Hello people! Here I am with another story. Thank you for checking it out. Please do hit the star ⭐️ if you like it!! And share your precious reviews.

Don't worry there's no manan Separation here!!
********

'Kabhi library me, toh kabhi canteen me.

Kayi mili, par tum nai..

Par tumhe kya hai, tum aram se beth k TV dekho.

Log in to jeevansathi.com~ to find a perfect match! Be found!'

The flat screen in our living room flashes a death trapping commercial.

"Suniye, iss website pr Nandani ki profile banate hai." My mom's voice fell into my ears which was particularly only intended for my dad who had his eyes engraved into the newspaper with his reading glasses on. My dad just hummed and I rolled my eyes and concentrated on in my book again.

I silently move my hand towards the samosa in the plate, which according to my mother 'legitimately' belongs to my father, and which my father was not interested in. My father wasn't a big fan of samosas, but I, I loved food more than my life. I always wanted to be a chef.

Well,  okay not always but yes at some point of my life I did wanted to.

Just as I was going to pick up the samosa, I felt a sharp slap over my palm. "Aauuchh!! Mummy.."

"What mummy, don't you dare eat that." And there she goes again.

"Look at your Nandu, you eat all day. It won't take long for this waist to become wear house. All day you keep eating something or the other.  Shaddi karni hai ya nahi tumhe?"

"Nahi.. nahi krni shaddi. Papa look at her na, tell her something..." I crippled.

"What is your papa going to tell me. You are turning 23 this year. Nandani, suman's girl got married at 21, and look how happy she is! Did I tell you to get married so early, no na... and ek bar umar nikal jati hai to ache ladke nai milte." My mother's intentions of me getting married are way too much adamant this time.

The last time this marriage cyclone laded on me, when Shusma aunty's Neetu got married.  The fact that she got married at such a young age was because she wanted to and just because she is slim AF , and her spotless face and her I-can-carry-any-dress-attitude and didn't give a shit about log tables.

Her marriage was such a nightmare to me. Just because she is our neighbour doesn't mean that half of her wedding responsibilities are our wedding responsibilities. She is that typical girl who goes on buying lingerie,from vishwanath gali and even from there she bought that chep(specifically chep- not the Victoria secret type) red lacy lingerie. And guess what, she took me along with her and on top of that she was all the way bragging about her to- be- husband's possessiveness, which to me sounded completely pathetic.

"Mummy, what shaddi shaddi shaddi. Dad please tell her na..." dad is the only shield in this cyclone.

"Beta, she's right. What is the problem? And we are just talking about seeing some boys, aisa to hai nai k pehla ladka dekhenge aur shaddi krva denge..." my father said casually, still turning pages of his newspaper.

"Papa aap bhi...." I said unbelievably.

"Dekh beta agar koi hai tere life me,you can tell us. Trust me your papa is not that orthodox.." my father said it with a laugh just to not make it weird, but this time he folded his newspaper and kept in on the table, and it showed it's an important conversation.

"What, Nai papa , koi nahi hai, ye sab mummy ne dala na apke dimag me? Mummy like seriously. You know what, do whatever you want to. See boys, make profile, just don't bug me not to eat. Bye, I'm going to Rukhsat's place aur vaha se ghat ja rahe hai.."

God help my mom!! I am so depressed!!!!! I need pani puri and Rukhsat and Ganga ghat, to overcome this jeevansathi situation.

Pani puri is love and Rukhsat is my best friend. We are childhood buddies. My papa, Neeraj Arora, works in bank. My mummy, Neelema Arora is a housewife. And me? I am Nandani Arora computer engineering. We live in Banaras ever since I knew the meaning of house. Every chapter of my life here, from first day of school to first period.

Marriage? Like seriously? I shook my head shooing away the weird thoughts and moved to Rukhsat's house.

----------

"Patil, vo Thane murder case, what is the progress in that? The case is catching fire in media with all the poor man, no justice thing." I asked InspectorPatil.

"Sir, we are investing. The wife was been missing after the investigation started on full flee. We found her two days back near Satara, with another man who is alleged to be her lover. We are interrogating them sir. It's a wind up in few days."

Patil handed me the file and I after having a good look to it, I gave it back to him.

"Good." I said. He saluted and marched out.

I rang up the deputy commissioner, to inform about the case. "Good work ACP Manik Malhotra. You never fail to impress us by your good work. Once everything is confirmed, release the statement to police."

