Dil Ka Rishta

Ek Pal

"Beta, tumhe school jaana hai. Sab kuch tumhare bag mein hai, jise main le jaane ke liye taiyaar hoon. Sunishchit kare ki aap apne sar dvara sikhaya gai har baat par poora dhyan den kyunki kal aapaki rasayan vigyan ki pariksha hai. Dhyan rahe ki hame aaj raat ko mandir jaana hai(Son, you have to go to school. Everything is in your backpack, which I have ready to go. Make sure you pay close attention to everything your sir teaches since tomorrow is your chemistry test. Keep in mind that we have to visit the temple tonight.)" Aarohi pondered how many times she would need to bring up this topic with her son before he would even care. He was only interested in having fun with his friends. Arun needed to take his tests seriously because he was in the eighth grade. "Main jaanta hoon Amma. Main karoonga(I know Amma. I will.)" He raced out the door after giving Aarohi a final hug. He had to listen to his mother's instructions so often that he was getting sick of them. Why does he need to score so highly? He occasionally wished he was not rich because he wanted to simply enjoy life. He actually concentrated on him because he was the only child of businessman Rajesh Nair. He considered everything in chemistry to be useless and dull. It's not like he plans to pursue a career in medicine or something. A chalk was abruptly tossed at him as he dozed off at his desk. "Arun,please kaksha ke saamne ki or badhen(Please proceed to the front of the classroom, Arun.)" While the other teens made fun of him, he spanked him and made him write his apology on the board. Seriously! Why must his teachers be so harsh with him? When they were teenagers did they get straight As? He headed outside with his mates after school was out. "Kya aap aaj raat sangeet concert mein hamare saath shamil ho rahe hai? Isame bahut maja aayega( Are you joining us tonight for the concert? It will be a lot of fun.)" Arun planned to do so but then remembered the puja. "Sorry yaar,mujhe aaj shaam ko mandir jaana hai(I have to visit the temple this evening.)" "That sucks man", they all agreed as they responded. As he made his lonesome way home, he groaned. He had been waiting for the concert for about a month, but he was unable to go. Along with his family, he dressed. It was Ganesha Chaturthi, so they sang songs and chanted prayers to Lord Ganesha. He noticed a girl sprinting toward him as he was preparing to tie a key with a prayer for his family. Crash! He observed the girl wince in pain as she accidentally scraped his knees with her bangles. "Main vaastav mein maafi chahta hoon; main aasha karata hoon ki tum mujhe maaf kar doge. Main apane parivaar tak pahunchne ke liye utsuk tha aur jaldi kar raha tha. Maine tumhe chot pahunchai(I'm really sorry; I hope you can forgive me. I was eager to reach my family and hurried. I caused you injury.)" Arun struggled to stay enraged at her and tears began to flow from her eyes. Just two years separated them in age. Despite having a childlike innocence, she had a beautiful face. "Mujhe bhi khed hai. Mujhe apana naam bataiye(I'm sorry as well. Tell me your name.)" She answered, "Nithya," with a small smile. "Aur aap(And you?)" The girl had earned Arun's trust. "Main Arun Nair hoon. Mere Papa ek safal vyavasayi hai. Main aathaveen kaksha ka chhatra hoon(I'm Arun Nair. My dad is a successful businessman. I'm an eighth-grader.)" Her eyes sparkled, and she grinned. "Aap sach much bhaagyashaali hai. Aap dhani parivaar jo chaahe khareed sakate hai(You are truly fortunate. You wealthy families can buy whatever you want.)" Arun scoffed and shook his head. "Aap paise se azadi aur khushi nahi khareed sakate(You cannot buy freedom and happiness with money.)" "Nithu,hum ja rahe hai(we're leaving)", a distant voice yelled out, and she beamed. Anju, her older sister, was in her tenth grade. She waved to him and then took off. 

Nithya: