Virat turned the pages of the album, with each picture there was a story, some very wholesome and others very embarassing. MS didn't know if he was hating it or loving it, his mother was telling all his embarassing deeds to the kids and he could do nothing about this. Moreover, the boys were teasing him like no tomorrow, they were so happy like they had found some kind of hidden treasure.
"Mumma" Rishabh spoke looking at one picture, "Mahi bhai is riding the bike without helmet? "
Mahi's eyes widened as he gulped, not this, not when he has grounded Rishabh for riding the bike irresponsibly.
"One of my friends had clicked this picture and sent it to me. Apparently Mahi had bunked his class to play apparently a very important match" Meera told as the boys listened keenly.
"Mahi bhaiii" Rishabh squeaked, "You also used to bunk classes? And you used to ride without helmet? "
"You sound too happy bachcha" MS stated.
"Bhaiya you cannot punish me after this. Aap bhi mere jaise hi the. My punishment gets cancelled with immediate effect, I'm no more going on morning walks with cheeku bhaiya" Rishabh declared.
Meera whacked him as he said this. "Beta punishment use bhi mili thi aur tujhe bhi milegi. There is no escaping. A wrong doesn't become right if your elder brother also did it when he was young"
Rishabh rubbed his arm whining where he got whacked, "mumma yaar aap bhool gye beemar hoon mai"
Virat saw the brighter side of this, "Mahi bhai got punished? Woah. Kya scene raha hoga, haina rishu, haina bhabhi? "
"Stop behaving like you haven't seen anyone getting punished cheeku" MS said, visibly sulking and that made Virat's mood even brighter, he would have a field day with this today.
"But I haven't seen YOU getting punished. Mumma batao na, kya hua tha. Detail mein" Virat added.
"No mumma you can't" Mahi pleaded through his eyes but Meera was in no mood to listen to him today. Even she was enjoying this.
"Should have thought before pulling these stunts Mahi" Meera replied to Mahi's silent please, which made all others laugh aloud.
"That was some 17-18 years ago mumma" Mahi scowled.
"Who's denying that? " Meera asked, "Anyways kids listen"
"Sure" Mahi slumped back on the bed, accepting his fate.
"How was he punished mumma? What was his punishment? " Virat asked excitedly.
"Wahi jo tumhari hoti hai" Mahi uttered irritated.
This made Rishabh even more excited. The idea of Mahi bhai doing a punishment itself was hilarious to him. "Was he grounded Mumma? Did he write a 5 page essay on road safety? Was he made to write assignment twice? "
Meera nodded and the boys squealed in joy. "For how many weeks? Did he do this kind of thing again? " The boys wanted all the details.
Flashback: 17 years back.
Meera was sitting in the hall waiting for Mahi. It was past 11 but there was no trace of Mahi, he had gone out with his friends but hadn't come back yet. She was getting worried now, the boy didn't even take his phone with him.
Moreover, Virat hadnt slept yet, he never slept without his Mahi bhai. "Mahi bhai kab aayenge mumma? " He asked her for the zillionth time and she had no answer.
"I'm angry with him, mereko kyun nahi leke gaye sath? Wo aayein tab daantna unko aap" Virat whined. He was sleeping when Mahi left him, he would have never let him go otherwise.
"Pakka cheeks, promise" She told Virat, who smiled gleefully.
That's when she heard the knock on the door. She rushed to open the door. Virat ran behind her.
"Sorry mumma, late ho gya thoda sa " Before she could say something, Mahi apologized with a charming smile. She shook her head, the boy knew how to get away with everything.
"Thoda sa? " She raised his eyebrows at him.
"Sorry" Mahi scratched his head, "thoda jyada late ho gya"
"Andar aa, baad mein baat karte hain iss baare mein" Meera said as she made way for Mahi to come in.
Mahi hissed slightly as Virat came and hugged his legs, it went unnoticed by Virat. MS gently pushed him a little back and carassed his face, "soya nahi bachcha tu abhi? Late ho jayega na kal school ke liye?"
"Aap nahi aaye the na. Ab jaldi sula do mereko" Virat replied, completely forgetting that he was upset with him.
"Bas 2 minute mein aaya mai cheeks, you go to your room, wahi aa rha hu mai"
As Mahi walked in, Meera noticed how he stumbled, his gait was definitely not normal, rather it looked like he was trying hard to walk normal. She came in front of him and looked at him, when she looked at his knees, she gasped as she noticed blood stains on his pants.