"Sir." I reaffirmed.

I leaned back in the chair closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. My shoulders ache, and that's because I have been working since last 13 hrs continuously. My staff often tells me take a holiday, work a few hours less, but I like it that way. It keeps me busy. And I don't have anything to do apart from work.

My phone buzzes on the wooden desk. It's Abhimanyu. I pick up the call. "Bro! Wassup!" Gleed the man on the other side. "Abhi. Hello! Long time sale.." Abhi and me were in the same college he was just passed the exam one year later. He was posted in Pune for a time being.

"Yah, it is. Me and Mukti were coming to Bombay tonight. All the college people are meeting up. And you are coming no excuses. And tomorrow we all are hitting Lonavla, no excuses again! Take an off for this weekend." Abhi demanded.

"No dude. I have hell lot of work and you know I don't ditch job. You guys carry on. May be I'll catch you later!" I so wished to escape this fiasco. I like get together, but I am completely not an party animal.

"Noooo nooo nooo we are meeting at the Baraco bar at 9, and you should be there."

"Abhi yar, okay. Only on one condition. You guys are not checking in any hotel. Tonight, my place." I commanded.

"Are nahi Manik, mukti is also with me..." Abhi and his lame formalities.

"Don't worry, I won't hit on her and won't even complaint if you guys are too loud at night!" I said with a laugh exactly knowing that both of them are red in embarrassment.

"Okay you fucker!" Abhi cripped bitterly making me laugh even more!! And I disconnected the call.

When I reached my apartment it was almost 7:30. I just fell on the couch lazily. Not all days i am lazy, but today I was. I was feeling lonely. My family stays in Delhi, I was in Delhi too, but my father never wanted me to join as IPS, so I selected south zone.

I like, infact loved being alone, I choose it for myself, but today was just different.

My eyes wandered in my empty apartment and hauled over the only family photo and photo in my house. I was examining it and the phone in my pocket buzzed. Might be Abhi. But I was wrong, it was my mom. It's so good that it even rhymes.

I smiled and picked the call up.

"Hello mom!"

"Hello beta.... kabhi hume bhi yad karlo. How is my boy? Why do you sound exhausted? Oh god, did you not have food? Manik........" Mom asked in her ever so sweet voice.

"I'm good mom. And I just came back from work. Don't worry. I am not a kid." I reminded her.

"Yes, exactly you are not a kid. You are 26 and still you are not ready to get married. Manik you work all day and there's no to look after you. How do I not worry? Please tell me. I'm a mother after all."

"Mom.... not again. Please cut me some slack na yar. If you are going there , I am going to shower." I threatened literally.

"Manik, running away is not a solution. You have to accept some things." My mom said and it made me alert. Ooh! Does she know? How?

"Accept it that you need some one. Realise it. And the sooner the better." She said continuing. Huf! She doesn't know.

"Okaay mom! I'll think about it." I surrender.

"Okay, text me when you are sure. Please beta think about it. And keep calling me. I need to know that you are alive.." she said with a chuckle and I too laughed with her and ended the call.

I stare at the phone screen, not able to decide weather to open Facebook or not. Why do I even have this app. I don't even use it. Such a useless app. I mean like, you eat, sleep, travel, poop, do whatever why do you need the world to know about it? Sickheads.

Cursing the app, for some ten minutes, I opened it. And there I was, with the name, Aisha Patel, in search engine. Yes my ex. As I scrolled down her profile I see videos of her and her to be husband, dancing around some beach. Fuck these pre wedding videos. 

Aisha Patel, the girl from college. We were in a serious relationship. Atlest to me it was. But it didn't work out, well because she thought her parents would not accept an inter cast marriage and she herself took a decision on everyone's behalf, me, her, her parents and broke up.

"You are the best thing that ever been mine!" Was the caption. Hah! It's the same line she said to me. So new! Why am I even looking to this shit.

Fuck this shit. I exited the app and uninstalled it. Waste of time, waste of memory.

I was about to throw the phone away when my mom's message pinged. I smiled at her newly developed watsapp skills. It was a matrimonial site, she was asking me if she could fill it. I took a deep breath. It's time to move on Manik.

"Okay mom, let's try it." I texted back. And tossed the phone on the sofa and headed towards the shower thinking to myself, that it was a few days things.
******
Advice.
Comment.
Vote.
Read.
Love ❤️.