Episode #24: (Pocket Money Has Its Own Charm)

Swara and Sanskar were sleeping peacefully, Swara fully draped over Sanskar as if he were her mattress. She clutched his nightshirt's collar with one hand, while Sanskar's arms held her securely around the waist.

Sanskar's sleep was interrupted by the ringing alarm. Without opening his eyes, he pushed the stop button and, with half-opened eyes, glanced down at Swara, who was sound asleep with her hair partially covering her face.

With a sleepy smile, Sanskar gently brushed her hair away and placed a light kiss on her forehead. Swara snuggled deeper into his chest. Sanskar fully opened his eyes, yawned, and checked the wall clock.

He softly rubbed his hand through Swara's hair to wake her up, but she merely twitched her nose and nuzzled closer to him, falling back asleep. Sanskar chuckled at her antics and, without much effort, turned her around.

Now, she was nestled in his arms in a side hug. Swara, with closed eyes, whined like a child and then opened her eyes with an angry pout. Sanskar, already gazing at her, kissed her pout.

Swara: "What is this, Sanskar? I was sleeping peacefully in my bed."

Sanskar: "Correction, ma'am—you were sleeping on me."

Swara: "So what? You are my legally wedded bed, so now shut up and let me sleep," she said, closing her eyes again and gripping his shirt collar tighter.

Sanskar: "People say legally wedded husband or wife, and here my unique antique piece says legally wedded bed. Swara, you are impossible."

In response, Swara merely hummed. Sanskar sighed deeply, rested his head on top of hers, and closed his eyes.

After 1 hour:-

Swara and Sanskar came downstairs. Swara, while looking at her cell, noticed something that made her eyes sparkle with excitement. She and Sanskar walked into the dining hall, where everyone was already seated, and Sumi was serving breakfast.

Sanskar took a seat at one of the chairs, while Swara stood in front of her chair, grinning widely.

Shekhar, noticing her enthusiasm, looked up from his breakfast and asked, "What's going on, beta?"

Swara: "Dad, Sanskar, and all my brothers, today is the 1st of the month, right?"

They all nodded, looking at her curiously. Swara, still beaming, extended her hand and announced, "My pocket moneyyyyyyy!"

Everyone looked momentarily confused but then remembered that the 1st of the month is when Swara typically asks for her pocket money. Since her accident and subsequent marriage, Swara had made it a habit to request her pocket money from her father, husband, and brothers each month.

Rishi, chuckling, pulled out his wallet, followed by the others. Almost in unison, they placed her pocket money into her hand. Swara's smile grew even wider. She kissed Shekhar's cheek and hugged each of her four brothers one by one.

RV, with a playful grin, asked, "Bell, do you want an increase in your pocket money?"

Swara, while settling into her chair, said, "Nope, Ritki Bhai, it's more than enough." (Everyone had given her 5,000 each.)

Karan asked, "But why do you take pocket money when you have a very heavy bank account?"

Swara replied, "Because the fun you get in spending your pocket money, you never get in spending your own money."

Sanskar smiled at her innocent reply. Swara never used the money in her bank account or the credit card Sanskar gave her. She always asked him to buy things for her. She didn't even know where her entire wardrobe came from, as she had told Sanskar after their marriage that she hated shopping, so he had to handle it. Yet every month, Swara used her pocket money to buy clothes.

She spent the 25,000 given to her as pocket money mostly on gifts for everyone. While 25,000 isn't a small amount, given her background and lifestyle, it's relatively minor. Despite this, she never asked for more money. Her demands were always fulfilled by others without her needing to say a word.

After breakfast, Shekhar and RV left for their office, while Karan, Swara, and Rishi went upstairs. Sanskar approached Swara as she was getting up from the table.

Sanskar: "Swara, why do you take pocket money from all? I mean, what's the reason behind this?"

Swara, with twinkling eyes, responded, "Pocket money has its charm, and I don't want to miss this. Even after my kids or their kids, I will not stop demanding pocket money from you people," and she left with Karan for her college after giving Sanskar a tight kiss on his cheek.

Sumi, who had been watching the scene with a smile, noticed a change in Sanskar's expression. She approached him with a confused yet concerned look.

Sumi: "What happened, beta?"

Sanskar: "Nothing, Aunty. Okay, Aunty, I have to leave for the hospital." He stood to go, but Sumi placed her hand on his shoulder and sat down beside him on the other chair.

Sumi: "Beta, I know I'm not as close to you all as you are to Shekhar. But just as Swara is my daughter, you four are also my sons. With you, I have a double relationship—one as a son and another as a son-in-law. If you want, you can share anything with me."

