again, and then quickly rushed off. Curious to see what he would do at such early hour, Nanu also got up from bed… He was stunned to see the chores that his grandson did… Sameer dusted the bare furniture, swept and mopped the house, took out the trash, collected milk and newspaper… Setting the milk to heat on low flame, he went to take a bath… When he came out from the bathroom he had a small bucket of washed clothes which he hung out to dry in the balcony with an expertise that confirmed it was usual for him. And then he started to work in kitchen… Keeping the boiled milk aside he set another saucepan to make tea, and made couple of vegetable sandwiches for breakfast.

As the clock struck 6am he asked Nanu to quickly brush so that they can have tea… Nanu sat on the small sofa in the living room, still at a loss of words. Sameer served a sandwich, cut into four, and sheepishly said, “sorry Nanu… I know it is too early for breakfast, but I need to catch the 6:30am local to reach college.”

Nanu’s voice was laced with surprise, “I knew you did all the work by yourself but on seeing you actually do it, I don’t know what to say…”

Sameer chuckled, “it’s alright… Naina was also shocked initially…” He checked the time, and got up to bring his bag from the room. Wearing his shoes, he drained the last bit of tea, and grabbed the remaining sandwich, “Naina will come here straight from college, and PB’s driver will come to give lunch for both of you. I need to rush now… see you in evening.” With that he was gone like the wind… Nanu stood at the door, watching his grandson disappear, marveling at the things he had witnessed since yesterday.

For two years whenever Nanu had broached the subject of visiting Mumbai, Sameer had avoided the conversation citing his college and job, sometimes taking the refuge of his trips to Ahmedabad. This time, when Naina had called up with her plan, Nanu had immediately agreed, but still cautioned her that Sameer might not be comfortable. Naina had assured him that she would handle Sameer… And it looked like she had… He had noticed day before yesterday, when they had all trooped in inside the small apartment, Sameer had kept glancing at them repeatedly as if waiting for some depreciating comments or criticism… But finally after fifteen minutes Sameer had eased out, taking pride in telling them about the arrangements, the neighbors, the places nearby… He had quickly guessed that Naina might have had a little talk with Sameer to assure him, which had given confidence to his grandson…

Yesterday they all had slept till bit late, and had been surprised when Sameer had woken them all up saying that breakfast would be ready in twenty minutes and so they should freshen up and brush their teeth. On seeing the eggs on the countertop, at first he had thought that he would be having bread toast with butter, but had been shocked when Sameer had set another pan to make cheela… The tea he prepared was amazing, even better than what Ramdhari made back in Ahmedabad… The food was delicious, and Sameer attributed the credit to PB’s detailed recipes that Naina had noted down for him in notebook. In evening when they had gone around to visit the beach, Sameer had paid for everything, be it the roadside tea, or the bhel and chaats, or the dinner at the restaurant… When he had suggested that he pay for the dinner, Sameer had smiled and said softly, but firmly, “I earn enough to afford this… don’t worry Nanu… Once I am back in Ahmedabad I am not going to argue about money with you, but here, in Mumbai, everything is my responsibility.”

He had noticed the pride in his grandson’s voice, the confidence with which he did everything from cooking to traveling, the way he handled his relationships with neighbors and had earned love and respect both, the way he had bonded with PB… Needless to say he was extremely proud of what his grandson had achieved. The one week he had, he was looking forward to not just spend time with his grandson, but also getting to know Naina as well, and understanding everything Sameer had experienced in these two years. He only thanked God to have given him the correct sense to accept Sameer’s request to do his college in Mumbai all those years ago; it had not just given him the experience that he seemed to be seeking, but also had made him meet his destiny.

True to Sameer’s words PB’s driver arrived at exactly 1pm with a bulging bag, and fifteen minutes later Naina came in unlocking the front door, followed by a hopping Netra. She greeted him with a grin, “hello Nanu… how’s the day till now?”

Nanu smiled, “uneventful… how about you?”

“All my friends wanted to meet my handsome boyfriend’s grandfather to check if he is as handsome as Sameer”, she informed with a voice full of glee.

Nanu chuckled, “what did you say?”

Her eyes twinkled with mischief, “the truth… that you are more handsome than my boyfriend.”

He laughed out loud, “Sameer won’t be happy…”

“Doesn’t change the truth”, she replied cheekily, “let me wash up and we can have lunch… I am starving.”

Nanu tried to keep Netra entertained while Naina freshened up… She took out the boxes and served the food, asking Nanu to sit, and taking Netra on her lap. He looked at the items served, but hesitated to eat, and asked, “uh… what about Sameer?”

