Chapter 2

Manoj now lived in Mumbai working with a finance company with his parents. He worked as an executive and planned investment for people.

Manoj always had that vibrant quality to make  strangers comfortable. Today was one such day where he had come to meet client in their corporate office and as usual he was before time. Thus sitting in cafeteria he ordered a coffee and was about to open the laptop, when he saw a couple sitting right in front of him and remembered Sameer and Naina who were more than family to him. It was days when he had met them. He decided to take 2 days off and take 1st flight to Ahmedabad after this meeting. In due course the meeting was done and Manoj booked his tickets.

" After a long time i'll be meeting my Bhai and Bhabhi he thought and smiled.

"Iss baar mein Swati se aur uske gharwalon se shaadi ki baat bhi karke aaunga. Waise bhi maa ko to sab pata hai, bas bapu maan jaaye, he thought.

Landing in Ahmedabad was a nostalgic feeling for Munna. Yes, in Ahmedabad nobody called him Manoj; everybody knew him as Munna. The city had changed drastically, but the weather here still sung the 90s music. He took cab and reached "Maheshwari Sadan. Standing in the front of gate, it hadn't changed much, it was his second home. It was a place whose doors were always open to all especially him and Pandit. Nanaji was a man who had great vision and planned everything so well. He knew that Vishakha's husband Somani would never treat Sameer well, thus he had handed down the Maheshwari business to his grandson and had great faith in him.

"Kaise ho chacha? Sab badhiya na? Munna asked the watchman Kisan chacha who had been there from Nanaji's time.

" Hun ekdum theek chu beta. Tame batao? Sab badhiya?

Munna gave a thumbs up signal to chacha and went inside, and saw Munshi chacha talking with someone of mobile. He just hugged him and went straight inside the house. The decor had changed as Nanaji's bahu had re-designed it.

"Are Munna, tu kab aaya? Munishiji asked while coming in.

" Abhi chacha. Sab Kahan hai?

" Sameer baba to office gaye hain. Maalkin hai gharpe

" Ooo malkin ji.  Kahan hain aap? Munna shouted.

Mrs. Naina Sameer Maheshwari urff Bhabhi came rushed out to see their dearest friend Munna. She hugged him and said

" Tumne bataya kyun nahi ke tum aane wale ho? Tumhe pata hai Pandit bhi aaya hai Delhi se. Bahar gaya hai.

"Kya baat hai matlab iss baar hum sabne tumhein aur Babaji ko mastt surprise diya hai. Hain na? Waise Baba ko call karke bolna mat main aaya hun. Thik hai?

" Accha thik hai. Chalo ab fresh ho jayo aur sidhe kitchen mein aana.

"Ye koi kehene ki baat hai. Wo kitchen pichle janam se mera hi hai. Ponga Pandit bhi aaya hai matlab iss baar jarur kuch maja aanewala hai.

Thus saying he went inside and Naina went in kitchen to prepare Munna's favorite dishes.

In meantime, telephone rang. Munna picked up to get to know that Naina was invited in PVKM as chief guest...