Ebullience [ An OS - Ft. OCs]
Raghav smiled fondly looking at his plate. It was almost unnoticeable but his sharp hawk like eyes had caught the difference. The idli was slightly towards the rounder side than the perfect elliptical which was the usual fare. The cook had been given a holiday today it seemed. He closed his eyes and heard the faint rustle of her saree coming from the kitchen.
It was a particularly beatific morning. The chirping of the birds was embellished by the slight rustling of the autumn leaves. The temperature was mercifully temperate and he could almost smell the petrichor from last night's impromptu shower.
He dipped a perfectly cut piece of the idli in the coconut chutney and put it in his mouth, savouring the delicate balance of the flavour gently.
Time had softened the perpetual storm which raged inside him.
Or maybe that was love.
He heard the footsteps and the light bicker even before they came in sight and smiled again. His momentary morning peace will be soon broken mercilessly. And he was looking forward to that as usual. Another thing which had changed was that he was smiling quite a bit nowadays. The slight laughter lines and crows feet beside his eyes were becoming prominent as the days passed.
But the paparazzi still loved his looks. The world remained bedazzled as they gushed how Raghav Rao seemed to age like fine wine. He had let the slight strands of silver in his still thick hair grow, frowning at the idea of a hair dye and his muscles though loosening just a bit with age still hardened like wiry architecture sculpted over his tall frame.
He looked at the freshly changed bandage over the knuckles of his right hand and smirked this time. Some unfortunate souls yesterday had gotten it hammered in their thick skulls that Raghav Rao can still pack quite a punch when necessary.
And the voices got louder with the two people reaching the breakfast table.
".....wenty million for one percent of the company. What kind of a pitch was that. I repeatedly told Grover to not go for that before we see the opening bid but then men and their over large egos."
The woman completed and her company, the man who was at least a foot taller than her sighed dramatically.
"I agree with your assessment whole heartedly. That was a pretty stupid move and Grover has an ego the size of Mt. Everest but come one Bhabs, don't put all of us in the same category."
The woman chuckled heartily and slapped the man on his bicep with genuine fondness.
"Alright alright my dear Devarji, sorry for generalizing. I was just ranting."
The two laughed in unison and then spotted Raghav who was looking at them with a raised eyebrow quietly.
"Good morning Nana! You are up quite early today."
The man went and gave Raghav a half hug warmly leaning his six feet two frame astride as Raghav remained seated yet accepted the hug gracefully and slipped in a chair at his right. The woman followed and took the left chair at his other side and gave him quite a worried look.
"Good morning Appa but why are you up so early today? You had come home quite late yesterday na. Couldn't sleep properly? Everything alright na?"
Raghav chuckled at his daughter in law while his son stifled his own laughter from the front.
"Calm down dear. I am perfectly alright and had a good night's sleep. Don't worry I won't faint in the middle of a board meeting again."
Chitrangada Rao frowned at that, her pretty features twisting in disapproval as her brother in law burst out laughing.
Raghav had almost fainted in the middle of a meeting last week scaring the living daylights out of his daughter in law. Being the Managing Director of Jayati Jewels, Chitrangada had been overseeing the meeting when Raghav who was in the process of asking something about their newest launch line and had staggered back clutching the side of his head with a hand.
The petite raven haired Chitra had almost jumped over the massive round table and caught him, her eyes wide in panic before he could hurt his head, collapsing on the ground. And she had raised a storm in the meeting hall itself, alternating between scolding him for neglecting his health... again, threatening to sic her mother in law on him and blaming herself for not noticing this earlier.
Raghav had somehow managed to calm her down enough to reach back the mansion where another storm had been waiting patiently to burst upon him. His lovely wife who all thanks to his traitorous secretory had come to know about the entire fiasco.
Poor Chitrangada had almost been in tears, thinking it was her fault even after their repeated words that it wasn't. But from then, his second daughter in law had taken it upon herself to look after his diet.
Much to his wife's never ending amusement.
She narrowed her eyes at her father in law and pulled the plate of idlis towards herself and started stacking his plate with it.
"Arre, what are you doing Chitra? How will I eat so much?"
"I don't know anything Appa. You gave me heart attack last time because you forgot to eat for one whole day and decided it was a great idea to go onsite under the July sun. Aai would have murdered both of us had Ajji and Nanamma not reached on time and saved our asses."
