Apulki Chapter 14 - A Few Heartbeats Later
- Hansa
- Mar 4
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 18
Recap Chapter 13: A mistaken bridal entry, playful ring drama, and dancing give way to deeper cracks as Isha questions her engagement. The night ends abruptly when Mrs Banerjee collapses with a heart attack.
The Things We Say in Waiting Rooms
Mrs Banerjee lay propped up against crisp white pillows, looking far too alert for someone who had just caused half of Pune to panic.
Isha sat beside her, perched stiffly on a chair, as though any sudden movement might trigger another emergency. Yamini lingered by the window, staring out at the hospital courtyard, unusually quiet.
Isha cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, aunty… I…”
Mrs Banerjee squeezed her hand before she could finish. “Arrey. Engagements don’t scare me, beta. Young people do.” A faint smile touched her lips. “If you had no doubts at all, that would worry me.”
Isha blinked.
Mrs Banerjee’s voice softened. “Don’t stress. Your words didn’t cause this. My arteries did.”
Just then, Neerav walked in and immediately crossed to the bed. He sat down beside his mother and took her hand.
“How you doing, Ma?”
“Where’s baba?”
“He’s gone to buy some medicines. But seriously, Ma?” Neerav shook his head. “I always thought baba would be the first to go down.”
Mrs Banerjee rolled her eyes. “It’s just a mild attack.”
A nurse walked in at that precise moment, clearly not amused by family banter in a cardiac ward.
“Can everyone leave the room now and let the patient rest for a while?”
Neerav bent and kissed his mother’s hand. Yamini and Isha murmured soft goodbyes and stepped out.
By midnight, the hospital waiting room had acquired that strange stillness only hospitals possess. The lights were too bright, the chairs too uncomfortable, and time too slow.
Neerav walked in with two cups of tea and handed one to Isha before sitting beside her.
“Where’s Yammu?”
“She’s just coming.”
He studied Isha’s face for a moment.
“I think you two should go home now. I’m here. And baba will soon be here as well.”
“But...”
Neerav took her hand and kissed it gently.
“Go to bed, Ishu. You’ve had a long day… and night. You’re looking like a zombie.”
“What if she takes a turn for the worst?”
“She’s a strong woman, yaar. You think she’s going to pop off just before our wedding? No way. She will not only attend our wedding, but our kids’ weddings as well.”
“You shouldn’t speak about your mum like that… pop off!”
He stroked the back of her hand and laced his fingers through hers.
“That’s how I’ve been brought up, Ishu. To make light of every situation. I want you to remember that… always. If tomorrow I happen to suffer from something terminal, like cancer, I want you to carry on just as before. As if nothing’s happened. I don’t want to see my own death on my dear ones’ faces every single day. That would surely kill me even before my time.”
Isha searched his face, eyes suddenly too full.
“Oh Neer.”
She leaned forward and hugged him tightly.
“Ishu,” he murmured. “I’m not dying. It was an example.”
Yamini walked in at that moment, looking as though she might collapse into one of the plastic chairs and never rise again.
“Go home, both of you,” Neerav said firmly. “I can’t have two more girls fainting on my arms. One is enough. By the way, Yammu, you’re getting dark circles.”
“Am I?” Yamini gasped. “Ishu, let’s go. I’ve an audition in two days. Can’t afford dark circles.”
She pulled Isha to her feet.
“I knew that would do the trick,” Neerav muttered, winking at Isha as the two girls left.
Promoted to Ma
Three days later, Mrs Banerjee sat on her bed at home, pillows stacked behind her like loyal soldiers. She squinted at the fine print on a medicine bottle.
Neerav lay beside her, poring over a recipe book, preparing for the upcoming MasterChef India attempt, as though the nation depended on him.
Isha stepped into the room.
“Hello aunty. How you feeling now?”
“Aunty?” Mrs Banerjee looked around theatrically. “Who aunty? What aunty? Where aunty?”
Isha blinked. Then looked at Neerav. Then back at Mrs Banerjee.
Mrs Banerjee smiled.
“Now that you two are engaged, why don’t you call me Ma like Neerav does?”
Isha lowered her gaze. “Yes aun… Ma.”
“Come here. Sit next to me.”
Isha perched on the edge of the bed.
“And I don’t want you to call me Ma just for the heck of it,” Mrs Banerjee continued. “I want you to regard me as your mum as well. Ask me for stuff. Insist I cook your favourite dish. I’d love it.”
“I’m touched,” Isha said softly. “Don’t know what to say.”
“And when we have kids,” Neerav added cheerfully, “you can be their mum as well and take care of them.”
