𝐒𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐢 ~ 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 |𝟏𝟖+|

𝟑𝟓. 𝐌𝐚𝐚 𝐤 𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐮

Target :- 550 votes and 110 comments

Author's POV:-

'Ji baara saal??' Sakshi asked in a whisper.
("Ji just 12 years old?")

He nods his head with closed eyes.

'Mere maa baara saal k thein aur woh adhaish saal k thein..maa ko toh utna gyaan bhi nahi tha ki unke shaadi karane jaa rahe thein.. unhone toh bas ek achi bachi ban k apni har maa baba k baat mana..' he said now opening his eyes looking directly to her eyes.

("My mother was twelve years old, and he was twenty eight years old... Maa didn’t even know the meaning of the word marriage  She just obeyed her parents like a good daughter,")

She was just staring back at him.

'Unhe kya pata tha ki yahi unk zindagi ko sabse bari kal hain..sabse bari galti..' he said.

("How could she have known that this would become the biggest curse of her life... her biggest mistake,")

'Mein jab hua, tab maa adhara saal ki thi..mein bachpan se hi thora lajuk sa larka tha..mujhe utna dost banana nahi ata tha ..nah kisi se thik se baat karna ko aata tha..mujhe bas apne maa k sath rehana pasand tha..' his lips curves into smile.

("I was born when Maa was just eighteen... Since childhood, I was a bit of a shy boy. I didn’t know how to make friends... or how to talk to people properly. I just liked being with my mother,")

'Maa jaha jaha jati thi, mein unk aanchal pakar kar waha daurta tha..' he chuckles.

("Wherever Maa went, I would run behind her, clutching the edge of her saree,")

'Dhire dhire mein jab bara hone laga..mere dimaag mein jab budhi ane lage ..mujhe pata laga maa ko iss parivaar mein koi pasand hi nahi karte thein..sab log unse kaam karwa lete thein'

("As I grew older... as my mind began to understand things... I realized that no one in the family liked Maa. They just made her work all the time.")

'Aur choti si bhi kuch galati ho jaay na toh meri dadi bohot khari khoti sunati thi unhe..aur woh chup chap sun bhi leti thi apni sir jhukake..' he whisper remembering one scene.

("And even if she made the smallest mistake, my grandmother would hurl harsh words at her... and Maa would silently listen to them, her head bowed,")

Flashback:

Arjun was just 8 years old.

And his mother—barely 26.

“Yeh kya banaya hai tune, bahu?! Isse roti kehte hain?!”

(“What have you made this bahu??! You call this a roti?!”)

Dadi’s sharp, thunderous voice cracked through the kitchen walls like a whip. Arjun's mother flinched, her trembling fingers clutching her pallu tighter over her head.

“Ji maaji... woh... main bartan dho rahi thi... toh thodi si roti jal gayi” she whispered, her head bowed low, her voice barely audible.

(“Ji Maaji... I-I was washing the utensils... so the roti got a little burnt,” )

Little Arjun stood close to his mother, his wide eyes moving between the towering rage of his dadi and the quiet fear etched on his mother’s face. He blinked, confused and scared.

“Tera dhyaan rehta kahaan hai?! Ek kaam bhi theek se nahi hota tujhse! Ab mein yeh jali hui roti sabko khilao bahar?!kya kahenge sab log ki mere Bahu kuch aati nahi??”