"Aa-p aise kya dekh rhe ho? " Mahi stammered.
"Baith idhar" She pointed at the couch.
"Pehle fresh hoke toh aane do" Mahi pleaded.
"No" Meera replied sternly, "Bola na baith idhar"
Mahi immediately sat down on the couch. His mother very rarely took that tone and when she did, he almost always found himself obliging her like an obedient child.
"Pant upar kar" Meera ordered.
"Par kyun? " Mahi couldn't help asking.
"Don't make me repeat myself Mahi" Meera stated and Mahi folded his pant above his knee, sulking all the while.
Meera gasped as she saw the condition of his knee, the skin over it was completely torn, the blood stains were all over the knee, with a clot formed there.
"Kab batane wala tha tu mujhe iss baare mein?" Meera asked, her voice was deceptively calm.
Mahi gulped, she sounded absolutely pissed. And he had nothing to explain, he was not planning to tell her anything. He would never tell her that he was trying to drive a bike, that too at night, on a highway. A 15 yo Mahi was also an avid bike lover.
You know Mahi, I feel very insulted" Meera stated and Mahi looked up startled.
"You do not care to tell your mother that you are in pain, neither do you think that I'm a good enough doctor to treat your wounds"
"I didn't mean it like that mumma, really, I'm sorry. I just.. " Mahi felt at loss of words, he wiped the sweat pouring on his forehead.
Meera simply kept glaring at him. Mahi's throat dried. "You just what? " She prompted him to speak.
"I'm, I'm sorry. It's not what you are thinking, I just did stupidity it was nothing else" Mahi replied, his voice shaking slightly. Meera just shook her head as she got up to bring the first aid box.
"Batayega kya hua? " Meera gentled her voice this time.
"I fell from the bike" Mahi told.
"Ye baat batane mein itni maut kyun aa rhi thi itni der se? " Meera asked seeing his face. She started doing her dressing meanwhile.
"Wait" Meera said as she realised the point, "Were YOU driving the bike? "
Mahi nodded his head slightly. "You haven't learnt driving, right? " Meera asked.
"I was learning" Mahi replied, almost in a whisper.
"Raat ko?" Meera asked in disbelief.
Mahi nodded again, refusing to look at Meera. "Unbelievable. I don't even know what to say"
Meera didn't speak anything after that, she didn't scold, she didn't ask any further questions. Mahi was astounded, why was she silent? He was expecting a lot of scoldings coming his way. And he felt disappointed when she didn't scold him. She just did his dressing and went away.
"Bhaiyaaa" Virat came looking for Mahi. He was waiting for him in his room, Mahi bhai had told him that he is coming soon but he hasn't come yet and he wasn't getting any sleep without Mahi bhai.
"Haan bachcha, I'm coming" Mahi spoke as he tried to get up from the couch.
That's when Virat saw his dressing, he came running to him, "Bhai aapko chot lagi hai? Aap baitho please"
"I'm okay cheeku" Mahi spoke, "Chal chalte hain, sona nahi hai tujhe? "
"No" Virat spoke firmly, "Aapko itni chot lagi hai aap baith kyun rahe " Virat said, almost crying.
Mahi sighed and sat down, why was his family making a big deal of such small injury? "
"Kaise lagi aapko? Aap bhi sambhalke nahi chalte na, bas mujhe daant-te rehte ho" Virat asked, his tears threatening to spill over.
"Cheeku" MS spoke taking him in a hug, "I'm sorry bachcha, mai hi dekh ke nahi chal rha tha"
Virat snuggled closer to him, trying to wipe his tears on Mahi's shirt. "Why are you crying bachcha? See I'm okay" Mahi tried to reassure him.
"Aapko pain ho rha hoga na? " Virat uttered.
"Nahi, I'm okay. See" Mahi spoke, making him look at himself. Virat had a look at MS and then again snuggled to his chest. Not much time later, Virat drifted off to sleep in the same position.
Mahi looked surprised as Meera came again. But his happiness disappeared the moment he saw a needle in her hand.
"Mumma nahi" Mahi looked horrified. He was scared of injections, even more than little Virat.
"You need to get it Mahi, I can't help it. I'm sorry" Meera stated.
"No mumma, I'm not taking it, that's it. " He sat crossing his arms over his chest.
"Don't shout Mahi. Virat is sleeping" Meera chided.
