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Chapter 26
As he worked on his latest and most personal project in his studio, Om lovingly enhanced the shape and form of the idol he was making. It was going to be his contribution to the first art show of his gallery and it was not going to be for sale. As he worked engrossed, his mind rewound the events of the day. It started at when Aashi had arrived. That memory made his senses alive. His brain shifted to his conversation with Anika. He felt a little shaken by that because he knew that in future more such instances would come where he would have to back up Shivaay or Anika to keep the family together. He thought of Saahil and the trust the kid had shown in him when Anika was still not ready to come back in Shivaay’s life. ” Om bhaiya can be trusted”he had said to the resort manager when he was not letting them take an unconscious Anika to their suite. Om firmly resolved to never let Saahil’s interests suffer come what may. “My days of being weak are gone. I am going to fiercely fight for my family now on.”
Then he remembered his time with Aashi in that room and what he had made her say as they had left the room. He couldn’t help laughing remembering her expression. Next he recalled how she had taken the initiative, unabashedly showing her desire for him. He felt his breathing becoming labored. ” It looks like I have just scratched the tip of the iceberg as far as our need for each other is concerned.” The very idea of complete acceptance on her part made him restless and he decided to stop working.
As Shikhar lay in his bed thinking about the entire evening, various thoughts and conversations crossed his mind. But when he closed his eyes he saw Priyanka’s innocent face and heard her voice , “What is your passion? What are you passionate about?”
“What am I passionate about!?” Shikhar thought. At one time he had been passionate about his career and his fitness. The fitness bit was still important to him and his lean, muscular body was the evidence of it. But to say that fitness was his passion, would be taking it too far. He loved his job, but he could not say that he was passionate about it. “Then what?” he asked himself.
His only passion for the past few years had been getting Aashi back to happiness and pushing pain away from her. It looked like that goal was nearly achieved now. “What’s my passion now?” Priyanka’s one simple question had destabilized his center of gravity and jolted him out of the comfort zone and one track focus his mind had been in for the past four years.
” Be passionate about something as long as it’s positive. There are other ways of figuring out what you want to do with your life than by focusing on the academics.” he had said. Priyanka sat on the bed recalling her conversation with Shikhar. Everyone knew that she loved Indian clothes and designed her own. But noone had called it a passion before. Everyone pampered her and loved her to the core but noone had ever expected her to have a goal or pursue a passion before.
For the first time, Priyanka felt that she had really been treated like an adult who needed to have some accountability for her own life. She got up in a frenzy and went to a cabinet next to her study table. She looked through it searching for something feverishly. Her hands finally rested upon a folder and she pulled it out with excitement and brought it to her bed. She gently opened the folder and one by one took out each sheet and placed it neatly in front and around her. When she was done, she had about fifty sheets of sketches of beautiful kurtis, suits, lehengaas, and saaris , complete with details and accessories. Priyanka stared at them for a while. She thought of Shikhar’s words again, “See what Om has done with what he loved to do. I admire that so much. She breathed in deeply and made a resolve.
Next morning everyone seemed to be recovering from the activity and excitement of Saturday and woke up very late. As a result breakfast became sort of a brunch. Saahil was still starry eyed from the previous day and finished his food pretty fast.
“Rudra bhaiya, you are the best party planner in this world.” he declared in a very satisfied voice.
Rudra grinned at him affectionately. “Thanks Saahil. You are a very smart boy.”
Soumya rolled her eyes at their mutual admiration. “Hello!! Priyanka and I played an important role in the planning.”
Rudra gave her an indulgent smile and winked at Saahil as they laughed together.
“Anything for our dear Saahil.” Priyanka said sweetly. “You guys talk, I’ll be back.” she said. Then she went to Anika, “Bhabhi, is Shivaay Bhaiya in his study?”
“Yes.” Anika nodded. ” What happened Priyanka?”
“Oh nothing. I just wanted to talk to him.” Priyanka said with a smile as she left while Anika looked on curiously. However her attention was soon consumed by the arrival of Tej, Shakti, Pinky, and Jhanvi. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Tej even nodded at Anika smiling as he said, “Good morning beta!”
