The silence at the dinner table stretched, heavy and expectant. Aarav took another deep breath, the words he'd rehearsed swirling in his mind, then he pushed them aside. He would speak from the heart.
"Appa, Amma," he began, his voice surprisingly steady, though his hands trembled slightly under the table. "I have something important to tell you. My placement offer came through. It's a great company, exactly what we talked about." He saw a flicker of relief in his mother's eyes, a slight nod from his father. "But... I also got called up for the Hyderabad Ranji team."
His parents exchanged a glance. His mother's brow furrowed almost immediately. "Ranji, beta? That's... serious cricket. But your job..."
"Yes, Amma. Serious cricket," Aarav interrupted gently, his gaze fixed on his father. "And I've decided... I want to pursue it. I want to try. I want to give cricket my everything, at least for now."
The silence that followed was different from before—it was thick with unspoken questions, with decades of parental dreams and sacrifices. His mother's face paled slightly, her hand unconsciously going to her chest. "Aarav," she began, her voice tight with a familiar worry, "your health... the headaches... and the job, it's so stable. Cricket is so..."
His father, however, raised a hand, silencing her. He looked at Aarav, his eyes, usually so focused on pragmatism, now held a deep, melancholic understanding Aarav had rarely seen. "Tell me, beta," his father said, his voice softer than Aarav expected. "Is this what your heart truly desires?"
Aarav met his gaze, unflinching. "Yes, Appa. More than anything. I tried to let it go. After the IPL, after the doctor's warning... I convinced myself I was done. But then I watched Kohli and Rahane, their passion, their fight in Test cricket. And that feeling... it came back. I can't ignore it. Not when I have this chance. I don't want to live with the regret of not having tried."
His father leaned back in his chair, a profound sigh escaping him. He looked out the window for a long moment, lost in thought. When he turned back, his eyes were filled with a raw, unexpected emotion. "Regret," he murmured, almost to himself. "That's a heavy word, Aarav. A very heavy word."
He looked directly at his son, his voice gaining a quiet intensity that surprised even Aarav. "Your Amma and I, we always wanted you to have a good, secure life. A life perhaps easier than ours. I too had dreams, Aarav. Big dreams, when I was your age. Not cricket, something else. But life... life got in the way. Responsibilities. And I let them. I chose the safe path. And sometimes, even now, when I am alone, I wonder... what if?"
His father paused, a poignant silence hanging in the air. Ananya, wide-eyed, had completely forgotten her phone, utterly captivated.
"I don't want you to have that 'what if,' Aarav," his father continued, his voice firm, resolute. "You have talent. You have passion. And you have a chance that I never had. Go for it. Chase your dream with all your heart." He leaned forward, his voice dropping, a deep sincerity in his tone. "Just promise me one thing. This path will be hard. There will be ups and downs, successes and failures, moments of great joy and moments of deep despair. But no matter what happens, no matter what external pressures come, always play with pure intent. Never look to impress anyone else. Just that, every single day, at the end of it, you need to be able to look into the mirror and say with confidence, from the bottom of your heart, 'I did my best. My intent was pure.' That is all that truly matters, beta."
Tears welled in Aarav's mother's eyes, not of sadness, but of overwhelming relief and love. She reached across the table, taking Aarav's hand, then her husband's. Ananya, sensing the profound shift, simply smiled, a look of awe on her face. The crushing weight that had pressed on Aarav for months, the fear of judgment, had vanished. His father's words were not just permission; they were a blessing, a deep, unwavering support that validated his entire being. He had chosen his path, and now, he had the most important backing of all.