Sanskar, with a faint smile: "Aunty, you know I love kids a lot, and so does Swara."

Sumi, with a smile: "Yes, I know. In her childhood, she always felt lonely not having any siblings. From there, I knew she would surely love kids in the future."

Sanskar, with a painful chuckle: "But whether our dream will come true or not, I don't know, Aunty."

Sumi: "What do you mean, Sanskar?"

Sanskar: "You know about her accident caused by Sanjeev years ago?"

Sumi: "Yes, Shekhar told me."

Sanskar: "Swara suffered an injury to her stomach in that accident, which also affected her uterus. That's why her uterus is weak for bearing a child."

Sumi was shocked by this revelation. Sanskar had tears in his eyes, but he wiped them away before they fell and continued.

Sanskar: "With the help of doctors, I'm giving her medication—her treatment is ongoing without her knowledge. Last month, I took her to the hospital, saying it was just a routine check-up. The doctor told me she is progressing, but it will still be risky for her. I didn't tell her because I don't want her to worry. I know she will panic."

"We can take the chance, but I'm just afraid, Aunty. What if something happens to her? I can't imagine my life without her. She brought the soul back into my lifeless body; she is my heartbeat, my whole world."

Sumi saw a broken man in front of her who loved her daughter deeply. She composed herself and put her hand on his shoulder.

Sumi: "Sanskar, you are a doctor; you know everything better than I do. But I just want to say one thing: everything happens for a reason. We all go through tragedies in life, but in the end, we find our happiness."

"If you don't take any risks, how will you find the new happiness in your life? Trust yourself and God, and you'll see that everything will be fine. Without risk or difficulties, life loses its meaning."

Sanskar: "But..."

Sumi: "I trust you, Beta. And you should tell Swara about this too."

Sanskar: "I will tell her, Aunty. I just want to make sure that the risk is decreasing first because I know she will surely panic after hearing all this."

Sumi: "Everything will be fine, don't worry." She left with a small smile, patting his shoulder gently. Sanskar composed himself and headed towards the hospital.

Swara's side:-

Today Swara was alone as Karan went to an important meeting, and his presence was crucial. He had warned Swara not to step out of the college, but Swara, being a dheet (stubborn) soul, noticed a pani puri/gol gappa stall near her college.

Her mouth started watering, and she happily went to indulge in some golgappas. She was enjoying her golgappa when she felt a sudden push, causing her golgappa, which she was taking toward her mouth, to break.

Swara, with a sad pout, said, "My golgappa," and turned towards the source of the push with an angry pout. She found a girl, not in a very good condition, hiding behind her. Swara frowned at the girl and opened her mouth to say something but then heard some noise from the other side.

Swara turned around and saw five goon-like individuals standing in front of her with dangerous looks. Swara simply raised an eyebrow and asked, "What?"

1st goon: "Give us the girl, or else you'll face the consequences," he said, stepping forward to grab the girl's hand from behind Swara. The girl cowered further behind Swara, who stepped in front of her.

Swara, hands on her hips, replied, "Oh, hello! Can't you see that the girl doesn't want to come with you? Why are you forcing her?"

2nd goon: "Look, girl, we need this girl. If you don't let us take her, then we'll take you too," he threatened. The girl's grip on Swara's arm tightened in fear, while Swara just rolled her eyes.

Swara: "Listen, you stupid goons, I will not let you take this girl with you. Do whatever you want." She turned back to the girl, but one of the goons said,

3rd goon: "I think we should take this girl as well."

Swara turned towards them with a scowl and took a step forward. She looked worried for a moment, biting her nails and counting the goons on her fingers.

Swara, pointing at each goon: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5. You people are five."

4th goon, with a bored expression: "Yeah, so?"

Swara: "I was thinking, one punch for each of you means five punches in total, and one kick each means five kicks in total. Honestly, I'm not worried about kicking you; the real issue is punching. If I punch all of you, my husband will ground me."

5th goon, looking puzzled: "Why?"

Swara, with a scowl: "Because if I punch you, my knuckles will get torn up, and you know how he is—such a dictator. If he sees my wounded knuckles, he'll ban my lollipops." She made a dramatic, teary-eyed face.

1st goon: "What the hell? Just shut up and give us the girl!" He stepped forward, but before he could act, he received a punch and a kick from Swara. The other goons quickly followed, getting the same treatment.

The girl behind Swara watched in shock with her mouth agape, while Swara, now nursing a wound on her knuckle, whined to herself. She imagined how her husband would react to her injury.

Girl, stammering: "Ho... how did you... do that?"

