Veena’s room

“So, you are coming to the Colombia Conference I believe?” Her chat friend asked her who was folding her clothes whilst facetiming to him.

“Mhm, not this time. My uncle and Dad will be going to that conference. I don’t want to raise suspicion. We can meet some other time,” Veena tried to console her friend who smirked at her words.

“You know I miss you a lot. Last time we had so much fun in the beach, in the restaurant. Do you remember the Caribbean dancer who were egging you do a few moves with them. laugh You looked so cute, Veena!” The person caressed the screen making Veena tear up a little.

“It’s okay. We can meet next month. I have told my family about my big client in Goa. We can meet there. Hm?” Veena told her schedule for the next month where she could peacefully meet her friend without the disturbance of any kind.

“That long! It’s almost 3 months since we met each other. huff ok if her highness wants to meet me next month. We will meet next month, ok?” The person teased her who was blushing carelessly.

Veena gave a sweet nod at his remark. She kissed the screen with him bidding her good night.

Knock! Knock!

Veena closed her laptop suddenly at the noise and got up tensed.

“Chech, I hope you were not sleeping! Sorry if I disturbed you,” Soumya came inside her room making Veena tsk at her remorsefulness.

“No, cuppy. Tell me what is it?” Soumya moved her stray hair behind her ears reminding of her aunt.

“Chech. The thing is…um…” Veena encouraged her to speak.

Suddenly Soumya closed the door and came rushing to her.

Veena was confused at her sudden behaviour. She made her relax by rubbing her arms.

“Chech. What would you do if suddenly a secret which you have tried so hard to hide, needs to come in the open. It might make a certain person happy, but at the same time, hurt other people,” Veena was fearing whether her cousin heard her conversation with her friend.

“Who are you talking about, cuppy?” Veena asked her to get the negation for her doubts.

“It’s…um….” Soumya was tensing up by the minute. Veena grabbed her shoulders saying

“Cuppy, you can tell me anything about anyone. I won’t tell them or any of the family members without your consent. I promise, hm?” Veena clutched her palm stating the last statement.

Soumya got the encouragement to tell her thoughts.

She narrated what had happened in the inter-school event. Her talk with Rajeev and his discouragement to speak about his passion to his parents.

Veena saw her cousin sulk at the uneasiness that Rajeev carried in his young shoulders of not disclosing his passion to his parents.

“Cuppy. For this we should let Raj only to decide whether he wants to tell them or not. Maybe he is waiting for the right time. He would definitely convey it to them once, he gets the courage to do so. So, don’t worry, hm?” Soumya was somewhat satisfied with her words, but

“But Chech, do we have to see him sulk every day at hiding his beautiful truth from his parents. Just for the fear of rejections,” Veena looked sideways and then answered after few seconds.

“For that he needs your support. If he sees that half of his family members are happy with his passion. Then he will be assured that he will get the same encouragement from the other family members.”

Soumya smiled at her answer and went for a hug from her favourite sister.

Veena caressed her hairs thanking the Gods that her cousin was not able to catch her with her friend.

Varma residence

Sharanya was making her husband understand that their daughter is of marriageable age and that she had thought of a prospectus groom for her.

Pradeep denied her advances for convincing him.

“Sharu. For the umpteenth time, I don’t want to hear another word about by angel getting married or any other sort of that thing! Got that!” Pradeep glared at her and moved to the washroom leaving her perplexed.

The man who was getting all hyped about his daughter’s marriage now doesn’t want to talk about it!

She huffed and sat on the bed with disappointment.

Ring! Ring!

“Hello, Oh Sonia Mam,” Sharanya changed her aura to a professional stance to not sound suspicious of her family issue.

“Um…Sorry to call such late at night. But it was urgent,” Sonia sounded desperate from the other line.

Sharanya told her to continue to which she answered

“Actually, we had a surprise inspection from the board. So, will it okay for you to come at 9 in the morning. if not too much of a trouble. I know your schedule says that your classes start at 10. I am sorry for not telling you earlier. Since I got the message just now from the Chancellor. Hope you understand,” Sonia told her dilemma as the dean and the head of the management community.

Sharanya agreed to her request and told her that it was no worries for her.

“Um…Sonia Mam, can I ask you a personal question if not too invasive?” Sharanya tried to speak her voice.

Sonia told her to continue. Sharanya told her that she wanted to invite her family for lunch the coming Sunday in their house.

Sonia was taken aback by her sudden invite, then too she didn’t want to discourage her. So, she agreed saying that she would look into the family members schedules and convey her acceptance for the invite.

Sharanya was overjoyed at her part success of meeting the first half of the family.

She smiled and slept in a relaxed manner.

She suddenly opened her eyes thinking that she had not asked for her husband’s permission for the invite.

She thought for a while and tsked thinking that it was a blink of an eye situation for her to get the said permission.

The next morning

Sharanya reached the staff room on time to see it vacant. She imagined that maybe the staff were still coming. So, she went to the see the campus where some students were entering the classroom and some were chatting in the corridor.

