" Why are we doing this Ma?" Sidharth winced a little as helped himself down on the breakfast table. His mother was fast to grab his hand and help him settle down. Sidharth frowned, annoyed with this constant help he needed, especially as and when he needed to sit. Something that left him annoyed with himself and his own incapabilities. Why life had to be so brutal towards him!

And why was his mother hell bend to make him a burden in someone else's life!

" Exactly because of this." His mother, Mrs Rumi Ahuja pulled the chair next to her son as she helped herself down. She made a plate of Paratha and curry for her son and forwarded it to him. Sidharth was quick to grab the plate and dived into his food.

" How long will I be there for you? I'm aging Chintu. And so are you."  She looked at her son solemnly. Her handsome beautiful son. Her ever smiling son who lost all his reasons to smile.

" Ma.." Sidharth whined munching at the food with a vigor.

" Stop calling me Chintu for God's sake. " He sneered.

"Chintu Chintu Chintu!" I love this name yaar. Why do you feel embarrassed!

The memories rushed back. Sidharth cringed with the fowl feeling they brought.

" I hate that name. How many times do I need to tell you that?" He was seething. There was unsettled emotions laced with that name. Mrs Ahuja looked at her son with a heavy heart. What a lier he was turning out to be ! Sidharth loved that name apparently. He loved the namesake actor after whom he was named. Just like his mother. How beautiful were those days when they would grab a basket of popcorn and enjoy a Saturday afternoon relishing Rishi Kapoor movies. But.....it's all a past now. Gone was her ever charming and ever smiling son. The one that sat beside her is a grumpy man who ll pather life and it's existence.

" No. You loved that name. Kyu jhut bolta hai Sidharth. Why are turning to be this man you were not." She placed her hand on his palm that rested atop the dining table and gave it a squeeze.
Sidharth was taken aback. His face softened for a brief while before it hardened back.

" Because this is the reality of life Ma. Soft logo ke saath life utna hi harsh hota hai. You be soft and life fucks you up. I don't want to be a play thing to life anymore. I won't allow life to fuck me up again." He pursued his lips and stated. There was such rudeness in his whole demeanor. Unbothered and insolence. And he was better this way. Or so he thought.

" Manners Sidharth. I taught you better!" Mrs Ahuja scowled at her son's choice of words. Cussing wasn't accusatory these days but there should be a paradigm of respect between parents and children. Sidharth sighed and apologised immediately. " I'm sorry. That was.. a momentary slip of tongue " he breathed and leaned against the back of the chair. Eyes closed he took a few minutes to gather his poised self back.

Sidharth was not always this rude and  impudent. It was just life fucking with his sanity that turned him so uptight and emotionless at times.

" It's ok." Mrs Ahuja sighed with her son's effrontary. But she couldn't complain..life had simply not been fair to her son till now. It had taken away a lot beside his softness and charm.

" This Raju has forgotten how to cook or what. This curry tastes yuck." Sidharth got back to his breakfast and tried deviating the topic for now. He took a few more morsels of food and stuffed his mouth full to munch on them vigorously.

" Sidharth!" Mrs Ahuja was quick to reprimand back.

" Don't disrespect food. That's bad manners " she hated when people disrespected food.

" Yes, but this sucks. It should have a little bit of taste for appraisal no." He said, guzzling down a glass fuk of water. The food was hot and spicy without an ounce of taste in it and Sidharth couldn't stand spicy food these days. The salvo of medicines he took played with his taste buds and made them sensitive. So much so that even a spec of hotness would irk him off.

" And that is why is am getting you your personal cook. It's going to be lucrative Sidharth just think about it. She is an amazing cook."

" And how do you know that? Have you tasted what she cooks?" Sidharth couldn't help with the mockery. They were back at square one and he was feeling suffocated.

" Bhaishahab k rishteydaar hai. He vouched for her culinary skills. I have full trust on him." Mrs Ahuja was relentless. She just couldn't let this opportunity go to waste. The family seemed eager knowing every flaws of her son. How could she let go of this chance to settle her son down!

" So ask uncle to marry his own son off to her." Sidharth scoffed. This was ridiculous. Why was everyone hell bent on getting him hitched! Didn't they know this was such a bad idea. Who would want to accept his flaws and settle down with him!

" His son is just 25! Sidharth can't you be a little less obstinate at times?" Mrs Ahuja was getting irritated with his constant denial.

" So! I am 40 mom. 4-0? Can't you see I am way too older for her?" He took the serviette and wiped his lips off.

" That's normal in our society Sidharth. A ten years age gap is nothing. Your father was fifteen years older than me!" Mrs Ahuja didn't back off .

" And that was what 50 years ago? Kaun se zamane mei padi hui ho Ma aap!" Sidharth felt a throbbing pain starting to build up near his temples. His mother was too adamant at time. like son like mother! He sighed. He was no less adamant than her.

" Toh kya karu Mai? Sit and watch you get old without a companion. Sit and let the chance of getting a grandchild go away just like that?"

" Grand child huh!" Sidharth dralled on the word a little too much. A smirk crawled to grace his lips in sheer mockery.

"So it was all about a grandchild! You should have said that."

