Big House...

Rachita sat on the lawn of her huge manor, watching little Shivani hopping around cheerfully with the nanny cum housekeeper Laxmi trying to keep an eye on the little one while relishing her morning tea.

Rachita was noticing the middle-aged couple, who had bought a small portion of her landed property, since days. She felt an inner longing, seeing the chemistry of the couple. They had created a cozy thatched house along with a small but luscious vegetable garden, which catered to their daily meals, within the few months they had arrived.

She felt a longing when she saw the man helping his wife in washing clothes and utensils and she also lending a hand in gardening, house repair, etc. They set out to buy groceries every fortnight, with a wide smile on their faces as if they were going on a honeymoon trip. They supported each other while walking, lest one of them might fall.

" What happened to us??", thought Rachita. She and her husband Sanjay were considered the perfect couple in the renowned bank where both of them worked. Then happened the marriage and honeymoon phase till the reality sipped in gradually.

When city-bred Rachita, went to her in-laws' place for the first time she thought with disgust," What have I gotten myself into?? These rustic people, barely educated, living in a house, which ends even before it starts, with no modern facilities at all!!"She resented age-old tradition and beliefs also."

Since they received fat packages, money was never a problem. Rachita's parents had gifted a huge plot in the outskirts of the city, where Sanjay built a farmhouse with all modern amenities and services to suit Rachita and they shifted there.

But still, the problems didn't end there. After the birth of little Shivani, the apple of their eyes, the arrival of both sets of parents to see their only grandchild started. Then began the controversies between both their families about the difference in their social status, respectable position, rituals, beliefs, and every issue they could think of.

Both Sanjay and Rachita were dragged into the quarrels and they supported their respective families and the differences between them began to rise at an alarming level, till one day Sanjay declared that he had taken a voluntary transfer to another branch of the bank and was leaving with his parents.

Many months had passed without counting since that incident and the time of going back to work, after availing maternity leave was approaching fast. The nanny was a nice woman and was trying to get acquainted with little Shivani.

There had been no conversation among the couple since that day. 

Rachita hardly ate and barely came out of her bedroom these days and the huge mansion had started haunting her with loneliness.

Suddenly a car entered the driveway and to her astonishment, Sanjay came out with a truckload of gifts ( it seemed) for both Rachita and Shivani.

A chatterbox, as Shivani was, she ran to him and uttered 'Dada' repeatedly, in her stuttering voice, as Rachita had shown her the photos of her Dad frequently.

Rachita broke into sobs hugging Sanjay," I don't want any cold, ruthless castle, as everything is meaningless without you!!"

Sanjay replied smilingly," That's why I'm here dear, to take you both to my office quarter, tiny but cozy, in my new place of posting. My life has also been like a vacuum without you since I left. I met one marriage counselor, who advised me to let the respective parents manage their own lives and conflicts. We shouldn't let their differences to ruin our marriage. Let's give life a second chance and try to build our disheveled nest again....

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