Two Yearning Hearts

7

With a pleased smile at her usual simplistic appearance in the mirror, Parvati grabbed her file, all set to head off to work. But just then, the cries of little Saahil reached her ears.

Feeling a sudden twinge of longing, she couldn't control her feet anymore. Before she knew it, she was standing outside Pallavi and Kamal's room.

Stepping out of the bathroom wrapped in her bathrobe and toweling her hair, Pallavi called out to Kamal, "Kamal, was it too much to ask to look after Saahil for a few minutes while I bathed?" In her voice there was a hint of exasperation. She took her son from her husband's arms, cradling him gently. "Did my little one miss his mummy?" Pallavi spoke gently with her son, her voice full of affection.

Kamal and Pallavi soon calmed down their son, to Parvati's relief. With tearful joy glimmering in her eyes, Parvati watched them, and realized that Kamal and Pallavi were fully capable of taking care of their child and didn't need her help. Moreover, from the time she overheard Kamal and Pallavi's private talks, she had withdrawn herself from participating in Saahil's life. With a heart full of emotions, she silently walked away from there.

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Parvati wrapped up her work in the evening ahead of time. Just so she could rush back home and take Sonu out to the park for some playtime. When she got home, she smiled finding Sonu, all cozy on the sofa, engrossed in her cartoons. Though she was eager to take Sonu out to play, she reminded herself of yesterday's incident when she took Sonu to the park without informing her parents and the trouble it caused. Not wanting a repeat of that issue, she decided it'd be best to ask for Shilpa's permission first. With that in mind, she headed to Shilpa's room.

Shilpa was cheerfully selecting clothes from her wardrobe when she heard a gentle knock on the door. Turning around, she greeted Parvati with a warm smile and invited her inside.

As Parvati entered the room with a return smile, she politely asked Shilpa, "bhabhi, is it okay if I take Sonu to the park?"

"Oh, not today, Parvati. Gaurav and I planned to take Sonu out ourselves," Shilpa responded in a gentle tone, causing a wave of disappointment within Parvati but she tried to hide her emotions.

"And, by the way," Shilpa continued, "we will be having dinner outside, so please don't wait for us. Also, when maa ji wakes up, please inform her about our plans. I don't want to disturb her sleep."

Parvati managed a nod, doing her best to keep her composure and hold back her tears. With nothing more to say, she just quietly turned and left, her heart heavy with sadness.

In the evening, the entire family came together in the hall for some snack time. A sense of joy filled the air as everyone spent their time adoring and playing with the baby, Saahil, who was comfortably relaxing in his cradle. Seeing this, a smile spread across Parvati's face as she went on to serve tea to everyone.

Vinita, upon being handed her cup of tea by Parvati, realized the absence of Shilpa and Gaurav. Looking puzzled, she asked, "where are Shilpa and Gaurav? I haven't seen them around."

"Bhaiya and bhabhi have gone out with Sonu," Parvati replied. "They will also have dinner outside."

"How could they just leave? Didn't they find it necessary to tell maa!" Chhaya blurted out. Seeing this, Kamal and Pallavi just rolled their eyes. They knew Chhaya would turn anything into high drama even if it were no biggie. But, Parvati managed to keep her cool and replied, "Shilpa bhabhi wanted to tell maa ji, but maa ji was sleeping at that time and she didn't want to disturb her sleep, so she asked me to inform maa ji when she would wake up."

"But..."

Before Chhaya could utter another word, Vinita cut in, "it's good they went out somewhere. Gaurav has been very busy with his work lately, he should spend some time with his wife and daughter too."