She smiled, dishing out the raita, “don’t worry… I met him just before coming over… have given him aloo-paratha and some fruits. He will have it in office, and then he can have snacks and dinner in evening.”

He sighed in relief, “I know I shouldn’t worry since I am here just for a week, and he has stayed alone for two years, and will continue to do so this year as well… But…”

“It’s natural to worry”, she assured, “half the days when I don’t come here, even I am worried about his meals. That’s why some days I try to get something from home in morning so that he can have it for lunch.”

Nanu watched Naina having her food, while also feeding Netra alternately, and smiled at the sight. It was heartwarming… homely… No wonder Sameer was so much in love with this girl… She wasn’t just spunky and confident, but also had her feet firmly on the ground, and a big heart which managed to spread love to everyone she met. After lunch Netra went home, Nanu settled down for a small nap, while Naina did some preparation for evening snacks and dinner, and then lay down for some rest on the sofa.

Sameer came home 30 minutes earlier than usual… He smiled on seeing Naina fast asleep on the sofa, Nanu was sitting near the balcony with a book… Carefully closing the door so that the sound didn’t disturb her, he removed his shoes and socks, and walked over to Nanu.

In a low voice, he asked, “you didn’t sleep?”

“I woke up some time ago”, Nanu informed, “didn’t have the heart to wake up Naina… She was working in kitchen when I went to sleep so I thought to let her rest.”

Sameer nodded, “yes… I will freshen up.” He quickly changed and cleaned up… Grabbing a glass of water, he checked in kitchen and saw that Naina had kept thinly sliced onions in a bowl, and some other chopped vegetables were also there in other containers. He set a pan to make tea, and then went to wake up Naina… She hummed when he shook her a little… Checking that Nanu couldn’t see them, he dipped and kissed her cheek, “wake up babe…” She stirred, her eyes opened slowly; upon seeing him a beautiful smile curved her lips… He smiled back, “hi…”

Her lovely eyes widened and she gasped, instantly blurting, “you are here… I thought I was dreaming.”

He chuckled, “and here I was thinking that you see sexy dreams of me…”

She blushed, sitting up, “Nanu?”

“In the balcony”, he informed, “go wash up… I am making tea.”

She stood up, “you take rest… I will make tea and we are also having onion pakodas.”

The crunchy hot onion pakodas were a perfect accompaniment to the gentle drizzling. Sameer and Naina cooked the simple meal of roti-sabji together, and there was some leftover dal-rice from lunch. Dinner felt like a wonder to Sameer because as the three of them sat to eat he couldn’t help but think about how that would be a daily event after his wedding. Later on Naina was ready to call the driver to pick her up, but Sameer insisted on dropping her on his bike like he always did. “I can’t miss the chance to have you stuck to my back”, was his argument.

The remaining week was extremely jovial for Sameer… He had been bit skeptical about bringing Nanu to Mumbai before, but now that it had happened, he truly enjoyed it… Especially the way Nanu kept getting astonished at the things he did. When he brought in grocery and fresh vegetables the next time Naina was home, Nanu almost swayed on spot.

“Can you even differentiate between spinach and coriander?” Nanu asked.

Sameer had laughed aloud at that and so had Naina… He had told Nanu of his initial time in Mumbai when he had gotten some or the other help from his neighbors, how the vendors near his home had helped in choosing and buying vegetables and fruits, how he had slowly learned exactly what quantity of groceries to buy to last a month. Chuckling at his own silliness, he had told, “it’s funny… I didn’t even know that a separate liquid is used to wash white clothes… I mean… there was no need for me to think these things in Ahmedabad…”

Even Nanu learned a lot in that week… He insisted to travel on the local train, eat street food, go to the busy markets along with his grandson… One day he even helped Naina in the kitchen with whatever he could. To be honest, Nanu was impressed with his grandson. When Sameer had wanted to live in Mumbai on his own terms, he had known it was difficult, but the magnitude of difficulty was something he had wrongly estimated… Now in one week he could see that there were a lot of things he had never imagined or considered as a problem, or something to learn about. However, upon knowing all these, he felt a great respect for his grandson, and even for Naina because she stood by Sameer without demanding him to change anything.