Anika felt relieved as she turned towards Jhanvi who went to sit in her chair. Then Anika caught sight of Pinky’s face and her ease was shaken. Pinky’s face looked strained although she still forced a smile and took her breakfast. Anika remembered her talk with Om and Shivaay the previous night and took a deep breath in and went to help everyone with breakfast.
Priyanka walked slowly over to Shivaay’s study. Finding the door open she quietly entered the room. Shivaay was looking intently through the contents of a file and did not notice her.
“Bhaiya.” she said softly.
Shivaay looked up surprised by the sound of her voice. “Prinku? What is it? Is someone calling me?” he asked casually.
“No bhaiya. I need to talk to you. Do you have the time?” Priyanka said nervously.
Shivaay’s heart started to beat fast.”Was she OK? What happened? Is something bothering her?Is she in some kind of trouble? ” He closed his file and got up.
“Of course I have the time! What happened? What’s the matter? ” he said walking up to her.
“No, I am fine.” Priyanka assured him. ” I just want to talk to you.”
“OK…!” Shivaay said uncertainly as he saw his baby sister go and close the door. Beads of sweat appeared at his forehead as he scanned her face nervously for indications of anxiety. But she looked extremely calm and even happy! Giving up, Shivaay walked up to his desk with her and both sat down.
Priyanka raised her hand and took out a folder that was hitherto hidden by her dupatta and forwarded it toward Shivaay.
Shivaay took it from her, and looked at her completely clueless and flabbergasted.
“What’s this Prinku?” he asked surprised.
“I made them bhaiya. Please look at them and tell me what you think about them.”
Shivaay opened the folder impatiently and took out the contents. He was mesmerized by what was inside. He looked through the beautiful, brilliantly detailed, designed, and colored sketches.”They are beautiful Prinku! I am so impressed.” he said looking at them smiling.
Priyanka felt a deep sense of relief. She smiled and gathering up all her courage she said, “Bhaiya, I want to quit college and I want to enroll in a fashion design program. I want to design Indian clothes and accessories professionally and I want to learn how to do that properly. Will you help me?”
Shivaay looked at her stunned. Was this his little Prinku? All of a sudden she was looking mature and grown. What had happened to her, he thought regretfully at first. Then he realized what question she had asked him.
“You want to go to a professional fashion and textile design school? Are you sure? Don’t you enjoy your current college program? Why suddenly?”
“I enjoy college bhaiya, but I have no future there. I want to do something I love and be really good at it like Om bhaiya and be admired for it. This is my passion and I want to pursue it. Will you support me?” she asked with her childlike innocence.
Shivaay felt his eyes dampening. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Yes. This is excellent and if this is what you want then I will support you two hundred percent. Add Om and Rudra’s collective four hundred percent to that, and you have six hundred percent support for your ambition.”
Priyanka’s face lit up as she smiled widely and tears rolled out of her eyes. She sprang up from her chair and rushed to hug Shivaay tightly. ” Thank you bhaiya! You are the best. I love you.”
Shivaay looked at her laughing affectionately. “I’ll work out your admission at a fashion technology school first and then you can quit college.”
Priyanka smiled back at him and nodded.
“I’ll let you work now.” she said picking up her folder.
“Leave it here. I might need it when I send in your application and supporting materials. I’ll let you know when you need to come with me for something.”
As Priyanka was leaving, Shivaay called out to her. “Prinku, how did this suddenly come to you?”
Priyanka smiled. “Best inspirations and motivations come to us suddenly bhaiya. I wasn’t expecting it, I wasn’t looking for it, but I am so lucky to have found it. I have never felt this happy, this confident, and this liberated before. ”
Shivaay nodded at her amazed as he resolved to get her admitted in the best possible design program for the very next term.
Next week was a busy one in Oberoi household. Saahil was scheduled to go for his surgery on Thursday. Anika had put her restaurant work on hold for two weeks. She was extremely nervous and had been very quiet. Shivaay tried his best to soothe her and succeeded for some time until she went back to being anxious. Shivaay realized that her anxiety would end only after Saahil had come out safe and sound from the operating room.
Tuesday afternoon, while Aashi was at her work station in her office, developing the plan for Om’s gallery there was a knock at her office door.
“Yes? Come in.” she said turning around to look briefly at the closed door as she went back to her work.
A few seconds later a pair of warm hands touched her shoulders softly making her gasp and jerk up her head.
