Check if you've read the previous update.
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Sana kept observing Sidharth the whole day while she read few books. Most of the time, he would be listening to the radio when there were no customer. The employee who worked was also yawning most of the time. Sana was virtually banging her head into an imaginary wall.
By the end of the evening, Sidharth was continuously glancing at the watch just the way a student looks at the clock during the last lecture hoping to go home.
Exactly at 5pm, he walked up to Sana and spoke with smile.
"It's closing time, shall we leave?", Sidharth asked.
"Hmmm..", Sana said in a disinterested tone.
He is talking as if he would be going to a happening party.
She followed him to the car while the employee locked the closed shutter of the book store.
"Do you want go home or park?", He asked.
"Park!", She replied.
He nods his head and drives to the park where she observed him looking at the people around who were happy.
"Sidharth, do you like going to the bookstore?", She asked
"Hmmm..", he hummed..
"What do I consider the 'hmmm..' to be? Yes or no?", She asked again.
"I told you that it's my family business so I am just continuing it on my father's wish.", He said.
"Where does he stay now?", She asked.
"He is no more.", He said.
"I am sorry. So does that mean you don't like going to the bookstore?", She asked.
"Yes, I don't like going to the bookstore but it's my job, I have to do it.", He said as he was compelled to answer by her continuous question probing.
"Who said you have to do it? You can always change your job. It's not a part of your body which you can't do without or change. The person who left you business has already left you and you are still struggling with the same old business. Nobody can torture you unless you wish to get tortured yourself. You are strangulating your dreams sitting in that old bookstore.", She said.
"It's not so easy Sana. I have a life experience. Chase your dream, work for passion and think about self happiness. I am not in my 20s or 30s, I'll be 50 next year. What do you expect me to do, close my bookstore and work in radio company? Firstly, I don't think anybody would give a job of an RJ and secondly, closing book store will never happen because I have a loan to repay. I know the bookstore isn't giving me that much income but atleast I am able to repay the loan.", He says.
"What kind of loan?", She asks shocked.
"It was for Shreyas. His education loan which first I took it for his graduation and then additional top-up for post graduation. For his expenses, stay and travel.", He said.
"Can I say something?", She asks.
"Yes", he says.
"You never showed him your burdens. So he thinks you are happy. If he doesn't consider you to be his family, why would you repay his loan? Moreover, once the student starts earning, bank expects them to repay their loan themselves. If I am not intruding into your personal space then I want to suggest that let bank know that he is earning and collect the debts from him.", She says.
"I don't do everything for money Sana. Is it right on my part as a father to do like that?", He asks.
"What's wrong in it? Is it right on his part to do what he is doing with you? Tomorrow if something happens to you, he wouldn't even be here with you, he will sell off the house, bookstore, repay loan and go back abroad. Let him take proper responsibility now and make him realise what you have been doing for him.", She said.
He looked at the children playing in the park in silence however he was thinking at the back of his mind.
.
.
.
Two days later, while they started to go to the bookstore, Sidharth took a different route.
"We were suppose to go straight, you took left.", Sana asked
"I know. We are stopping by the bank to inform them to ask Shreyas to pay the installments of the loan going forward.", Sidharth said while parking the car near bank.
Sana was surprised.
"Yay!!", She screamed with happiness and hugged him out of excitement.
That was the first time a lady was hugging him by herself. Even though he married twice, there was no love or comfort in the relationship he shared with his wives. The consummation of marriage with Shreyas' mom was just out of family pressure and a passing moment in his life. He hardly got any personal time to be with her while staying in a joint family so their bond never grew.
His second wife had never been intimate with him since she was overtly occupied by hate for Shreyas. She wanted to dictate terms by throwing out Shreyas after marriage which never happened due to his love for Shreyas. After she left, he was so busy working for Shreyas' dream that he unknowingly followed celibacy for his life. Though there were instances where ladies drooled over him but he never let anyone close to him.
