"I am feeling very happy hearing you like this sir." There came a smile on the lips of Jasmine. By the expression on the face of Mrudanga Rao, Jasmine understood that there has come a genuine change into him.

Then taking his permission she came out of that room.

***

"If you want your problem to be solved, you need to do it like this. There is no other way." While looking straight into the eyes of Mounika, Jasmine said.

They were discussing about that for a long time. Jasmine explained each and everything of the plan quite clearly to Mounika. But with every minute Mounika's fear increased more and more.

"No, I cannot, I cannot." Mounika hastily said. "How you are thinking that I can do something like that?"

"I am saying you must. Do you want your problem to be solved or not?" Jasmine once again asked her strictly.

Mounika remained silent and there was fear all over her face. She never has felt fear and uneasiness this much before.

"I helped one of my friends in such away in the past and she agreed to help. It shall be just for fifteen days or so. I am feeling quite positive that this solves your problem." Observing the expression in the face of Mounika, Jasmine said.

"But my parents shall become heartbroken. Especially my mom......." Mounika tried to say something more.

"Let them be heartbroken for sometime. There is no problem." Jasmine said. "Just think how much you have been tortured all these years."

Mounika did not say anything. Still she was thinking quite furiously.

"I have thought everything. It works out hundred percent. There shall be no problem to you in that place and don't come here until I say so to you. I am going to take every responsibility." There was the same firmness now also in Jasmine's face.

"Alright, I do as you suggest." Mounika nodded her head.

"I also may have to face severe criticism and serious consequences for this. But I made the promise and decided to fulfill it. I cannot see any other way except this." Jasmine breathed deeply and hissed out.

"Then is it is not better to drop this idea?" fear in Mounika's face was even more increased.

"Nothing doing. We are going to do this. I am not going to take a back step now." Jasmine herself surprised for the firmness in her.

After few seconds pause Jasmine said "Write a note in the way I am going to say. Put it at some conspicuous place in your home and then leave the house and go to the place I tell you with the person I arrange and stay there. It shall all be over in fifteen days or just in four or five days if we are fortunate. But just remember one thing. Don't come here or let your presence be known to these people until you hear from me to do so."

Mounika once again nodded her head.

"Tomorrow itself we are going to put it into operation."

Mounika suddenly hugged Jasmine and burst into weeping. "I am feeling fear. I am feeling lot of fear."

Jasmine kissed her cheek and said. "Just be brave. Everything is going to be alright."

***

"How is everything Jasmine?"

Hearing that question Jasmine looked into her father's eyes. "Of course, fine dad." She said.

"How is your friend Mounika? Is everything alright with her also?"

"I think you know about her problem dad. Her parents are going to take divorce. She is feeling too much worry about that." Jasmine said.

"I think you promised to her that you do see that her parents not to be divorced. Have you done anything so far for it?" looking observantly into her face, Sundar asked her.

"I never have failed in my promises like this before. I thought to solve her problem but I could not." Jasmine paused for a moment and then said. "In one way their parents taking divorce also may be correct. What would be the use in their living together if they always quarrel and hate each other?"

"What Mounika is going to do after her parents' divorce?"

"I think she has not thought anything about that so far. Choosing one of her parents is just like choosing one of her eyes. I am really feeling a lot of pity on her. No one should face such type of a situation."

"What you dad and daughter are talking in between yourselves?" Malathi entered into that room smiling.

"Not very much important." Jasmine said.

"I am asking Jasmine about her friend Mounika." Sundar said. "But what I have heard from her is quite disturbing. There is no change in her parents' decision to take divorce."

Malathi said "Better our daughter not too much interfere in her matter. Her parents' divorce is really a very personal issue."

"I have stopped interfering. I understood it is too big a matter to me to deal with." Jasmine said.

"But you often say you never go back on your promise. Have you broken it in this matter?" looking inquiringly into her daughter's eyes, Malathi said.

"If the matter is something intricate like this what can I do? Yes, I broke my rule here." Jasmine decided not at all to tell the truth to her parents.

"What about the other things in school? Is there any change came in that principal or is he beating the students in the same way?" Sundar asked his daughter again.

Jasmine remembered the recent conversation she had with the principal. But she did not want to say that also to her parents.

"So far no change. I am not expecting any change in him in future either."

The environment there burdened with silence for few seconds. "Anyhow are you liking this school? Are you feeling comfortable in this school as much comfortable as you have felt in your old school?" another question from her father.

"I have made good friends here. Except one or two things....." Jasmine paused for a moment before continuing "this school is okay for me." Then she looked into her father's eyes and said. "Dad, why is this questionnaire? Do you want to say anything specific to me?"

"Yes dear." Sundar nodded his head. "Your mom told me about your recent adventures. I am thinking that you are doing things more to your age. It may not be wise."

"Dad....." there was an instant troubling expression on the face of Jasmine.

"I know that you don't do mistakes. I am always proud of you for that. You are doing all those things only to help your friends and in one way it is quite admirable. But I am feeling fear....." Sundar tried to say something more.

Jasmine came fast to her father and put her hands around his shoulders and kissed on his cheek. "If my acts creating fear to you I do stop them. I just behave in the way you want. Don't worry."

"Really?" looking surprisingly and happily into his daughter's face, Sundar asked her.

"Yes, really." Jasmine said. "It is just because you both are that much good parents. You never have tried to restrain me. You never have blamed me. You never tried to put me under strict discipline. You always understood me and tried to make me understood things. So there is an obligation on my part to see that you never feel fear because of me. I am now making a promise to you both that I never do anything that makes you feel fear and ashamed of me."

They three sat in the sofa there side by side.

Hearing that, Malathi who was all the time listening their conversation hugged her daughter and kissed on her cheek. "Oh, my sweet, sweet daughter! I always feel proud of you."

"I am also feeling in the same way dear." Sundar said.

***

"I am going away. I don't come back. Don't search for me. Mom, you live your own life in the way you want after taking divorce from dad."

Mounika wrote this slip as Jasmine dictated and placed it on the table in her bedroom and put a paper weight on it. She took care that it should be conspicuous to whoever would enter into her room without much searching. It has happened just as she expected when Prameela entered into that room to wake up Mounika.

When she first saw that slip and read the message, Prameela could not understand anything at all. Then slowly the meaning of it sunk into her mind and she frantically started searching for her daughter in other places of the house but could not find her anywhere. In the end she ran towards the room of her husband and banged on the doors there loudly. Sudhakar at once came near to the doors, unlatched them and then opened them wide.

"What happened?" seeing the tension filled and panic stricken face of his wife, he understood something bad was happened.

She thrust the slip into his hand and he read it. "My god!" he gasped. "When you have found it?" he also shocked.

"Just now. In her bedroom." Prameela's voice was shivering while saying that.

"When you have last seen her?"

"Before she went to sleep yesterday."

"Much time might not have passed after she left the home. Come, you and me go out and search for her."

"Where can we search for her? Where she has decided to go after all?" Prameela was becoming hysterical and she did not know that she was yelling.

"Railway station, bus station every possible place from where she can get into some vehicle to go somewhere. If we cannot find her anywhere, we have to go to a police station and give a report there."

"Don't talk like that. Don't talk like that. We sure shall find her somewhere in the town itself." She was still yelling.

"Then come. We should not delay anymore. Even a minute's delay also creates a lot of distance between her and us." Sudhakar said.

Then hastily they came out of the house, locked it and started their search for Mounika.

(..........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.)