"You are indeed very lucky. My dad is also a bank manager but he cannot teach me my subjects as your dad do." Still observing the face of Prameela furtively Jasmine said. Jasmine already knew that Mounika's father was working as a bank manager. "My mother is also always very good to me and educated as well. But bother very little to teach me anything."

"Is it is so?" Prameela said with a smile on her lips. Mounika understood that smile was forced.

"Mounika is very lucky. You bother with Mounika's studies."

"Not much of course." Mounika's mother said. "But she is intelligent and hardworking. Despite my teaching anything she can go on her own." She paused for a moment and said. "I just get something for you both. Just wait."

Without bothering with the protestations of Jasmine, Prameela went into the kitchen and came to them with two plates in each hand just in five minutes or so. There were some snacks and tea in those plates.

While consuming the snacks and sipping the tea, Jasmine said. "I want to meet your dad also."

"He should be at home half an hour before or so itself. There may be heavy work in the bank on this day. He will be at home at any moment."Mounika said.

Just then Mounika's father Sudhakar entered into home and Mounika ran towards him and greeted him. He also greeted his daughter very happily.

"Meet my friend Jasmine. We both are very close friends." Mounika introduced Jasmine to him.

"You sometimes told about her to me. You said that she is very intelligent also." With a smile Sudhakar said.

"You said too much about me to your parents." Jasmine angrily said.

"I said very little about you." With a smile Mounika said.

"Anyhow I am very pleased to meet you. Both of you please wait in my room. I shall be there just in a moment." Going away from there he said.

Jasmine nodded her head and looked around. She did not notice when Mounika's mother was vanished from that place.

Mounika's father room was a little disarranged.

"My dad is not as much careful as my mother in keeping his things neat." While they both were waiting in his room, Mounika said to Jasmine.

"Then why don't you take-up that job? You sure can try to tidy his room." Observing the room around Jasmine said.

There were so many fiction books around. Jasmine took one book into her hand and started observing it.

"My dad's favourite pastime is reading fiction." Mounika said.

Jasmine nodded her head. Her father also read books and would pass most of his free time like that. Her mom's free time pass was mostly television serials.

"My mom's free time pass is watching T.V.Serials." Mounika again said.

"Just like my mom." Jasmine said. "My dad read books and my mom watch T.V. This may be the position everywhere I think."

"What you both are talking?" Sudhakar came there and asked.

"We are talking about our parents' favourite time pass. When I said your favourite time pass is reading books, Jasmine said her dad's favourite time pass is also reading books."

"Reading books is a good habit." Sudhakar said.

"Reading all sorts of books?" Jasmine asked.

"Not all the books. We have to avoid some bad books all the time." He paused for a moment and then said. "Mounika is saying quite often about you to me. I understood you both are close friends."

"Yes, we are." With her usual charming smile Jasmine said.

"How my daughter is studying? I am not having that much of time in observing her. I want to have your frank opinion."

"She is intelligent and hardworking." Jasmine said. "You need not ask me about this at all. You sure would have heard it from her teachers already."

"Yes, I have."

"Dad, is this is the discussion we have to have now? Don't you know about me fully?" there was an angry expression on Mounika's face.

"Sorry. But your close friend's frank opinion on you is more valuable to me." With a smile Sudhakar said.

"Alright. You have it. Change the topic." Mounika was still angry.

"What is your favourite time pass?" He asked Jasmine.

"Playing games, reading books, listening songs but I don't prefer to sing. Someone at sometime in the past said quite clearly that my voice is not suitable for singing." Jasmine said.

"Who said it like that? I am not seeing even an iota of justice in what he has said. You have a beautiful voice." Sudhakar said.

"Anyhow I am also not much interested in singing. I want to learn and play chess. But unfortunately neither of my parents knows chess. I don't know where to learn it." Jasmine said with a bit of sorrow in her voice.

"I too don't know anything about chess." Sudhakar said. "But you can learn it online also."

"I tried. But it is not very much feasible without a personal tutor."

