The morning sun had risen, and the city of Mumbai was shining with it. People were getting ready to leave for work.

~ 𝗩𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗵𝗶'𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲

Sunanda Joshi (Vaidehi's mother) was preparing aaloo paratha for breakfast, while Shankar Joshi (Vaidehi's father) sat on his chair, finishing his meal with the newspaper in hand.

Taking the last bite of his paratha, Shankar called out,

“Aree, aaj paratha milega bhi ya nahi?”

“Aree, ale ale,” Sunanda smiled, coming out of the kitchen with another paratha on a plate.

She served it to him, while Shankar, as usual, remained buried in his newspaper.

“Subah ke saat baj gaye hain… kaha hain tumhare ladle bachhe?” Shankar asked, taking a bite of the hot paratha.

“Abhi bulati hoon unhe,” Sunanda replied and went to wake them.

---

She first entered Rohit's room. As expected, her son was still sleeping. She gently shook his shoulder.

“Rohit… uth bala,” she said softly.

“Aree Aai, sone do na… raat ko teen baje tak padhai ki hai,” Rohit mumbled sleepily.

“Beta, par tere Baba ko pasand nahi hai der tak sona,” Sunanda coaxed in her sweet tone.

Rohit peeked from under his pillow and said dramatically,

“Aree Aai, tum Baba ko samjha do na please… itna to kar hi sakti ho apne laute bete ke liye.”

Sunanda chuckled at his daily drama.

“Theek hai beta, keh dungi… par sirf aadha ghanta aur. Uske baad uth jaana, warna Baba to tujhe jaante hi ho.”

“Haan haan, Aai… ab jao na, mujhe sone do,” Rohit muttered, pulling the pillow over his face.

Shaking her head with a smile, Sunanda left his room and went to Vaidehi’s.

---

Unlike her brother, Vaidehi was already dressed for school. She wore a simple sky-blue cotton saree, her hair neatly braided to the side. A small black bindi adorned her forehead. On one wrist, she had a watch, and on the other, a delicate bracelet. A light fragrance of perfume lingered in the air.

Hearing the door click, Vaidehi looked up with a bright smile.

“Good morning, Aai.”

“Tujhe har baar kaise pata chal jaata hai ki main hi hoon?” Sunanda giggled.

“Aree Aai, routine hai na… Baba tumhe bhejte hain uthane ke liye. Rohit phir se so gaya hoga, aur uske baad tum mujhe bulane aati ho. Kaise bhoolungi?” Vaidehi teased, shrugging her shoulders.

“Haye, kitni samajhdar hai meri beti. Bas teri shaadi bhi tere jaisa hi samajhdar ladka mile toh…” Sunanda joined her hands, whispering a prayer for a good damaad.

Vaidehi smiled at her innocent mother. She remembered how Sunanda had prayed the same way for her elder sister. And indeed, her sister was now married to Atharv Kulkarni, a kind and loving engineer. They even had a mischievous five-year-old son, Aarav, who adored his mama Rohit and always ganged up against his Masi.

“Achha, chal ab neeche aa ja… tere Baba wait kar rahe hain. Ek to so gaya, ab tu hi aa ja,” Sunanda said, laughing.

“Haan Aai, aap jao… main notes aur purse leke aati hoon,” Vaidehi replied, walking to her study table.

---

Downstairs, Shankar had finished eating and was sipping his tea when Sunanda joined him.

“Vaidehi aa rahi hai. Aur—”

“Haan haan, pata hai. Tumhara ladla beta phir se so gaya hoga aur aadhe ghante baad uthega,” Shankar interrupted knowingly.

Sunanda laughed, going back to the kitchen to prepare tea and paratha for Vaidehi. Soon, Vaidehi came down and greeted her father.

“Good morning, Baba.”

“Good morning, beta.”

She placed her notes and purse on the chair and went to the kitchen. Sunanda was juggling parathas and tea.