Soon it was time for Nanu to leave, and for the first time in all these years Sameer started to feel lonely. He was getting used to returning home to see his grandfather sitting on the chair near balcony. Even Netra had started calling Nanu as Nana on hearing them… The night Nanu left, Naina insisted on Sameer staying at PB’s home, and after a slight hesitation he gratefully accepted. He realized that he needed to have Naina with him… As soon as PB slept, he sneaked into Naina’s room to find her waiting for him… They talked about Nanu’s visit, about the upcoming months, about their probable Diwali trip… He kissed her softly, having been starved for the entire week… Stolen kisses here and there weren’t enough… They needed more, and soon they were tugging each other’s clothes. Sameer’s shirt lay discarded by the side of the bed as they slept in each other’s arms, his hand resting on her back beneath her satin night-suit top.

The next few months seemed to go by in a flash… Their term exams were done. Sameer’s job was going well… Monsoons eased out slowly, leaving behind the usual humidity of Mumbai. Naina still kept visiting every alternate day… They went on more dates over the weekend, and sometimes also spent time with PB. Chaaya and Tarun started to date to everyone’s surprise… Later on Sameer and Naina got to know that Tarun had spotted her and Naina couple of times and had taken an instant liking to Chaaya. Sameer was only too happy as his friend and Naina’s gang merged into one big group, leading to some fun excursions over the weekends. PB and Nanu often talked over the phone, and in one such call it was agreed that the date for wedding would be fixed during the Diwali visit, and so PB also decided to come along.

For Sameer things were starting to get more difficult… Being with Naina almost every day and controlling his desire was not an easy task… Especially when she chose to be the bold one, and initiate intimacy… He started to dream of their wedding, their honeymoon… and even went on to the extent of think about babies… Only when one evening he saw Netra and started to think of having a daughter as cute as Naina, did he mentally smack himself for getting ahead of time… But wedding was a constant thought for him, as he wondered about the functions, the dresses and along with that also came the anger on Naina’s family and sadness about his own mother.

Naina also kept thinking about the wedding and discussed with PB if shopping for functions would be better in Mumbai or Ahmedabad… This led to PB teasing her mercilessly for many days. For the first time in all these years Naina genuinely started to look forward to the trip to Ahmedabad… Their wedding would be fixed on that trip, plus PB was also coming along, so she didn’t have to be on watch against her family. She made a list of places she wanted to take PB to… After some discussion PB decided that they would take the car along with driver… The journey would be long, but having car would mean comfort, they would also be able to make stops along the way… When Naina pointed out that train would be more comfortable than car, PB quirked a brow, her voice laced with sarcasm, “what do you think would be more effective to burn that little family of yours? You and me going by train and then Sameer’s grandfather dropping us at Agarwal house… Or… All three of us going in our car, and then our driver going to drop Sameer, and in the days we are there those bunch of Agarwals get to see would-be-Mrs-Maheshwari driving a car by herself… So…??”

Naina laughed out at the scenario that was presented… And when she told Sameer about it, he agreed whole-heartedly… He even declared that he was going to hug her, kiss her on forehead and cheeks in-front of her family. She giggled, thinking of the consequences, and then asked, “will aunty be there for Diwali?”

Sameer shrugged, “I have no idea about Diwali… but she would surely be there as our wedding would be fixed. She can’t leave a chance to show her displeasure, can she?”

“Maybe we should buy some gifts for the whole family”, she suggested.

After some thought he agreed, “fine… if you say so… but then we buy for both families…”

In the month before Diwali, Naina met Shefali who had returned from a modeling assignment from Dubai. Shefali had moved-on in her life with spectacular grace and there wasn’t an ounce of sadness or anger when they talked about Arjun… Rather she simply declared that it was a pity that Naina had such a coward brother… And even though Naina didn’t really like the comment, she had to agree it was the truth. Sameer met them at the agreed upon spot, which was a café near his office, as from there he was supposed to Naina along for their dinner date. When Naina introduced him, Shefali greeted him with a smile and crossed her skirt-clad legs…

“I will just get some coffee”, he announced and asked Naina, “do you need something else?”

Naina shook her head, “no… this one cup was enough… but if you get a cookie, I will share.”

He smiled and left to place his order. Shefali kept looking at him until he reached the counter, and then turned back towards Naina, “you have found a genuine person…”

Naina dryly queried, “is your skirt stunt the decision maker about my fiancé being genuine?”

Shefali chuckled, “yes… in these few years while modeling I met so many men… And trust me, I can count on my fingers the number of men who kept their eyes glued to my face.”

“There was no need for you to test Sameer”, Naina declared, her irritation visible, “I certainly don’t need any third-person’s assessment on how my fiancé is.”

Shefali sighed, “I am sorry I did that… I guess, it has just become a habit to not trust people, especially men… Ever since I moved out of Ahmedabad I never dated.”

