Batwara pyar ka | ✔

Oh god make me vanish, I'll chant 108 times

"What are you two doing?" My father asked after seeing both of us standing in front of each others and laughing. 

"I told her to have a good mind like you Kaka ji. If I'll be teaching her profit loss of business then she must know how to be smart like you. But she said she can never be as smart as you." Amen guy said.

"Haha right! See girls can not understand such things and see doesn't even have brain to do so." My father answered him. 

You know I accept that in this era of 1945, we girls are girls are made to handle kitchen work. There are rarely some girls who are interested in doing work apart from this.

"Kaka ji, she's your daughter, your blood. She even looks smart like you. May be if she really knows her worth then she can make you even more rich." He suggested and my father seemed to be giving it a thought.

"Ok give me the sheet & let me see the profit loss. You may go Asha." Amen guy said.

I walked inside the kitchen. 

"Why do father ask this guy to check the profit & loss of our business?" I asked mother.

"He's 10th pass. He knows how to calculate. He is very intelligent person." My mother said.

10th pass... this is one of the highest education of our time. I'm actually impressed by this person.

"Hey? What happened? You're blocking my way." My father said.

I was lost in my thoughts so I said, "10th pass is a great achievement. That's why he was smart, and looked bright."

"Yes. He looks handsome, he is healthy & most importantly he is very intelligent. If I had a son then I'd want him like him only." My father said.

My mother smiled and nodded.

As a son also he seemed to be a nice person. But doing ladies chores like helping his mother to get the dried chilly is not so manly. He needs to work on that I guess. 

"Asha? What's wrong?" My mother asked me.

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking about something." I answered.

Later in the afternoon my father came home for lunch very late. He was hungry & I knew he'd throw tantrums so I prepared all the things for him before hands.

"Serve me food right away. I'm very hungry & need to go. There are many customers in the shop." My father said.

As I was running to the kitchen he stopped me.

"Asha bring that brown book of profit loss & write what I say." He said.

I did the same while Vibha & Mother served father.

"Write there, Wani - 1 rupees pending from him which he will pay next month, Supa- 70 paisa pending from him which will be paid next week, Jagadisha- 50 paisa pending which he will pay next month, Ahmadabad- 10 rupees material sent. Profit will be told my Somnath next week, etc etc." My father said & I wrote down.

He completed his lunch and went to the shop again.

During the dinner time my mother asked me to go clean the garden area of our house. I went outside and started to sweep the ground. 

I stopped as I saw sun setting. I saw a guy walking in front of it & blocking my view. It was non other than the Amen guy. As we had an eye contact, I looked away. I focused on sweeping the ground. He passed by me. I noticed his sleepers and little dirt on his clothes and wondered what he does. Even in the evening he looked bright yet a little tired. I wondered what gives glow on his face like this. 

He smiled at me. 

I realized I was staring at him for a long time which he noticed and smiled then.

So embarrassing. 

Why do I always end up having him catch me staring at him? This is so embarrassing. I was never like this. What will be my image if anyone sees me behaving like this? He's close to my father, what if he tells him that I kept on staring at him & we even had a conversation yesterday at late night? I'll be screwed.  But I was really never like this. It's been an year or more since I've had a word with a guy this friendly. Am I changing? 

"Asha?" My mother tapped on my shoulder. It felt like my soul left my body.. I was this scared really.

"Oh? Yes mother?" I said.

"Why are you looking at that dog pooping?" My mother asked me genuinely.

"What?" I looked ahead and saw the dog pooping with satisfaction on his face. 

"Yeah. Are you okay?" My concerned mother asked me.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'll quickly sweep this ground & come in." I said hurriedly.

Mother touched my forehead & said, "When you're done with this come home and sit infront of  lord Mahadev pind & chant 'Om Namah Shivay'. Okay?" 

I nodded. Definitely my mother was thinking that I've gone crazy or something has possessed me. I should quickly sweep the ground & get inside.

I heard someone's giggles. As I looked around it was that Amen guy sitting in front of his door steps while giggling at me.

"Poor dog felt uncomfortable watching a beautiful girl like you staring at him when he was doing his important business." He said.

"You!" I couldn't even say a word because I was embarrassed as hell. I was actually asking god to make me vanish.

Without cleaning the ground completely I ran inside the house and really sat infront of lord Mahadev pind and chanted 'Om Namah Shivay' for 108 times.

"Is she fine?" Nisha asked mother.

"I don't think so." Mother said.