“Aai, mujhe do… main bana leti hoon,” Vaidehi said, taking the spatula from her hand.

“Aree Vaidehi beta, tu jaake baith. Main bana rahi hoon na,” Sunanda protested.

“Aai, mujhe banane do na… kya ho gaya agar maine banaya toh?”

Smiling, Sunanda gave in.

“Achha, thik hai.”

---

When parathas and tea were ready, Vaidehi sat at the table. Shankar put his newspaper aside.

“How’s work going, beta?” he asked.

“Sab achha chal raha hai, Baba… bas kaam thoda zyada ho gaya hai,” she replied, eating her paratha.

“Achha… tere bhai ko bhi sikha de thoda tere jaisa jaldi uthna,” Shankar said dryly.

Vaidehi chuckled.

“Baba, aap tension mat lo. Vo bichara raat bhar padhai karta hai. Bohot hardworking hai.”

“Pata hai, beta… par uski aadatein thodi…” Shankar sighed.

“Aree Baba, sab sahi hai,” Vaidehi assured.

Just then, Sunanda placed a cup of tea before her daughter.

“Sab kahan sahi hai, beta? Teri shaadi abhi baaki hai.”

“Aree Aai, ho jaayegi shaadi. Aap itni chinta kyu kar rahi ho?” Vaidehi smiled.

“Haan beta, shaadi to ho jaayegi, par achha ladka milna bhi zaroori hai. Pehle hi do ladke reject ho chuke hain,” Shankar reminded.

“Aur waise bhi, achha ladka milne mein waqt lagta hai,” Sunanda added.

“Haan Aai, haan Baba… mujhe pata hai. Aap log tension mat lo,” Vaidehi said softly, sensing their concern.

Finishing her breakfast, she stood up.

“Achha, main chalti hoon. Bye Aai, bye Baba.”

“Bye beta,” her parents replied.

Vaidehi picked up her purse, started her scooty parked in the aangan, and drove off to school.

Back at the dining table, Sunanda looked at Shankar.

“Pata nahi kab ek sahi ladka milega apni Vaidu ke liye,” she said, worried.

“Mil jaayega, Sunanda. Bas koi aisa ho jo achha insaan ho, aur uska pariwar bhi sukhi ho,” Shankar replied, his voice heavy with a father’s hope.

“Mujhe bas itni chinta hai ki hamari beti waha khush rahe. Waise bhi shant hai… kam bolti hai. Agar pariwar achha ho toh uski zindagi bhi achhi hogi,” Shankar said.

“Aree, aap chinta mat karo. Hamari beti jaha bhi rahegi, khush rahegi,” Sunanda reassured.

Just then Rohit appeared, freshly dressed. Seeing his parents’ worried faces, he knew exactly what they were discussing.

“Aree Baba, Aai, aap log itni chinta mat karo. Mil jaayega ek achha damaad aapki samajhdar beti ke liye,” he teased, sitting down.

“Tu chup kar. Bade bol rahe hain,” Shankar scolded.

“Aree ab aap shuru mat ho jao… Rohit, chup kar. Main tera nashta laati hoon,” Sunanda said quickly, shielding her son from further scolding.

“Haan, lao iska nashta,” Shankar muttered, getting up.

Rohit winked at his mother, laughing as she brought him parathas.

“Main mandir jaa raha hoon,” Shankar announced, as was his daily routine.

---

~ 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 & 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻

By 7:50 a.m., the temple in their sky-high colony was bustling. The garden was divided into two sides.. On one side Children played on swings and slides.. The other side of the garden was  made for elderly people where some of them gathered  for yoga, walks, and morning gossip while sitting on chairs kept in the garden..

“Aree Shankar, good morning!” one friend greeted.

“Aree Kishore, mandir se aa raha hoon,” Shankar replied, heading toward the temple.