Thank God for both his mothers or else he truly would have been toast that day.
He pouted slightly at Chitra like a five year old but to no avail and had to resign himself to finishing his breakfast. His traitorous son on the other hand looked mightily pleased with himself seeing something on the mobile.
"Did the market open? What is the sensex?"
Raghav asked while his kids busied themselves with the massive breakfast spread laid on the table.
"Almost sixty thousand. Knew it!"
Arjun Rao fist pumped and Raghav smiled proudly.
His little baby, all grown up.
"So, when are you throwing us the party?"
"Huh?"
"Don't act coy son. I have been playing the market from almost thirty five years now. I know the cap is high. Fabtech has officially entered the big league. Your baby is a unicorn now. Congrats!"
Arjun beamed like a thousand suns even as he complained like a whiney two year old.
"Come on Nanaaaaaa.... I wanted to surprise you. But you are just impossible to catch off guard. Spoilt your own surprise.. be happy now."
Raghav chortled and popped a piece of watermelon in his mouth while Chitra giggled at her brother in law's childlike antics. Suddenly they heard a barrelling sound from above and two people, another man and a girl in her late teens came running down the staircase at full speed. The girl changed her track seeing her father and came running at him with full speed, her brown black hair billowing in the wind, a scared expression on her dusky face.
"Nannnnaaaaaaa... save me. Anna has gone bonkers!"
Praniti Rao jumped at her father almost toppling over with him, chair and all on the ground while her older brother came storming towards them, fuming crimson. You could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears.
"Arre! Pari, slow down baccha. You'll make him fall."
Chitra said trying hard to stifle her giggles, seeing Raghav attempting to stand up, his seventeen year old daughter hanging from his neck like a monkey.
"Darling get down, aren't you too old for this?"
Raghav guffawed even as his daughter clung to him, shaking her head wildly in negative.
"No no no... Anna will kill me."
"What have you done now Chiku?"
Praniti who had been lovingly nicknamed Chiku by her parents glared at Arjun who seemed to be pleasantly sipping his expresso still immersed in his phone while her other brother was standing a few feet away, arms crossed against his chest, glaring pointedly at her. She hid her face inside Raghav's neck fearfully.
"Rishav, why are you scaring the poor thing?"
Chitra asked finally while Raghav managed to dislodge his arboreal daughter from himself somehow.
Rishav Rao shook his head and sat beside his wife in an almighty huff.
"Yes, you will take her side as always. This.. this little monster. Do you know what she has done? It was her! She was the one who had made that cringey edit and posted in on twitter which has become the number one hashtag on social media!"
Raghav stared at her now sheepish looking daughter bewildered and then promptly burst out laughing much to his son's chagrin. He was followed by Arjun and Chitra. His elder twin had given quite a jaw slapping answer to a local politician who was making a ruckus in his hospital and someone had made a video of that encounter and posted it on social media applauding Rishav's prerogative and no nonsense behaviour. Then someone had taken that video and edited it, throwing the Arjun Reddy bgm on it and it had reached to a million views.
Rishav who was a carbon copy of his mother and possessed her gravitas and style of subtlety had been absolutely appalled at the same.
"Nana! You are laughing? You should be scolding her. This is a disgrace."
Rishav snapped at his father who was wiping tears of mirth from the corners of his eyes now.
"Letting lose once in a while won't snatch a few alphabets of that impressive list of degrees my little Doctor surgeon. Calm down. Honestly, I for one loved that video."
Rishav blushed heavily, both at his father's incorrigible habit of calling him, his 'little' doctor surgeon even after knowing that he is a respected CVTS with a bloody hospital of his own and was twenty seven and that the subtle tease at being the most studious of the lot.
"Nana is right Rish. What a burn you must have given that good for nothing idiot! I could smell the burnol from the screen."
Arjun laughed again joined by his sister and sister in law as they all royally ignored Rishav's disappointed grumbling.
"Where is Zara? She is usually the first one at the table?"
Raghav asked about his other missing daughter in law while snatching his daughter's mobile to slip it inside his suit pocket ignoring her indignant gasp and forwarded her a plate.
"Bhabi so rahi hain. Her flight had gotten delayed quite a bit and she reached around one in the night so...."