"Mumma please na" Mahi pleaded again, with no hope.
"Boht khoon baha hai Mahi, you are not arguing with me over this. You are not 5, don't make me treat you like one" Meera said and left no room to argue. Mahi just scrunched his nose, he had to get over it somehow.
"Don't stare like this Mahi, it's just a medicine" She chided Mahi as she saw him staring at her with a scared face while she was filling the syringe.
"But it pains like hell" Mahi replied, almost immediately.
"Serves you well. Kisne kaha tha raat ko bike chalane ke liye? " Meera scolded making Mahi scowl.
"Parents should not be doctors man, can set you straight with injections anytime" Mahi spoke in a preaching tone.
"Ho gya? La haath de" Meera told him as she got the syringe ready.
Mahi reluctantly forwarded his hand. "Dheere se lagana please" He whispered.
Meera injected silently without paying heed to the weird expressions Mahi was giving. "Shh. It's done" Meera whispered as she took out the needle and pressed cotton over it.
"Thank heavens Virat is sleeping. Ye teri itni overacting dekh ke sikhta aur fir iske bhi yahi dhang hote" Meera joked.
"Uske waise bhi yahi haal honge, mera hi bhai hai wo" Mahi replied.
"Mai virat ko bed pe sula ke aati hoon, tum yahi rukna. Don't try to come alone" Meera directed.
Mahi shook his head in obedience, "Yes captain"
After making Virat sleep on his bed. Meera supported Mahi to walk to his room.
"We will talk about what you did. Don't think you escaped, tomorrow morning. Good night beta" She said as she ruffled his hair and pulled over the comforter.
Mahi smiled in relaxation as she went away. For a moment he was scared, that Meera was hesitating to exert her right on him or she was too disappointed to talk to him. By one simple statement, she didn't know how happy she made him.
The incident that happened two days later was even more endearing to her. Something that will never not make her emotional.
Mahi was grounded for 2 weeks and he was hating it. He was not someone who liked being restricted to home, especially when even little Cheeku had gone out to play with his friends. Today was a house party at Yuvi's home, all his friends were coming there and he was not allowed to go.
He had requested Meera multiple times to let him go but she was not relenting. That was making him extra-whiny.
"It's just second day of your punishment Mahi. Ek week toh hone de, uske baad I'll think of relenting" Meera told.
"But mumma house party toh aaj hai na, kya faayda 1 hafte baad. Jaane do na" Mahi pleaded.
"No" Meera replied bluntly.
"Ek din ke liye" Mahi tried to speak but Meera cut in between, "My stance is not changing Mahi. If you have nothing else to say, go to your room"
"Mummaa" Mahi whined but Meera gave no response.
Mahi father, Brijendra, who had arrived just now was furious to see the scene. Why did his son have to plead to the woman for anything? The thing did not settle well with him.
"Mahi" Brijendra spoke politely, "kya hua beta? "
Mahi remained silent. His father never shouted at him, never scolded him but he could never be cozy with him.
"Kya hua Mahi, kuchh chahiye tha na tujhe? " Brijendra asked again seeing him silent.
"Kuchh nahi papa" Mahi answered.
Brijendra wasn't convinced. "Bol na beta. Mai hoon na, there is nothing my son asks and I won't give"
"Aisa kuchh nahi hai papa. I was asking mumma if I can go to Yuvi's house party but I'm grounded, so yeah, fairs" Mahi uttered.
Brijendra didn't take it sportively. To him, Mahi was his pride, no one, absolutely no one dictated what he would do.
"You want to go? Then you can go Mahi, who's stopping you" Brijendra stated.
Mahi looked at his parents. He could sense there was some tension between the two since some days and he could now see it very clearly.
"But-" Mahi looked at Meera. "If you want to go, Go mahi" Meera said.
Mahi shook his head. "It's okay mumma, I won't go until I complete my punishment. "
Mahi looked at his father, "It was my fault dad, dont take mumma wrong" Mahi said as he departed to his room.
Meera looked at his retreating figure, she had got the acceptance she was craving for since the very start, but at what cost? She had gained her children but was losing her husband, he was no more the man she loved. Why was life never fair to her?
She looked at the brighter side of the spectrum, she could see Virat coming towards home through the window. He was probably thirsty after playing and was coming home for water. The smile on his face soothed her heart.
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I might not be able to update for some time now, I've exams :(
Thanks for your love ;)