"Then what happened, tell me?" Mounika became too curious to know about that.

"He committed suicide. After his suicide your mother had become a psychological wreck. Sometimes she used to be good with me like a loving wife. Sometimes she used to be turned out as a bitter enemy. Gradually she conceived and you came out. I thought she would be changed after your birth. But it did not happen like that. She started thinking only about him and hating me all the time. Slowly and slowly she became a complete enemy to me."

"But what wrong you did? You even came forward to help her to marry that man." Once again she felt pity on her father.

"Her mind lost all the reason. It had been dominated only by that man. You are too young to understand any of this. If you have not seen that photograph like that I would not have preferred to say any of this to you."

"My poor dad" Mounika hugged him and kissed on his cheek. "Now I understood how much you have been suffering all the time."

"Now you please tell me, is it is possible to live with someone who is hating me all the time and so desperate to go away from me?" he asked her looking into her eyes.

"But why she is desperate like this for divorce? What she would get by living all alone? That person is not alive on this day to live with her."

"I said to you that her mind has lost all the reason. It is dominated only by that man." He paused for a moment before saying "I cannot say for sure. She might be fallen in love with some other one also."

"Mom said so strongly to me that she is not in love with anyone else and would not marry anyone else after divorce." Mounika's heart felt a pang hearing what her father said.

"What your mother said can be true." Sudhakar nodded his head.

After some painful silence Mounika asked him. "Dad do you know his name and what he used to do?"

"How I cannot? He is such an important person in our lives. His name is Srinivasan. He was a chartered accountant."

"Now I am getting a doubt dad" with a small voice Mounika said. There was fear in it.

"Tell me dear. What it is?"

"Is her love on me is true? Once I have heard the story so from you I don't think that she can love anyone else except him."

"No darling. Her love on you is hundred percent true. In my opinion she loves only two people in the entire world that is that Srinivasan and you." He paused for a moment and then said again "After her confirmation with you that she is not in love with anyone else, we can safely conclude so."

"I don't want her love anymore dad. If it is so I am not going to live with her at all. After divorce, we both are going to live together." With firmness in her voice, Mounika said.

"Are you, are you really saying this?" there was suddenly happiness in his face.

"Yes dad. I decided it like that." The firmness in her voice was slackened a little.

There was silence for few seconds and it was broken by her "Dad may I ask you something?"

"You never need to hesitate to ask me anything." Keeping his hand on her shoulder, Sudhakar said.

"If mom drops the idea of taking divorce from you, will you also drop the idea of taking divorce? Will you please live with us always?" looking pleadingly into the eyes of her father, Mounika asked him.

Sudhakar hugged her daughter and kissed on her cheek. "I never have the idea of divorce dear. It is entirely your mother's. She so desperately wants to separate from me and I have to oblige. In fact, for your sake darling...." He paused for a moment before saying "I bear any insult and suffer any torture but she is not at all interested in living with me."

"How did she manage to live with you like this all these years?" there was surprise in the eyes of Mounika.

"She is demanding for divorce for a long time. I am just postponing it for your sake all these years. I cannot anymore. We already went to a lawyer to file an application for divorce. We go to him tomorrow also. Filing an application for divorce is now a must. I have made a promise that I do cooperate with her in taking divorce if she looks after you well until you become thirteen years old." He looked into the eyes of Mounika and smiled "Now you are fourteen. I cannot escape."

"If you have not made that promise would she have left me to the winds?"

"It would not have been so." Sudhakar nodded his head in negation. "She is not bad. She is just psychologically upset. Even I have not made such a promise to her she would have looked after you well."

"Then why did you make such a promise to her at all?"

"In those days I felt fear. I felt fear that she would go away leaving us both on our own and I just did not know how to look after you. She used to behave like that in those days. So I made a promise to her if she looked after you until you become thirteen years old, I do cooperate with her in taking divorce."

Mounika started thinking about her mother's love on her. However much anger she was feeling on her mother, she could not see anything suspicious or doubtful in her love. Now also it was appearing just like any other mother's love. What her father said was true. She became completely psychological wreck.