Naina relented a bit, “look… I know my brother was a jerk… but don’t let that cloud your judgement about all the men… You know about my cousin sister, Anuja di, right? She tried to kill herself after being cheated… And after that I had decided never to fall in love… But with Sameer things just happened… I never knew when I started loving him, and now being with him, everything feels right… Give yourself a chance Shefali…”

Shefali shrugged with a smile, “well… who knows… maybe one day if I find a man like your Sameer… But then again, maybe Sameer isn’t a leg-man.”

Naina laughed, “oh but he is… I got to know few months back that he had been ogling at my legs when we were in school.”

“What!?” Shefali was surprised, “as far as I remember you always had your socks pulled up so high, it looked like you were wearing stockings.”

“I had rolled them down once”, Naina supplied, “and I hadn’t even waxed… But he still stared and he didn’t even register that I hadn’t waxed.”

There was a moment of silence and then both girls erupted into peals of laughter, and that was the sight that greeted Sameer. But when he asked about the joke none of them said anything, rather just laughed more.

As October approached, there were only two weeks until Diwali. On the first weekend, Naina and Sameer went shopping for their own clothes as well as gifts for both families as agreed. They browsed through several shops… Sameer chose a red saree for Naina when she said she would wear one on the day of Diwali. While she selected a sea-green kurta-pyjama for Sameer, declaring that he would look extra-handsome in that. For most of their families they got clothes… Naina wanted to buy something for Deepika, but Sameer had no idea about the size that would fit her, and so it was decided to get a dress material and some books as she liked to read. While they were scanning through the novels in a book-store a commotion grabbed their attention… For some time they didn’t pay attention, but then it started to get noisier so Naina suggested checking once. A crowd had gathered outside, forming a circle and at first glance it seemed like around four boys were fighting with each other… However after a minute it became clear that three boys were hitting one, who was desperately trying to defend himself. Sameer was about to say to ignore it and leave from there, maybe go to another bookstore, when suddenly the poor boy was punched hard and his face turned with the force… He staggered, swaying around, and Sameer gasped, “Rohan…”

Naina was also shocked… What was Rohan doing in Mumbai? And why was he involved in a fight? Before she could think much, Sameer thrust the bags in her hand, and instructed, “stay here… I will be back.”

Naina could hardly draw in a shaky breath as he rushed towards the gathering, pushing the crowd to reach the source of commotion. Rohan was punched once more, and he staggered backwards, almost falling to the ground, but Sameer caught him, breaking the fall.

Rohan blinked, trying to look at his savior… His eyes widened in recognition, and his voice was barely audible, as if he was trying to confirm that he wasn’t dreaming, “bhai…?”

Sameer nodded, “what’s happening here?”

One boy from the trio sneered, “Oi… who’s this? Someone to save you loser?

Rohan grabbed Sameer’s arm, “bhai please… take me from here…”

Sameer steadied him, “who are they? Why are you fighting?”

“Aww… Poor baby was trying to get his wallet from us”, another boy replied, “but he ain’t getting it, is he?”

Sameer ignored the boy and asked his brother, “were you fighting for money?”

“It has my id in it”, Rohan replied miserably, “my driving license as well… And the money is what I saved from my pocket money for this trip and to get a recent novel for Deepika.”

The last one of the trio snickered, “who’s Deepika? Your girlfriend…? Did you guys hear that…? Loser has a girlfriend… Tell us… Is she beautiful? Maybe we can meet her and then she would choose us over you.”

There wasn’t enough time for anyone to gauge what was happening as Sameer left Rohan and swiftly punched the boy who had made the derogatory remark about his sister. The other boys came to defend their friend, and for just a single moment it looked like Sameer was outnumbered, but he recovered at lightning flash speed… The punches and kicks were blurry as Sameer moved from one to another, and in ten minutes the three boys were lying on the road, clutching different body parts. Sameer looked at his brother, “who has your wallet?”

A dumbfounded Rohan pointed to one of the guys… Sameer knelt and grabbed his collar, making him whimper, and demanded, “wallet…”

The boy’s hand shook as he pulled out a brown leather wallet and handed it over. Sameer took it and extended it to Rohan, “check if everything is there.”

Rohan quickly checked and confirmed that his things were intact. Just then a few more boys and girls came running, followed by a man and woman… The woman exclaimed, “oh God… what happened here?”

Rohan limped forward, “madam… they took my wallet, and…”

“And so you fought them”, the man completed, “don’t you know anything about discipline? How dare you break the rules? If they harassed you, then you should have come to complain…”

A boy from the recently arrived group piped up, “but sir… Ravi, Suraj and Kamal are always harassing us… We have complained so many times.”

