Adultery Life of Avi Singh

[lee.jae.han]

## Update 100: The Mother's Embrace (Avi and Meena and Suman Chachi)

I went to my room and tried to sleep, but the adrenaline from the day and the long sexual fast had my mind racing. I couldn't. I was just tossing and turning, my body restless. I didn't know why I couldn't settle down tonight. I kept tossing and turning until it was midnight.

While desperately trying to sleep, I started remembering my old days. I began thinking about the forceful way I had fucked that girl today. Then my thoughts shifted to the beautiful month of love I had with my aunts, the sex-filled rhythm of my life. I thought about how I fucked Chachi and how, because of that, all three of them became mothers, receiving the biggest happiness in the world. As I kept thinking like this, I went further back in time. I started contemplating the easy, simple times I had with Rati and Mona.

Then, I got lost in the thoughts of Pooja bua. I thought about how Pooja bua now loved me like her own son, and how Madam (the principal's wife) had completely changed the course of my life with her teachings and kindness. As I kept thinking like this, I went even further back in time, spiraling. I went so far back that I started remembering my mother. As soon as I remembered my mother, a deep, aching sadness hit me, and tears sprang to my eyes.

I immediately turned on the light in my room and took a book out of my study bag. As I turned the stiff pages, the tears started flowing freely from my eyes, wetting the paper. I was looking blindly at the book, lost in grief, and it was 2 AM. I was still turning the pages when my room door softly opened. It was Meena chachi. When Meena chachi saw me sitting up and crying, her face registered shock, and she quickly rushed to me. She immediately held my face with her hands and gently lifted it up. When I looked into Meena chachi's concerned eyes, I started crying even harder, letting out a raw sob, and hugged her tightly. Meena chachi simply held me, letting me cry for a while, providing silent comfort. Then, she kissed my eyes, her lips soft against my lids, stopping the flow of my tears. She settled onto the bed with me and, holding me close, asked what had happened.

"Avi, what happened? Why are you crying like this so late at night?" Meena chachi asked, her voice hushed with worry.

I couldn't speak, only shook my head. Meena chachi didn't ask again. Instead, she picked up the book that had fallen onto the bed and started looking at its cover. "My Family" was written across the top. Meena chachi opened the book and looked at the first page. There was a photo of me, my mother, and my father. Below the photo, "My Sweet Family" was written in childish handwriting.

Meena chachi understood instantly why I was crying. She closed the book gently. "This book is so lovely, so carefully made. Who made it with you?"

"My mother and I..." I managed to choke out.

"You're missing your mother, aren't you?" Meena chachi asked, her voice full of empathy.

"Yes," I replied, a fresh wave of sadness hitting me.

Meena chachi's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and her voice cracked with deep hurt. "You have three living mothers here, and still you are missing your mother? Am I not your mother? Are we not your mothers? We love you like our very own son, and you are sitting here crying like this. Did you not stop to think about how we would feel seeing tears in your eyes? When Suman didi sees you crying, have you thought about how she will feel? She will die on the spot, her heart broken. If something happens to you, we feel the pain as if it were our own. If you get sick, it feels like we got sick. We can't even sleep until you fall asleep peacefully. Today you completely broke our hearts... you showed us that all our love and care was not enough for you. Today you made us feel like strangers in your life. I honestly didn't expect this from you, Avi," she finished, and then Meena chachi herself started crying, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Seeing Meena chachi cry because of me, I instantly realized the magnitude of my mistake. *What did I do? I made Chachi, my own mother, cry.* I quickly hugged Meena chachi tightly and kissed her eyes, trying to soothe her pain.

"Forgive your son, Chachi, just this once. I promise I won't do this again," I pleaded, rocking her gently.

Meena chachi didn't say anything, her sobs continuing. I knew exactly how to cheer up Meena chachi, and she also knew how to fix my mood. I started tickling Meena chachi's side—it was her famous weakness. As soon as I started tickling her, Meena chachi jumped, laughing uncontrollably, pushing me away onto the bed.

"Avi, stop it! Don't do this!" Meena chachi said, laughing, trying to shield herself.

"First say you forgive me completely," I demanded, continuing the tickle attack.

"Yes, baba, I forgive you! I forgive you! Now stop tickling me, you little devil," she gasped, tears of laughter replacing tears of sadness.

I immediately stopped, pulling her close. "Chachi, please truly forgive me. It will never happen again," I said, contrite.

"I forgive you," Meena chachi confirmed, wiping her eyes. "But why did this happen all of a sudden? Why did you remember your mother tonight?"

"I don't know," I confessed, shaking my head. "I couldn't sleep at all today. So I was remembering my old days, thinking back. While remembering, I went so far back in time that I ended up remembering my mother."

