17 Chapter 16

Author's POV:

Shaking his head, he went towards his mom and sat beside her bed silently while holding her hand tightly in his grip like he was afraid that she might disappear once he released his hold.

"What happened Ajju?" asked Mrs.Sarada upon sensing her son's mood.

"Maa, you gave me quite a scare. Please don't do this again. Don't leave me. I can't live without you, Maa. Sorry for ignoring you all this time. I won't do it again. Dr. Daksha said that you are stressing over something. Tell me about it. I will do whatever you want me to do. Just stay with me forever. Okay? " Arjun asked his mom pleadingly.

Mrs. Sarada's eyes teared up after seeing her son look like a child who was afraid of getting abandoned. She gave him a teary smile and started caressing his head.

"Don't worry. I won't leave you that early. I have so many things to do. I have to select a good girl for you to marry. I will have to look after your children and play with them. Moreover, I am still too young to leave this world," Mrs. Sarada said playfully to lighten up the situation.

"Maa, what marriage? What children? I don't want to marry anyone. I am happy living like this. I know I am incapable of keeping others happy. So, it's better if you don't think about my marriage," Arjun refuted immediately after listening to his mother who mentioned the topic of marriage even in that situation too.

"Your words hurt my poor little heart. I am actually worried about your marriage. Didn't you make a promise earlier that you would do whatever I asked you to? Did you forget about it already?" Mrs. Sarada replied dramatically by placing a hand over her heart.

"Maa, please. I can do anything except this. Neither my heart is nor I am ready for that," Arjun said, trying to convince his mother.

"I am sorry. I don't have any right to decide your life. Sorry for considering your promise seriously. Moreover, I am not your father for you to obey my words when I asked you to marry without any rhyme or reason. If it was your dad who asked you, you would have agreed to it without even batting an eyelid," Mrs.Sarada taunted Arjun because back then, he readily agreed to marry that Anusha without even seeing her once as it was a request from his father.

"Sarath, I am so sorry for using you. Hehehe... I am doing all this for our grandchildren. You can settle the score with me when I come there and meet you. Okay? " Mrs. Sarada apologized in her heart to her dear husband for using him.

"Maa, it's not like that. Back then, the situation was completely different but now neither the situation nor your son is the same," Arjun explained.

"Why don't you just say that you love that old man more than me?" Mrs. Sarada asked while folding her hands across her chest and turning her face to another side like a sulking child.

"Maa, I love you both equally. Don't say that," Arjun tried to pacify her.

" Then prove it to me. I am giving you a chance. I never asked anything from you, Arjun. I am asking you to get married to a girl of my choice. Can't you even do that for me? " Mrs. Sarada asked, looking expectantly at Arjun for his answer.

His mom's words put him in a difficult spot. He never wanted to get married and never imagined sharing his life with anyone.

Looking at his mother, he was sure that he could do anything for his mother's happiness. But the question was, was he ready to get married and ready to take such a responsibility?

After not getting any response from him, Mrs. Sarada shook her head before sighing disappointedly and said, "Leave it. I won't for-"

" Okay. I agree," Arjun replied, cutting her off in the middle, leaving her shocked.

"What? Did you agree to the marriage? Hahaha... I am so happy," replied Mrs. Sarada while grinning from ear to ear in happiness.

While they were talking, Daksha returned to the room after completing the procedures. She chatted for a while with Mrs. Sarada while Arjun went to the restroom to freshen up as his assistant brought his clothes.

Daksha was talking to Mrs. Sarada while fiddling with her car keys. Looking at the keys, Mrs. Sarada's eyes lit up and she got an idea.

"Daksha, I am feeling a little hungry. Can you cut some fruits for me to eat? " Mrs. Sarada asked and Daksha agreed instantly.

She stood up while placing her car keys and bag on the table and took some fruits from the fruit basket. After taking them, she went out to wash them.

After Daksha left, Mrs. Sarada immediately took the car keys and hid them under her pillow. After washing the fruits, Daksha came back and started cutting the fruits. After that, she handed them to Mrs. Sarada.

"Aunty, it's getting late. I will make a move now. I will come again tomorrow to check up on you. Just give me a call if there is an emergency," Daksha said to Mrs. Sarada and turned towards the table to take her car keys and bag. On not finding the keys there, she started to look around for them.

"What happened Daksha? What are you searching for? " Mrs.Sarada asked innocently, acting like she didn't know anything.

"I kept my car keys here before I went out to wash the fruits. I don't know what happened, but I can't find them here now."

"Are you sure that you put them there and did not take them along with you? I didn't see you keeping anything there. Maybe you took them with you and lost them on your way when you went out?" Mrs. Sarada said.

"No aunty. I remember it clearly. I put the keys here only."

" Really? Where will they go if you put them here itself? Leave it. How will you go home now?" asked Mrs. Sarada.

"That is what I am thinking about. Though Yuktha is there to drop me, it will be troublesome for her to drop me as she has to return to her mom's place. I think I will just take a cab," Daksha said.

Arjun just returned to the room after freshening up, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans.

"No. I won't allow you to take a cab at this hour," Mrs. Sarada said after seeing her son making an entry at the right time.

"Arjun, you came at the right time. Go and drop Daksha at her house safely."

" Maa, if I go, who will be here to look after you?" Arjun asked, indirectly denying his mom.

"Aunty, he is right. No need for that. I will go by taxi. Don't worry," Daksha said, trying to convince her as she also didn't want to go with that rude man.

"No, Daksha. He will drop you. Concerning someone staying with me, Arjun, go and ask someone from home to drop Ammu here as she might have returned from her college by this time. So, you can go and drop Daksha at her home. That's final," Mrs. Sarada said in a strict tone.

After letting out a sigh, Arjun went to call the driver and asked him to bring his sister to the hospital.

"Now go. It's getting late. Your sister will be there to look after me. If you are so worried about leaving me alone, just ask a nurse to stay with me till then," Mrs. Sarada suggested to which they agreed. They went out after allotting a nurse to look after Mrs. Sarada.

After they went out, Mrs. Sarada let out a sigh of relief and took out the keys which she had hidden under her pillow earlier. She smiled victoriously while looking at the keys.

"Ufff...finally they agreed. It's energy-consuming to convince these two buddhas. Don't know what I have to go through in the future if they are more slow-witted than I have imagined them to be," Mrs.Sarada talked to herself while munching on the fruits to restore her energy.