Pranushka One Shots

Chapter 16 - Persuasion

"We agree that you can very well handle yourself in your profession, but when it comes for standing up for your personal life, you chicken out and settle for others", reasoned Ramesh.

"If you're not confident enough about your relationship to disclose it your parents, then how can you convince them for it?", Guna had asked her.

Anushka had kept quiet after that. She knew that her brothers were right. She was undoubtedly confident about her and Prabhas. She had to stand up for them. It's just her own parents, not strangers. She just had to let her parents see how much Prabhas means to her.

She didn't speak until everyone finished their dinner. The family had gathered around in the hall for usual chit-chat.

Guna gave her gestures to speak to her parents. She bit her lips, mustering courage.

"What's going on between brother and sister?", asked her mom, noticing their exchanges.

"Sweety wanted to tell you both something important", piped in Ramesh.

"What is it?", asked her father, his all attention on his daughter's face, that had gone pale.

"Appa, Amma, um...", Anushka stammered.

"What is bothering you Sweety?", her mother came and sat near her, holding her sweaty palms.

"Tell them!", urged her sister-in-law and wife of Ramesh, Saloni.

Sweety took a deep breath and plunged for it.

"I'm in a relationship.", confessed her, looking at both her parents.

The grip of her mother on her hands loosened as her eyes widened with shock. Her father leaned on the sofa, sighing.

"With whom?", questioned her mother, her voice slightly hysterical.

Anushka looked at her brothers and Saloni, and they nodded at her in encouragement.

"Prabhas", she said, slowly and lucidly.

"Prabhas?!", cried Amma.

Her mother looked at her father, who was still deep in thought and prodded him to say something.

Anushka had her head completely blank. What she had prepared to tell her parents seemingly wiped off from her mind.

Her father took a minute to talk. He started, clearing his throat,

"We have given you all the freedom necessary to live your life on your own accord. We have always supported your decisions. Haven't we?"

Anushka's throat tightened as she nodded her head. Her father continued,

"And now in this matter also, you have complete freedom to choose the person you want to spend your life with. You are, after all, a grown up lady. But, if you are already in a relationship with him, how does our opinion matter?"

Anushka had tears streaming down. She stood up and ran towards her father and cried,

"Appa! Don't say that please! No one else's words matter to me more than yours and Amma's, not even my own! I just...I really love him Appa! Please understand..."

Both her parents stood up and her father said,

"Give us some time then Sweety", and they went to their room.

Anushka stood there, transfixed. Was everything slipping through her fingers?

* * * * *

It was the hundredth time that Prabhas was taking up his phone to call Sweety, to ask what had happened there. But he didn't. If she asked what the situation was here at his home, he could not say that his mother seemed rather unhappy with the news. So he thought it better not to call her, even though he badly wanted to know the reaction of her parents.