Sharanya then saw the sight that made her angry. Some students were having a verbal fight near the corridor.

She approached them wherein they paid zero attention at their professor standing beside them.

“What is going on here?” The students looked at her in shock and apologised to their behaviour.

She calmly asked them the issue to which one of the students explained their grievances of misunderstanding between their friends who had turned into foes all of a sudden.

She took them to a vacant class and told them to explain peacefully.

After a minute or two, she thought about their problem and told them that communication is the key to every problem.

It takes only a minute to talk about your problems but waste a millennium not talking about it.

So, the only way they could have avoided the physical trauma by just talking and clearing the air between them.

The students understood her and promised to be more verbal in their thoughts then hide them from each other.

They thanked her and moved out of the classroom. She watched the students go to their respective chores giggling like friends.

This was one of the reasons for her to take up this course of counselling – make happy hearts.

She went back to the staff room to see Sonia conversing with the inspector and explaining to him the college agenda.

Sharanya watched how skilfully Sonia dodged every bad words thrown at the university under the pretext of inspection.

The inspectors would always play with the emotional quotient of the professor to check whether they are capable enough to handle their students.

Sonia was in the field for the past so many years, so she was pretty good at her job.

No wonder, the inspector gave in to her at the end and smiled at her attitude.

Sonia signalled the peon to take them to the Chancellor’s cabin.

Sharanya saw the friendly Sonia approach her and talk to her normally.

“Um…I was outside talking to the students. I hope the inspection is going well,” Sharanya tried to console a somewhat tensed Sonia who just scoffed saying

“Yes, it is. Well, the usual inspector didn’t turn up. They sent his substitute who I think has sworn to make my day a living hell. So, apart from that I am fine,” Sharanya smiled at her wittiness and shaked her head.

They both decided to have coffee in the canteen after the inspection.

In the afternoon, Sonia stretched her back getting up from the seat after sending the approval mail from the inspector.

She called Sharanya to have her coffee break.

In the canteen

“Wow! That so nice. She is studying here in the MBA department. Oh! I hope I can meet her?” Sharanya was happy that Sonia had only praises for her daughter.

As they were conversing, they suddenly saw the students in the canteen rush to the west side of the university.

They rushed to check the scenario to help if someone was in trouble.

Slap!

Sonia saw an angry looking 23-year-old girl glaring at a 40-year-old man who jolted back at her impactful slap.

“How dare you? Bitch, you don’t know who I am?” The man marched at her again to get a punch on his face. Benisha came in between her bestie and the fallen man. Gaurav was ready with his best punch to help them.

He fell down making the students gasp at the scene.

Sonia came running at the sight and saw that the Chancellor had reached the sight at the hullabaloo caused by the students.

The Chancellor’s cabin

Prisha looked down with the same anger gaze that she had when she did the deed. Benisha didn’t leave her side so she had punched the inspector who tried to assault a girl in the ladies bathroom.

If Prisha would have not banged the ladies bathroom continuously at the sudden locked door. Hearing it, Benisha and Gaurav jolted the door open to see a horrible sight. The girl would have lost her innocence, if not for the trio who rushed for her help.

The inspector however denied the accusations to which Sonia stared at the students who objected to his false words.

Sharanya asked the Chancellor if she could talk to each individual separately in the presence of the Chancellor and of course Sonia.

So, she made Prisha stand in front of her, who narrated the incidence without missing a single point. Sharanya had informed Prisha to behave professionally with her in the campus and forget the fact that they were mother and daughter. So, Prisha was ready to accept the fate given by her professor mother.

Sharanya asked a typical out of the blue question regarding the colour of the victim’s duppatta which puzzled the Chancellor and Sonia. But her Prisha skilfully answered the question by saying that the girl was wearing a plain loose shirt with jeans. Which was correct.

Then they called the inspector who strode royally in the room, after Prisha and Benisha left the cabin eyeing him disgustingly.

“Just wait, till the board hears from me. You can say goodbye to your certification!” The Chancellor gave deaf ears to his threatening words. He signalled Sharanya to do her job.

“So, where did you go after the inspection?” The inspector looked at the other people who kept their stand. At not receiving any support, he explained the route that he had taken after coming out of the Chancellor’s cabin till the canteen.

Sharanya listened to him fully. After he finished, she got up from her seat and leaned to his chair saying

“Now repeat the same in reverse order without missing a single point, hm?” The inspector got tensed and he tried to regain his words that he had blurted out just few minutes back.

He babbled some facts that were totally not matching his earlier words.

He then looked at her thinking that he finally gained their trust.

Sharanya smirked at his shaky eyes, sweaty brows and constant gulping, proving her doubts.

Slap!

She grabbed his collar and looked straight in his eyes saying

“Be careful while going back home. Coz you won’t have your legs to walk anymore, hm?” She let go his collar and called the students inside the cabin with the permission from the Chancellor.