Next Day

The house of Dinesh Srivastava was prepared to welcome the guests. It was cleaned and lightly decorated to suit the occasion. All arrangements were done. The guests could arrive any moment. They were not any ordinary guests. They were the groom's family coming for the engagement of Divya Srivastava.

The would-be groom, Abhishek Srivastava, was a software engineer, working in one of the reputed MNCs. He was the son of Mr. Vinay Srivastava and Mrs. Swati Srivastava, both being retired government servants. They had approached Mr. Dinesh to ask Divya's hand for their only son and had not lost their enthusiasm even after knowing that she was a divorcee and mother to a girl.

On finding a family that was ready to accept his divorced daughter and her child, Mr. Dinesh Srivastava had immediately given his consent. He had not even bothered to ask his daughter's opinion. And of course, Divya knew better than going against her father. But the truth was that she was afraid.....afraid to allow a stranger to enter her life and again play with it. She had not yet forgotten how heavily she paid for allowing a stranger once.

Strange is the human heart, always in the extremes. When ready, it will put its entire faith in the person, otherwise will doubt every action.

When Abhishek arrived with his parents, he was grandly welcomed. He was given all respect and attention which he deserved, or even more than that. After some time, Mrs. Sunita went and called Divya and Diya. The soon-to-be engaged couple were dressed in traditional Indian wear, while Diya was wearing a cute pink frock.

Diya cutely pointed at Abhishek and asked, "Who is he?"

Mrs. Swati smiled and told her, "He is your Daddy." The smile on Diya's face faltered. Their were tears in her eyes. The three year old ran away, shouting, "I don't want Daddy." 

Divya wanted to go after her daughter but she was stopped by her parents. How could she go when her would-be in-laws were in the room. But they didn't mind. Abhishek accompanied Divya. 

Divya's Room

They found Diya laying on the bed and crying. Divya's heart broke on seeing her daughter in such a state. She knew what had upset her. She picked her up and rubbed her back. The child said between hiccups, "Mumma, I don't want Daddy." 

Abhishek took a deep breath. He could easily understand that something was hidden from him. But now was the time to ask anything. He took out the chocolate that he had brought and offered it to Diya. "But I want to be your friend," he told her. Diya looked at him and then at the chocolate. She accepted the offer. 

Divya looked at her daughter. She smiled. After all, a child's heart is innocent. She thought, "You may deceive her but I will not fall into your trap."

Her chain of thoughts was broken by Abhishek, "I will go outside. You come with her." Divya nodded. 

Living Room

Abhishek re-entered the living room. He quickly told his parents what had happened. While his parents were fine with the fact that Diya was not ready to accept Abhishek immediately, Mr. Dinesh and his wife were upset. This could upset the groom and his family. Before anyone could say anything, Divya entered along with Diya. 

The engagement ceremony was soon over. Abhishek and Divya were officially engaged. The wedding was scheduled after one week. 

Abhishek made Diya sit with them all the while. He wanted to ensure Divya that Diya was going to be an important part of their life. But alas! Divya mistook his actions as a trap.

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So, how is it?

Why did Diya behave like that?

Do share your opinion...

~Purnima