“What the heck!!” she shouted angrily and then became quiet as she looked back at a pair of deep eyes looking at her.
“Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you. After the progress I have made so far, I thought touching you on your shoulders was definitely permitted.” Om said in a teasing voice.
“How was I supposed to know it was you?” She said recovering, her heart still racing as she got up from her chair.
“I told you I’ll see you on Tuesday. And I said I’ll call unless I just drop by.” said Om looking at her incredulously.
Aashi shook her head in disbelief. “You are too much.” she said.
“OK. If you are that upset with me, I’ll go.” Om said with mock seriousness.
Aashi laughed at his theatrics. She hugged him briefly. ” Come, I’ll show you the plan I have so far.” she said holding his hand as she walked him to her workstation.
Om looked at the screen with deep interest as Aashi explained it to her.
In Soumya’s room Ranjana looked through her toiletries bag. ” It’s so hard to find things in here. I am going to be here for four more days. I need to arrange this somewhere.” she thought carrying her bag to Soumya’s dresser. Soumya was still not back from college. Ranjana saw the mess on the dresser finding little to no space for her things.
“She has kept so many unnecessary things here. What are all these drawers for.” she mumbled opening the drawers to find an empty one.
At Aashi’s office Om listened attentively to Aashi as she wrapped up her description. ” It will make more sense when I explain it at the gallery. I still need to add several things. It’ll be done by next Tuesday. By then, we may be able to visit the gallery as well.”
Om nodded.” Sounds good. Let’s go out for some coffee. ”
Aashi gave it some thought “OK. Let’s ask bhaiya if he wants to join us.”
They walked over to Shikhar’s cabin. Aashi knocked at it and opened the door. Shikhar was on a phone call. He waved at Om. Aashi walked over to his desk and wrote down on a piece of paper, ” We are going out for coffee. Want to join us?”
Shikhar kept talking on the phone as he read her note. He shook his head sideways in denial. Then he shifted his phone to his left hand and wrote his answer. “Very busy. You guys go on.”
Aashi nodded and went back to Om.”He is swamped. Let’s go.”
They walked out of the office and walked over to Om’s car. “Where do you want to go?”
“Anyplace nearby and this time I’ll be coming back to my office.” Aashi said meaningfully. Then she smiled at him widely. Om recalled the last time he had taken her from her office and what had happened at the cafe. He made a mental note of not going there as he started to drive.
“Let’s go back to the same cafe as last time Om.” Aashi said completely surprising him. ” We never tried their coffee. If the wrap was so good, the coffee must be killer.”
Om looked at her amazed before he looked back ahead at the street. “I thought…” he said uncertainly.
“I am not afraid or ashamed of any experience with you. Each one has helped me move forward in life. I am not as good as you at expressing myself but I can accept reality and I embrace each interaction with you.”
Om breathed in sharply as he said.”OK.” She had left him speechless and had completely taken his breath away.
In Soumya’s room, Ranjana found each drawer crammed with accessories, make-up, hair-bands, and all sorts of things. “This is her one drawback. She cannot keep anything but her books organized. She finally tried to open the bottom drawer. It seemed to be stuck. She jerked it open and it suddenly came out pushing her back. It seemed to be empty except for a small, worn out bag. “Thank God! At least one drawer is empty.” She collected a few things from the top of the dresser and put them in the empty drawer, to make space for her toiletries. ” I bet she has some junk stuffed in this dirty old bag.” Ranjana took the bag and shut the drawer. She opened the bag casually as she walked over to the bed and overturned it. The contents of the bag spilled over the bedsheet. She looked at the stuff curiously. As recognition of the items that had spilled over dawned on her, her eyes widened with shock. She realized she was staring at a mangalsutra, a piece of red thread with some metallic ring tied to it, a couple of silver toe-rings and a few other miscellaneous items that a girl was made to wear during wedding rituals. Her heart raced and she felt a little dizzy. She touched the mangalsutra with trembling hands and was about to pick it up when the door opened. It was a worker from the mansion.
“Soumya didi’s mail came. I was told to leave it in her room.” he said handing the white envelope to Ranjana.
