|| Gravity || A MaNan SS

|| Gravity - A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire ||

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The following Friday, I was waiting for him in the lobby of his office. A year ago, he had started his own firm. Albeit a rough start, he is doing well now. He has these huge dreams bubbling out of his small office. I respect him for that. He never settles; he never compromises - be it his career, respect or love.

"You look nice." I heard him say with a chuckle, coming out of his office. And I know he is teasing. I am wearing some khaki shorts over an old tee. It is hot as hell this summer. But, that does not mean anything to his mom. She has a problem with me when I wear shorts. This and some other things have led to some interesting give and takes between the two of us. Manik derives some kind of devilish pleasure when me and his mom are having these give and takes but after a certain point, he would be pressured into taking a side. That is when he gets mad.

"Good morning to you too." I ignored his comment.

He stops in front of me, drawing his brows together. "You are not wearing that in front of my mom." He points at my clothes.

"I will change, later." I rolled my eyes.

I did not care what problems his mom did or did not have with me – I am sure the list is endless – but my compliance has more to do with the pact I made with Manik. It calls in for the use of a word that I do not like very much - 'tact' - I keep his mom happy and satisfy her silly little demands and in return, Manik will zip his mouth when my dad makes smart and mean comments about his business and work. It has worked out pretty well for us both, till date.

My dad thinks I am too good for him. To be fair to him - which father doesn't think that about his daughter? After trying my best to make my father see the better side of Manik, I have made my peace with him – I realized that no matter which boy I choose, my dad will always be sceptical about him.

"How are you feeling?" I ask, once we hit the road.

"Sane and peaceful." He replies readily, with a wink.

"I don't want to fight, Manik. You can cut down on the snarls."

He looks at me but doesn't say anything. "You got a deal. God knows I am tired of fighting with you."

We smile and drive in silence for the next thirty minutes. I am just looking out of the window and he was flipping the radio channels. It was a comforting silence.

The drive made me nostalgic, reminding me of the better times we were in when we went down this road the first two times. The first time we went was for Payal's graduation. The second time was after our honeymoon – to a reception his father threw for us.

Visiting his folks always left me with mixed feelings. Manik comes from a broken home. His father left them in India after Payal was born. He sent them money but never cared to visited. Manik never spoke about how he felt about his father. It was always a touchy subject. After he settled in his job and had considerable savings, he brought his mom and sister to stay with him in New York.

That is when his father re-entered their lives. Interestingly, after some research, I came to know that he is one of the respectable cardiologists in the country. He was at that point in his life where he had done everything he wanted to do. He regretted the decisions he made about his family. He wasn't getting any younger and he craved for them to be around.