FF: Geet-The Song of Life (note pg 35) - Page 2

Chapter 2: Persuasion- Part II

23:00 - Handa Residence

Sitting on her bed with the laptop on her legs, Geet waited anxiously for her dad to come home. Chatting online with Aman, she had perfected the technique she would employ to persuade daddy.

It can't be that hard right? Dad has never really said no to anything I've asked for before.
Geet typed.

Well that's because you've never asked to go overseas without the family.
Came the response.

True that. I wish I had relatives in New Dehli, it's so easy for you, your parents have no qualms over sending you there.

Oh you have no idea, it took me ages to get them to agree. Btw, I can only go if you're going, so make it happen Geet, I don't care how you do it!!

I think a little bit of emotional atayachar, pity and a speech on feminism ought to do it. Dad's so liberal, he'll have to agree!

Geet heard the front door open and her brother's voice announce dad's arrival. It was 11pm and dad was home just in time for Pratigya, she thought.

Aman, I g2g, dad's here! Wish me Luck!! Bye.

Good Luck, and don't back down. Bye.

Quickly reading the response, Geet sprinted out her room and down the stairs. Everyone look up, acknowledging her presence. Giving her mother a meaningful glance she turned towards her dad.

"Hi daddy, kiddhan?"

"Bhalu! I'm good, how are you, what were you doing upstairs?"

"Good good, just talking to Aman." Replied Geet, stealing another glance at her mother. Tentatively Geet continued, "Dad I need to talk to you about something, it's really important."

"Can it wait half-an-hour?" Gurpreet questioned.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well then let me finish watching Pratigya!"

Ansh, Kiran and Geet roared with laughter. Not having known why Gurpreet had asked to wait half-an-hour, they had all become apprehensive.

"Shush, I can't hear what Sajjan Singh is saying! Complained Gurpreet, "He's the best actor in TV."

00:00- After Gurpreet and Ansh have changed for sleep.

"Okay Geet, what did you want to talk about?" questioned Gurpreet, walking out of the downstairs bathroom.

Ansh, who has gone to his room to change, walked down the stairs, he wanted to see how this would play out. He had told Geet that convincing Dad wouldn't be easy but had offered to help out if he could.

"Well Dad, you know how I'm in third year now, and will finish uni at the end of next year?" Geet approached the topic cautiously.

"Yeah, and then you'll be a doctor and will start your internship."

Ansh and Kiran, sitting on the couch, swivelled their heads from Geet to Gurpreet.

"Well, when I finish uni, I'm going to have to start working at the hospital straight away. I'm not going to have any time to have a real break." Here Geet paused, trying to recall her argument.

"Well daddy, I think what Geet is trying to say is; she wants to do something fun and different before she finishes uni." Stepped in Ansh, trying to assist Geet with her efforts.

Kiran glared at Ansh, so they're in on this together, she thought. Well it doesn't matter, there's no chance their father will allow Geet to go to India without the family.

"Exactly, daddy, and since this summer I was working at the restaurants with you and you're going to need my help next summer as well, i can't go on holiday during the summer holidays." Geet completed in one breath.

Gurpreet looked up questioningly, wondering what this was all about.

"So, I was thinking, why don't I go somewhere during the semester, on exchange!"

Gurpreet's head jerked up. "WHAT!! To where?" he questioned, as if awoken from a deep sleep.

"Well, since we're Indian... ."

"You want to go on exchange to India?!?!" exclaimed Gurpreet, cutting Geet's sentence halfway. "No, no, no, you can't go to India by yourself. Definately not!"

"But daddy, I won't be going alone. Aman's allowed to go if I'm allowed, we can both go together." Pleaded Geet, her cheeks starting to warm up and eyes getting watery.

"Aman's parents are letting her go?" questioned Gurpreet.

"Yes, daddy. She has relatives living in New Dehli, that's where we wanna go, and she said we can live with them while we're there."

"No Geet, I'm sorry but you travelling to New Dehli and living with a family I've never met just isn't going to happen. How could you even think I would allow you to go to India without an adult?"

"I am an adult and so is Aman, but you just don't see it!" Geet replied angrily, the tears in her eyes threatening flow out. "To you I'm still a 13 year old girl who knows nothing about the world or how to take a care of myself! You're always telling me how important it is to experience different things in life but now you're being a hypocrite!!" Geet screamed.

"GEET!!! That is not the way to talk to your father!" bellowed Kiran, now standing up.

"Well it's true! Dad has been telling me how great India is since I was a child, and telling me to go to India and become a doctor there so that I can work with the poor. You guys are always telling me that treating our own people back home, is what I should do in the future but how will I ever do that if I can't even spend a semester there!" exploded Geet.

She ran up the stairs, tears now streaking down her cheeks, leaving behind three shell-shocked individuals.

At the top of the stairs she turned around and quietly said, "I bet if Ansh had asked you to let him go you would never have said no." And with that she sprinted to her room, bolted the door and collapsed on the bed, trembling in a mixture of tears and anger