Chapter Two

Mahant stood by the window and looked down at the city below. "Sometimes it still surprises me how far I've come. If anyone had told me I'd be here decades ago, I'd probably laugh. Yet here I am."

Mahant turned around and looked at his twin sons. "I leaned on your mother when I needed strength and I looked into your sister's eyes when I needed hope. I began with wanting to give her a bright future, starting AR for her. And then you two came into our lives, and then Meeku, and making AR into something more became even more important. Today, it finally has."

Both Arnav and Advay smiled.

"But I didn't do it alone. You two have helped me very much, and for that I'm forever grateful."

"Please Papa, don't say that," Arnav said.

"We only did what sons should do for their father," Advay said.

Mahant smiled. "And there's the teachings of your mother."

Mahant went to his desk and sat down, gesturing for the boys to sit down as well. "Now that Veer is getting older, it's time for him to get more involved with the company. He will start working here with me at the office. While I train him, I will need the two of you to help me with the new factories."

"How so," Advay asked.

Mahant folded his hands together, placing them on his desk. "Advay, I'm sending you to Allahabad to monitor the factory there. As for you Arnav, you will go to Lucknow."

Both Arnav's and Advay's eyebrows shot up.

"I know that for the past few years, you two have worked together and have helped this company become stronger, become what it is today. But now I think it's time to test your own personal strengths."

Arnav and Advay glanced at each other.

"Boys, not always in life will we be able to have someone to help us. I began this company alone with just your mother's moral support. Now it's time for the two of you to try this on your own."

The two young men understood and nodded.

"Allahabad and Lucknow are very dear to my heart. Allahabad was once my home and Lucknow your mother's. I met and fell in love with your mother in Lucknow and brought her with me to Allahabad. We have many cherished memories in these two places. Now I want for you two to at least experience one of those places."

"Yes Papa," Arnav nodded.

"You both will leave tomorrow morning, so pack your belongings. When your Di heard I was sending one of you to Lucknow, she became very excited and being the stubborn girl she is, asked to go as well. So Arnav, Anjali will be going with you."

Arnav rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll take Di with me."

"Good. As for you Advay, Murli and Shilpa will be going with you."

"I can never get those two off my back, can I," Advay chuckled.

"Apparently not. You know how much you mean to them."

Advay nodded.

"Well, then it's settled - Arnav will go to Lucknow and Advay will go to Allahabad. Make me proud, sons," he smiled genuinely.

"Don't worry Papa," they said together. "We won't."

*~*

"Oh my gosh, I can't wait to go to Lucknow," Anjali shrieked.

Arnav rolled his eyes while Advay chuckled.

"Di, stop acting like a child," Advay said.

"Be quiet Cheeku, I'm not a child," she said, twitching her lips.

"Yes you are," Arnav chuckled.

"I am not, Chote."

Both men chuckled and rolled their eyes. They were all sitting in the back patio, enjoying the evening breeze.

Anjali sighed. "Hai... the place Mumma and Papa fell in love. I can't wait to see the magic of Lucknow!"

"More like see a magician," Advay smirked, and Arnav grinned roguishly as well.

"Badmaash," and Anjali reached out to hit him, but Advay pulled away.

"It was just a joke Di, relax," Advay chuckled.

Anjali twitched her lips and looked away.

"Bros! Di!"

The three Raizada siblings looked up to see their youngest sibling coming their way with his ever-so-present camera.

"Smile for the vlog guys," Veer grinned, pointing the camera at them.

Instead they frowned, his brothers looking ready to grab his camera and toss it to the ground. So with a gulp, he shut it off and set it down on the table between them.

"Unbelievable. You're all leaving me, the least you guys could've done was let me vlog in peace for once," Veer pouted.

"You're always vlogging," Advay scowled. "That camera has become another body part for you."

"It is not," Veer frowned.

"Well, at least for a couple of weeks we'll be free of his camera," Anjali pointed out.

"What a relief," Arnav muttered below his breath.

"Sure, sure, say it all now. Once you guys are gone, you'll be missing me and my camera."

"Not even if pigs flew, would we ever."

Veer gasped. "Bhai... how could you," he pouted, looking like he was ready to cry.

"Oh would you guys stop it," Anjali said, getting up and going over to her baby brother. "He's just a kid."

"You baby him too much Di," Advay said. "He's gotta grow up and stop it with goofing off and his stupid YouTube shit."

"Cheeku," Anjali warned.

Advay rolled his eyes with a shake of his head while Arnav smirked.

"Unbelievable - this kid will forever try to get us in trouble," Arnav said, shaking his head.

"Me," Veer said innocently. "I'm just a kid. I would never do such a thing."

Both Arnav and Advay looked at each other before looking at him. "Yeah right," they both said.

Veer pouted and whined, turning to their Di, and Anjali cajoled him. Arnav and Advay complained about their sister babying him and they all erupted in talk. Mandani was walking by when she heard all of them and when she went to see what the ruckus was, she couldn't help herself but to laugh.

