chapter 15

Ma was feeling much better under the care and supervision of her daughter-in-law and my wife, Sugandha.Mehek was the little princess of her grandmother, father and mother. She used to give orders to us, like bring chocolate cake for me or I want to have a new dress or a new doll and I would buy her favourite things for her like a genie in the the magic lamp!One day, Taara Mam paid a visit to my mother and asked about her feelings after the reunion with her daughter-in-law,"How are you, Aunty? I feel that you must be relieved and happy to see your daughter-in-law back with your son!"Ma thought for sometime and when she saw Sugandha with a cup of hot tea and some snacks, she smiled at her and said to Mam,"She is not just a daughter-in-law for me, in fact she is my true daughter and I love her more than my own son!"I pretended to be hurt and said to Ma,"Ma, not fair, you are my real mother but you love her more than me, tell me how is it possible?"Ma said to me,"It is possible because she has left her own mother to take care of me and my son, so her sacrifice is much bigger and should be rewarded with more love. You were born to me so you didn't have much say or choice in the matter as it depended on your past karmas, but she chose me as a daughter and her choice made me indebted to her for many more lives to come!"Sugandha said to Ma,"Please, Ma don't say this, you are more precious for me than anything else in this world. I am truly sorry for leaving you and this home without informing you as I thought that your son is going to bring a new daughter-in-law for you!"Ma, said to her,"It would have been impossible under my watch! I am not blinded by my son's love and know very well how to teach him a lesson, but I have only one request for you, if it is possible then I would like to play with my grandchild before I die. I could not spend time with Mehek as she was away from me but if it is possible then I would like to see the cute smile of my grandchild as it would be the best gift you could give to your mother-in-law!"Sugandha said to Ma,"Every child wants the security of love and I don't want to bring my child in a hostile environment where the father is not serious about his role in the life of his progeny!"Taara Mam said to Sugandha,"You have told the truth and I am proud of you. If you want to have a child then it should be your decision first as it will affect your life completely! Father's role is very important in the life of a young child but it starts with a mother first as she is the first teacher and the best friend for her child being a mother!"I said to Sugandha,"I promise you that I will try my best to be the best father in this whole world and I will prove my words when the time will come to show my love to you and my children through actions instead of words!"