It was quite disturbing to Sanjana and Rakesh also that Sirisha finished her sapper without talking anything, retired into her studying room. They looked into each other's faces and Sanjana nodded her head insinuating that she would talk with Sirisha. After cleaning the kitchen and arranged everything, she came into the room of Sirisha, dragged another chair near to her and slumped herself in that. She wanted to talk with Sirisha and make her understand that point but she was feeling very much uneasy to start any conversation with her.

"I don't want to be disturbed now mom, first unit exams are due from tomorrow itself." As if she understood the intention of her mom, Sirisha said.

"Alright dear! We do talk whenever you do feel for it." Sanjana got off from the chair, turned back and was about to move away from that room.

"Mom, just a moment!"

When she heard that Sanjana stopped and looked into her daughter's face with a questioning expression.

"Tell me what?" Sanjana's heart's speed quickened as she was expecting something unpleasant by the expression on the face of her daughter.

"Why could not you and dad be careful?"

"What that we should have been careful?" frowns gathered on the forehead of Sanjana as she did not understand the question of her daughter.

"I know that parents do have it together. Why could not you both be careful not to cause this pregnancy?"

Then Sanjan understood that which was just like a slap to her. She moved away from that place and she did not know how she controlled herself but burst out into weeping when she entered into the bedroom.

"What happened dear? What that devil said to you?" taking his wife into her hands, Rakesh asked her.

"Do you, do you want me to put exactly what she has said?" amidst her weeping she asked him.

"Of course. Tell me what she said to you?" he became straight on the bed.

Then she controlled her weeping and said what she exactly heard from her daughter. "I was about to talk something with her but when she asked me not to disturb her as she has to write her first unit exams from tomorrow, I wanted to come away from her. Just at the moment I was coming out of that room, she stopped me and asked like that."

"I am not surprising that she knows things of that sort. But I am feeling surprise that she put it bluntly like that without bothering that you are her mom and how do you feel about it." With an angry and serious expression in his face Rakesh said.

"Now I am feeling fear to talk anything about this with her. And I am convinced of one thing for sure." With a set expression on her face Sanjana said. "She never does accept another child of us."

"Oh, please, don't talk like that." He relieved Sanjana and became even straighter on the bed. "When we wanted a second child, when this devil was just two years or so aged, I was just a small contractor and not having much income. But both of us did not bother about our finances and so much wished to have another child. When it has not happened even after fourteen years also, we have completely forgotten about it. I don't know how it has happened, now you are pregnant again! Luckily I have become so much successful in my profession, earned a lot and can look after even ten children also. Even with that much of time lapse also I have been feeling so much happy to have another child. I just don't know why our daughter is feeling like that!" with a dismal expression in his face Rakesh said.

"I can understand her feeling Rakesh. There is no surprise in that and if I were in her place, I too would have felt in the same way. It is really very much awkward to her to say to anyone that her mom has become pregnant now and she is going to have a small brother or sister."

On hearing that Rakesh remained silent as he did not know what to say.

"But I am also as much happy as you are to have this child Rakesh. I am just remembering how much I wished to have a second child at that time. But I must say God who has graced us with a second child sure does change the heart of our daughter and she accepts it. I am confident about that." With sudden firmness in her voice in the end, Sanjana said.

"I am also confident just like that dear!" Rakesh gently hold her again and kissed on her right cheek. "Shall we both put ourselves into sleep again? I have lot of work to put myself into tomorrow."

She nodded her head and after that they both themselves laid gently on the bed parallel to each other and they did not know when they slipped into sleep.

***

Sirisha was very much selective about friends even though she has no problem to talk with anyone and she has no friends in boys. She has only few girl friends but the only close friend to her was Chandana. The main reason for that was they both studied from L.K.G. to till then. Chandana was also beautiful and attractive even though not as much as Sirisha and even she also would get good marks, very seldom she overtook Sirisha. From then also and till now too, most of the times Sirisha was the class first. Sirisha always would feel so much intimate with Chandana and share everything of her with her. To her Chandana was the only close friend to her.

