𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴

• 4 •

Days passed, the contract proved to be a boon for the company as it gained a tremendous profit from it. Sameer was pleased as he had seen his employees working hard day & night. As a reward for their hard work, he decided to give them a day off. Though he was always strict about work, his employees never had a complaint about it since he had always understood them and also appreciated their efforts.

Being bounded by work, he was unable to spend much time with Nanaji which was upsetting him. Supervising the employees, checking if the material is of the best quality or not, dealing with the errors, all of this had made him exhausted and now, he needed a break. A day off is what he required to loosen up.

Nanaji was delighted to know about this achievement of the company and blessed Sameer. They both decided to watch a movie together like former times. Nanaji had made Sameer watch movies at a very young age which taught moral values and life lessons. Those lessons had played an important role in making him reach that position. They watched "Kapoor & Sons" since it taught the importance of family relationships in our lives- something that most of us seem to take for granted. The generation gap was never a big deal between the two.

Ramdhari made some delicious pakoras in the air frier which Sameer had bought so that Nanu could also eat his desired dishes without bothering about his health. Both enjoyed the movie to the fullest. It was afternoon till they finished the movie. Nanu went back to his room for an afternoon nap while Sameer did some of his official work. Ramdhari prepared the lunch and called them up when he was serving it on the dining table.

Sameer was at his happiest when he saw his favourite Masala-Aloo with crispy puris and Suji ka halwa, "Arey waah Ramdhari! Aajkal tu kuch zyada hi mera favourite khana nhi bana rha hai?"

"Hehe...Hume toh Nanaji ne bola tha yeh sab banane ko." Ramdhari chuckled slightly.

Sameer hugged Nanu, "I Love you Nanu." Nanu patted his back and smiled.

Ramdhari told them both to eat the puris quickly to avoid them from getting cold. They both had their lunch laughing and talking about various things.

They enjoyed the whole day together playing ludo in which Nanu gained a victory, went for a drive to eat ice cream, and had dinner in one of Nanu's most favourite restaurant where they also served less spicy and oily dishes. Munna-Pandit also joined them later at dinner and all four of them had a good time together. Nanaji was happy to see Sameer being cheerful and joyful after a long time and silently prayed for him to remain like that forever. Overall, it was a wonderful day for both of them.

When they came back, Sameer decided to give a foot massage to Nanu. They both were in Nanu's room with him being seated on a big chair and Sameer sitting on the floor pressing & kneading to loosen up his foot's muscles.

Nanu was feeling relaxed since he had gone out after many days which had made him tired.

He had closed his eyes when Sameer said, "Nanu...main kal office na jaun toh chalega na?"

Nanu opened his eyes and said, "Kyun? Kuchh kaam hai kya?"

Sameer shrugged, "Nahi kuch bhi nhi hai. Bas kal jaane ka mann nahi kar raha hai aapko chhodkar."

Nanu chuckled, "Yeh kaisa excuse hua? Mujhe kuch thodi na hone wala hai kal jo tu nahi jaayega."

Sameer frowned, "Nanu...fir wahi mazak..."

Nanu intervened, "Achha baba sorry. Nahi bolunga aage se aisa kuch bhi. Aur tu kal office pakka jayega. Mujhe waise bhi kal mandir jana hai."

Sameer said, "Oh haaaannn...Yaad aya, waha toh aapki beti aati hai na jo har week aapse milti hai." He made a baby face and asked, "Mujhse zyada important hai kya woh aapke liye?"

Nanaji giggled and playfully hit his head, "Pagal. Tujhse zyada important kuch ho sakta hai mere liye iss duniya mein." He sighed and said, "Bahut pyaari bachi hai woh. Humesha mujhe apne ki tarah treat karti hai. Itni pareshani se guzri hai bechari tab bhi humesha khush rehne ki koshish karti hai. Uska koi hai bhi nahi iss duniya mein. Isiliye milne jata hu main usse."

Out of curiosity, Sameer asked, "Par woh hai koun? Aapne naam bhi nahi bataya mujhe aaj tak uska."

Nanu smirked, "Tujhe kya karna hai naam jaanke. Rishta leke jaana hai kya uske ghar tujhe?"

Sameer whined, "Kya Nanuuuu... Aapko bohot maza aata hai na meri taang khichke. Puchha hi toh tha bas."

Nanu laughed heartily, "Jaa ab so jaa. Kal office jana hai Mr CEO Maheshwari ko."

Sameer reluctantly agreed, "Haan haan thik hai. Aap maze karo apni uss mandir wali beti ke sath." He touched his feet and exited his room after saying him good night.

Nanu's gaze was still on the door when Sameer had left. He had an odd feeling regarding the next day which he couldn't comprehend but he brushed it off with an excuse of exhaustion. He too went back to sleep after some time.

* * * * *

Next day, after having his morning tea, Nanu went up in Sameer's room to check on him but found him still sleeping. He was sprawled upon the bed sleeping on his stomach, hair all messed up. Without making any noise, Nanu went towards him and sat at the edge of the bed. He gazed at him sleeping which reminded him of the 8-year-old Sameer who used to be so innocent. He caressed his hair lightly without disturbing his deep slumber. He sat there for a few minutes just watching him. After what felt like hours, he kissed his forehead and got up leaving his room.

As usual on time, Naina reached the temple dressed up in a long simple Kurti with matching leggings. She sat on their usual spot waiting for Nanaji.

He reached and spotted her under the tree. He was feeling a bit unwell but didn't pay attention to it. Naina touched his feet and he blessed her. They chatted for a while when Nanaji felt a slight wave of pain through his left hand.

Naina saw his discomfort, "Kya hua Nanaji? Aap thik toh hai na?"

Nanaji replied, "Haan...bas thodi tabiyat thik nahi lag rhi."

The intensity of the pain was rising, proceeding towards his chest, but he didn't tell her as he didn't want her to panic all of a sudden. Naina advised him to return back home and he agreed. He was having difficulty breathing. They descended down the stairs and were making their way towards the car when he felt a shooting pain as if someone had hit his chest. He fell on the ground with a thud losing up his consciousness.

Naina panicked and patted his cheeks and rubbed his hands, "N-n-nanaji...uthiye...Nanaji...aankhen kholiye..." All her efforts went into vain. Her hands were shaking. She didn't know what to do.

She immediately shouted to call the driver standing near the car reading newspaper. He immediately ran towards them. Till then, many people had gathered around them. A group of men and the driver carried Nanaji towards the car with a trembling Naina running behind them. She helped the group of men to lay him in the car and herself sat in the car taking his head in her lap, constantly rubbing his hands. She instructed the driver to take them towards the nearest hospital. With shivering hands, she tried calling Sameer but didn't pick.

On the other hand, Sameer was in the bathroom taking a shower to get ready for office unwillingly. He was feeling a bit restless today, having not-so-good type feeling, like something bad was going to happen. When he came out, he saw his phone pinging with notifications. He unlocked it and saw 20 missed calls from an unknown number. He couldn't understand. Just then his phone rang with the same unknown number. He attended it and kept the phone on his ear. He listened to the speaker of the call and stiffed. The phone slipped from his hand and fell with a thud on the floor.

_________________________________________

Here's the next update. I am really pleased to see the response because I hadn't expected this. Hope you are liking the story so far. For those who are waiting for Samana, you will have to wait a little more.
Give your views about this update in the comments section and kindly vote.

Guys, I wanted to say something. All of us are going through tough times. This pandemic has taken a toll on our mental health too.
Last few days were heart-breaking for us.
I just wanna say, help each other and TALK. It is important to communicate with each other.
Don't forget, WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER.

Lots Of Love, Sim ❣