Taking the jug in her hands shehnaaz wore her slippers and walked out of her room. It was 7 in the morning. She felt her throat dry and the jug was empty. Walking downstairs she went into the kitchen half sleeping but the scene in front of her eyes brought a beautiful smile along with tears in her eyes.

" Good morning papa" said shehnaaz walking inside the kitchen. Her father was kneading the dough and she could see smashed potatoes in a bowl placed on the shelf.

" Good morning puttar. Uth gya mera bacha" said her father lovingly. She hugged her father from a side. She felt so emotional at the moment. It was not the first time her father was making breakfast. He always used to make breakfast whenever he felt his daughter upset. Yesterday he saw her being upset as she refused to have dinner. He couldn't see his daughter worried so he thought to make her favourite breakfast and aalu paranthas are something which could make his daughter happy. He always made aalu paranthas for her.

"Papa aap kyun kar rhe ho ye chhodo. Meera didi bna dengi" said shehnaaz being emotional. She always felt so blessed to have a lovely father.

"Apne bache k liye itna to kar hi skta hoon na puttar"said her father kissing his daughter's forehead while kneading the dough.

"U r the best father. Aap jaante ho na papa" said shehnaaz wiping her tears which rolled down her cheeks.

"And u r the best daughter. Aap bhi janti hai na ye" said her father lovingly making her smile amidst her silent sobs.

"To phir ye best daughter aapki help kregi aaj" said shehnaaz wiping her tears again. " Aur mai kuchh nhi sunungi" said shehnaaz before her father could deny. Listening his daughter's cute order he just smiled.

"Papa mere bina start mat krna m abhi aayi brush krke" saying shehnaaz ran outside making her father chuckle at his daughter's cute antics.

"Papa abhi batao mujhe kya krna hai" said shehnaaz rolling the sleeves of her t-shirt up as she entered the kitchen. A yellow cloth was tied on her head covering her hair. She always followed her traditions. Even when didn't live in Punjab but she never forgot her culture.

"Puttar mai ye aalu isme stuff krke doonga tu ye beln se bel dena. krlegi na. tune kbhi kiya nhi hai sanu" said her father telling her process of making aalu paranthas.

"Don't worry papa. I'll do it achhe se. Aap aalu daalo isme m bel dungi achhe se" said shehnaaz cutely. Her father smiled and did the same.

"Sanu aata lga bache iski dono side. Ye dekh chipak gya na" said her father helping her in beloing the chapatis.

"Papa ye dekho ye khraab ho gya. abhi kya krun iska" said shehnaaz as her aalu parantha sticked on the rolling pin making her father shook his head smiling at his daughter.

"Laa de bache. m sikhata hoon" saying her father took the rolling pin from her hand and tought her how to make a parantha. Smiling and laughing the father- daughter duo made the paranthas.

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"Papa aaj mai dog farm jaa rhi hoon. sham tak vapis aaungi. Aap jaate jaate dadi ko Gurudwara sahib chhod doge ya mai apne sath le jaun, Driver uncle le aayenge baad mai dadi ko" said shehnaaz as she came in the living area after getting ready in a beautiful floral frock.

"Puttar mai late ho rha hoon. meri important meeting hai. Maa ko tu apne sath leja bache aur tu bhi matha tek k jana" said her father taking the lunch box which naaz had packed for him today.

"Okay papa" said shehnaaz giving a quick hug to her father. "Dadi chalein phir hum bhi?" asked shehnaaz holding her dadi's hand as she came towards them.

"Haan puttar, chal mai tyaar hoon" said her dadi holding her hand for support. She was getting old day by day and her knees and feet used to pain nowadays.

"Dadi raat ko mai aapke pairon ki maalish krungi achhe se. bhut din ho gye nhi ki maine. dekho abhi dukh rhe hain na pair" said shehnaaz finding her dadi's discomfort while walking.

"Koi ni puttar,abhi umar ho rhi hai to pair to dard krenge hi na" said her dadi walking along with naaz. " koi umar nhi ho rhi dadi aapki. meri dadi abhi bhi ek dam jawan hai" said shehnaaz cutely making her dadi smile.