"Don't think too much any of this darling. Let things go on their way. Leave it completely to god. I am thinking that our divorce now is must. Your mom can feel happy only with our divorce."

"Dad..." tears sprang up into the eyes of Mounika.

"Even it is so much distressing to you, you have to be used to this darling. Just remember your promise. We both are going to live together." Sudhakar said.

"But dad.... You, yourself said that mom is psychologically upset. If it is so, she needs my support more than you."

"I am thinking in a different way darling." Sudhakar said. "If she started living without you, very soon she understands how valuable you are and come to us and starts living with us. So just make it quite clear to her that you are not going to live with her at all after the divorce. If you say so, she may even drop the idea of divorce also."

Mounika clipped her inner lip between her teeth frames and thought. It appeared like a good idea to her. "Alright dad." Saying so she went out from that room.

***

"There is a very big development in my story." When they both were settled on the rocks under the tree, Mounika said to Jasmine.

"Let it out as fast as you can." Looking curiously into the face of Mounika, Jasmine said.

Then Mounika related everything about the person in the photograph to Jasmine including her conversation with her father.

"So my guessing is true." Jasmine sighed. "There was a man in your mom's life before and he is the reason for the present trouble."

"Absolutely. But the luckiest thing in the whole of this is, he is late. He died a long time back itself."

"You are right." Jasmine nodded her head. "I don't know what would be the present day situation if he is alive on this day."

"My mom would have married him a long time back itself." Mounika angrily said.

Jasmine unintentionally laughed on hearing that. Mounika also smiled.

"One more very important and positive thing on my side." Mounika said.

"Tell me that also." Looking once again curiously into the face of Mounika, Jasmine asked her.

"Dad is ready to drop his idea of taking divorce if mom drops her idea to take divorce. It is in fact because of my mom, my dad wants to take divorce. Otherwise he is ready to live with her however much the torture may be, just for my sake."

"Your dad is very good." Jasmine said.

"You can say that any number of times you want."

"If it is so" Jasmine said "The problem is more than half solved. Now we have to persuade only your mom not to press for divorce."

"But dad is not at all optimistic about it. Mom is hell bent upon taking divorce and dad promised to her to cooperate with her in taking divorce."

"Alright. We shall see." Jasmine said while thinking furiously for a solution to the problem.

***

"There is a parents' meeting on tomorrow." Signing the notice and after sending the peon away, social teacher Pradhan said looking at the students before him. "Inform your parents to come to the school at 10 in the morning tomorrow."

"Our parents attended a meeting just ten days or so back" Madhuri said. "They may not be interested in any meeting in such a short notice again."

"Just tell them that meditation expert Niranjan wanted to give a speech. They sure do come. All the people very well know about this Niranjan."

"Is it is not for students also? Cannot we come and hear what that Niranjan says?" Anupama asked.

"You students are having one meditation class and speech of that Niranjan every week. So this is especially for parents. None of you need bother to come to the school on tomorrow. Just stay at home and enjoy yourselves. Tomorrow is Sunday."

***

"Shall we both go to that Niranjan's speech Sundar? Tomorrow is a holiday to you." Malathi asked him.

"Oh, sure. Why not? We three can go there." Sundar said.

"No. This is only for parents. Children are not allowed." Jasmine said.

"Then it needs to be thought of." Sundar said. A frown gathered on his forehead.

"I am not a child anymore and studying ninth class. You both happily go to that meeting and come back. Hardly it shall be one hour or so. I can happily manage myself until you come back." Jasmine said.

"When our daughter has become this much courageous?" Sundar asked.

"Our daughter is always courageous. You just did not notice it until now." Malathi laughed and said. "What our daughter said is also true. I am very much interested in what Niranjan would say. I saw him until now only in T.V."

"I am also interested in listening to him. Once our daughter also has given us an assurance so, what would be the problem, we do go and listen to him."

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

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