Veena

Hello Everyone,

This is my first attempt to write down my thoughts and present it in the form of a Story. Hope to do my best and looking forward to your comments and feedbacks.

Chapter 1

Veena is very happy today. Her elder daughter Akansha is getting married. Veer is very nice and well-educated boy. It's a love marriage. They both have completed their MBA from the same college and started working in the same bank. They are very good friends since college. After their job placement, Veer proposed to Akansha but Akansha wanted this marriage with blessings and permission of all elders from both the families.

Akansha's family has her mother Veena, her father Rakesh and her younger brother Akshay. Her father owns a book shop in Ahmedabad city but he is not much interested in work. He is very short tempered. He always behaves very badly with his family. He gets irritated at small things. Veena and Rakesh are not the happy couples. Veena has to take care of the shop, home, and kids. Rakesh always gets angry on her. He never speaks nicely to Veena and never supports in any of the responsibilities.

Veena is having a hard time growing up kids but when God gives you some hardships, he has something good for you as well. And for Veena, it's her kids. Both Akansha and Akshay are bright students. Akansha got a scholarship and completed her MBA and now she is supporting her family financially. Akshay has also cleared his engineering entrance and got admitted to the college.

Veena has to work really hard on bringing up kids. But the life is moving on with the help of some relatives and some extra work Veena does other than handling the shop. She had started working as an LIC Agent. She has to go door to door to explain the policy and get some clients by the month end. But it's not that easy. Going out in crouching heat, heavy rain or chilling winter and at the end not making any deal in month end is very tiring and frustrating. She started suffering from a migraine and severe backache.
But she can't stop working.

She can not expect anything from Rakesh. If ever she tells him anything he got angry and started fighting. This makes the whole environment at home very tensed. Kids and their studies also get impacted. Akansha tries to come in between but it's of no use. After few years Veena started not to speak with him about anything. They are living together for the sake of the kids and society.

When Veer proposed to Akansha, she came to her mother and said, "Mom, I want to talk to you about Veer."
"What about him ?" Asked Veena looking questioningly towards Akansha.

"Mom, as you know me and Veer are very good friends and we also like each other." After a pause, she started again "We want to get married Ma but with both families wish and blessings."

Veena was listening to her very patiently.

"Mom I know he is from a different caste. They have different culture and tradition at their home. I want your guidance. You have experienced a lot in your life. I know these customs, traditions are very important in one's life but can love makes this difference seamless. We understand each other very well. We think we are quite compatible and spend our life together happily. But I want your advice. What do you think about this?" Akansha took a deep breath. She felt relaxed after talking to her mother.

"It's quite late, u go and sleep. We will talk about it tomorrow." Veena said.

Akansha left the room saying Good Night to her Mom and without questioning her further. She wanted to give her mother some time to think over it and take the best decision for her daughter.

 

Thanks for your kind words

 

Thanks for reading and giving your feedback.

 

Chapter 2


After Akansha left her mother’s room, Veena lies down on her bed. Her eyes are wide open and her mind is taking her way back to the time when she was 20 years old. She is feeling like unfolding the pages, which she has kept closed for so many years.


Veena stayed with her family in a government colony in Lucknow. Her father Mr. Shashikant Pandya was basically from Orissa but due to his job, he has to travel different cities. He was working on a very reputed post in the Electricity Department and currently posted in Lucknow. Veena’s mother Sadhna was a housewife and a dedicated wife and mother. Veena has one elder sister Vandita who was married and stays in Jaipur with her family. Veena’s elder brother Ashok and her wife Lalita stay in Delhi as Ashok was working in a Bank as a Bank Manager. So it was a typical and traditional household where Veena’s father is head of the family and of course the decision maker.


Veena had just completed her B.A. final year and wanted to pursue M.A. Veena has a lot of interest in sports as well. In their colony, they have a big playground, where Veena and many other boys and girls of her age play different sports like Badminton, Volleyball, Football, Cricket and many more. Veena loves to play badminton and she used to practice daily in the evening along with her friends.