"And how do you know the exact time of her arrival?"
Rishav asked his now sheepishly grinning sister who pretended she didn't hear him and stuffed the entire idli in her mouth to avoid speaking. Arjun snorted and winked at Raghav who had the most innocent expression on his face. Rishav sighed at the exchange.
"Aap teeno kya kaand kar rahe the kal raat ko? Phirse kisika murder toh nhi kar diya?"
"Rish, cool it bro. Why will we murder someone? You are overexaggerating. Last time what happened wasn't our fault. Who would have thought that Deshpande had such a weak heart that only seeing me and dad gave him a... what did you call it..? Myo.. pich pich?"
Rishav groaned and kept his head on the table as his wife almost choaked on her orange juice.
"Myocardial infarction. You dumbo. I had to do an emergency surgery that also complimentary so that the media didn't get a hint of that fiasco."
"Well, all is well that end's well right Chiku?"
"Right Nana!"
Raghav shrugged his shoulders and gave a hi fi to his daughter from under the table.
"It didn't end well for Mr. Deshpande who had to go on life support for six months Dad. But I will let it slide. His reaction to just your words itself was hilarious. How do you even do it?"
Zara Sippy Rao chortled from behind Raghav before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and touching her cheek to his temple in a very childlike affection. Raghav sniggered and squeezed her arm affectionately while the others at the table hid their indulgent smiles at seeing their unique bond.
Zara Sippy had met Raghav Rao when she was but of a mere age of eleven and since then theirs's had become a love story for the ages. Sometimes Arjun thought the only reason his wife had agreed to marry him was because he was Raghav's son. And it was a universal fact known to everyone in their extended families that Raghav loved his daughters much more than his two sons, much to the latter's eternal complaints.
But their mother fulfilled that half of the equation. Even though, she also took their wives' sides more than them mostly.
The two poor Raos usually ended up being skewered in every situation unless their formidable grandmothers decided to intervene. No one had the courage to say anything over Jaya Rao and Sharda Deshmukh.. not even their father. They were truly the matriarchs of their families.
"Good morning Begum Jaan. Hum bhi hain yaha pe.. agar nazar aaye toh."
Arjun drawled theatrically making his wife roll her piercing grey eyes to the high heavens and the others laugh under their breaths. Zara started serving everyone instead of sitting beside Arjun much to all of their protests.
"Arre, Zara, leave it na. We will take it. You must be so tired."
"Yes, leave that, come sit here and tell me, how was the weather in the Parliament."
Raghav said and Zara finally sat beside Arjun after her husband literally dragged her by the arm (and received a slap on his arm for his effort) much to her chagrin.
"Apoplectic. We had back to back meeting with the Home Minister, the PM, the Houses, the Defence Ministry, the Chief Secretory. I hardly had time to breathe. But I think we might be able to handle it."
"Of course you'll be able to handle it. You are the youngest Foreign Secretary of our Country. No one can handle it if you can't."
Zara blushed at her father in law's blatant praise and the ensuing cheer which rang in the table.
"Hear Hear for our Bhabi dear!"
Praniti cheered in a singsong voice making the other's giggle and snigger heartily while Zara just tried to hide behind her bangs, flushing like a tomato. Suddenly they heard a loud bang from outside, like a huge collision and Raghav groaned audibly.
"Phirse fence tod diya.."
He whispered under his breath exasperated as two men entered, one spewing colourful curses in Punjabi while the other interspersed with sheepish apologies to the infuriated security following him. The woman who had been accompanying them just walked ahead uncaringly. She went flashing a big grin and caught Raghav who had just stood up in a bear hug.
"Goodness bhai! It has been so long..."
"Too long Chelli.. much too long."
Keerti Ahuja kissed her brother unapologetically on his cheek and gave him another affectionate squeeze before being tackled by the other younger Raos in full force. They had all missed their favourite aunt.
Praniti and Arjun specially, engulfed her from both sides like they used to do as kids and refused to leave her.
"Keerti Boo! Main cutti hoon apse, baat nhi karungi."
Praniti said muffled in her aunt's arms followed by her brother who had gripped her from the back, being the tallest among the three.
"Main bhi nhi!"
Keerti laughed pulling both their cheeks.
