Love of my Life

29.

Sid was taciturn, silent since evening, he was in his room for a longish time. He usually would be playing around with Abhi or bantering with Kajal when they are at home. His mom was concerned what might be the reason for his silence. Was it related to work? If that was the case he would be working in his laptop or calling someone in work to solve it, he is a hard worker and the reason he is  in good position was his work dynamics, he has been a achiever, an eager beaver... but this was unusual, he never was jaded the way he was now, so indifferent and engrossed in some thoughts. 

Mom called him but he didn't respond, she came forward and flapped his shoulder, "Sid.. kahan khoya hua hain?" 

"Hugh... haan... kuch nahi maa bas aise hi!" Sid said getting up from the bed and sat putting his leg down and massaging his eyes and forehead. 

"Paresan hain beta, let me give you a head massage..." mom said walking towards his dresser to get coconut oil for his hair. "Chal... get up and sit down" she asked him and he obliged. 

"What happened, kuch problem hain... mujhe nahi batayega? You didn't even join us for dinner and Abhi was asking for you, Kajal was also worried for you. We didn't want to bother you as we thought you are in some work stress, but I can see you are disturbed with something else! Kuch hua hain... is Sana fine?" mom asked him reflecting her concern.

"Maa you can sense everything, right. How do you do that?" Sid said enjoying the massage his mom was giving him.

"Maa huin.. they know everything. Mother's instinct towards her child is very strong, they just know!" she said with a smile. 

"Hmmm..." he just hummed.

"Ab bolega bhi..." she asked again pausing the massage. 

"Sana.... maa... she...she has told about us to her family and they are creating a big hue and cry about it, her father has called me tomorrow to meet him and then he will decide if I am right for his daughter or not...hugh!" he said with a smirk nodding his head with disappointment. 

"Good that they know now and we already knew right they will behave that way.. How is Sana doing? Poor girl must be going through a nightmare." mom said, guessing right about Sana, she was indeed going through an ordeal, Sid thought.

"Haan Maa, she is and I gave her some hope and showed positive side but I am worried myself. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, I hope I keep calm and don't lose my temperament in front of Sana's parents. I cannot tolerate there thinking towards this societal discrimination, hadd hain sahi main!!! even in today's generation their are people like this, I don't understand this patriarchy!" Sid growled with anger, with preposterous mindset of people who still comprehended with the backward rituals.

 "You have no right to judge them Sid, we need to acknowledge their way of thinking if we want THEM to acknowledge our way of thinking. No one is right and no one is wrong here... Who are we to judge their beliefs? To claim that you can't judge me is then an ethical condemnation and so applies to itself, aur doosri baath beleifs are passed on to generations after generations... their is no today's generation or old generation for that" his mom made him understand with a tough tone.

"Now I know where I got so much wisdom from!" he was amazed with what his mother just said. 

"How do you know so much, matlab, how can you think so clearly, I was so frustrated thinking about their beliefs but you are right who am I to judge them" he said assenting to his mom's words of thought. 

"Struggles and pain teach you a lot in life and like it goes, experience is the best teacher... ab dhoop main safed nahi kiye yeh baal!"  she said with a smile.