🌅 Morning at the Tea Estate
Chiranth woke up at 6 in the morning.
Falling in love with the surrounding nature, he decided to wander around and explore, so he walked all across the tea estate.By the time he returned home, it was already 8 o’clock.
Even after reaching home, seeing Nakul still lost in deep sleep, Chiranth woke him up,
“Hey Nakul, it’s already 8. Your friends will be waiting for you.”
“ Oh shit, it’s already 8?” he said in panic, quickly getting ready, finishing breakfast, loading the luggage into the car, and leaving towards Nidhi’s house along with Chiranth.
🚗 Departure and Emotional Goodbye
Seeing his friends who had been waiting for him for a long time, he apologized.
Everyone placed their luggage inside the car.
After taking Tulasi’s blessings, they got ready to leave.
Just when they were about to sit in the car, Nidhi started searching for Chiru.
“Where did he go?” she wondered, and saying “I’ll be back in a minute” to her friends, she ran inside the house.
Seeing Chiranth standing near the door, she asked,
“Why are you standing here instead of coming to send me off?”
“If Meera sees me, she’ll feel bad. Why should I hurt her unnecessarily? That’s why I stayed back,” he replied.
“That’s true… she hates you without even knowing the truth. I don’t know when she’ll understand,” she said.
“Anyway, I’m leaving now. Mom has arranged everything for your treatment. She’ll take good care of you. I’ll keep calling you. Take care of your health. Okay Chiru, I’ll go now,” she said, looking straight at his face.
After taking a couple of steps, Chiranth called her.
“What is it, Chiru?” she asked.
“Happy journey, Nidhi,” he said.
Suddenly, without knowing what came over her, Nidhi ran back, hugged him tightly, and said, “Thanks,” placing a kiss on his cheek.
Then slowly loosening the embrace, she lowered her head shyly.
Without turning back again, she ran and sat inside the car.
A smile was dancing on her lips.
Chiranth stood there confused, not understanding anything.
🏥 Treatment and Goa Journey
As everyone happily left for the Goa trip, Tulasi began preparing for Chiranth’s treatment.
Chiranth also cooperated with them.
The very next day, a doctor known to Tulasi was called, and his diagnosis was done.
There was slight improvement in his health, and Tulasi felt relieved.
Meanwhile in Goa, everyone was enjoying their time happily.
After realizing their love for each other, Meera and Nakul decided to make this first trip memorable.
The others supported them without misunderstanding.
After spending a couple of joyful days in Goa, they decided to leave that night and head towards Dandeli.
Just before leaving Goa, Nidhi moved a little away from her friends and called Tulasi.
“Hi mom, how are you?”
“I’m doing great, dear. How are you?”
“I’m good mom. How is Chiranth? Did the diagnosis happen?”
“Yes dear, it was done yesterday. He’s better now.”
“Mom, can you give the phone to Chiranth?”
“No dear, he is under observation. He’s resting.”
“Oh okay… so what else?”
“Nothing much dear. Where are you? How is the trip? Are you enjoying well?”
“Yes mom, we’re enjoying a lot. We’ve finished exploring Goa and now getting ready to go to Dandeli.”
“Super dear. Don’t skip meals in excitement. Eat on time and take care,” Tulasi advised.
“Okay mom, you also take care. Take care,” she said and ended the call.
🌊 Adventures in Dandeli
At exactly midnight 12, they started their journey from Goa to Dandeli.
By the time they reached Manya’s house in Dandeli, it was 4 in the morning.
They rested as soon as they arrived.
Everyone woke up in the morning, freshened up, had breakfast, and left towards the Kali River.There, they enjoyed rafting, kayaking, canoeing, and other water activities.
Later, they enjoyed cycling in the hilly areas.
Finally, they visited places near Dandeli like Ulavi, Sykes Point, Supa Dam, Syntheri Rocks, and Kavala Caves, and then started towards Meera’s house.
By the time they reached home, it was night.
Seeing the children tired from the trip, Sathyaprakash cooked food and served them.
As soon as they finished eating, sleep took over them, and they fell asleep immediately.
🌙 Nakul’s Fear and Confession
Nakul suddenly woke up in fear after seeing a dream where he was being forcibly married to another girl.
Coming out of the dream into reality, he checked the time on his phone—it was 6 in the morning.
A thought kept piercing his mind that dreams seen early in the morning definitely come true.
Disturbed by this, Nakul decided to confess his love to Sathyaprakash and talk to his parents about it.
While his friends were still asleep, Nidhi had gone alone, lost in the beauty of nature, wandering around the forest.
Meanwhile, Nakul went in search of Sathyaprakash.
He found him working in the field and called out,
“Uncle, are you done? I wanted to talk to you.”
Sathyaprakash replied with curiosity,
“I’m done, son. Sit there for a minute, I’ll come.”
“Okay uncle,” Nakul said, sitting on the platform under the tree.
After finishing his work, Sathyaprakash came and sat down,
“Now tell me, what did you want to talk about?”
“Uncle, please don’t get angry after hearing what I say,” Nakul said.
“Why would I get angry? Tell me what it is.”
Without any hesitation, Nakul said,
“Uncle, I like Meera very much. If I ever marry, it has to be her.”
At first, he said calmly,
“First tell Meera that you like her. If she agrees, I have no problem, because she knows you better than I do.”
Hearing this, Nakul felt happy and said,
“Uncle, Meera also likes me. She loves me too.”
In response, he continued,
“Then that’s fine. But remember, you still have two years of studies left. First build your life properly, and only then think about love and marriage.”
However, Nakul insisted,
“Uncle, we have never neglected studies for our friendship or love. So please don’t worry about that. Instead, first talk to my parents about our marriage.”
Even so, he replied patiently,
“There’s no hurry for that now. There is still enough time. We can talk about it slowly.”
But, Nakul could not hold back anymore and said,
“No uncle, we must talk about it now. Because my father’s friend Shivaram’s daughter likes me very much. Since childhood, she has been given everything she asked for. So, when it comes to her marriage, they won’t stay quiet. Even if I don’t like it, they might force me to marry her just because she likes me. That is why I am scared.”
Understanding his urgency, he said,
“Oh, so this is the reason. Alright Nakul, I will speak to your parents as soon as possible. You be brave. By the way, which place are you from?”
Without hesitation, Nakul replied,
“We are from Madikeri, uncle.”
The moment he heard “Madikeri,” Sathyaprakash became slightly disturbed.
After a brief pause, he asked,
“What is your father’s name?”
“Mohan,” Nakul replied.
At that very moment, the name struck him hard—memories of betrayal, deceit, and past incidents began flashing in his mind.
With a sudden realization, he asked,
“Mohan… from Sampigekatte Ratnagiri Tea Estate?”
💔 When Love Turned Into Shock
“Yes uncle, that’s him. Do you know my father?”
“Oh God… the shadow I tried to keep away from Meera has come back into her life today,” he cried, holding his head and collapsing from the platform.
Frightened by his behavior, Nakul rushed to help him,
“Uncle, what happened? Tell me,” he said, trying to lift him up.
“Don’t touch me! Remove your hand. Forget Meera. Remove her from your heart. She will never be yours,” he said.
There was anger in his eyes and firmness in his words.
“Uncle, what happened to you? Why are you telling me to forget Meera just after hearing my father’s name? What is the relation between Meera and my father?”
“Meera is not a stranger… she is your father’s sister’s daughter… your cousin.”
to be continued…..
You can also read this story in Kannada.
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