"Arre meri pyaari Pari, mera chotu gulab jamun, ab maan bhi jao, main kya karun agar client mujhe New York mein hi milein toh? Maine kahaan toh tha, ek saal lagega lagbhag."
"But you could have contacted us a bit more frequently na, Bua. Ye kya baat hui? New York jaake hamein toh bhul hi gayi aap?"
Rishav commented from the side as the others nodded in tandem. Keerti caught her ears miming a cute apology making everyone burst out into laughter. Her son on the other hand had snatched his younger cousin's chair when he had stood up to hug Keerti.
"Vihaan! I was sitting there."
"Arre, I just took the seat bud, not my Bhabi. You can sit on her other side as well, infact it will be easier for the footsie."
Arjun and Zara blushed like a pair of baboons making everyone else chortle. Sunny rolled his eyes but a smile was playing on his lips, making it evident that he was joking.. as usual.
"Haan, haan jahapannah, hum sabko pata hain ki aapko Raghav ke saath hi beithna hain. Khusur fusur toh kartein hi rehte ho dono."
Raghav raised at eyebrow at his brother in law and Vihaan grinned sheepishly. He did want to discuss something with his uncle post haste but that was not the exact reason why he sat beside him. He had gotten some information regarding yesterday's skirmish and he wanted to check that Raghav was unhurt with his own eyes.
"Fence tod diya phirse hero?"
Raghav asked while everyone settled again, chattering amidst themselves. Vihaan nodded sheepishly making the former smile.
"Sorry Mamu, woh har bar uss elevation ke paas aake car control hi nhi hoti. Main theek karwa dunga pakka."
"Haan, karwa dena, ab tak toh workers ko bhi tera chehra yaad ho gaya hoga."
"Aap woh sab chodiye. Kal raat ki baat karein?"
Raghav shook his head slightly, tensed, eyeing the entire family with a side glance. Vihaan gave him a look and some silent conversation passed through them.
"What's up ACP Sahab? I heard the news about the arrest you made yesterday near the CM's office? Finally got your guy did you?"
Rishav asked Vihaan pointedly who gave him a triumphant smirk in return indicating his victory clearly. Pari, the over enthusiastic kid, again squealed and gave her eldest cousin a cheer. Before Raghav could ask about anything else, another man came running, looking harried and almost toppling over the couch in the middle, his mobile held in the crook of his neck and what looked like a million files in his hands.
"...yes yes! I will get it done. No.. No! No, Akshay, you are well aware that the Boss doesn't take social calls during work hours. For God's sake! For the last time in your life, no! Get lost! Damned idiot!"
"Woah Aarav... calm down Kanna. And leave that paraphernalia on the couch before you fall all over it. Come and have breakfast with us."
Raghav said worriedly looking at his other kid, the one he had almost adopted, the one everyone knew was more attached to Raghav than his own blood father, much to the latter's surprising satisfaction.
Aarav Ahmed dropped the files on the couch and came and almost collapsed on the only empty chair left.
"Appa aapka beta mujhe ekdin Allah Talah ke paas pauchake ki maanega! Pata nhi kiss manhoos ka chehra dekh ke utha ta ussdin jab iska secretary banne keliye raazi ho gaya."
Arjun rolled his eyes and very cunningly stole his sister's paratha surreptitiously off her plate.
"Zyadaa nautanki nhi ho raha abhi Aarav miyah?"
Aarav gave his Boss and best friend a saccharine smile.
"Ab kya karein Huzoor. Aapki khidmat kartein kartein yahi mazak mazak mein Abdul Razak banke reh gaya hun..aur kya."
Arjun glared at his best friend and secretary and the most trustworthy employee of his company piercingly even as the others broke into an almost unbearably loud chorus of laughter.
Raghav wiped the tears trailing down his eyes now, tears of mirth.
"Lagta hain tum log aaj mereko breakfast hi finish nhi karne dega. Comedy film lagake rakh diya hain subah se."
But Raghav had done a grave mistake which he hadn't figured out just yet. He had brought his bandaged hand to wipe his eyes, directly in front of all eyes. The next moment saw almost the entire table launching up at their feet, faces twisted in various shades of shock and horror and concern.
"Nana! Chot kaise lagi aapko?"