As if in a trance she took the envelope and watched the worker leave. Then she looked at the envelope. It had the logo of Soumya’s old college. With trembling hands she opened the envelope and read the document inside. ” We have received your request for transfer… Please submit original marksheets and a duly signed transfer certificate for further procedure…” “She is trying to get transferred back…!!What in God’s name has she done and what all is she hiding from me!!” she thought with disbelief. There was nothing to do until Soumya came back. Trembling with pain and anger, Ranjana collected all the items on the bed and put them back in the old bag. She placed the envelope next to it. Then she went and sat on the couch staring ahead, thinking of all her struggle to educate her children after Soumya’s dad had passed away. Tears rolled down her cheeks making her stunningly beautiful face strangely poignant. She did not attempt to wipe her tears and stared directly at the door as she waited for her daughter to come back.
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Thanks for reading Everyone. I am sorry about the delay in update. Saturday got a little busy. Besides, I had to give the story some thought. As Serendipity is drawing closer to its conclusion, I might sometimes skip a day in posting updates as I want to take enough time to think about the story and give it a proper progress and conclusion. Thank you for your patience and support. It would be an understatement to say that I really appreciate it, but what else do I have but words☺Please comment if you can.
34 Comments
Awesome….
waiting fr d nxt 1…
Thanks Shivika ?
what an episode, diyaa! finally saumya and rudra’s marriage plot came in! and how! 😀 loved om-aashi’s cuteness, and shivaay-prinku were also cute. i’m liking how the shikhar-prinku story is progressing. their first proper conversation itself had such an effect on both of them. i can only imagine what will happen when they come together and grow past their inhibitions. so far you have mainly focused on aashi’s past with some input of shikhar’s troubled past, but this is new. they are helping each other without even knowing much about the other!
😀 looks like i have another fav couple already! 😀
post next soon, 🙂
Thanks Samm. Yeah, once Prinku “grows up” fully and is ready for a mature relationship it will be pretty amazing. The journey might be pretty sweet too. I am trying to set the stage for that in this ff. Rumya relationship will go one step further in this ff. Will update soon. Thanks again.?
This chapter definitely left me speechless ..! This time you really shined with your writing. Ik i have said it many times, but this time every single word was on point and every single emotion you wanted to potray was perfect! To start off with, the warm and cute feeling i got while reading Shivaay and Prinkus part was so overwhelming. The line i loved most in tht part was “you have my 200% support and with Om and Rudra make tht 600%”. You know i always wished i had an elder brother who would love me unconditionally and pamper me. You made my craving for one even more after reading this. I seriously am Very Very jealous of Prinku right now. My next favourite part was of *yet once again* Om and Aashis. You have absolutely no idea how much i love the duo. I reallly reallly loved how Aashi finally spoke up and left Om speechless. *tht part actually made me get butterflies in my stomach*.
Welll all i can say now is, the way Shikar inspired Prinku, you reallly do inspire me as well. 🙂 I really admire and adore you immensly and once again would request you to keep on posting your writing here so tht i can *relish* it even more.
Even though my brain is telling me to write “take your time, write great work and ill be waiting for your next”, ny heart is telling me write “Waiting for the next chapter 🙂 Upload soon!!”
loads of love
—
Awestruck
Thanks Awestruck. I am so thankful that my thought process is appreciated. I wanted to explore the whether simple love stories with lesser drama can be exciting. I think the outlook is encouraging. I have seen some dramas like Zindagi Gulzaar hai,
Humsafar, and some old doordarshan shows on you tube like Farmaan. These stories have simple plots and mainly revolve around the characters realizing their feelings and developing their bond through trials. I guess that’s one of my inspiration. Jane Austen and a couple other classics are others that have heavily inspired me. Through Om Ashi I think I am living the wishful dream of a perfect nurturing relationship although I know that there is no such thing in the real world. But hey, we all need to escape reality for some time right☺ I will come up with another FF in the near future where Shikhar Priyanka, and Rumya story will develop fully and Shivika Om Aashi will have some sweet moments. I am thankful that I have some who will look forward to that. I’ll update soon. And if I have inspired you even a bit with my writing, then it’s really my good fortune ?
Awesome… just superb…. loved the way you are giving each character their worthy importance….specially to prinku…..??
Thanks so much Lilly. Glad you liked it. I know right, adored sister of three older brothers, she deserves importance, a good partner, and support ☺ Thanks again.
