Here's the 26th chapter.
Enjoy reading.
"Huh... huh... huhh... huhhhh...", Anokhi was gasping for breath while ascending the stairs.
She was a few minutes late for her class.
In order to make more money, that auto driver took her on a different route, calling it a shortcut, and wasting more time as a result.
"Main toh late ho gayi..."
"Paanch minute hi hue honge class shuru hue..."
She wondered aloud, "Pehli class to..."
"Hey Matarani !... Aaj toh main gayi firse..."
"Pehli class toh Shaurya Sir ki hain !...", she said as she ran, her hand hovering over her head.
She finally arrived at her class and calmed down by placing her hand over her heart. She took a deep breath before opening the door.
She gobbled the lump in her throat and opened the door slowly and fearfully.
There he was, standing near the whiteboard, holding the marker.
His gaze met hers, and her heart skipped a beat as she wondered what would happen next.
"M... may I... May I come in Sir ?..."
He took his hand off the board and replaced the marker's cap, and she noticed him approaching her.
Her heart began to race as she anticipated what he would do.
Will he punish her again like that ?
Or will he directly expel her from college for being 5 minutes late ?
"S... sorry sir... for disturbance...", she apologized.
He stood in front of her, and she looked up to see what he was up to.
He pulled the door handle further open and said, "Padhaariye Miss Bhalla...", welcoming her as if she were some "Queen Elizabeth".
Anokhi blinked nervously and took a step forward.
She tried again to confirm, "M... main andar aa sakti hoon na Sir ?..."
"Jee bilkul...", he smiled broadly.
All of the students locked their eyes staring on her, and she took shaky steps inside to Reema's bench. She sat down, but the way everyone was staring at her made her feel very uneasy.
Shaurya feigned a smile while staring at her, but he was infuriated on the inside. He paid no attention to her and continued his lecture.
Shaurya left after the lecture, and Anokhi wondered, "Aaj Shaurya Sir ko kya hua?... Mujhe daanta nhi..."
Anyway, she returned her focus to the next lecture.
It also came to an end, and it was time for a break.
She was walking towards the canteen, accompanied by Reema.
"Yaar Anokhi !..."
"Vo jo humaara project haina... mujhe usme ek problem aa rhi thi toh teri thodi help chaahiye..."
"Haan... toh tu mujhse class mein pooch lena..."
"Class mein utna time kaha milta hain Anokhi..."
"Tu ek kaam kar... aaj college khatam hote hi mere hostel room chalna mere saath... tabhi discuss kar lenge..."
Anokhi's eyes widened as she heard her proposal. How was she going to tell her that she couldn't because she had to leave her little daughter behind every day to go to college ? She can't leave her there at the Crèche waiting for her Mumma for too long.
"R... Reema..."
"Main tere room mein?"... Tu abhi pooch le abhi toh break hi hain..." she tried politely to make her understand.
"Kyu kya hua Anokhi ?..."
"Tera PG yaha se zyaada door hain ?... Mera matlab agar tu yaha mere room mein shaam tak ruk jaati hain to vapaas jaane mein zyaada raat ho jaayegi... isiliye tu nhi aana chaahti ?...", Reema tried to reason the matter.
"Nhi... nhi Reema... Aisi baat nhi hain..."
"Vo... vo... main..."
"Tu ek kaam kar... iss Friday ko tu mere PG aa jaana... Theek hain ?...", Anokhi suggested.
"Yeh bhi sahi hain... Tu nhi toh main hi sahi...", Reema giggled.
Anokhi smiled nervously and began to consider how she would confront Reema when she will learn about her daughter on that day. But she brushed her thoughts aside, knowing that she had nothing to hide and that, as her friend, Reema had a right to know about her.
"Toh theek hain... Iss Friday main tere ghar... I mean tere PG aane vaali hoon... Mere swaagat ki taiyaari karke rakhna...", Reema ordered, laughing.
Anokhi, too, burst out laughing.
They parted ways, and Anokhi went to the cafeteria.
The break went on.
Anokhi had finished her canteen work and noticed that she had spent some time after the break was over.
Because the other helper was unavailable today, she was forced to complete all of the canteen's tasks alone, causing her to be late.
"Tch..."
"Aaj toh canteen work mein bhi late ho gaya..."
"Pta nhi kya ho rha hain aaj subha se mere saath..."