"I am not angry that you remembered your mother," Meena chachi said, her voice soft and honest.

"Then why were you crying so hard?" I asked, confused by her reaction.

"I was crying because there were tears in *your* eyes," Meena chachi explained, pulling me close. "I was crying because even though you were missing your mother, you didn't come to *us* first. Instead, you were sitting alone in your room and crying in silence."

"Next time, whenever I miss my mother, I promise I will come to you first," I vowed, kissing her forehead. "Please forgive me for this first big mistake."

"I already have," Meena chachi said, finally smiling fully. "Now I'll sleep with you tonight. But first, show me your lovely book again."

I started showing Meena chachi the book, turning the pages slowly. In a single moment, Meena chachi had successfully brought me back to my normal, happy self. Meena chachi truly knows how to handle everyone and every situation.

"Avi, when did you make this book, and why didn't you show it to me all this time?" Meena chachi asked, genuinely curious.

"My mother and I made this book together," I explained, tracing the words. "When I was a kid, I always used to ask my mom why Dadaji didn't come to meet us, or why Bua never came to meet us. I had never seen Dadaji come to our house. Whenever my friends' Dadaji came to meet them, I also wanted to meet my own Dadaji and play with him, but it never happened. I used to sit sadly and watch my friends play. One day my mom saw me sad and asked me what was wrong. So I told my mom everything. Then my mom made this book to make me happy. And she put all the family members' photos in the book. Then whenever I missed Dadaji and Bua, I would look at the book to feel better. Whenever a new guest came into the family, my mom would put their photo in the book."

"This book is very good. Is my photo also in it, even though I never met your mother?" Meena chachi asked, her expression hopeful.

"Yes, your photo is also there," I confirmed.

"But I never met your mother. And six months after my marriage, there was her terrible accident..." Meena chachi trailed off, confused.

"My mother put your photo in the book regardless," I insisted.

"Maybe she found it somewhere from the house. Leave that puzzle aside, show me my photo now," Meena chachi requested eagerly.

I showed Meena chachi her photo. Along with Meena chachi's photo, Suman chachi's and Seema chachi's photos were also present in the family section. As soon as Meena chachi saw the picture, she hugged me tightly and kissed my head, her happiness clear.

"Whose else's photos are in it?" Meena chachi asked, turning the page.

I showed her the Bua's photos. Pooja bua, Neha bua, and Neeta bua's family photos were all there. Sweta didi, Sital didi, Raj, Komal, Kavita, Rajesh, and Leena's childhood photos were also lovingly included.

"This is really a good book, Avi," Meena chachi said, running her finger over the images. "It's like the whole family has been lovingly put together in one house, just like we are now."

"Yes, my mom also used to say the same thing, that she wanted to see the whole family together in one house again, before she died," I said, remembering the sadness in her voice.

"Chachi, do you know why my mom said that? Why did she want us all together?" I asked, a question that had always puzzled me.

"How would I know, Avi? I never met her," Meena chachi said quickly. "But I will ask Pooja bua tomorrow and tell you. *(Internal thoughts of Meena chachi: I can't tell you that thing right now. You are too young and emotionally fragile to understand it.)*"

"Yes, you can ask Pooja bua; she will know everything," I agreed. "Chachi, I want to ask one more thing before we sleep."

"Yes, ask, ask anything," Meena chachi encouraged.

"Why does Neha bua hate me so much? I've never done anything to her," I asked, the old confusion resurfacing.

"I don't know that either, Avi," Meena chachi said, her face becoming thoughtful. "But you should always love Neha bua and help her. One day, your persistent love will surely turn Neha bua's hate into love."

"Neha bua openly hates me, and you're telling me to help her and love her in return?" I asked, finding the instruction impossible.

*(Internal thoughts of Meena chachi: Now what should I tell Avi about why Neha hates him and his father? I can't possibly tell Avi the truth about the family's past. What if Avi completely breaks down after hearing the truth? No, I can't tell Avi the truth. I have to tell him something that he can accept.)* "Neha bua doesn't have a son of her own, that's why she unfairly takes out her hatred on you," Meena chachi explained, presenting a partial truth.

"But Neha bua only focuses her hatred on me. She should also hate Raj and Rajesh then," I pointed out, my mind searching for logic.

*(Internal thoughts of Meena chachi: Oh no, he's going to find out the whole truth today with all these questions!)* Meena chachi shifted the blame subtly. "Dadaji always loves you more than he loves Komal, and that's why Neha doesn't like you, seeing you as the family favorite."

"Yes, but sometimes she gets angry at me, and then sometimes she talks to me with great love, confusing me," I noted.

"See, that means the hate is not complete," Meena chachi said, seizing the opening. "You can finish that little bit of anger with your persistent love."

