"Don't fight. Okay?" Mom warned me once again.
I nodded happily.
Why would I fight with two little angel-like girls?
"Don't worry. Alex is a good boy. He won't make any trouble." Lakshmi aunty wasn't worried.
After giving me a warning look, mom left with Lakshmi aunty. Clearly, my mom didn't share the same opinion as Lakshmi aunty. But they still left the room so that would play among ourselves.
I looked at the two little girls.
Anita and Meera.
"Stop looking at me you waste of human flesh!" Anita was instantly annoyed by me.
'What are you acting so high and mighty for? Didn't you poop on the bed we met last time?' I very much wanted to retort. But decided to keep quiet. Because if she realizes that I regressed like her, then she might kill me on the spot to take revenge for what happened in the previous life.
I turned to Meera.
She was looking around curiously and sucking on her thumb.
'What an innocent child! Why can't Anita be more like her?' Again, I kept my thoughts to myself.
About Meera, she's Lakshmi aunty's daughter.
I think I have already told you that Lakshmi aunty doesn't have a child and her marriage was on the brink of failure.
Lakshmi aunty is a bit too rigid when comes to certain matters. She and her husband didn't have a child. So her husband wanted to adopt one. But Lakshmi aunty wanted to adopt a child from their own family. This way, the child will have the blood of their family and their immense wealth would stay in the family bloodline.
Unfortunately, her husband didn't like the idea. Adopting a child from their own family means the child will have another set of parents. He wanted a child for themselves. He wasn't comfortable with sharing the parental rights of the child with someone else. This issue, eventually lead to the failure of their marriage in my previous life.
But everything changed about a month ago.
I created some big trouble for Lakshmi aunty. I inadvertently gave her the taste of being a mother. That somehow changed her mind and she agreed to the adoption.
Right now, the baby whom she adopted was in front of me.
"Wavaa..." She tried saying something.
"Wooo..." I replied seriously.
After getting the baby, Lakshmi aunty was having a bit of trouble with the baby. So mom suggested a play date. Anita was also invited. But there was another motive. I will tell you that later.
I was pretty happy about the arrangement. But once we started playing, it became awkward.
Anita had no intention of playing with me. But she was very much interested in Meera. So, soon it became a competition between us trying to get the attention of Meera.
'Fine. Since you don't want to play with me, don't blame me for what I'm going to do next.'
I decided to get the attention of Meera. After all, I clearly had the home ground advantage as we were at my home. "Babyyy.." I picked up my doll and passed it to Meera. It was a child like doll. It's original owner was Anu. She named it 'Baby'. Once she got real babies, she lost interest in the baby doll and it became mine. It was one of the many items I inherited from her.
Meera smiled and accepted the doll. Dimples appeared on her chubby cheeks as she smiled. It reminded me of a nursery rhyme Anu sings occasionally. She was so cute.
Why can't Aani be more like her? Aani acts like a grumpy old woman all the time. At this rate, she would have wrinkles by the time she is a teenager.
I wasn't tired of living. So I kept the thoughts to myself and returned to playing with Meera. Aani harrumphed and continued ignoring me.
"Eye..." Meera poked at the eye of the doll and said.
"Eye." I agreed.
"Nooose..."
"Eear..." She continued poking the doll. It looked like her vocabulary was pretty good for her age. She was also cute and well behaved.
I looked at Aani deprecatingly. She should really learn from Meera.
"What are you looking at? If you like her so much, why don't you marry her already?" I was greeted with another scathing comment.
Is she jealous? I suddenly felt a lot better. If she is truly jealous, then there is still hope for me. Maybe I should check it a bit.
"Hand." I poked Meera's arm.
"Hugg.." She extended her arms and asked for a hug.
I happily accepted the hug. Who in their right mind would give up on a happy hug from a chubby baby?
"If you like her so much, why did you divorce her?" Aani didn't miss another chance to poke at me.
'Divorce?'
'When did I... Ohh... She must be talking about my divorce from the previous life.' In my previous life, I was married for a short duration. After I lost my family, I was alone for a long time. Aunty tried her best to help me. Unfortunately, even she wasn't successful.
