*Flashback Continues*
"Why are you so silent Nandu?", asked Prabhas' mother.
They were having dinner, and Prabhas was silently chewing the morsel of rice, his thoughts wandering to Anushka and how her parents would have reacted to the news.
Prabhas shook his head in negation and continued eating. Both mother and son went for a walk in the garden after having food.
"Now tell me whatever that you have to", said Amma turning to him.
They had sat on the bench amidst the rose bushes, his mother's favourite place in the garden. A cool breeze ruffled the branches above their head and the smell of blooming jasmine filled the air.
"How do you know that I have something to tell you?", asked Prabhas incredulously.
"Who's your mother?", smirked her in return. "Now say!"
"Amma... actually...", Prabhas took a deep breath and continued,
"I'm in love with someone, Amma"
He searched his mother's face for a reaction. She sat upright and her forehead creased. Before she could say anything, Prabhas rushed on,
"She's a really nice girl Amma! She's loving, caring, understanding... but mostly, whenever I'm with her, I feel happy", he stalled, uncertainly.
"Who is she? Is she from the industry?", asked her, without emotion.
Prabhas could see that she was not very pleased with the news. But he had to convince her, no matter what.
"Yes, but you already know her Amma! And you've always liked her!", said him.
Amma racked her brains in that second, trying to guess who the girl was, that had gotten her son so smitten in her love. But it was in vain, as she was not very familiar with the new generation of the industry.
Prabhas could see the confusion on his mother's face and he said,
"It's Anushka, Amma"
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Anushka as in, Sweety, Anushka?", asked her.
"Yeah! You always liked her didn't you? You always said that she was a very good, kindhearted, and one of the sweetest person you knew?", insisted him.
Amma was silent. He couldn't render what was going on inside her head. He tried once more,
"I love her, Amma. She brings out the best version of me. She makes me complete."
Prabhas was chewing on his nails in anxiety as his mother kept on contemplating.
She had kept quiet all along. She slowly stood up from the bench and started walking towards the home.
"Amma! Say something!", called Prabhas, holding her hands, standing up as well. He was astonished at her reaction. She turned to him and said,
"You have told me one of the most important news about your life. You can't expect me to come up with a decision right now. Give me some time to let it all sink. It's me who have to be both father and mother for you.", And with that, she walked off into the house.
Prabhas stood there, fixed. He had been wrong in assuming that it would be easy convincing his mother. It wasn't a cake-walk after all.
* * * * *
Anushka had pleaded with her brothers to present the topic to her parents on her behalf. But they had denied, telling that she should be the one to tell them as it was the most important decision of her life.
"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.
It was past midnight and Prabhas was pacing in his room, scratching his stubble. He had thought of calling his uncle Krishnam Raju and his aunt for a support, but thought that it would be better to let his mother decide it on her own.
He was looking out of the window to the garden, when the door of his room creaked open. He turned to see his mother, standing there.
"Amma! Haven't you slept?", asked Prabhas, striding to meet her.
"No. You haven't slept either", said her as she sat on his bed, and him sitting cross-legged on the floor facing her.
"I'm sorry Nandu. It was just that, I needed some time to process all that you had said so abruptly", said her nuzzling his hair.
"That's ok Amma. I know it's huge. But I just wanted to tell you that... God! I cannot even express how much I love Sweety!", sighed him.
Amma nodded her head, her lips twitching.
"Whenever I'm with her, I feel at home. She brings out the best in me Amma. She brings out the best in everybody. She treats everyone around her like her own people. She makes me happy. She...she reminds me of you, Amma", admitted Prabhas.
His mother raised her eyebrows at this and said,
"Is that so?!", to which Prabhas nodded earnestly.
"Your father liked her very much. In fact, Sweety was among the few actors of the industry, whom he admired and respected", said Amma with a distant look in her eyes.
She missed his father and his thoughts made her eyes gleam. Prabhas held her hands in his and gave an assuring smile to her. She smiled back.
"Amma, I know that you were not keen on having an actress as my life partner. But trust me Amma,-", before he could complete his sentence, his mother raised her palms, indicating him to stop.
"What you said is right Nandu. I don't want an actress to be my daughter-in-law", stated her firmly.
"Amma but-",
"Hmm! I haven't completed yet!", said her with a serious look.
Prabhas was silenced. His heartbeats sped up as he thought that everything going out of his hands.
"But, I don't mind having an actress as my daughter!", completed his Mother with a wide smile.
Prabhas sat there, gawking at his mother. Had he heard it right? Did she really tell that? He couldn't believe his ears and blinked at her in utter bewilderment.
She pinched his nose and said laughing,
"It's not a dream my dear son!"
Prabhas kneeled and squeezed his mother in a hug.
"Are you truly happy Amma?", asked Prabhas, looking into her eyes.
His Amma smiled and said,
"Now I have got two superstars in my home! What more could I ask for!"
Both of them laughed, holding each other tight.