After ringing the bell, he stood before Krishna Bhagwan with folded hands. Closing his eyes, he prayed sincerely:

"𝐻𝑒𝑦 𝑏ℎ𝑎𝑔𝑤𝑎𝑛 , 𝑏𝑎𝑑 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑢 𝑘𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑦𝑒 𝑒𝑘 𝑎𝑐ℎℎ𝑎 𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑘𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑙 𝑗𝑎𝑎𝑦𝑒. 𝑉𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑏ℎ𝑖 𝑏𝑜ℎ𝑜𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑤𝑎𝑏ℎ𝑎𝑣 𝑘𝑖 ℎ𝑎𝑖. 𝐴𝑔𝑎𝑟 𝑠𝑎ℎ𝑖 𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑘𝑎 𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑎 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑠𝑘𝑖 𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑔𝑖 𝑘ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑏 ℎ𝑜 𝑗𝑎𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑔𝑢. 𝐾𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑎 𝑘𝑖𝑗𝑖𝑦𝑒 𝑘𝑖 𝑗𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑘𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑣𝑜 𝑎𝑐ℎℎ𝑎 ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑘 𝑎𝑐ℎℎ𝑒 𝑘ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑎𝑡𝑎 ℎ𝑜"

He bowed and stepped out, joining his friends in the garden.

“Aree Shankar, aaj der kaise ho gayi?” Ramesh asked.

“Prarthana kar raha tha,” Shankar replied.

“Apni beti ke liye, na?” Kishore teased with a smile.

Shankar nodded. “Aur kya… bas uski shaadi ek achhe ghar mein ho jaaye.”

They all remembered the last two rejected proposals.

“Tension mat le. Achha rishta mil jaayega. Aajkal waise bhi mushkil hai,” Ramesh said.

"Aree , yeh Suresh kaha reh gaya ?" asked Kishore

" Hoga ghar pr hi , kha raha hoga apni patni daat" Ramesh said making everyone laugh..

Just then, Suresh, arrived.

“Kya baatein ho rahi hain?” he asked.

"Aree kuch nahi Ramesh bol raha tha ki tu apni patni ki daat kha raha hoga" said Kishore

"Aree kya kuch bhi.. main har waqt thodi daat khata hoon... wo to bass ek khass dost ka call aa gaya tha"

"Achha" said Shankar

"Vaise,  Shankar tum itne chintit kyu dikh rahe ho?" asked Suresh

Ramesh replied, “Aree, Shankar apni beti ki shaadi ko lekar chintit hai.”

Suresh thought for a moment, then said,

“Arre, to main ek baat bataun? Mera dost Madhav Deshmukh… uska chota beta Dr. Raghav Deshmukh abhi tak kuwara hai. Vo ek Government hospital mein kaam karta hai aur ek khudka clinic bhi hai.. Vo sab Bandra mein rehte hai.. Aaj main unke ghar unki poti ke birthday party mein jaa raha hoon. Chaho to main baat chhed doon?”

Shankar’s eyes lit up.

“Suresh, tune mere dil ki baat keh di. Jarur baat karna.”

“Haan haan, Shankar… Vaidehi to meri bhi beti jaisi hai. Agar uski shaadi Deshmukh parivaar mein hui, to tumhe bilkul chinta karne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Madhav Deshmukh bohot hi achha insaan hai. Uska pariwar sukhi hai, aur uske bachhe sanskari. Vaidehi waha bohot khush rahegi,” Suresh assured.

"Haa haa Akhir ek beti ke baap ko chahiye hi kya ki uski beti ek achhe ghar ki bahu bane aur hamesha sukhi rahe" said Ramesh , also being a father of daughter who is married and lives abroad..

Shankar folded his hands in gratitude.

“Bas Bhagwan kare yeh rishta ho jaaye."

" Shankar tum itni chinta mat karo sab sahi hoga" Assured Kishore

𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘢𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘰𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘺...

Ab yaha tak padh liya hai to please vote jarur karna aur follow karna mat bhulna ❤️

With Love

~ Blueberry_writezz