The man glared at the boy, “that doesn’t mean Rohan can fight them… He should follow the rules and talk to teachers…”

Sameer, who had listened enough, chimed in, “when would he do that? When he would be lying on the road bleeding from his wounds? Or maybe when people here would have taken him to hospital? It is clear that these three boys were bullying Rohan, and probably have done that in past as well not just to him but others too… If anyone’s discipline or rule-breaking needs to be questioned, it’s theirs, not Rohan’s…”

The woman asked, “and who might you be? Local hero…?”

Sameer smirked, “Rohan’s brother… And please be assured that I would personally take this up with your college’s dean.”

The man started to look bit nervous, “you would be affected too… And so would Rohan… He could be suspended.”

Naina had come in to stand by Rohan when Sameer had ended the fight, and now she asked, “for being a victim of bullying? If that happens then I must say your college is pretty unusual…”

The woman tried to pitch in, “look… what’s happened is done… there is no need to take this matter further…”

Sameer’s fists clenched… Naina’s lips curved in a sweet-evil smile, “if you don’t want to support our complain to your dean, then we might as well complain directly to police… The book-store over there; that has CCTV fixed at the door, so it would have captured the fight… Sameer and I are witness to what happened… And trust me, our families do have enough influence for this complain to be taken seriously both in Mumbai and Delhi…”

The teachers visibly paled… Sameer added, “and I work in press… I guess bullying incident of your college would be a very interesting piece I could pass along to some newspapers in Delhi… I wonder what would your dean say…”

“No”, the man interrupted, “please don’t… we will personally let our college dean know about it… And we will handle the matter…”

Sameer nodded, “good… but I will definitely follow-up.”

The teachers helped the three boys as the crowd dispersed, some students asked after Rohan… Sameer and Naina got to know that they were in Mumbai as part of their college trip which was mix of education and fun… They had spent the last three days to study the working system of the Mumbai Dabbawala, and now they had four days to spend in Mumbai as a mini trip. The boys Sameer had dealt with had been bullying Rohan since he was in school, and had also beaten him up a couple of times, but today they had crossed all limits… Rohan told them how he was scared to death until Sameer arrived, and even then all he wanted to do was escape.

Sameer furiously asked, “why didn’t you tell mummy about this? Or Mr. Somani?”

“I did”, Rohan replied in a small voice, “in school they ignored it thinking I was just complaining to gain their attention, and in college when these boys beat me for first time dad asked me to man-up and fight back as such incidents were normal in college.”

Sameer rolled his eyes, “and here I thought they just failed in being my parents… but it looks like they didn’t do a good job even where you were concerned.”

Naina put a stop to the discussion, “Rohan needs to be treated… Maybe you should ask the teachers to let us take him…”

Sameer agreed, and then asked his brother, “would you like to spend the remaining four days in my apartment? Or would you rather stay with your classmates?”

For the first time since they saw Rohan that day, a bright smile lit up his face, “are you kidding? I would love to stay with you bhai… but… uh… I never called you as I thought you wouldn’t like me to stay over…”

Sameer shrugged, “you won’t get 5-star treatment, but I do have an air-conditioner and a TV…”

Rohan grinned happily, “that sounds more than perfect…”

And so it happened that Sameer got to experience another part of his life where he bonded with Rohan like only a brother would. Even though they had resolved their differences in the last Ahmedabad trip, none of them had ever expected more from their relationship. But these four days were so much fun that Rohan wished to stay back for more time… Naina was a cool Bhabhi according to Rohan, and he was subjected to couple of special pranks during the duration of his stay… Once when he sipped coffee, he was horrified to see a cockroach in his cup and had choked and screamed at the same time… Only when Sameer started to laugh on seeing the insect did he realize that it was a toy, and his Bhabhi had played a prank on them. Another time when both boys had gone out to get snacks, Rohan suddenly felt his shoes to be squishy from inside… Sameer asked Rohan to check and then both laughed out loud on seeing the inner sole to be made of clay dough. PB invited them over for dinner one night, and it was fun to see Rohan’s surprise on seeing a grandmother be so cool, and not dull like his dadi. The four days were gone soon, and Rohan promised to visit Ahmedabad with Deepika in Diwali.

A week was left for Diwali, colleges had closed for a short vacation, and they were supposed to leave in two days. Packing started in full swing… Naina and Sameer were busy, but their nights were filled with dreams of their upcoming life where they would be bonded together for a lifetime… This Ahmedabad trip was certainly the most anticipated one, and they wondered how it would turn out to be…