Now that Sana hugged him all of a sudden, he had an alien feeling for the first time in his life. His heartbeats were unusually faster and his breath hitched. He didn't hug her back and she left him soon as it was a quick hug. He felt shy and unable to have an eye contact with her for that moment. He got of the car and went to the bank manager.
He updated the status and gave them Shreyas' address and contact details. Sana was waiting for him in the car itself. He went out and drove the car to the bookstore.
In the evening, they went to the park as usual. As they sat on the concrete bench, a man and a lady came strolling. The man stared at them while he passed infront of them. Sana glared at him. A few moments later, the man returned and sat beside Sana while Sidharth was gone to pass the ball to the kids which had landed near him.
"So Sana, who is he?", He asked.
"It's none of your business.", She said angrily.
"I thought you went back to your parent's house after getting kicked, but you are sitting with a man who looks double your age.", He said with a smirk.
"What's your problem? Isn't your new wife satisfying you enough that you've come up here to talk to me?", She said.
"Huh! Don't think about me, I have lots of choices if I am dissatisfied. Think about you who is stuck with that old man. But it's good for you, who else would want a barren land like you?", He spoke.
"Shut up you patti (dog). You know what? I am happier with him than I was with an @$$h0!3 like you. I pity your wife, who will have to fake about being satisfied just the way I did. You know what, the man I am with is a beast in the bed. He really knows how to pleasure a woman.", She lies to shut his mouth with a befitting reply.
The man was raged and felt extremely humiliated when she said that he couldn't satisfy her. He got up and went back to his wife who was seated at a distance watching some couple.
"Are you drooling over other married man? Let's go home!", He asked pulling her with him.
Sidharth was concerned about Sana's safety when he saw a stranger sitting beside her hence he had gone behind them to find out who he was. But he was shocked to hear Sana's reply to him. Sana looked back once he left and put her eyes down when she saw Sidharth.
"I.. I.. I am sorry. He is my ex-husband. He was speaking so much ill that I spoke rubbish just to shut his filthy mouth in his own language. I feel ashamed of myself, that I liked him once and that I left my loving family for him.", She said.
He went and sat beside her in silence and patted her shoulder to say it's fine.
They went back home and into their respective rooms thinking about the incident. After some time, Sana made tea and took to his room.
"Thank you. Have a seat.", He said taking the tea and pointing at the other end of the bed.
She occupied the seat and sipped the tea in silence for some time.
"Can I get a job in your bookstore?", She asked.
"Huh? What will you do there?", he asked.
"I have an idea. I want to revamp the bookstore. It looks like a boring place. I have some ideas to discuss with you.", She said in excitement.
The excitement she had, brought a smile on his face. It brightened his face as well as it was the first time he wanted to bring out a change in himself. Over the past few days she had been slowly making him ponder about his life and he didn't know where to start. So he allows her to take the steering wheel.
"Go ahead!", He said.
"Yippeeee", she screamed in joy and kept the tea cup on the table and sat to explain.
"You have a huge space which is filled only with books. Will turn the bookstore into a books cafe where people can do much more than just reading alone. They can have a tea or a cold coffee or munch on a light snack while reading their book. Will have book reading sessions arranged for kids once a week or fortnight to encourage them to read at early age.", She said.
"Go on Sana, take the lead. I am with you! Now that I've diverted my loan repayments to Shreyas, I think I can take some loan to revamp.", He said with a bright smile.
"Huh? Are you giving me the job then?", She asked.
"Yes, you are hired!", He said while nodding.
"Yayyy!! Yayyy!! Yayyy!!", She said.
She turned on the volume of the radio which was playing a song and pulled him down the bed to celebrate with her. He smile nervously because he had never danced even when he was alone. She asked him to follow her and he mirrored her hesitantly which then turned into comfortable and he danced happily with her. All the time his smile was constant on his face.
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To be continued.. ❤️❤️