You nailed it diyaa. Something with a flow is loved by all whereas you gave such a smooth glide to your amazing story that there are no jerk s in it . Made me believe that beauty is all your story is……
Thanks so much Noone. That was very nice of you! I have been struggling between entertainment and meaningfulness. Glad the result is enjoyable to my readers.?
Woah nice one diyaa.❤ Priyanka thinking about her future shivaay being best brother supporting her was beautiful. Aashi and om as always super cute.? Rudra and Soumya being normal again was the best thing. Shikar and Priyanka’s story is going in a good way. Already in love with them❤ . How only one conversation with Priyanka made shikar to think about many things from past. Finally Rudra and Soumya marriage truth is out. The best part of your story is you give place each and everyone in the story ?. Waiting for the next one.
Thanks as always Suchitra. Yes, I realized that if I give space to each character while connecting them with another, the story becomes more wholesome and connected. Wasn’t sure how it would work out but Reader support and Ooparwaala came to my aid? Thanks again for your super encouraging comment.
Wow! You are an amazing writer..
“She did not attempt to wipe her tears” certain lines that you write might seem insignificant in terms of contributing to the story… but in reality it is such lines that kind of gives a visual experience while reading your ff.. hats off maann!! Keep writing..
Thanks so much Anu. I am touched that you noticed such fine details and expressed appreciation for them. It’s very motivating for me.?
I saw from your previous comments that you.. Jane Austin inspires you.. no wonder it is visible from your writing! The breeze love that embraces the story.. along with a very adequately coated layer of feminism that lingers in the female leads.. which is not explicit but still marks its presence! You should consider capitalising this skill man! Do you blog??
Hey Any! You made my day by recognizing the veiled feminism in my writing. I am afraid to say that word or write explicitly on that theme as it takes an ugly turn and is considered unattractive in women. I have considered blogging but I have no idea what to do or how. Who might read just an opinions page of a nobody!! But I might start one for my supporters here!! Thanks for giving me that idea.?
I meant Anu?
You write blog.. I promise to be the first one to comment! Go ahead!! And feminism in a good sense is always welcome!
Heya!
Every update leaves me spellbound. I don’t know how do you manage to write so well and it keeps improving with every single chapter. I’m thoroughly loving your writing although, the conclusion of this story seems to be really disturbing. I really hope you can come up with another fan fic and I would certainly look forward to it.
Now, about the update:
• Saahil, Rudra, Soumya and Priyanka
Their bond is really so adorable. Firstly, I like the way Saahil praised Rudra and it really shows how much he enjoyed the party. Really glad that Rudra and Soumya are now on good terms. Looking forward to the carving of their love! ❤
• Om
He’s one of a gem! His thoughts, his decisions are all so wise. He’s so practical and mature in life and someone with such a personality would surely steal your hearts away. The thought that Om cares about his family so much is really commendable!
• Om and Aashi
Yup! You know this couple is really my favourite! I mean although, I like Shivaay and Anika a lot, but the way you make the readers imagine Om and Aashi is something I’d really appreciate. I’m really liking their bond. The place where Aashi tells that she isn’t ashamed of any experience with Om, I was in complete awe. I love On and Aashi ❤
• Priyanka and Shikar
Most importantly, the thought of both of them thinking about each other is so cute! Although, Shikar can’t comprehend anything out of his feelings, but the thought of him thinking about Priyanka is really so perfect! And then, Priyanka, the way Shikar’s words affected her and she actually thought of pursuing her interest is worth appreciating. I’m glad she chose to pursue her career and to add upon it, it indirectly happened because of Shikar is just perfect. ❤
Well, all over I loved the update. I’m looking forward to more of this story and please, take your own time. Waiting for a day or so for such a piece of writing wouldn’t bother much. Although, my words convey I’m all okay with late updates, but I’d certainly be looking forward to the next chapter. Hope you’ll be able to update soon. ?
Thanks so much Ria for appreciating my writing in such detail. Your comment makes me feel like my hard work to develop each main character paid off. If this were a longer piece like a novel or something I would have included the development of older characters as well, but here, it would be time-taking and distracting. Maybe I’ll try that in another project. I will come up with another FF on these characters that will take their story further. I have a couple of ideas that are exciting me and I am going to develop them. Thanks again☺
Superbbbbbb dear….. Shivaay Priyanka conversation is awesome…. You express the emotions in a very beautiful way……… Waiting for the next update. With lots of love..