" Of course it is. Sabko chahiye hota hai. Where do you think I am wrong here?" Mrs Ahuja panted a little as she seethed out. She cringed with the way she was getting hyper. She didn't want to be rude with her but Sidharth sometimes left her with no other options. Seemed obstinacy ran in their genes!

" In that case, I can give you a grandchild any day. You need to just ask. What's the deal with getting me hooked up?" The words just slipped before Sidharth could realise what he spoke. He winced to watch the horrific reaction on her mother's face. Damn!

" I'm sorry!" He apologised at once. Mrs Ahuja glared at her son. It wasn't his fault that he was turning rude and cold. But sometimes his words were too harsh for his own good

" Better be." She squared up her shoulders. Sidharth sighed. He felt defeated. But he just couldn't lose. Marriage was simply not an option for him anymore. In another world, in another situation where he wouldn't have to deal with his flaws regularly, Sidharth might have looked forward for a nuptial. It wasn't that he didn't miss having a companion for himself. It wasn't that he didn't crave for a female body to lose himself at times. He craved for someone who could let him drown himself into her softness and charm. Yet...life was just not that giving when it came to him. Now as life had presented him with an ambush that was hard for even him to deal with, he was sceptical to draw another soul into his orifice. It was cruel. He didn't want to become a selfish man.

" Ma..look at me. Do you think anyone will want to get herself bonded with a curse like me. No. What's the point in getting your hopes high and then get heartbroken?" He could barely whisper this time. The aches were too much to deal with.

" Maine unko sab bata diya hai Sidharth. They are willingly coming into this. Can you not be a little positive for me and just give this one last chance." Her tome was pleading. Sidharth hugged but he knew he would give up to his mother's wishes eventually. He always did .

" And what if she runs away! Just like her!" The later part died in his own heart. Sidharth didn't want to make his mother burden with more guilt. She had enough to deal with already.

" She won't. Just give this a chance Sidharth." Mrs Ahuja held her son's hand with all the love she had for him. Her eyes glistened with hope. Sidharth. He needed a little time. He had not even gone through her resume to consider. Not that he was in a positive to demand much.

Sidharth's phone rang with a text. he took that out and went through the text. There was an immediate call from his office. He needed to rush. He put his phone back to his pocket as he tried getting up in a haste and said to his mother " I need time to think Ma and I'm late already. Have your breakfast but I'll have to rush now. Will talk about this later on."

But in the spurt of the moment and his mind caught up with various things, Sidharth forgot he had a certain way to stand and balance. As he stood up in a rush, his left foot lost its balance. He stumbled back a few steps, losing his hold and was a out to fall.

Mrs Ahuja watched her son stumble with horror. She felt her pulse quickest and blood rush to her veins. She felt numb, her eyes turned wide.

" Sidharth!" She yelled out in feet but with an unmatchable reflex, she was nick on time to just grab Sidharth's wrist and pull him forward and refrain him from tumbling to the ground. Sidharth gasped as his front collided with the table. There rose a sharp pain at the side of his abdomen with the collision. But that was nothing compared to what he would have to go through of he crashed to the floor. She hugged out a muffled cry and plopped on the chair, gasping for air.

Mrs Ahuja herself flopped on the chair, ambushed to the core. Her eyes were wide and white in fear as they brimmed up with the rush of emotions immediately.

It took Sidharth a moment to get a hold on his errant beats. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a few caring breaths. Mrs Ahuja was still zoned out. She kept looking at the blank space, imagining all the worst situations that could have happened!

Sidharth composed himself and turned to his mother.

" Ma. Theek ho." He called on to his mother.

" Kya hua hai bhaiya." The commotion had called on to Raju and the other maid working in the kitchen.

" Kuch nahi yaar..girna wala tha." Sidharth managed a normalcy trying to act all cool. But inside, he was shaken up to the core.

" Kya yaar bhiya. Dhyan kaha rehta hai aapka." Even the house helps were agitated.

" I'm fine Raju. Meena get a glass of water for ma." He pat their backs and forced them out to grab some water for his mother. He turned to find her still zoned out. Sidharth frowned and pulled his chair closer to hers.

" Kya hua Ma. Theek hai apan. Just chillax." He did everything to just tone down the ambiance. But Mrs Ahuja still sat like a statue. Her mind ran a marathon thinking about the future. Sidharth had her today to lend a hand. What when she would pass away few years down the line!

And the thought itself made chills run down he spine.

" I am fine Ma..don't get paranoid. Itni jaldi peecha nahi chootne wala hai aapka merese." Sidharth forced a cocky smile as he joked the last part. He could realise the momentary shock her mother went through. But what he didn't know was the intensity  of his mother's paranoia around him and his future.

Mrs Ahuja turned and locked her eyes with his son's. She had taken a decision and she would go to any hilt to make that a reality.

Her son's reality!

" Aaj shaam ko dekhne ja rahe hai ladki. And it's just a formality. Mujhe ladki pasand hai. And you are getting married to her. Period!"

Sidharth sat there dumbfounded with that verdict as Mrs Ahuja helped herself up and walked away, leaving a groaning Sidharth behind.

***