But it was not so to Chandana. In the beginning they both were just innocent close friends but from the moment she found the difference between herself and in Sirisha, a sort of jealousy and envy started in her. She was beautiful and attractive of course but not when she was along with Sirisha. Boys' trying always to make friendship with her and the envy of girls' towards her beauty has made the envy and jealousy in Chandana towards Sirisha even more intensified. It was wrong to say that she has not been feeling any friendliness with Sirisha but if a situation has arisen which she could use to make her feel worry she would happily use it and now such a situation has arisen. Sirisha's feeling angry and worrying about the incoming sibling of her was just creating happiness in Chandana and she was thinking how to use it to make her even more upset.

"Before it is too long, you have to find a way to escape from that danger!" in the playing hour when Sirisha sat moodily at a place on the ground, Chandana slumped on the side of her and said as if she understood about what Sirisha was thinking then.

"There is a way also to escape from this danger?" Chandana was not wrong as Sirisha was thinking about the same thing.

"Why not? It is surprising to me that you have not got this idea yet!" with a surprising expression in her face Chandana said. "If your mom has got the abortion of her pregnancy, the problem will be over forever."

Sirisha startled on hearing that! It was not so that she did not know about abortion but indeed she has not got that idea yet. One thing she understood so far that her mom was so much in love with her present pregnancy. Could she ask her to get it aborted?

"What you are thinking? If a woman wants to get rid of her pregnancy, it has to be done in the early months of it. Advanced pregnancies cannot be aborted and it will be dangerous to that pregnant woman also." Looking intently into the face of Sirisha, Chandana said.

"Oh, god! I just cannot even imagine something happens to my mom." With sudden apprehension in her face Sirisha said.

"If it has happened in the beginning days itself, there will be no danger to that pregnant woman. Just make your mom agree to this abortion and then everything will be alright for you." Looking intently into the face of Sirisha, Chandana said.

"I don't think that I can ask like that to my mom." Sirisha was even feeling hate on her mom that she was bringing a competitor to her onto the earth for everything she was enjoying but she was feeling very much uncomfortable to ask her mom to loss something which she did love so much!

"You have to, if you want to become a doctor. I am sure that your dad cannot expend that much for your medicine studies, if he has to look after another child also." Chandana was still observing her in the same way. "If you can be compromised yourself to study some engineering or some other cheaper course, you may have a sibling. But don't forget this thing also, whether it is a brother or sister to you, it would share and enjoy everything of you in an equal way to you or even more."

"Becoming a doctor is my life aim! I cannot forsake it for anything." With firmness in her voice Sirisha said. "And I cannot bear even the thought that someone else also will share everything I am enjoying now."

"Then you have to be bold and courageous and ask your mom for it." Chandana paused for a second. "If your parents do have real love and affection on you, they don't deny it at all."

Suddenly a determination came into Sirisha and she nodded her head. "I certainly do so." There was the same determination in her voice also.

Then without talking anything more she got off from the place where she sat and went away. Surprisingly looking at the way she has gone, Chandana also got off from the place where she sat.

"What you both were talking?" she turned back hearing that voice and found Sarath her classmate stood behind her.

"We both friends talk many a thing! How the hell you think I do tell about that to you?" the sudden irritation she was feeling in herself at his asking so then was amply reflected in her face also.

Sarath joined in that school only three months back in the tenth class straight. He was the handsomest boy in that whole class and all the girls try to get his attention towards them but he was always trying to put himself into the notice of Sirisha but she behaved just in her usual way with him also not giving much scope to talk with her. When he came to Chandana and tried to make friendship with her she felt so much happy but when she found that his intention was to become more intimate with Sirisha, she became very much frustrated and irritated. Even though she was not as much beautiful as Sirisha, she was also beautiful and attractive! Then she could not understand why he was trying to be friendly only with Sirisha.

"Moreover what you have to do anything with whatever we did talk?" after few seconds pause while he was struggling what to say Chandana said.

"I am very sorry. I just don't know why I have asked that question." With a sorrowful expression in his face Sarath said. "It is very much foolishness to think about someone who does not care about us even a little, is it is not?"

Chandana's heart instantly filled with happiness on hearing that and she has to put effort not to show that in her face. "I just don't know what do you want to say!" pretending confusion in her face she said.

(..........to be continued)

(I hope you enjoyed it so far. Please don't forget to rate and review it. I update the next chapter as early as possible.)