Seeing Aditya looking scared, Asha ji called him over and, kissing his forehead, said lovingly,
"Son, nothing has happened to me. Look, I'm absolutely fine."
Then, signaling toward the clock, she said to Shivani,
"It's already 7 o'clock. Quickly drop Aditya at school, otherwise, you'll be late for college too."
Saying this, Asha ji went to her room.
After dropping Aditya at school, Shivani headed to her college.
Meanwhile, at the warehouse, the electrician explained the cause of the short circuit,
"Sir, because of the heat, some wires stuck together and that's why it happened. I've fixed everything now. There won't be any more problems."
Abhay ji asked,
"You've checked all the electric connections properly, right?"
The electrician nodded,
"Yes sir, I checked everything. All good now."
Abhay ji paid him and started walking toward the parking area.
Just then, someone called out from behind,
"Bhai Singh!"
Turning around, Abhay ji was shocked to see an old friend from his school days — Niranjan.
"Ranjan... you? How are you here? Weren't you in Chandigarh?" Abhay exclaimed.
Niranjan laughed,
"Are you going to ask all the questions here? Come on, my bungalow is just nearby."
Both got into their cars and drove away.
At Niranjan's bungalow, a woman came carrying tea.
"Namaste bhaisaab!" she greeted warmly.
Niranjan introduced her,
"Abhay, this is Meeta, my wife — your bhabhi."
Smiling, he added,
"I had a love marriage too, just like you. We have two sons — the elder one is a businessman in London and married, settled there. The younger one is studying MBA in America and dreams of becoming a successful businessman too."
"We moved from Chandigarh to Delhi just two months ago," Niranjan added.
Abhay ji smiled and shared,
"After marrying Asha, I came to Delhi because my parents refused to accept her. When I didn't leave her, they threw us both out. So we started fresh here. We have two children — a daughter, Shivani, who is in her final year of B.Sc. at Delhi University, and a son, Aditya..."
He chuckled shyly,
"He's just in Kindergarten."
Niranjan burst out laughing, teasing him,
"Yaar, you had a kid at this age!"
Abhay lowered his head a bit embarrassed. Niranjan quickly said,
"Come on, what's there to be shy about? The body may grow old, but the heart always stays young!"
Changing the subject, Niranjan asked,
"By the way, what were you doing at the warehouse?"
Abhay explained about the short circuit.
Niranjan interrupted, surprised,
"But I heard you became a professor at a university?"
Abhay nodded,
"Yes, I used to teach. After retirement, I didn't want to sit idle, so I opened a shoe shop. With God's blessings, I expanded — two years ago I opened a showroom, and recently, a second one. I'm holding an inauguration party this Sunday. It's so good that we met again! I often wondered if I would ever see old friends again."
He stood up to leave,
"Alright Ranjan, I'm getting late. Bring bhabhi along and visit us sometime!"
Waving goodbye, Abhay left.
That night at dinner, Abhay narrated the whole incident to Asha ji.
She said thoughtfully,
"I don't remember any Niranjan..."
Abhay laughed,
"He's the one I used to call Ranjan! Skinny fellow with hardly any hair on his head... Now he's bald and has a pot belly!"
Hearing this, Aditya laughed loudly, and soon the whole family was laughing with him.
Asha smiled,
"Well, I was five years junior to you, so how would I know your old friends?"
Abhay waved his hand dismissively,
"Forget it! Anyway, I've sent him an invitation card for Sunday's inauguration through Saras."
After chatting a bit more, the family went to sleep.
On the day of the inauguration party,
Asha ji wore a beautiful green silk saree, and Abhay ji looked elegant in a simple black suit.
Niranjan and Meeta arrived, looking impressed and a little surprised.
They had assumed it would be a small, simple gathering, so they had dressed plainly.
Seeing them, Abhay warmly welcomed the couple and introduced them to Asha ji.
"Namaste bhaisaab, namaste bhabhi! How are you both?" Asha greeted.
"Since meeting you, Abhay ji keeps talking about you two day and night!" she added, smiling.
Abhay teased,
"Will you just talk or let them sit too?"
Asha laughed,
"Oh sorry! I got carried away. Please sit, I'll get you something to eat and drink."
She left to make arrangements.
Soon, a waiter placed juice and wine on Niranjan and Meeta's table.
Just then, a young woman in a peach-colored silk saree approached Asha ji, holding a small child's hand...
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