In Saharanpur, Manoj was reading the documents with a permanent scowl on his face. Due to immense work in office, he had got some documents about an upcoming construction project at home. Vandana seemed distant these days and her blood pressure was shooting up every now and then which was another concern for Manoj. Since the last month, he had taken her to the doctor thrice and he was worried of more deteriorating health.

He was frustrated at himself for being greedy and ruining the life of his own son. He loathed himself after all, his son was not even talking to him and his wife had lost respect for him. Vandana had not said anything but he could fathom her distant behaviour which was partly due to his deeds and partly due to her illness.

Manoj had decided to call Mr. Manohar Aggarwal and apologize with a hope to rekindle the relationship of their kids but his phone call was never received. He was feeling utterly devastated and helpless when he heard he doorbell.

Wondering who had decided to pay him a visit, he got up to open the door and was shocked to find his neighbour, Sushil Goyal at the door.

Mentally sighing at him, Manoj welcomed him inside the house and exchanged pleasantries. He went to the bedroom where his wife was resting and asked her to prepare the tea and some snacks for the guest. Vandana wanted to throw out Mr. Goyal out of her house, but she lacked courage to oppose her husband. Half-heartedly, the feeble Vandana got up and rushed to the kitchen following her husband's orders.

After small talks, Sushil Goyal spoke, "Manoj ji, I wanted to know when your son is coming here? See, my Riya is growing old and many other alliances are coming up for her. I wanted to know what you think of my daughter."

Manoj was flabbergasted. He wanted to reject his proposal outright but then he realized he ruined his son's life for money so he decided to knock some sense in his neighbour.

"Sushil ji, I understand your concern. We are not interested in this alliance. Riya has just turned eighteen while our son is in his thirties". Manoj announced his decision as his wife got the tray of tea and snacks in the living room. A small smile crept on her lips as she heard her husband's words.

"Manoj ji, I know my daughter is eighteen now. I know what is best for her. Trust me, we have ample offers for her but I preferred your family because I know you are good people and your son is earning well in Delhi. Don't worry, I will fix someone better for my child." Sushil spat annoyingly though he wondered how could someone like Manoj reject his proposal of such a hefty sum.

Sushil whispered, "How about fifty-five lakhs, Manoj ji?" He knew Atul Bansal is a chartered accountant and he also knew how to extract more money after the wedding. Sushil was a renowned builder in the city and his mind worked at lightning speed. He was planning to expand his business in the nearby cities and he was planning to find a chartered accountant for free who would help him with his legal as well as illegal funds for the sake of his daughter.

"Sushil ji, my son has been always against dowry", Manoj tried to reason only to be interrupted by Sushil who said, "Don't tell him then. These talks shall remain between us."

"Sushil ji, my son said Riya is a kid. Please don't lure me into money. I won't fall into our trap again. I don't want any dowry. I just want my son to be happy." Manoj pleaded while Sushil was shocked to see him getting so vulnerable. It had been years, he was friends with Manoj and he had never seen him breaking down in this way.

Sushil asked Manoj, "What happened?" with genuine concerns.

Manoj was into tears after he confided about his mistake of demanding dowry from the family of Amaya Aggarwal, the girl his son loved from the bottom of his heart.

"I swear, Sushil ji, I had turned greedy and I don't know how to mend everything", Manoj lamented.

Consoling Manoj like a good friend, Sushil said, "Don't worry, have faith in the Almighty. Things will be fine."

Taking a deep breath, Sushil suggested, "Consider apologizing with that girl's family and in the meanwhile, I will find another groom for my daughter."

Before Sushil could leave, Manoj chimed in, "As a friend, I think you should let Riya study. You are spending so much on her dowry because she is short heighted but what if you end up ruining her life tying her up with some greedy monster?"

Manoj had thought a lot after getting thrown out of Amaya's house. He had realized the reality of the dowry crimes and with a genuine concern, he had thus, asked his question from his friend only to get a glare in return.

"Sushil ji, just imagine your daughter being independent. I know you are concerned of her safety but trust her for once and give her a chance. Make sure, her height is not a measure for judging her." Manoj tried to reason.

"Don't tell me what to do", Sushil lashed out at him.

"I admired Amaya in every sense. She reasoned to cut down the guests and save money. She values her traditions, her family and her self-respect. I had no idea of rejecting her if you would have not planted the greed of fifty lakhs in my mind." Manoj confessed with tears in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I think Riya should transform into the same, Sushil ji. She needs wings to fly instead of responsibilities of a family."

"I don't want my girl ruining my name in the society by falling in love. Love marriages are forbidden in our family." Sushil taunted scornfully.

Manoj reasoned, "Trust her once and she won't ruin your name. Remember Sushil ji, if she would fall in love when she would be independent and well-educated, the man would fall in love with her as she is. Today if you get her married, you will get a groom who is after your money."

Helplessly Manoj sighed, "Choice is yours, Sushil ji, after all, she is your daughter. Don't make the same mistake which I did."

Manoj smiled when Sushil seemed to ponder over his words. He went on showing the LinkedIn profile of Amaya and argued till the point, Sushil decided to confront his daughter about her dreams and aspirations instead of forcing a marriage onto her.

Once Sushil took his leave, Manoj walked to the kitchen only to find his feeble wife struggling to prepare the dough for the dinner. He observed her sweating in the kitchen without a single argument despite, her illness. Taking a deep breath, he ordered, "Vandana, go and sit in the dining area. Keep on guiding me while I will take it from here."

Vandana was mortified at the idea of her husband cooking for her. Being brought up in a family where women were supposed to cook for their husbands and not vice-versa, Vandana had secretly wished to cook the delicacies cooked by her husband after watching the daily soaps but she had never expected her desire to be fulfilled.

Still mortified, Vandana opened her mouth to protest but Manoj gently dragged her out of the kitchen and asked to sit. He entered the kitchen and meticulously concentrated on making the dough. Once done with everything, he stirred the vegetable curry his wife had been cooking. Soon, he began rolling out the chapattis for Vandana.

A satisfactory smile played on her lips as crimson hue crept on her cheeks, while Vandana admired the man who had never entered the kitchen to take a glass of water in last thirty-five years of their married life was today, cooking for her.

She was really glad that her husband was changing for good. She decided to shed off her orthodox and judgemental opinions when she realized she was behaving like those modern women whom she had always despised or maybe, she was green in jealous witnessing their modern outlook. She decided to be a little more accommodating about modern thoughts in future.

After the dinner, Manoj checked his phone only to find a WhatsApp message from Sushil Goyal that read,
Thank you Manoj ji for your advice. My daughter was really happy. She wants to pursue law and I won't stop her. I will be meeting you tomorrow with sweets in this moment of joy.

Manoj had a big smile on his face. He was happy saving one life but his heart pained for his son who was in deep misery just because of him.

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Hi everyone

I hope you are in the bliss of your health!

O! Lord, I am gushing over this new version of Manoj ji 🙈

He went for total transformation after Atul threw a blank cheque and asked him to leave him!😥

Parents feel really sad when their children are disappointed in them. Whether they are good or bad, they change for their kids. Manoj made a a mistake, a dire mistake and I am waiting for him to rectify things.☹

Let us see what happens next? 🤔

I will be updating soon, till then, stay tuned and take good care of yourself. 😘

Don't forget to hit the ⭐ button and share your views..

Love you all
💜