Then she changed the topic slightly, making it more open.
“Ab batao… tum teeno ko relationship aur sex ke baare mein kya lagta hai? Girlfriend banani hai? Sex karna hai? Ya abhi sirf yeh sab dekh ke kaam chala rahe ho?”
There was silence for a few seconds. Then Divyansh spoke first, his voice low.
“Ma… abhi tak kisi se nahi kiya. Sirf… masturbation. Aur porn dekhna.”
Himanshu added, “Haan aunty. Hum teeno hi aise hi hain. Koi girlfriend nahi bani abhi tak.”
Ajay nodded. “Haan aunty. Bas movies, social media… aur kabhi kabhi porn.”
Santi listened without judging. Then she spoke again, her voice softer.
“Main bhi tumhari umar mein thi. Main bhi curious thi. Mere bhi kuch experiences the shaadi se pehle. Ek ladka tha… college mein. Hum dono bahut close the. Humne kuch cheezein try ki thi jo us time galat lagti thi lekin ab main jaanti hoon woh normal tha. Bas galat jagah aur galat time pe nahi hona chahiye. Main chahti hoon tum log galtiyan mat karo jo maine ki thi. Paid sex mat karna. Real connection dhundho. Jab koi ladki milegi jo tumhe pasand kare aur tum usse, tab sex karna. Usme maza bhi zyada aata hai aur safety bhi hoti hai.”
She paused, then smiled a little — the first real smile of the conversation.
“Main jaanti hoon tum log raat ko porn dekhte ho. Laptop mein files dekhi maine. Main ignore kar sakti thi lekin ab openly baat kar rahe hain toh yeh bhi bol deti hoon — porn dekhna normal hai is umar mein. Lekin usme jo dikhaate hain woh asli life nahi hota. Real sex mein time lagta hai, baat karni padti hai, consent chahiye. Aur haan… masturbation karna bhi theek hai lekin addiction mat hone dena. Roz mat karo. Control rakho.”
The three boys were staring at her. This was not the strict mother they expected. This was someone completely different.
Santi leaned forward a little. Her nighty dipped slightly but she didn’t care.
“Ab se main tum teeno ki ‘cool mummy’ ban jaati hoon. Jo bhi problem ho — sex, girlfriend, porn, masturbation, koi bhi cheez — mujhse baat kar sakte ho. Main judge nahi karungi. Main sirf samjhaungi aur help karungi. Samajh rahe ho?”
All three nodded slowly.
Himanshu spoke first, almost in a whisper. “Thank you aunty… aap bahut alag ho.”
Ajay added, “Haan aunty… aapne itna openly baat ki… main dar raha tha lekin ab theek lag raha hai.”
Divyansh just looked at his mother with a strange mix of respect and something deeper.
Santi stood up, adjusted her nighty, and said in a lighter tone,
“Ab jaao, so jao. Kal subah se nayi shuruaat. Aur haan… drink ki bottles ab se mat chhupana. Agar kabhi piina hi hai toh mujhse pooch lena. Main allow kar sakti hoon limited quantity mein bhi, lekin chhupke mat karna.”
She walked toward the bedroom, then turned back once and smiled at all three of them.
“Main yahan hoon. Cool mummy ban gayi hoon. Use it.”
That night, for the first time, the three boys didn’t gather around the laptop after 10:30. They lay in the hall, talking softly among themselves about what had just happened.
Inside the bedroom, Santi lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, knowing that something fundamental had changed in this small flat.