Swara, shaking her hand to ease the pain: "Perks of being the wife and sister of a Kung Fu master and expert."

By saying that, she turned towards the girl and fully noticed her, gasping at what she saw. Swara, momentarily forgetting her pain, approached the girl, grabbed her hand, and guided her to a nearby bench, ignoring the curious onlookers who stared at her as if she were an alien.

Swara, irritated by the people: "What?? Is there some kind of drama happening here? Just get lost! If you can't help, you have no right to stand around. Get lost!" The crowd quickly dispersed.

Swara turned back to the girl: "Um, if I'm not wrong, you're pregnant?" Swara had noticed the girl resting her hand on her stomach.

Girl, with tears welling up: "Yeah, I'm in my 4th month," and tears began flowing down her cheeks.

Swara: "Hey, don't cry. I'm here with you." But before she could say more, Swara realized that she was outside the college premises. As she was about to think further, she noticed someone and swallowed nervously.

The girl, waiting for Swara's response, saw her looking elsewhere. She turned her gaze and found a guy around Swara's age glaring at her.

Swara, with a sheepish smile: "Karan bhai, when did you arrive?" She discreetly adjusted her sleeve to cover her knuckle, trying to hide it from him.

Karan, walking towards her: "Lolli, I told you not to step out of the college. So why are you outside?"

Swara, scratching her neck, turned towards the girl: "Um, this di was in danger, so I helped her."

Karan, his expression turning worried at the mention of danger: "Are you okay? Don't tell me you did something again." He looked around but didn't find anyone, as the goons had fled after Swara had dealt with them.

The girl, in a low voice: "I'm sorry that your sister had to put herself in danger because of me," and she started to leave, but Karan stopped her.

Karan: "Relax, miss. I know she can take care of herself. It's just... never mind. Do you need any help?"

Swara: "Bhai, can we please take her to our home? I need to call Rishi bhai too."

Karan: "Yeah, sure. Come on," he said, and Swara helped the girl into the back seat of the car while both siblings took the front seats. As Karan drove, Swara turned towards the girl.

Swara: "By the way, I'm Swara, and this is my brother Karan," she said, pointing towards Karan, who smiled in return. "What's your name?"

Girl: "I'm Sapna."

Swara: "By the way, can I call you di?"

Sapna, with a small smile: "Yeah, you're younger than me by around 3 to 4 years. I'm 26 years old."

Swara: "Great, I finally have a di. Now, can you tell me what you were doing in that state?"

Karan, confused: "In this state means...?"

Swara, murmuring: "Shut up, bhai," and Karan zipped his mouth while Swara continued.

Sapna, in a low voice: "They want to sell me to some old man."

Swara, shouting: "What the hell? And where is your husband?"

Sapna, with teary eyes: "He's the one who sold me to them."

Swara and Karan, together: "What?????"

Sapna, crying bitterly: "Last week, he sold me to those animals, and today they were going to sell me to an old man. But I gathered some courage and ran away. I met you on the way."

Swara, fuming in anger: "Shameless jerk."

Karan, with a serious expression: "Don't worry, di. Now that you're Swara's di, I'll also call you di. You're safe with us," and he gave a satisfied smile to Sapna, who returned it with a small smile.

The trio reached the mansion, where Swara helped Sapna inside while Karan followed behind. As they entered, Swara found Sanskar pacing around the hall, having received an urgent call from her.

Sanskar, seeing her, immediately came forward and asked: "What happened? Why did you call me urgently? Is everything okay? Are you fine?"

Swara: "Sanskar, I'm fine. Can you please check on Sapna Di? I'll tell you all the details."

Sanskar, confused: "Who is Sapna?" His gaze shifted to the girl standing behind Swara, who appeared nervous and scared.

Sanskar: "Yeah, come," and he led Sapna and Swara to the hall sofas while Karan was on the phone with Rishi.

Sanskar, checking Sapna: "Sapna, are you pregnant?"

Sapna: "Yes, I'm 4 months pregnant."

Sanskar: "Okay, since you're pregnant, I'll prescribe you some medicine for now, but a gynecologist will need to handle the rest of your checkups. We'll take you there tomorrow. For now, everything seems fine," he said with a reassuring smile.

Swara, happily: "Thank God, di, you're fine."

Sanskar, with a serious expression: "But Mrs. Swara Sanskar Maheshwari, you are not fine," he said, eyeing the wound on her knuckle, which was now clearly visible.

Swara, giving him a bunny-like expression and showing her two front teeth: "Sooorrryyy."

Sanskar just rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief.

To be continued...

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