There was some silence. They talked in between themselves for some more time. Jasmine really enjoyed the company of Mounika's dad as she enjoyed her mom's. They both appeared like wonderful people and they both were equally loving Mounika. It was really Mounika's bad-luck that they did not like each other.

"Please come to our home as often as possible." While she was coming out of that home, Sudhakar said. "I really liked your company a lot."

***

"I liked your friend a lot. Ask her to come to our home often." While they both were in the kitchen, Prameela said to Mounika.

"I thought you would be there to say bye while she was going." Mounika said.

"You took her into that rogue's room. I don't want to be around him at all."

Mounika looked into the face of her mother. The expression in her face was dead pan and she was seriously involved in cutting the vegetables. Mounika surprised how they both became man and wife. If they hated each other this much, why did they marry in the first place?

"Mom, I want to ask you a question."

"Fire away. You need not have my permission to ask anything." Still involving herself only in the work she was doing, Prameela said.

"When dad and you not liked each other this much" she paused for a moment and then said "why you both married in the first place?"

"Some things happen like that. We cannot give any explanation to them."

"Why you cannot give an explanation at all? Because of you both I am suffering a lot. Just see, how all the other children are! They are all enjoying with their parents a lot."

"Mouni, please try to understand. Our marriage is a big mistake. I did not know that your father is a big rogue before marriage. By the time I knew about it you were in me. So I have to continue like this." looking into the face of Mounika, Prameela said. The anger and hatred in her face surprised Mounika.

"Then why cannot you continue like this in future also for my sake? Atleast I have the satisfaction that my parents are not divorced and separated."

"Impossible. I cannot suffer like this anymore." Prameela nodded her head firmly in negation. "I just cannot live along with him anymore. Separating myself from him is an inevitability. After that you and I are going to live together."

"No" Mounika remembered what Jasmine said to her. "I want to stay with dad. Not with you."

Prameela startled on hearing that. "But why? We both are so good from the beginning. You know I love you a lot."

"But dad also loves me a lot." Mounika's voice was still firm.

"He is a rogue and you don't know about that." Prameela said. "Listen to me. We both are going to stay together."

"You listen to me. I never stay with you. It is with dad I am going to stay." After saying so without bothering to look into her mother's face, Mounika came out of kitchen.

***

"Yes, dear. However difficult it may be to you, you need to understand. Your mom and I cannot live together. You are seeing how that devil each and every time is torturing me. You tell me is it is possible to anyone to live with a woman like her?" looking into his daughter's face, Sudhakar said.

"But you lived this long." Observing her father's expression Mounika said.

"Yes, for your sake." Her father said "Before I knew what sort of woman she was, she happened to be pregnant and you were the child. However bad she may be I could not leave my lovely daughter to winds. So I have to stay with her."

"Thank you very much dad. You bothered about me this much." Mounika made a grateful smile. "But why cannot you continue like this in future also for my sake? I feel so happy if you both remain together and you too know about that."

"You are asking for just impossible. I cannot live all my life like this. I am just waiting for the opportunity to go as far away as possible from her taking you with me." With firm voice her father said.

"How you are thinking that I do come with you leaving my mom all alone?" once again Mounika remembered what Jasmine said.

"What do you mean?" frowns gathered on the face of her father.

"I am going to stay with mom. I don't come with you." Mounika was maintaining the firmness in her voice.

"But why? You know very well how much I love and like you." There was distress in his face.

"But mom also loves me and likes me a lot."

"But....." he nodded his head helplessly. "You just don't know what she is. She never let us be happy."

"Look dad." Mounika paused for a moment before continuing. "Whatever she may be, she is my mom. I just cannot leave her all alone and come with you. Don't ever dream I do come with you and stay with you once you divorced." Saying so she went out of his room without bothering with his protestations.

***

"Saying so you may stop them from taking divorce, but how can you stay happily with them as they every now and then quarreling with each other and hating each other?" when they both were in their usual resting place, Jasmine said to 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.)