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Taking blessings from the God, shehnaaz and her dadi came out of the Gurudwara Sahib. Shehnaaz was walking towards the car parked at the other side of the road along with her dadi when she saw a small baby looking at a ice cream stall near Gurudwara Sahib. The innocence on the baby's face melted her heart.

"Dadi aap yahin ruko. mai do minute mai aayi" saying shehnaaz ran towards the baby before her dadi could say something. Her dadi wanted to say that her feet were paining and she wanted to sit but sana ran without listening her. Her dadi was finding it difficult to stand there so she thought to go to the car and sit inside.

Shehnaaz was buying ice cream for that little baby when she heard some chaos around. She looked at her back and found her dadi was not at the place where she left her. Seeing the crowd on the road a sudden fear ran inside her. Giving the ice- cream to the baby she ran towards the crowd. Moving people aside she walked at the centre of the crowd. There she saw her dadi standing there with someone holding her arms. She was facing the back of that someone but she somewhere who it was. Like always she felt his presence. Her racing heart beat was enough for her to know that it was him.

"Dadi" said shehnaaz slowly. Her voice betrayed her as it cracked while speaking. Her dadi and that someone turned towards her and she could feel her breath stucked in her throat. There he was standing there looking at her. His intense gaze made her shudder like always. She quickly averted her gaze and looked at her dadi.

" Dadi kya hua. aap theek ho na. kya hua abhi" asked shehnaaz as she ran towards her dadi whom sidharth was still holding giving support. Her voice held restlessness which he felt.

"Kuchh nhi hua puttar. bas mai vo bina dekhe road cross kar rhi thi to dhyaan ni diya k side se gaadi aa rhi thi" said her dadi patting her hair assuring her that she was safe.

"Dadi maine bola tha na aapko vahin rukne ko. mai aa rhi thi na. Aapne akele kyun road cross kiya" said shehnaaz scolding her dadi as tears rolled down her cheeks. She got so scared inside. She couldn't take that anything happening to her dadi and her father. These two people were all she had.

His eyes turned dark seeing the tears in her eyes. He couldn't see tears in those innocent eyes. Removing his hands from her dadi's arm he fisted his hand trying to control his emotions. She needed to stop crying. It was making him loose his control. Damn! why do she cry on every small thing. This world is full of sorrows. She needed to be strong. She couldn't cry on everything.

"Puttar ro kyun rhi hai. mai theek hoon na bache. tu rona band kar aur jaa apne dog farm mai. mai driver k sath chli jaungi ghar" said her dadi wiping her tears. Shehnaaz shook her head in no while crying like baby. Sidharth was looking at her. He couldn't see her crying anymore. Seeing her crying like a baby he didn't know whether he should smile at this little baby girl or should scold her to stop crying.

"Maine ni jana abhi kahin bhi dadi. mai aapke sath hi ghar chalungi" said shehnaaz hugging her dadi tightly making all the people around smile at her. Sidharth heart felt relieved seeing her stopped crying.

" Puttar ruk ja tu kahan jaa rha hai" said shehnaaz's dadi as sidharth was about to walk away making shehnaaz realise his presence which she completely forgot. Sidharth stopped listening dadi but didn't say anything.

"Thank you bache madad k liye. Waheguru tujhe har khushi de" said shehnaaz's dadi caressing his hair making him close his eyes. He felt so much love in her blessings which he never got from anyone. He felt an instant connect with dadi as she caressed his head. For a moment he got so emotional. Holding dadi's hand in his he kissed her hand making her smile. Unknown to himself too his eyes got moist which no one noticed except her. She saw those tears in his eyes which he quickly hide feeling her gaze on himself.

Kissing dadi's hand he instantly walked away from there avoiding the people staring at him amusingly. So many among the crowd were known with his identity but today's site made everyone amused.

Shehnaaz kept looking at his retreating figure. She felt something inside at the moment as she saw those tears in his eyes. What happened to him? She could feel an urge to go to him, to ask him what did he cry? She felt pain inside and sudden restlessness started filling inside her which she avoid for the moment as she took her dadi towards the car. Making her dadi sit inside she looked at the direction he just went towards. Taking a deep breath she tried to control the urge of going to him realising what she had thought to do. To avoid him. Sitting inside quickly she closed the door and soon the car moved towards their destination.

Do tell me if u like the chapter.