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Read Chapter 4 Here!

ARJUN

I can’t resist smiling, looking at Kiddo. Her hair, as usual, is all over the place, curly and unruly. She has still retained the puppy-fat that has been her trademark since her childhood and which I find cute as hell. I feel like pulling her chubby cheeks, the way I used to do always. She may not like it now. She looks pensive, lost in thought. I clear my throat.

“So how is everything with you? You look worried. Is that boss of yours giving you any trouble? Do you want me to come to your office to have a word with him?” I ask her.

She smiles, flashing cute dimples and shakes her head.

“You know I will do that, right?” I say very seriously. I have always been protective about her.

She lightly bangs her fist on my shoulder. “I know. So what is the big news you have got?”

I clear my throat. “I have decided to adopt a child.”

It takes me a moment to realize that she has stopped walking while I surged ahead. I turn back and see her staring at me.

“Are you serious?” She asks in bewilderment.

I nod solemnly. “Yes I am.”

“Wow!” She breathes out and we resume walking. “Tell me all about it.”

So I tell her everything about Tinu, how he made a place in my heart instantly and how I am feeling a deep connection with him already. She listens to me without saying a word.

“So that’s it. Tonight, over dinner, I will drop the news to Amma and Appa. Tomorrow I will start with the legal process.”

She chews on her lower lip, which is a sure sign that she wants to say something but is hesitating.

“Blurt it out, Kiddo.”

She runs her hand over her face and sighs. “All right, I think what you are doing is great. And I also know that you will be an awesome parent. But Amma is going to freak out.” She looks at me uncertainly. “She is trying really hard to get you married.” She says in a low voice.

I shake my head. “Not happening anytime. See, I am in my forties. If I have not found my partner by now, then what is the chance further? Some people are destined to be alone. And I am happy the way I am. Infact, I am not going to get married at all now.” I say firmly.

She doesn’t respond and we walk around the building premises in silence, each of us lost in our own world.

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“You have decided to do what??” Amma asks, a shocked look on her face.

“Atleast you could have waited until after dinner to drop this news.” Appa mutters in a low voice beside me. “Now she won’t let anyone eat in peace.”

Kiddo brings her fist to her mouth in the pretext of trying to wipe something, but the slight shaking of her shoulders clearly shows that she is trying to reign in her laughter.

“I have decided to adopt a child. He is ten years old.” I inform my parents about Tinu. Everyone listens to me in silence – a silence which I hope is not the calm before the storm.

“He was returned to the orphanage??” Amma whispers in dismay.

And that is why I am crazy about her. Because, behind the façade of strictness and rigidity, there beats a soft and caring heart.

“Yes Amma. You should have heard the casual way in which he said this. It broke my heart.” I say in a low voice.

Amma shakes her head and looks at Appa who simply shrugs and says – “If this is your decision, then I am totally okay with it, Beta.”

“But… what about your marriage… what if…” Amma says worriedly.

“Amma, any girl would be lucky to marry Arjun.” Kiddo says in her calming and soft voice. “There are many people opting to be single parents nowadays. It is not as strange as you feel.”

Amma drinks some water, still looking shell-shocked. "I do not know what to do. You kids decide everything for yourselves now. There is no role for the parents, except to pester you for everything." She says, her voice quivering.

Kiddo places her hand over Amma's. "It is not like that. If this decision makes Arjun happy, then will you be against it?" She asks softly.

Amma sighs and resumes eating. 

“And what about you, Shreyu? Are you also going the Arjun-way, not giving a thought to marriage at all? When are you planning to get married?” Amma asks her sternly.

I laugh. “Leave her alone. She is just a kid.”

Kiddo clears her throat. “I am not a kid, Arjun. I am turning 30 this year.”

I look at her, taking in her serious expression. And suddenly I realize that my Kiddo is not a kid anymore. The thought saddens me. Somewhere in the course of our friendship, I grew old and she grew up. It feels like I am stuck up in a frozen part of her childhood while she moved on.  

“I have some prospective grooms for you. I will share their details with your Aai.” Amma says firmly, leaving no room for argument. Kiddo simply nods her head.

I, in the meanwhile, lose my appetite and play with the food, the thought of Kiddo getting married, making my heart heavy for a while. Then I think about Tinu and my spirits soar. I am not alone; I have a son now.  

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