Mrs Banerjee gave him a look.
“Don’t be in a hurry to have kids. Enjoy yourselves for two-three years. Then you can think about it.”
Isha stared at her, genuinely stunned.
“Neer is already making plans,” she said. “He wants at least four kids.”
“Boka chele,” Mrs Banerjee muttered. “These men, they’re all the same. His dad wanted an entire cricket team. Everyday there’ll be a match in the house, he used to say.”
“That would be so cool,” Neerav declared.
“He’s even decided their names,” Isha added.
“He’s an idiot,” Mrs Banerjee said calmly. “Don’t listen to him. He’ll snore all night while you stay up and take care of the baby.”
“Hello?” Neerav protested. “I’m here and can hear.”
“Good you’re here. At least you know what the ladies think about you.”
Neerav shook his head in mock despair.
“I better leave,” Isha said, glancing at the clock. “I’ll be late for work.”
“Oh go, go.” Mrs Banerjee patted Isha’s cheek lovingly. “Don’t be late.”
Between Guilt and Glitter
That night, in the girls’ bedroom, normal life attempted a cautious comeback.
Isha sat cross-legged on her bed, making tiny corrections to a sketch in her drawing book. Yamini lay sprawled on hers, typing furiously on her phone.
Suddenly she shrieked, “I’m sooo happy!”
She leapt onto Isha’s bed and crushed her in a hug.
“Really? I would’ve never guessed.”
“I’m going to meet Sunil next week. OMG! OMG!! OMG!!!”
“How come?”
Yamini jumped back to her bed and read aloud dramatically.
“‘All done. Be on the sets next Friday. Ten o’clock sharp. Love, Akash.’”
“Good for you.”
Yamini narrowed her eyes. “What’s with you? Why do you look as if your hairdresser dyed your hair the wrong colour?”
Isha sighed.
“I feel so guilty. It’s because of me that Neer’s mum got a heart attack.”
“She’s fond of you,” Yamini said. “You’re her only son’s fiancée.”
“That’s what makes it worse. Do you know what she said to me this morning? Don’t have kids for two-three years. And I used to think she’d be the first to pressurise me to have a baby.”
“Things happen, Ishu. No point beating yourself up about it.”
“But I shouldn’t have said I wanted to break off the engagement just an hour after getting engaged. Damn. Wish I could take back my words.”
“So you’ve decided to stay engaged?”
“I can’t leave him at a time like this… Don’t know what to do.”
Yamini flopped back dramatically.
“Your engagement is like our saucepan. The more you want to be rid of it, the more it’s clinging to you.”
“I swear.”
There was a brief pause.
“Anyway,” Isha said. “What you wearing to the sets?”
Yamini sprang up and ran to the wardrobe. She pulled out one dress and held it against herself.
“How ’bout this one?”
Isha crunched up her nose and shook her head.
Another dress.
Another.
Finally, Yamini held up one, turned toward the mirror, and smiled at her reflection.
“Yes. This is it.”
She tilted her chin confidently.
“Sunil Waghmare, here I come.”
Subscribe to my newsletter below to unlock Apulki’s next chapter before anyone else, and your exclusive weekly fix of humour, quotes, and little nuggets of trivia.
Missed a chapter? Click on the links below:
Chapter 10 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-10
Chapter 11 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-11
Chapter 12 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-12
Chapter 13 - https://www.hansawriter.com/post/apulki-chapter-13
Want to know more about the Author? Click here – https://www.hansawriter.com/get-to-know-me
Keep smiling friends. Life is beautiful. Cherish each moment.
© 2026 Hansa Writer. All Rights Reserved.
So i was expecting a chaos and drama scenes, Mrs bannerjee didnt hear isha? Or is she pretending.
Love how forward neer and mrs bannerjee are and how they openly talk about kids.
Lol cricket team 🤣
I was not expecting that line 'i thought dad would be the first one to go maa' .
I wish isha makes up her mind about engagement, i feel bad about Mrs bannerjee, how she is happy and all.
i just want a happy ending thats all.
Sunil waghmare! Yesss
Good chapter
I feel like Isha should call off the wedding
Is Mrs Banerjee waiting for the rught time to confront Isha?
Waiting for the next chapter
Ho ho ho
Hansa I swear u r doing telepathy on me kya
Or doing some magic 😂😂😂
Hmm bk to story. These Banerjee r so funny PPL. I like mom Banerjee. 😂😂
Oh well well well Mr waghmare on the way soon.
So now Ishu in two minds. Wonder what she will decide.
Interesting really