"Alright, alright, children," she said as she made her way to them, "settle down."

Veer let go of his sister and went to their mom. "Mom, look at your older sons, they keep teasing me."

"Well we should, given that you act like a four year old," Arnav said.

"Mom," Veer whined.

"Alright, alright, come on. Chote, stop teasing your brother. Cheeku, that goes for you as well."

The twins sighed. "Yes Ma."

"Good," she smiled. "As for you Meeku, your brothers do have a point - you can't always be childish."

"Mom, you too," Veer pouted.

Mandani chuckled and sat down, her children joining around her. "We all have to grow up one day. We can't be children forever. We have to grow, learn responsibilities, and do our best in life. And above all, we must always be there for our family."

All four of her children nodded with a light smile.

"I guess you're right," Veer smiled.

"Good boy," and Mandani placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Mumma," Anjali began, "tell us about how you met Papa in Lucknow."

Mandani chuckled. "Well that's an interesting tale."

"Interesting like dramatic-Devdas interesting, or just interesting," Veer asked.

"Just interesting," Mandani chuckled.

"Well whatever it is, I need to record this," and he grabbed his camera and began recording.

Mandani chuckled at her son's antics. "Where to begin.... Well, it started off as a regular day. Your Nani had asked me to go to the bazaar and get some things for her, so I was doing just that. It was rather crowded- then again, the market was always crowded. There were some good deals and people were trying to get their hands on whatever groceries they could. I had just paid for my stuff, when someone nudged me and knocked a pomegranate out of my shopping bag. Luckily for me, it didn't fall onto the ground and someone had caught it."

"Someone huh," Anjali teased.

"Mm hmm, someone. At first my eyes were on the pomegranate and the hand that was holding it. Then I looked up at the owner of the hand, and I felt wind knock right out of me."

"Oooh," Anjali and Veer hollered, while Arnav and Advay rolled their eyes.

"It was so bad, I ended up taking a step back and dropped all of my groceries."

"Aww," Anjali and Veer gushed.

"I was so embarrassed! I bent down immediately and tried to gather up the items. Next thing I know, your father was helping me as well."

"And then," Veer asked.

"He helped me put everything back in and then helped me up. I swear, when I first touched him, I felt a spark."

"A spark," both Arnav and Advay scoffed.

"Yes boys, a spark. I pulled my hand away from him immediately and was completely flustered! But then he held out the pomegranate that was still in his hand and I was so nervous to take it from him."

"Seriously," Arnav frowned.

"It was just a pomegranate," Advay frowned.

"It wasn't about the pomegranate, boys. It was that feeling, that spark that I had felt that I was afraid of," Mandani explained. "I had never felt anything like that in my life. And yet all of a sudden, a complete stranger had given me such an affect."

Neither Arnav nor Advay understood it.

"Did you take the pomegranate from him," Anjali asked.

"Oh I did. I quickly swiped it from his hand and I ran."

"You ran," Anjali laughed. "Oh my gosh, why?"

"Because of the spark! I had never felt anything like that in my life, and as much is it excites me today, it frightened me then."

"And so you ran."

All five of them looked up to the sound of Mahant's voice. He walked over to them and placed a kiss on his wife's forehead.

"But you came running back," he smirked.

"Not intentionally," Mandani pointed out. She tried very hard to frown, but her smile poked through.

"Meaning," Veer asked.

"The next time I saw your mother, she came running into me," Mahant grinned.

"That's because I was racing my friends and you came in my way because you weren't paying attention," she frowned.

"I didn't know where I was. I was trying to figure out which way to go."

"And that is why you bumped into me."

"And what a lovely bump-in it was. If I'm not mistaken, that was the first time I ever had you under me," he smirked.

The four Raizada kids groaned with disgust and Mandani gaped at her husband.

"Have some shame," she scowled, hitting his hand.

"What," Mahant chuckled. "I just love my wife very much."

Mandani shook her head as her husband wrapped his arm around her.

"You guys are too much," Advay said.

"Way too much," Arnav agreed.

Mahant chuckled. "You boys will understand one day when you two fall in love."

Veer scoffed. "These two? Fall in love? Yeah right. By the time that happens, the world would have ended."

Everyone chuckled except for the twins, who were scowling at Veer, the poor guy hiding behind his camera.

"Oh, I'm sure they will find the one's they're destined to be with," Mandani smiled.

"Who knows, maybe they'll find them during their trip," Anjali smirked while wagging her eyebrows.

"Oh hush it Di," Arnav scowled.

"Hey, never say never," she shrugged.

Mahant chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised if you did. Lucknow was the place where I fell in love with your mother. And Allahabad was the place where I showered her with love. Both places mean very much to us. So who knows - maybe my future daughter in-laws are there."

Arnav and Advay glanced at each other and scoffed. They knew their father said it with good intentions. However, they just didn't care about love. Work was what was more important to them and even though they knew their father's wish of them to find love at the places most dearest to his heart, they simply weren't interested.

But life is always full of many surprises.