"Mamu pucha na tha maine aapko kal, security chahiye ke nhi?"
"Security! But why? Vihaan, kya hua hain mujhe bhi bologe kya kabhi tum Mama- Bhanja?"
"Kaise hua? Dad bola tha maine aapko, Bodyguards macchar maarne keliye nhi rakha hain! Saath leke jaana hamesha."
"Dekha Chitra Bhabi! Maine kitni baar bola hain inhe, par ye hain ki baat hi nhi maante. Ab aap hi kuch bolo."
"Appa, hospital gayein the kya? Doctor ne kya bola?"
"Arre chot laga aapko, mujhe kaise pata nhi chala? Rehman ko bulao! Abhi! Ek kaam theek se nhi hota uss Chimpanzee se!"
"SHUT UP EVERYONE! NOW!"
Raghav's sudden roar brought the frenzied people to a freezing halt. He breathed in and exhaled deeply, keeping his shoulder straight while balancing his upper body on the table, with his palms and straightened up reflexively.
"Shaant, chup ho jao sab aur breakfast karo beithke. Thoda sa scratches hain bass aur kuch nhi. Iski wajah se pura Hyderabad sar pe chadahne ka koi zaroorat nhi. Maine isliye nhi bola kyunki tum sab aisa pagalon ki tarah pareshaan ho jaega. Main theek hain. Kuch nhi hua tha, thoda kuch logo ko yaad dilana tha, main retirement mein hain par iska matlab ye nhi ki sehm gaya. Jangal ka sher, sher ich rehta hain.... twenty seven ho ya fifty seven. Un idiots ko lagah tha merepe hamla karke, hostage lelega Zara ko blackmail karega. Vihaan ko pata tha ki ye log kuch ghatiya plan kar raha hain.. Political conspiracy hain, nothing else. I have dealt with things like this all my life and Zara none of this is your fault. Tum khudko blame karega abhi mereko pata hain...aur tum baccha log sab pagal ho jaega isliye nhi bola. Now, come have food."
Zara as expected caught her head in her hands feeling her husband's grounding grip on her shoulder from above. She breathed shakily and then got up, determination and an unforeseen anger in her eyes.
"How dare they! How f--- dare they! When I refused to give them the tender, the opposition thought it prudent to attack m.. my family instead? I will not spare them! Not this time! Enough is Enough!"
"Zara.. think it through.. just before the elections?"
"I don't give a damn about the elections Appa! I don't care about anything more than you people. They will pay for every single scratch they have made on your hand. I will make sure of it. Vihaan Bhaiya!"
Vihaan gave her a sharp nod, his eyes already locked on to his prey. He had been pretty lenient with them. But they have gone too far now. Attacking his Uncle was non negotiable. That was crossing the line. That was not permissible by any meaning of that literal.
Attacking Raghav was the last mistake they have done.
Even though he didn't say it, everyone heard it from his eyes. The eyes he had inherited from his mother. The enviable Rao gene pool. Where slaughtering someone with their eyes was a piece of cake.
Rishav dragged the chair beside his father and tugged his wounded hand gently to inspect it, opening the bandages, ignoring Raghav's half hearted protests.
"Ye sirf scratches hain Nana?"
His eldest snapped at him thickly, seemingly swallowing a lump formed in his throat seeing the broken knuckles, blue and blood clotted in places. Raghav sighed and patted his son's knee with his other hand reassuringly.
"It's nothing kanna. I have had worse."
"Dad, that honestly doesn't make it any better."
Arjun sniped, glaring down at him from where he was standing beside his older twin, face twisted in part concern and part anger. Raghav looked at all the furious faces surrounding him and resigned himself to at least a week of getting mother hen-ed by his flock of children.
Good times...
"Theek hain.. abhi breakfast karle sab ya kisi aur ke khoon ki panchayati karni baki hain tum logo ko?"
Sunny said from the back, feeling pity for his brother in law who would surely get accosted by everyone throughout the day. As expected everyone went back muttering promises of bodily harm to at least ten different people who could have been remotely involved in the current situation under their breaths.
Raghav wondered how had he managed to gather such a bunch of trigger happy kids.
"The apples don't fall far from the tree, Ghamandi Rao. Ab bhukto.."