"I just want my son to be happy. And from your face, it is pretty evident that no one could make you happier than Sweety. And that makes all other things invalid. Moreover, I'm sure that your father would also have been delighted with this"
"Thank you Amma.", said him, his voice breaking with emotion.
"And also, I have to admit, you both look so good together", teased her.
"When are you going to introduce me to my daughter?", asked her eagerly.
Prabhas smiled and rested his head on her lap, saying
"Soon"
"By the way, I have to tell this to your sisters. Their reaction would be priceless! You know how much they adore Sweety! They would go completely insane!", added Amma excitedly.
Prabhas chuckled. He sighed in contentment, thanking the Gods for giving him such an understanding mother.
But his relief was soon replaced by anxiety as he thought about what would have happened at Anushka's home.
* * * * *
"It's going to be okay Sweety", Saloni tried to comfort Anushka, who had been crying, her face buried in her lap.
"We should have said something!", said Saloni silently to Ramesh and Guna.
All the four of them were in Anushka's room, trying to soothe her.
"There's nothing to cry Sweety! Amma and Appa didn't say anything to make you cry. They just asked some time to think about a significant decision in their daughter's life.", said Ramesh.
"But what if they don't agree?", asked Sweety in between her sobs.
"Of course they would agree! Now don't cry and get yourself sick", said Guna.
"Get some sleep okay? Everything will be sorted out by tomorrow", said Saloni as everyone left the room, leaving her alone.
Anushka couldn't even say what she wanted to say to her parents. Nothing went as the way it was supposed to. She could see that her parents were unhappy on hearing about their relationship.
She took her phone to call Prabhas, but stopped herself. If she talked to him now, he would definitely get to know that something was wrong and that would definitely cause him worry.
She couldn't do that to him. He already had to tell this to his mother. Oh! She had completely forgotten about that. What would have been his mother's reaction! Anushka sat upright on the bed.
Her face was drawn and hollow. Her eyes were red and swollen with crying. She couldn't take all this anxiety anymore and she walked out of her room in determined strides.
She gently knocked on the door of her parents' room. They weren't asleep as she could see the warm light from under the door. She peeked in and called softly,
"Amma?"
As she entered, she saw her father sitting on a rocking chair, faced away from the door. Her mother was in the bathroom.
Anushka silently went and sat cross-legged on the floor, resting her chin on his knees - just like how she used to sit in her childhood, to hear stories from him. He stopped rocking.
She closed her eyes and the image of Prabhas came to her mind. She couldn't even think about a life without him in it. Anushka decided to let it all out and started saying, her eyes remaining closed. It was better this way.
"Appa, I know that you are upset with me. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about it earlier. But it was only a week before when we ourselves understood our feelings for each other. Since then I wanted to share it with you both, but somehow, I couldn't be courageous enough", she paused for a second and continued,
"You know that I would never do anything in my life without your consent. But, I can't imagine a life without Prabhas, Appa. He tiptoed into my life unnoticed and sweeped me off my feet. It's the little little things that made me fall for him, irrevocably.", said Sweety, smiling, her eyes still closed.
"He makes me laugh, teases me, scolds me when I'm wrong, and always supports me, no matter what. He understands me completely Appa. When I'm with Prabhas, I feel confident about myself and that's what makes me believe in our relationship without a doubt.
"I know that just like any other parents, you have your own apprehensions about my future. You might be worried about what would happen to my career, or the life that I had built up with so much effort - will it all be wasted or not. But believe me Appa, even if I wanted to throw it all away for him, Prabhas would never even allow that. He respects me and loves me for who I am.
"I've always told that when it comes to my life partner, it would be difficult for him to meet the standards that you have set. I never believed that anyone could love or care me the way you do. But, Prabhas does that, Appa. With him, I feel secure and loved, just like the way when I'm with you."
Anushka finally opened her eyes and looked up at her father. The grimness of his face had smoothened. There was a tender feeling in his eyes. Her mother had also come and stood behind the rocking chair. She had tears in her eyes.
Appa gently caressed her hair and said in a soft voice,
"What else do we want when our daughter is so happy! It's in your happiness that our happiness lies Sweety"
"We were just taken aback when you said about you and Prabhas because we had always thought that you both were like friends. But you do know how much we love him! If he makes you happy, then we couldn't ask for anything more.", said her Amma through her tears.
Her parents had seen the shine of confidence and unconditional love that she had for Prabhas in her eyes.
"We have, and we will support you in every step of your life Sweety. Both you and Prabhas have our complete love and blessings. Just be happy", said her father, finally convinced about them.
It was the words that Sweety so desperately wanted to hear. Finally, her parents had accepted their love, and Prabhas as her family. Words failed to express the joy that she felt at that moment.
All she did was hug her dad, her hands around his neck, sobbing with joy and gratitude. Her Amma also joined them and they were like a bundle of happiness.
"Look, our daughter has finally grown up. Now we'll have to share her.", said her mother jokingly to her dad.
"No, I'am your daughter and will always remain as your daughter first.", mumbled Anushka, smiling.
"I know", said Appa, holding her tightly, his heart filling with bliss, seeing his daughter so happy for the first time.