She was running towards her class when she crossed path with him.
She looked up, he looked down and their eyes met.
She was about to walk past him when he interrupted with a glance at his watch, causing her to come to a halt.
"Lagta hain aapke liye iss college ke rules change karvaane padhenge Miss Bhalla..."
She didn't understand what he was saying. She turned and looked at him.
"M... main samjhi nhi Sir...", she said.
"Ohh Really ?..."
"Aisa kaise ho sakta hain ?... Aap toh topper haina ?... Aap itni si baat kaise nhi samajh sakti ?...", he taunted.
Anokhi stood motionless, unable to understand him.
"Subha bhi late !... Break ke baad bhi late !..."
"Aapko kya lagta hain ki aap jab chaahe class mein jaayengi... jab chaahe aayengi aur koi kuch nhi kahega..."
"Aap topper hain iska matlab yeh nhi ki aapke liye rules alag honge Miss Bhalla...", he said as he glared at her.
Anokhi's eyes widened at his statement as she realized what he was trying to say.
"Sir... aap mujhe galat samajh rhe hain... Subha mai... vo... auto...", she tried to reason but he cut her in middle.
"Tumhaare paas har ek baat ka excuse hota haina Miss Bhalla !...", he snarled.
"Nhi Sir... Main sach keh rhi-..."
"Enough !!...", he yelled, causing Anokhi to flinch.
"Maine tumhe subha kuch nhi kaha to tumhe kya lga maine tumhaare late aane ko accept kar liya ?!...", he shouted.
"Mujhe pta tha ki main kuch bhi bolunga to tum aise hi excuse bnana shuru kar dogi... aur poori class ka lecture sirf tumhaari vajah se miss ho jaayega... Isiliye main tab tumhe kuch nhi kaha..."
Anokhi's eyes were on the verge of watering, but she was holding it together.
"Tum apni top rank ka iss tarah se faayda nhi utha sakti..."
"Tum ek entrance exam mein first aayi toh tumhe kya lga tum special insaan ban gayi. ?... Tumhe yaha college mein specially treat kiya jaayega ?..."
"Bhoolo mat vo bas ek exam tha jo ki ho chuka hain... Ab tum bhi baaki students ki hi tarah ho isliye tumpar bhi vhi rules laagu honge jo unpar hote hain... Samjhi tum !..."
"Aaj main tumhe chod rha hoon... Lekin aainda se agar maine dekha ki tum rules ko follow nhi kar rhi ho... I will take the necessary action..."
"Get it right to the point !..."
"Now go !!!...", he yelled.
Anokhi turned at once without even replying anything to him and ran out of there towards her class, her tear droplets glistening in the air and visible to Shuarya.
Anokhi sobbed all the way to her class, recalling every word he had said to her.
He had made her feel humiliated. He had minimized all of her efforts by claiming that it was "just an exam".
Yeah, it was just an exam but his intention was to dismiss her hard work. He was attempting to explain that the exam was nothing and that it was a simple task that Anokhi had breezed through.
He had no idea how much effort and struggle she had to put in to get there.
He had misunderstood her, thinking she was trying to brag about her position.
Because she was the top rank holder, he assumed that by arriving late to college, she was emphasizing herself as different from others or that she was a special person to whom the rules didn't apply.
His words stung her deeply.
She quickly wiped her tears and entered the classroom, putting on a brave face, to attend the next lecture.
Shaurya was still standing where he had spewed the foul words a few minutes before. Somewhere he was regretting that.
"Maine vhi kiya jo sahi tha..."
"Vo aise rules break karti rahegi aur koi kuch bhi nhi kahega... aisa toh nhi ho sakta na..."
"Aaj ke baad use yaad rahega ki vo bhi rest of the students ki tarah hi normal hain..."
"First rank holder hain to yeh nhi ki yaha college mein apni man marzi karegi..."
He walked away of there.
Anokhi was in bus but his words were still ringing in her ears.
"Tum ek entrance exam mein first aayi toh tumhe kya lga tum special insaan ban gayi. ?... Tumhe yaha college mein specially treat kiya jaayega ?..."
"Vo mujhse aise kaise baat kar sakte hain..."
