37• My Mature Kiddo

Manik came to meet his father, James, at his office the following day.

"Mr Malhotra, why were you calling me continuously?" He stormed into James' cabin, furious.

He stood up from the chair and approached Manik. "This company needs you, Manik."

"So what? I don't need this company." He curtly retorted, shrugging his shoulders.

"Manik,"

He cut the words of his father. "Listen to me very carefully, Mr Malhotra that I'll never work with you, so just please stop calling me." He slammed the door as he marched out of the cabin.

As he exited the office, his phone began to ring incessantly, and he picked it up without seeing the caller id, irked. "Don't you get it that I don't want to talk to you?" He growled and hung up the call.

He took out the box of cigarettes from the pocket of his jeans. He put it in his mouth and was about to light it but stopped as he recalled how she had taken away all of his anger the night before. His face lit up with a smile, and his rage faded just at the mere thought of his kiddo.

He reached her home in no time and found her shedding silent tears. He felt a surge of sadness because he couldn't see his kiddo upset, and he had no clue why she was crying.

He instantly stepped into her room through the window and frantically rushed to her, anxious for her. He knelt on the floor in front of her and softly clasped her hands which were kept on her lap. She stared at him with her sorrowful eyes.

"What happened, Kiddo? Why are you crying?" He asked, gently caressing her knuckles with his thumbs.

"I was missing your voice." As a sob escaped her mouth, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. She continued, "so I called you and you shouted at me, I felt so bad. You know that I just don't like when you shout at me."

After listening to her words, everything became clear to him. 'Fuck! What did I do? I shouted at her. She is crying because of me. My anger issues made her again upset.' He regretted it and felt like beating himself.

"I'm truly sorry, Baby. I had no idea it was you. I answered the phone without looking at the caller ID and yelled because I wasn't in a good mood, which is why I came to you." His eyes were filled with guilt, he explained, wiping away her tears and lovingly tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Why weren't you in a good mood?" She hiccuped and asked him.

He took a deep breath. "Because of Mr Malhotra, I mean my father." He told her and decided to share everything with the love of his life. 'I just can't hide my pain from her. She deserves to know everything about me, and also it will make me feel better."

"Why are you so angry with him, Manik? Please tell me." She asked, placing her hand on his face.

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "After mom left us, he was never there for me in childhood. I used to feel so lonely. I have grown up without him, and now also I can live without him. I don't need him. I know he's just calling me because the company needs me. He's so self-centred, Nandini." He told her everything, burying his face in her lap.

She ran her slender fingers through his hair. "But he's your father, Manik. He needs you, don't run away from him." She explained to him, caressing his hair.

He raised his head from her lap and stared at her with anger in his brown eyes. "Was he there for me when I needed him? No."

"Why wasn't he there for me, Nandini?" He inquired, his tone turning sorrowful, and she felt hurt to see him so sad for the first time.

"Did you ever question him about why he wasn't there for you? Did you make any attempts to communicate with him? Give your father a chance and work out your issues with him, Manik. Perhaps he had a specific reason for not being with you. Speak with him before it's too late and you regret it." She explained to him, stroking his stubbles while he stared at her like an innocent kid.

"Ask him why he wasn't there with you, Manik, and understand him by putting yourself in his shoes. We should never hate anybody before knowing their side story." She explained to him further, and he stared at her in amazement.

"I never knew that my kiddo is so mature. Thank you for making me see the reality. I never thought about my father. I just hated him for not being there for me, but never try to know why he wasn't there for me. I love you so much, Nandini." He clasped her hands and placed a soft kiss on them, bringing a smile to her face.

She cupped his face and moved his face up before lovingly kissing him. "I love you more, Manik." She kissed his forehead and rested her head on his. They closed their eyes and became absorbed in each other.

"Now get up, go and meet him." As she ordered him, he stood up obediently from the floor. Nobody else could order him like this except her.

"All the best." She rose from the bed and wished him luck by placing a kiss on his forehead.

***

He reached his father's office in no time and directly went to his cabin. For the first time in his life, he knocked on the door before entering inside. His father's brows raised in surprise as he saw him.

"Dad," James's eyes and mouth widened in utter shock as he referred to him as Dad. "I'm ready to work with you."

He couldn't believe his ears that his son wanted to work with him who a few hours ago yelling at him, he was stunned to see his instant transformation. He stared at Manik in complete disbelief.

"When should I join?" He asked, strolling towards him.

"From tomorrow."

"Okay, so meet you tomorrow." He turned to go.

"Manik, stop." James stood up and stopped him. Manik turned around to face him.

"What happened?" As Manik asked, James strode towards him with a contented smile on his face.

"Thank you, for giving me a second chance, my son. I'm so happy." James ruffled his hair and mechanically a smile spread across his face. He felt peaceful to be the reason for his father's happiness, and he was grateful to his Kiddo for helping him to understand and experience this joy.