It was a Sunday morning in the month of June. Veena woke up early morning and thought of going to the playground to play badminton. She called one of her friend Richa and asked her to join in the playground. Richa told her to reach playground and said she would take around half an hour.

Veena thought by the time Richa will come to the playground, she could have a quick walk on the ground. So she went downstairs and informed her mother Sadhna.

“Ma, I am going to the ground. Richa will also be coming and then we will play for some time. I will be back by 9.” she took her racket and shuttlecock.


“Ok Veena.” Her mother replied as she was busy in her daily morning pooja.


Veena left the house and reached the ground in next 5 mins. There are many people doing their Morning walk. Some of them are doing different exercises.

It was a beautiful morning. Seems like full of energy everywhere. Veena started walking along the path. She was wearing a chiffon light green Suit with white dupatta. It was little breezy and she was enjoying the wind and completely lost in her thoughts. Suddenly she stopped as a volleyball strike just before her. She bent to take the ball from the ground and as she got up she found two big eyes looking at her. It was the very first time when she saw Sahil. Sahil was looking at her completely mesmerized. Little wind was blowing and making Veena’s dupatta flowing. Sahil was completely lost looking at her.


“Excuse Me. Excuse Me. Please take your ball.” Veena was offering ball to Sahil. Suddenly he realized someone is calling him. His friends were waiting for the ball. He got little embarrassed and took the ball from her hands and said, “Thank you.” Veena smiled and started walking. Sahil left behind smiling and looking at her. His friends started calling him and he runs towards them throwing the ball in the air.


“Hi Veena, Good Morning! Let's go to the court and play.” Richa came to the ground and took Veena along to the badminton court. They have started playing and completed three games. Veena felt little tired and looked at her watch and thought of going back to home.


“Let's go back Richa. I think I am done for the day.” said Veena and they both started heading towards their respective houses. As Veena was moving towards her house, she realized someone was looking at her from the corner of the ground’s main gate. She stopped and looked there. She found the same two big eyes to which her eyes met in the morning. She felt shy and her heart started beating fast. She smiled to herself and started walking hurriedly towards her house.

 

Thank you @creativemumma and @Vandhuamma

 

Chapter 3


As Veena entered the house, she went straight to her room and locked it from inside. She was feeling so different and a wave of excitement was running through her body. She had never felt like this before. She was not able to forget those eyes and how they were looking at her. She was smiling and feeling shy. She started humming some tune and went into the balcony. Sahil was standing outside her house and started smiling looking at her. Her face turned red and she runs back to her room. She was not sure what this feeling is but she was happy.


“Veena, come for breakfast.” Sadhna called from downstairs.

“Yes Ma, coming!” Veena tried to control her emotions and replied.


All three of them were sitting on the dining table and having their breakfast.


“Our colony is organizing the annual sports league and I want my daughter to win this year’s badminton trophy.” Shashikant excitedly told Veena.


But Veena was completely engrossed in her thoughts and didn’t respond to her father.


“Veena… Veena… I am talking to you. Where are you lost?” his voice got little raised and broke Veena’s thoughts.


“Ohh Sorry Papa! Yes, tell me what are you saying.”


“I was talking about annual sports league. I hope you are ready to participate and win.”


“Yes Papa, I am doing my practice regularly.”


“Good. Sadhna, I am going to meet my friends and will be back by evening.” Shashikant told to her wife and left the house. Veena helped her mother completed household work. After finishing everything, Sadhna told Veena that she is going to the next house to meet her neighborhood friends and she will be back in next 1 hour.


Veena took out a book from the shelf and sat on the sofa. She was not able to read the book. She again lost in her thoughts. Who was he? I never saw him before. I don’t know him. Then why I am feeling like this? Why I felt shy when he was looking at me. Why I am smiling thinking about him. What is this happening to me? Why my heartbeat get so loud? What must he be thinking now? So many questions and she has no answers. She kept on thinking and fell asleep on the sofa and book in her hands.