Thanks Nikita. I am so glad that you liked that Convo. I wrote it with a lot of love. Sibling love is special to me.? I’ll update soon.
OMG!!! Diyaa di ITS MARVELLOUS…. I just loved ShivPri convo… I cant tell u that how I desperately want Prinku-Shikhar’s love story. Om-Aashi scenes speechless…especially for Aashi! Rumya’s life I didn’t expect this twist di…!!! Rudy-Saahil-Prinku bonding is amazing…
PS- After this ff, can u please write about Rumya’s life like ROAD TO REDEMPTION – SHIVIKA and SERENDIPITY – AISHKARA…
Thanks Gayathri. I am glad that Shivaay Prinku convo produced the effect I wanted it to. I am hoping to take Rumya relationship one step further to make it stronger.i will write another sequel to this FF after this one is over. The story will pick up from where it stops in this one. Thanks so much for showing such support and motivating me.☺
Awesome….loved it completely….superbbbb
Thanks so much Bhavana. I am so glad you liked the update ?
Diyaa…
First of all…A big sorry for spamming u yesterday for next update…i was desperate for the next on yaar…?…and u know what..i am a stalker in this page…hahaha..
about today
update – excellent???
% – 200???
my fav part was prinku-shivaay convo and prinku-shikhar pov…
i loved the concern of shivaay for prinku…now i feel like prinku had started driving her aim of life , and those 600 percent given by shivaay had just made her to raise the accelerator with full confidence…
once the engine starts it will move in a flow unless a high slop occur…I think in prinku’s case, shikhar is gonna teach her to release half-cletch which is crucial to overcome a slop…..
they both are now thinking about own passion due to each other…and they are going to have “passionatised love life”…i wish prinku to become a good driver…..
Dont know what is the twist going to happen in rumya story…whether her mom accepts or rejects rudra….because we cant guess what a mother think for the well being of her child….i wish that ranjana accept the true,pure,genuine love of rudy boy to his sumo…
And now about my fav Omaashi……i just love Omaashi a lotttt…
That’s all..
Thank you
keep updating…(dont worry..wont spam u..made my heart&mind to wait for 24hrs with much difficult)..
Hi Eva. Your “spamming” made me feel loved and appreciated. ? What can be a greater motivation for a writer than the feeling that their readers are eagerly awaiting their work.
I am really glad you liked this chapter. Loved your car references about Priyanka Shikhar relationship. Hmm…Nice idea. I’ll try to fit in Priyanka developing confident driving skills. When I do I’ll give credit to you. ? Rumya story in this ff is set in my mind and I think my readers will not be disappointed by it. Om Aashi are driving me crazy too. What have I created!!? Thanks again ?
Excellent
Thanks Charitha ?
Wow…..once again a lovely episode…..I was going to comment yesterday itself when I read the episode but there was some problem with my hostel WiFi. But anyways, u always spellbound me with your writing…..No villains, no negative drama, just developing relationships between characters…..
N u include in them practical things n human behavior very well. Like most of us think about all the events which took place in the whole day just before sleeping n u showed those human elements by om, shikar n prinku.
It was very bold of prinku to show her creations to shivaay. N I loved their convo. I really liked 200% n 600% support wali line….I have always wanted an elder brother who would protect n pamper me. N now after this convo, I literally crave for him….
Om n Aashi moments where once again beautifully written….U every time come up with new scenes but I have the same old words of praise for u.
Saumya…..waiting to she how she explains her mom abt the marriage n transfer n ranjana’s reaction on it…..
N yes dear I want u to take your time to write the next chapter n it is justified. But I also cannot wait to read the next chapter….
Bye for now. Take care.
Oh dear! It wasn’t to long wasn’t it. So sorry abt that.
*it was too long wasn’t it.
Sorry for the typo.
N I mean my comment was very long.
Thanks so much Nita for taking the time to comment. I am glad that you liked this chapter and appreciate this style of writing. Yeah I find the struggle within human psyche quite interesting to explore as I feel they affect lives most. And your comment was just right. Definitely not too long. Thanks again. Will update soon ?