Chapter 16: If This Is What You Want

A few days later, Veeresh returned to Rajgarh.

No one knew about his quiet trip to Delhi.

No one knew he had stood outside Poornima's school.

No one knew he had seen her after thirty long years.

He kept those memories to himself.

As far as his family knew, he had simply gone for work.

That evening, the Thakur family gathered for dinner.

Ajay had come from Mumbai for the weekend.

Rhea was home from college.

Ritesh had somehow escaped his mountain of medical textbooks.

For once, everyone was together.

The atmosphere felt suspiciously cheerful.

Veeresh immediately noticed.

He looked at his children.

"What now?"

The three siblings exchanged glances.

Ajay tried to hide a smile.

Veeresh sighed.

"It is about her again, isn't it?"

Nobody denied it.

That was answer enough.

After dinner, they all moved to the courtyard.

The moonlight illuminated the old haveli.

Veeresh sat in his usual chair while the three children occupied the seats around him.

For a few moments, nobody spoke.

Finally, Ajay broke the silence.

"Dad..."

Veeresh looked at him.

"What have you thought?"

The question made Veeresh smile faintly.

Instead of answering, he asked his own.

"What have you three thought?"

The siblings blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Veeresh folded his arms.

"You all started this."

"So tell me."

"What exactly have you decided?"

The children exchanged confused looks.

Ajay finally spoke.

"Dad, we haven't decided anything."

"You clearly have."

Rhea laughed.

"Okay, maybe a little."

"A little?" Veeresh asked dryly.

"You people practically formed a committee."

That earned a round of laughter.

Even Veeresh couldn't suppress a smile.

Ajay became serious.

"We thought about you."

The smile faded.

Ritesh nodded.

"That's all."

Veeresh listened quietly.

Ajay continued.

"For years, you've only lived for us."

"When Mom died, you never complained."

"You never let us feel her absence more than necessary."

"You became both parents."

Rhea's eyes softened.

"You attended school meetings."

"You helped us study."

"You worried about every small thing."

Ritesh added,

"You sacrificed everything."

Veeresh looked away.

Praise always made him uncomfortable.

Ajay leaned forward.

"We don't want you to be alone."

The words were simple.

Honest.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

For a moment, the only sound was the distant chirping of crickets.

Rhea spoke next.

"Dad, we aren't trying to replace Mom."

Veeresh looked at her immediately.

"I know."

"Mom will always be Mom."

Her voice was gentle.

"Nobody can take her place."

Ritesh nodded.

"But that doesn't mean your life ended when hers did."

Veeresh remained silent.

The words struck deeper than they intended.

Ajay looked directly at his father.

"We want you to have someone."

"Someone to talk to."

"Someone who understands you."

"Someone who asks whether you've eaten."

"Someone who scolds you when you work too much."

That last part made everyone laugh.

Including Veeresh.

Because it was true.

Nobody in the family successfully managed to stop him from working.

For several moments, Veeresh simply looked at his children.

He saw sincerity.

Concern.

Love.

Not pressure.

Not selfishness.

Just love.

These were the children he had raised.

The children for whom he had dedicated decades of his life.

And now they were trying to return a fraction of that care.

Finally, Veeresh spoke.

His voice was calm.

"So this is what you want?"

All three nodded immediately.

Without hesitation.

Without doubt.

"Yes."

The answer came together.

Ajay.

Rhea.

Ritesh.

All at once.

The certainty in their voices made Veeresh smile.

A small smile.

But a real one.

He looked at each of them carefully.

Then leaned back in his chair.

"If this is truly what all of you want..."

The three siblings held their breath.

Veeresh's gaze drifted toward the night sky.

Toward the stars above Rajgarh.

Toward memories of Janaki.

Toward memories of a girl sitting in a library.

Toward a future he had never imagined.

Then he looked back at his children.

"...then I am okay with meeting her."

For a second, complete silence filled the courtyard.

Nobody moved.

Nobody blinked.

As though they weren't sure they had heard correctly.

Then—

"What?!"

Ritesh practically jumped out of his chair.

Rhea gasped.

Ajay stared at his father in disbelief.

"Dad... really?"

Veeresh immediately raised a hand.

"Meeting her."

The excitement didn't decrease.

Not even slightly.

"Only meeting."

"Nothing else."

"We'll see after that."

Ajay couldn't stop smiling.

Rhea looked ready to cry.

Ritesh looked ready to announce the news to the entire village.

Veeresh shook his head helplessly.

For the first time in years, he saw pure happiness on all three faces at once.

And strangely enough...

Seeing them happy made the decision feel a little easier.

Far away in Delhi, Poornima still hadn't made up her mind.

But in Rajgarh, the first door had finally opened.

And destiny had just taken another step forward.

To be continued...