Part 10 – The Lovers

Samiksha smiled and took the breakfast tray. They ate coffee with biscuits, and Karan started pulling her legs.
“Sami, let us go back and tell our moms we want to get married.”
She was surprised by his sudden declaration.
“Ok. We will.”
Seeing her tense, he quickly put the tray aside and hugged her.

“I’m sorry, baby. I was pulling your leg. We will talk to our respective moms and ask them to meet. Is that fine?”
“Yes. You don’t leave a chance of troubling me.”
She started hitting him with the pillow. Karan tried to save himself but in vain. They giggled and laughed.

After some time,

Samiksha went to shower. Karan knocked on the door and asked, “Any help?”
“No.” Knowing his playful side, she checked if the door was adequately locked first.

They both were ready to leave, and Karan caught her hand, pulling her into his arms.
“Are you tensed?”
She smiled and hugged his muscled chest clad with the finest shirt and suit.
“Not at all”, Samiksha replied.
“Let’s move now.”

They arrived at Mrs. Valenti’s home.
“I’m so glad to see you both back. I was worried, Sami, but since Karan was with you, I was sure he would take care of you,” Karan’s mom said confidently.
Samiksha’s face was glowing with a different radiance.
“Samiksha.”
“Yes aunty.”
“Did my son give you anything special or what? Look at that glow.”
She was embarrassed to the core.
“Tell me now.”
Samiksha wasn’t good at hiding her feelings, and she looked at Karan, who was enjoying the moment.

“Mom, there is one more thing that a man can give to a woman.”
Samiksha’s heartbeats were audible in the hall now. She was worried about what Karan would say next, and her heart was almost in her mouth.

“His love”.

And Samiksha looked at him with mixed feelings of trust, joy and assurance.
“Hmm. I agree”, Karan’s mom said and went towards the kitchen.

He smiled and made her look at him by turning her towards himself.
“Samiksha. In our journey together, tests and trials will come. You can just look up. You will find me. In front of you.”

They hugged and started preparing for the return trip to Mumbai.

Mrs. Valenti gave her a jewellery case and said, “This is for you.”
“No, Aunty. How can I?”
“How dare you say no to your mom-in-law?”.
Samiksha hugged her and accepted the love with open arms.
“Next week, I am visiting Mumbai. Need to meet your mom now.”
Samiksha and Karan smiled at each other.

Finally, they came back and their routine life started once again.
When Samiksha informed her mom that Karan’s mother was visiting them soon, Mrs. Samuel was pleased, as she had already started liking Karan.
“I am happy for you, my baby. Karan is a very understanding and caring man. You would not find such a person in today’s world. I pray to God to bless you both always.”
She hugged Samiksha, and they had a moment together.

Karan’s mom had planned to visit them, and the day came. Mrs. Valenti and Karan arrived at Samiksha’s home. Mrs. Samuel had gone to church and was about to return. Samiksha welcomed them and offered them water.

Karan had all eyes on

her, and she looked pretty as always.
“Mom will be coming in just some time. Actually, my father’s photo frame fell off the shelf this morning. Mom will give it for repair. It’s on the way.”
“Relax, Sami. Why are you becoming anxious? Come, sit here,” Karan said, offering her place next to him.
As she was about to sit, door bell rang.
“It must be mom.”
“Wait, let me open then”, Karan said merrily.
When he opened the door, he took the frame from her hand and hugged her.

As she entered, she and Mrs.Valenti met for the first time. They exchanged unusual glances.
Karan and Samiksha did notice this and looked at each other.
“Karan, let us leave”, Mrs. Valenti persuaded him.
“Mom, what’s the matter?” Karan was worried by the seriousness of the situation.
“Can you listen to me once? Please come.”
And she left from there.
Samiksha did not have time to react, as things happened on the spur of the moment. She looked at her mom and then back at Karan.
Quickly hugging her and Mrs. Samuel, he said, “Don’t worry. Let me see what this matter is. You don’t get tensed, baby.” He kissed her on the forehead before finally leaving.

Rose Valenti was quiet

on the way back home. Karan asked her once, and she replied, “We will talk at home.”
“Mom, please. I want to know what all this is. I . . .”
She gave a cold stare at him and sat on the chair.
When your father was posted here after our marriage, we stayed here for 5 years. You were 6 years old.

One day, I found a watch in his shirt pocket which I had never seen in my home before. When I questioned him, he said a friend gave it to him. Later, his behaviour was different than usual, and he used to come home late. I suspected something was wrong. On my repeated interrogation, he confessed to falling in love with someone. I was shocked to hear this, and my world was shattered.

Her name was Maria Samuel”.

Karan got up from his chair, and his heart skipped a beat.

“I was never demanding and assertive, Karan. The only thing that troubled me was that this happened despite my loving him so much. We talked many times about this matter, and I finally accepted that he would never leave this woman.

I left home and shifted to Bangalore, where my brother was. He helped me raise you. Your father’s brother was also in Bangalore. I did not break relations with my in-laws. He had set up a good business there. He also could not stop himself from helping us. Whenever Mervin and you met, things were not so rosy. Mervin was never comfortable with you. He tried to overpower you always. He was not like his father at all. But you were born to conquer this world. And you proved yourself. Then you came to Mumbai.

I was not much in favour of you coming here, but destiny is not in our hands. I did not hate Maria as such. But I could not forgive her. She deprived me of many things. Not only that, Karan, she conceived your father’s child.”

Now, Karan was not in a position to think or understand anything, but he gathered all his courage and asked.
“Where is that child now? I mean. Was it a boy or girl?”

There was an awkward, piercing silence in the room now.
Rose knew this would shake his world, but she answered,

“She was a girl, Karan. And you know her. She is Samiksha”.

https://blogbyhema.com/2021/02/19/my-collection-of-poems/