Pallavi Rao's voice whispered near his ear startling him into befuddlement as his wife wrapped her arms around his shoulders from the back and bent to press a kiss on the top of his head ignoring her sons' dramatic gagging. Raghav shook his head exasperated and dragged his wife to make her sit on his lap disregarding everyone's teasing cheers completely.
"Raghav.. leave me. What the hell are you doing? We have married children now!"
"So..? That doesn't make us any less married. Waise bhi hum bohot modern parents hain nhi... kal hi toh tum mereko samjha raha tha..nhi?"
"Woh toh tum phirse Pari ke boyfriend ke peeche pad gaye the isliye.."
Praniti slammed her head on the table earning a few laughs from her brothers, their wives and cousins. Pallavi on the other hand went progressively redder in the face as her husband absoluetly refused to leave her despite her furious protests.
"Dekha.. isse kehte hain romance. Jo tumko bilkul karna nhi aata.. chii! Appa, apne sarein gun toh dediye apne bete mein.. sirf ye walaa dena bhul gaye the kya?"
Chitrangada asked her father in law naughtily as the latter smirked.
"Woh tumhara Amma ko puchho. Unko merese allergy ho gaya tha jab isko leke pregnant tha. Mere se do kadam duri banake chalta tha ye."
Pallavi glared at him and the rest chuckled heartily. Vihaan added to the mischief.
"Arre phir ye Arjun aur Praniti ayein kahaan se?"
"Maar khayega Vihaan!"
Pallavi's words got lost in the ensuing chorus of laughter which rang in the halls of the Rao Mansion reverberating from the corners which had seen almost thirty years of unending happiness.
A happiness which Raghav had never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would ever receive.
And all of it was because of the slight, fifty year old woman in his arms, her beautiful hair still thick and raven hued, her cheeks still flushed healthy, her skin having numerous marks, marks she had gotten from her life....some in love, some in pain, her eyes still just as mesmerizing as they had been when he had first seen her all those years ago... in that dark deserted highway.
Pallavi, his Saree Ka Dukaan... who had descended in his life like a hurricane and uprooted his entire world to settle in inside her own soul.
Pallavi who was his ebullience and will remain so till the end of his days.
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A/N:- Not proof read so please ignore the typos and grammatical errors. I had been writing this when the show was coming to an end. It had been lying in my drafts, half written since the past year. I had always imagined Raghav to have this massive family in future... a balm to the agony his early life had constantly been. Hopefully, you all would enjoy this... massive host of original characters I have cooked up for that sake. And anyone who would want to write anything about Raghvi's children are free to borrow my OC's if they want, after giving due credit for the original idea to me. And you are free to imagine whoever you want for the cast. I just gave what I had in mind. [pic credits to pinterest]
If someone got confused, I have made a list here:-
1. Rishav Raghav Rao - Raghav and Pallavi's older son, he is a Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgeon, in short a heart surgeon and owns a hospital.
2. Arjun Raghav Rao - Raghav and Pallavi's younger son and Rishav's twin, he is the CEO and Owner of his own start up company which is a tech conglomerate which has as per the story become a unicorn company as of late.
3. Praniti Pallavi Rao - Raghav and Pallavi's youngest child and daughter, she was conceived a little late and the pregnancy was complicated but they sailed through it. She is currently studying fashion designing in NIFT Delhi and plans to do a micro course in finance later, has come back home for the holidays.
2. Chitrangada Sahani Rao - Rishav's wife and is the Managing Director of Jayathi Jewels and will in future be the Owner for which she is getting trained by Raghav still.
3. Zara Sippy Rao - Arjun's wife and the Youngest Foreign Secretary for the Country (IFS) and she keeps shuttling between Hyderabad and New Delhi and most of the year is jet setting all over the world.
4. Vihaan Ahuja - Keerti and Sunny's son. The oldest amongst the lot. He is the ACP of Hyderabad Police much to his father and uncle's amusement. And he keeps having secret missions with Raghav much to everyone's irritation.
5. Aarav Farad Ahmed - Farhad and Amrutha's only son. He is Arjun's best friend, advisor and secretary and owns a share of his company. To Arjun, he is like what Farhad is to Raghav. They are teased with this very fact.
If I write on this plotline in future, I will introduce Praniti's girlfriend and Vihaan's secret crush. XD XD XD
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