Somewhere around that time, I got married. Apparently, the people around me believed that a marriage might be able to save me. It lasted only three months. My wife Manju, tried her best to make it work. But I had already lost hope in my life and never paid any attention to her. Fortunately or unfortunately, she left me and filed a divorce case. I agreed to everything without even trying to win her back. After that, she returned to the orphanage and...
Wait...
The orphanage!
Manju was an orphan! She grew up in the orphanage and moved with me after the marriage. That's why Aani said that. But this is Meera, not Manju.
No!
Meera is a baby. It's normal to change the name later when joining a school.
The age is right. Meera is from an orphanage. What are the chances that this Meera and Manju from my previous life are the same?
I started sweating. My entire body was paralyzed. But my mind was working as fast as it could.
I desperately tried to remember the details of my wife from my previous life.
What was the name of the orphanage?
When was her birthday?
Who was her guardian?
I don't remember!!!
I don't remember any details of Manju that would help me to confirm whether Meera and Manju are the same.
The age is right. I remember that Manju and I were almost the same age. She was from an orphanage nearby. Because the engagement ceremony was in a nearby church. Most importantly, Aani seems to know something. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said it.
If these hints are right, then there is a good chance that they are the same person.
That means Meera could be my wife from my previous life!
Ohh... My... God...
In an instant, my life turned upside down.
I need to calm down and arrange my thoughts. My first priority is keeping my secrets hidden. So I have to act normal.
Thanks to the experience from the previous life, I managed to hide my shock and continued playing with the babies. I pretended to be cool and continued petting the doll. Because Aani was clearly glaring at me to see my reaction.
Wait wait wait...
If Meera is my wife from my previous life, then that means Lakshmi aunty is.... my mother in law.
...
Lakshmi aunty was the most beautiful and elegant lady I had seen in my life. I even had a crush on her.
But now...
I glared at Aani angrily.
I was having a happy and simple life before this devil ruined it.
"Stop looking at me or eye will poke your eye out." She threatened me.
The audacity of this girl!
She turned my life upside down with just one sentence and now she the threatening me. She really deserves a punch.
Right! She deserves a punch.
I jumped at her with a clenched fist. She clearly wasn't expecting it. So I managed to land one punch on her. But unfortunately, she turned out to be a bit stronger than I expected.
I have no idea what her parents fed her. She was crazy strong. She started pulling my nose and punching me on my shoulder. I somehow managed to break free and tried my best to crawl away. She then kicked my bum without any mercy.
"Waaa...." With no other choice, I started crying loud.
"Who's making trouble?" I heard Lakshmi aunty's voice.
"WAAAAA...." Just before the three mothers entered the room, Aani started crying even louder.
For a moment, I was dumbstruck. That little creature beat me up and then she started crying louder than me!
As for me Meera, she was clapping hands and laughing. She was clearly enjoying the show.
After noticing that her child was fine, Lakshmi aunty picked me up and consoled me.
"Why are you crying? Didn't you like my daughter?" Lakshmi aunty asked me playfully.
I didn't know what to say.
"Don't cry. She will take care of you. But if you bully her, you will be facing me." Lakshmi aunty continued.
'Can you stop talking like a mother in law?' I looked at her disapprovingly.
Suddenly she started looking like a grumpy mother in law. In an instant, she lost half the charm she had in my eyes.
I desperately wanted to find the truth. Unfortunately, I was a horrible husband and didn't know anything that would connect them.
There was only one way.
Wait for her to grow up. Wait for years and watch whether her looks match Manju as she grows up. It is like a timebomb that would take years to explode.
I sighed in despair.
I'm actually older than both my parents. The girl I was in love with and the girl who was probably my wife are in the same room. The lady I had a crush on could be my mother in law. This cannot get worse.
Ohh... It can.
I died before the divorce procedures were finished. So, in my twisted timeline, I am still married to Manju.
If she was really my wife, how would I treat her? Manju actually did her best to save my life. It was I who ruined our lives. I really owe her a life.
I looked at her. She was sleeping on Lakshmi aunty's shoulder and drooling. Her arm was wrapped around her mom's neck. A peaceful little baby.
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Thanks for reading. Please share the story with your friends.
Sorry for the delay. I am busy with exams. I will try to post the next chapter as soon as possible.