"Okay, Chachi, I will do that," I promised, accepting the challenge.

*(Internal thoughts of Meena chachi: Good thing he agreed so quickly and dropped the line of questioning.)* I thought of one last question. "Chachi, there is one more thing that confuses me."

*(Internal thoughts of Meena chachi: Is he going to find out the truth today, after all these evasions?)* "Yes, tell me, what is it?" Meena chachi said, bracing herself.

"Chachi, Raj, Komal, and Leena's fathers all work in Dubai, earning a good living, so why do their families all live in this small village instead of the city, which would be better for education?" I asked, pointing out the major contradiction.

*(Internal thoughts of Meena chachi: Why didn't Dadaji go to Avi's house after his parents died? Why does Neha hate Avi? Why do his three buas live in the village? All these questions are connected to one dark family secret. If I tell him one thing, I'll have to tell him everything. But Avi shouldn't find out the truth right now, not with his exams and our pregnancies.)* "The husbands of your buas are great friends, and they really like to live together as a single unit," Meena chachi quickly fabricated a story. "That's why they choose to live in the village, near each other."

"They can live together in the city too, though," I countered.

"They only come home for one month every year, Avi," Meena chachi explained, focusing on the reason. "After that, your buas have to live alone for eleven months. Your Dadaji loves your buas a lot, and he didn't like your buas living alone in the isolated city, where they could be lonely or unsafe. So Dadaji told your buas to live in the village together."

"I also thought that was probably the reason," I said, finally satisfied with a logical explanation that covered Dadaji's kindness.

*(Internal thoughts of Meena chachi: Good thing he agreed so quickly. He didn't even ask how Sweta, Sital, and everyone else would study if they lived permanently in the village!)* "Now you got all your answers, right?" Meena chachi asked, exhaling a quiet sigh of relief.

"Yes, and this book is also finished," I said, putting it under my pillow.

"Now you won't make me cry again, will you?" Meena chachi asked, her eyes searching mine.

"Tears will never come to your eyes because of me again, Chachi," I promised sincerely.

"Now come on, let's go to sleep. See, it's 3 AM," Meena chachi said, pulling the blanket up.

I hugged Meena chachi one last time and quickly fell asleep, secure and warm in Chachi's embrace. After I fell asleep, Meena chachi also fell asleep beside me. Because we slept so late at night, we both slept late into the morning.

Like every day, Suman Chachi woke up first and started doing her household work. When Badi Chachi came to my room to wake me up for the morning, she was completely shocked to see me and Meena Chachi sleeping together in the same bed.

"Meena, why are you sleeping here with Avi?" Suman chachi asked, her voice sharp with surprise and concern.

"Didi, Avi was crying at night because he missed his mother," Meena chachi explained, sitting up. "While consoling him, I also fell asleep here without realizing it."

"What happened to my son? Why was Avi crying?" Suman chachi asked, instantly placing her hand on my head.

"Avi was missing his own mother, that's why he was crying alone," Meena chachi repeated, explaining the core issue.

"Why didn't you wake me up, Meena?" Suman chachi scolded gently.

"I was going to, didi, but then I thought I would handle it myself and not disturb you all," Meena chachi defended herself.

"Don't ever think like that again. If something happens to Avi, you must tell me first, understood? If you try to keep a secret like this again, no one will be worse than me," Suman chachi warned, her voice thick with raw maternal love.

"I..." Meena chachi began.

"What 'I'? Just tell me exactly what happened last night," Suman chachi demanded, her attention fully on her sister.

Meena Chachi told Suman Chachi the entire story, detailing my tears and my deep sadness about my mother.

"Meena, you did a good thing by not telling Avi the truth about the family," Suman chachi said, her voice softening significantly. "I don't know what Avi would do if he found out the dark truth. Don't feel bad about what I said, I was just worried about Avi's well-being."

"Why would I be angry with you, didi? I know exactly how much you love Avi," Meena chachi replied, reaching for her sister's hand. "And I also love Avi just as much. If I were in your place, I would have said the exact same thing you said."

"It's because of your great understanding that this house and our secret is safe," Suman chachi admitted, relieved. "By the way, where is that book Avi was looking at? Show it to me."

Meena Chachi showed Suman Chachi the book. Suman Chachi saw her own photo in the book and started reading what was written below it. "Chachi" was written below the photo, but it was boldly crossed out, and the word "Maa" was lovingly written in its place. When Suman Chachi read the word "Maa," tears instantly came to her eyes, matching the tears of her sister. Suman Chachi looked at me, sound asleep, and kissed my head tenderly. She then lay down silently beside me, holding me close. Meena Chachi understood her need, let Suman Chachi sleep with me, and quietly went outside to do the household work. 

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