How I Married Your Mom

Chapter 17- A Picnic or Honeymoon?

"Are you ordering me, wifey?" Samarth had that devilish smirk with a naughty glow to it. Jiya sighed. "Nahi, I am just telling you how I feel on this. I don't want that child to go through professionals anymore especially when she has her parents now. Maa, as in uski Dai Maa, theek hai, after all she is so kind, so good and she is the only person I can go to for advice and stuff but tutor and things like that, ek kaam kyun nahi karte? Aap use Math padha do main use baaki saare subjects padha dungi!" Jiya turned around and looked at Samarth.

"No!" Samarth said in a monotonous voice gazing at the gadget in his hand. "Kyun? Maine kaha na, main use baaki sare subjects padha dungi aap sirf ek Math padha do." Jiya shrugged her shoulders. Samarth turned around and kept the gadget on the bed, sighing. "Main koi teacher nahi hun. Mujhe bachhon ko padhana nahi aata." Samarth ran his hand through his hair while saying that. "Haan toh main ek doctor hun, mujhe kaun sa bachhon ko padhana aata hai?" Jiya widened her eyes as Samarth failed to see things from her perspective.

"Nahi aata padhana? Arey din bhar toh gyaan jhaadte phirti ho." Samarth mocked. "Main--wait, are you weak in Math?" Jiya narrowed her eyes at the possibility of it. "Wh-what? Nahi toh." Samarth turned her gaze away. Jiya chuckled and pressed more on the issue. "No, tell me, you are weak in Math right?" She repeated her question making Samarth exasperated. "Yes, I am weak. Any issue? Not everyone is a doctor." Samarth shouted making Jiya flinch. From the tone he used, Jiya felt he was hurt about the whole Math thing.

"Even I once was poor in Math but I practiced a lot and got through it. Don't worry, I'll teach Pari Math. But, I can't believe you are--umm, you know, you are a business man so, you ought to be good in Math." Jiya was unable to believe this fact. This newfound revelation was eating her up. "It's not like I don't understand Math even a bit, it's just that, I hate Math and there's a reason to it." Samarth finished speaking and looked at Jiya, embarrassed. Jiya opened her mouth to ask for the reason but quickly closed it knowing he would not tell her anyways. "I am so sorry about that." 

Jiya got up from the stool and went towards her cupboard. Samarth was shocked as to why didn't Jiya dug him up for the reason. "Don't you wanna know the reason?" Samarth asked looking at Jiya's back. "I want to know but, there's no way in heavens you gonna tell me that so, I decided to let you be." Jiya picked a towel to get freshened up as she had just returned from the hospital after dropping Pari back to the home. 

"My Math teacher." Jiya stopped in her tracks as she heard Samarth start the 'reason'. She turned around and looked at him, questioningly. "My Math teacher from 9th standard was a very cracked person. Before 9th, I loved Math and used to always get an A on the progress report on Math subject. But, after he started teaching me, I started going down. He used to waste time and do all sorts of activities apart from teaching. I studied in a Government school. My parents didn't have enough money to get me into a nice school at that time. I was forced to continue. Whenever I would tell him to teach a chapter instead of simply ordering us around and wasting time, he would backlash at me and scold and sometimes even beat me with a cane, I eventually began hating the subject because of the teacher." Jiya could tell that Samarth had grown afraid as he recalled the bitter memories of his childhood.

It not only explained the reason why Samarth didn't like Math but also explained why he wanted Pari to have all the happiness in the world. He even married someone of Pari's choice because he wanted Pari to be happy. Jiya's heart ached for the boy who had gotten beaten in front of the class or maybe even alone just because he pointed out his teacher's mistake to him. Her brain held anger for that man undeserving to be called a teacher and her heart held pity for the person sitting in front of her, her husband. She understood, Samarth too had faced many hardships in life just like her and that he wasn't born in a family with a silver spoon in his mouth. He had to earn it and instantly she felt proud of him now because where he was at present, he was due to his hard work and not mere luck or through nepotism.