"Aaj subha main vhi toh soch rhi thi ki vo itne shaant kaise the... mere late aane apar unhone kuch bola kyun nhi... Toh asal mein baat yeh thi... Unhone... Unhone mere baare mein yeh dhaarna bna rakhi hain ki main topper hoon to main khudko doosro se alag dekhti hoon...", her eyes welled up.
"Aaj main tumhe chod rha hoon... Lekin aainda se agar maine dekha ki tum rules ko follow nhi kar rhi ho... I will take the necessary action..."
"Get it right to the point !..."
"Vo toh mujhse aise baat kar rhe the jaise maine koi crime kiya hain..."
"Main toh subha auto ke vajah se late ho gayi... aur break ke time bhi vo helper leave pe hain toh is vajah se late ho gayi..."
"Maana ki main late thi lekin vo mujhe kabhi khudko explain karne ka mauka hi nhi dete... balki mujh par un cheezo ke liye blame karte hain jo maine kiya hi nhi...", she sobbed on the inside.
"Kab tak yeh blame game chalta rahega mere saath ?..."
"Kya dushmani hain unko mujhse ?...", she wiped her tears away and gazed out the window to ease her mind.
After what happened at college, Anokhi was in a bad mood today.
She had the pen in her hand and the copy open in front of her, but she was lost in thoughts.
Mimi had been standing near the table for 5 minutes, observing her Mumma who was lost somewhere.
"Lagta hain Mumma ko kichhi ne daanta hain...", the little girl thought to herself and felt very sad.
"Meli Mumma udaachh hain... Main Mumma ko udaachh lehne nhi doongi...", she thought to herself.
"Mumma... Mumma...", she tugged at the hem of her kurta.
Anokhi's trance was broken when she looked at her daughter.
"K... kya hua Mimi ?... Kuch chaahiye ?...", she placed her hand on her face.
"Nhi Mumma..."
"Aap udaachh hona ?...", she asked very innocently.
Anokhi's eyes were about to water, but she kept them from doing so. Her princess knew her very well.
"Nhi Mimi..."
"Mumma udaas kyu hongi ?..."
"Main bilkul theek hoon... Tum jaao... doll ke saath khelo...", she caressed her hair.
Mimi turned around with a sad face because she couldn't think of any other solution. But then something clicked in her mind, and she walked straight to Anumaa's laptop bag.
She slid open the chain and took out the object that her Anumaa guarded so carefully.
She walked towards Anumaa with it safely in her hands.
"Mumma yeh dekho...", she called her with a big smile.
Anokhi turned around and was taken aback when she saw the object in her little daughter's tiny hands.
"Mimi..."
Her little princess was aware that she kept "it" in her laptop bag. It made her emotional.
"Aap udaachh hona Mumma..."
"Aapne bola tha na... agal hum udaachh lahenge toh vo hum chhe katti ho jaayenge...", she said pointing towards the object.
It was the photo frame.
The same photo frame that Anokhi had kept close to her heart all the night on her first day in PG.
Anokhi couldn't stop herself from embracing her lovely daughter after hearing her words and seeing her maturity in the situation.
"Mimi...", she cried out.
"Tum kitni pyaari ho Mimi Shona..."
"Meri itni pyaari bachchi hain... Mumma udaas kaise reh sakti hain ?..."
"Main bilkul bhi udaas nhi hoon... Dekho main bohot khush hoon... Bohot khush...", her lips were shaped into a beautiful smile but tears were still in her eyes.
Mimi, who was engulfed in comfort in her lap, raised her small palms to Anokhi's eyes and tenderly wiped away her tears.
"Aap lona (rona) mat Mumma..."
"Nayi toh unko achcha nhi lagega...", she pointed to the photo frame once more.
Anokhi nodded through tears.
"Mujhse galti ho gayi Mimi..."
"Agli baar se kabhi nhi royegi Mumma..."
"Aur vo humse katti bhi nhi honge...", she brought the photo frame closer.
She felt overwhelmed at the fact Mimi never fails to express how much she loves her Anumaa.
Whenever she is sad, whenever she feels low, her little daughter always lifts her up with the right thing. She knows exactly how her Anumaa is.
She placed soft kisses on her beloved daughter's face and finally Mimi succeeded in cheering her Anumaa up.
Anokhi embraced her and caressed the photo frame with her other hand.
She eventually smiled widely as she looked at the person in the photo frame.
How was it ?
Do tell me in comments😊