Chapter1 The Photo in the Room.
One afternoon, while cleaning the boys' bedroom, their mother stumbled upon a photograph hidden away. It was a picture of a young, beautiful girl.
Surprised and curious, she called out for the boys to come to the room immediately. Only Salim (the middle brother) and Sahil (the younger brother) were home at the time, as Sameer (the eldest) had stepped out.
When Salim and Sahil walked into the room, their eyes landed straight on the photograph clutched in their mother's hand. Before she could even open her mouth to ask a single question, both brothers panicked and spoke at the exact same time.
Salim blurted out, "Vo... meri girlfriend hai Maa, mujhe do!"
At the exact same instant, Sahil yelled, "Vo... meri vaali hai Maa!"
The room fell dead silent. Salim and Sahil turned their heads toward each other, staring in absolute shock and disbelief.
Their mother's eyes widened, her face darkening with rising anger. "Kya tum dono ek hi ladki ko date kar rahe ho?!" she demanded, stepping closer. "Sach bolte ho ya nahi?!"
Seeing their mother genuinely furious, Salim quickly caved and confessed the truth. "Vo... Bade Bhaiyya ki girlfriend hai, Maa..."
Their mother gasped, shaking her head in complete denial. "Aisa nahi ho sakta! Itni badi baat Sameer mujhse nahi chhipa sakta!"
That was the breaking point. Sahil snapped, his voice filled with built-up resentment. "Tumne uski baat suni kab thi, Maa?! Jab vo batane aaya tha, tab tumne usse kya kaha tha... bhool gayi aap?!"
Salim chimed in quietly, the frustration heavy in his tone. "Maa, aapne mera aur Sahil ka gussa Bhai pur nikal diya. Aapne unse kya kaha tha, yaad hai?"
[Flashback]
When Salim and Sahil had previously confessed about their own relationships, their mother had completely lost her temper. In her rage, she turned to Sameer—the dutiful eldest son—and forced him to take an oath on her life, making him swear that he would NEVER go for a love marriage.
Sahil glared at his mother, his voice cracking with emotion. "Aapki wajah se Bhai ne Bhabhi se rishta tod diya."
"Ab kya fayda?" Salim added softly, looking at the picture in his mother's hands. "Bhai ke pass bas yeh ek tasveer bachi hai... Kam se kam isse toh unke paas rehne do."
Hearing Sahil's sharp words, their mother froze. It felt as if someone had slapped her across the face.
She looked down at the photograph in her hands, her fingers trembling slightly. The young girl in the picture was smiling warmly, looking so innocent and happy.
Memory flooded back in a wave of regret. She remembered the day Sameer had come into her room, looking nervous yet hopeful, wanting to talk about his future. But she had been so consumed by anger over Salim and Sahil's rebellion that she hadn't given him a single second to speak. She had used her emotional authority as a mother, forcing an oath on him out of sheer bitterness...
He hadn't argued. He hadn't raised his voice or thrown a tantrum. He had simply swallowed his pain, obeyed her demands, and quietly broken his own heart just to keep peace in the family.
[ Present]
" Maa......... hum jaa rahe hain. " Salim said coldly, breaking the silence as he and Salim turned to leave the room. "Rakh lo aap woh tasveer bhi. Unka dil toh pehle hi tod diya tha, ab unki aakhri yaad bhi cheen lo. "
The door clicked shut, leaving her standing alone in the quiet bedroom,
She collapsed into the edge of the bed, clutching the small photograph against her chest. The anger she had felt just minutes ago completely vanished, replaced by a suffocating, heavy lump in her throat. She had always prided herself on being a protective mother, but looking at that picture, she realized she was the one who had shattered her dear son's happiness.
Few minutes later
The quietness in the house felt heavy after Sahil and Salim walked out. Left all alone in the house.
Outside the house, as there hot tempers cooled down, guilt quickly washed over Salima and Sahil. They relized they had dumped a massive, painful truth on their mother and walked away, leaving her all alone to handle the shock.
Exchanging a worried glance, the two brothers rushed back into the room.
The sight inside completely melted their heart. Their mother was sitting on the floor, looking so small and vulnerable, holding the picture close to her heart as she sobbed quietly.
Without a second thought, both brothers run over, knelt down beside her and wrapped their arms around her in a tight hug.
"Mujhe maaf kar do....... " She sobbed, her voice breaking as she held into them. " Mujhe nahi pata tha.......... Main tum dono se, Sameer se, bohot pyar karti hoon. Please mujhe maaf kar do. Tumhare papa sahi kehte hain, main kabhi kisi ki baat nahi sunte..... "
Hearing her blame herself so completely broke the boy's heart even more.
" Maa hum bhi apse bohot pyar karte hain, " Sahil and Salim said in unison, hugging her tighter. " Please Maa, chup ho jai, aur hume bhi maaf kar do, humne aapse aisi baat ki. "
They stayed like that on the floor for a long time crying, hugging and letting out all the hidden pain.
Slowly, the tears dried up and a quiet calm settled over the room. The mother wiped her eyes, looked down at the photo of the sweet girl and then looked up and her two sons with a newfound determination.
" Hum ise aise nahi chod sakte, " She said, her voice firming up.
The three of them huddled close right there on the floor and began plotting operation Cupid.
They made three strict rules for their mission:
Rule 1 - Sameer must never find out that Maa knows about the breakup or the photo, so his ego and hurt feelings aren't triggered.
Rule 2 - Salim and Sahil will act as the " Spies " to gather information on there current situation.
Rule 3 - Maa will use her authority to subtly create "Accidental" meeting and situations to bring the two together again, leading straight to their pachup.
To be continued...
