FF: Aadat [Part 5 pg 6] - Page 2

During the day, when their father was not home, their mother would stress and handle the responsibility of looking after the kids. Often doing so, though she didn't mean to, she would take out her anger on them.

"Who told you to go play outside in the rain?" she yelled when she saw the wet tiles just as she had finished mopping the floor. "God can you just leave me alone for one day and not make things hard like your father?" They knew she didn't mean it and was just frustrated but her words still hurt. Knowing how his sister felt and not needing to look at her dejected face, he squeezed her hand to comfort her. They mumbled a sorry before leaving to change their clothes.

"Don't cry Vrinda. You know maa doesn't mean it na?" he whispered while walking up the stairs to their rooms.

"I know bhaiya" she quietly mumbled.

Over the course of time that passed, they learned not to take anything their parents said out of frustration seriously. Though it had been difficult, they had started to accept the fact that they were not the cause of their parents sorrow. Thought they may not love each other, Kuldeep and Parminder still loved their kids very much but rarely showed any sign of affection. This had only made it difficult for Vrinda to understand she was not at fault and would have broken down if not for her Teji bhaiya. He was always there for her as brother, a mother, a father, and a friend. She didn't care about anything but his happiness and wanted him to be proud of her. He had always been there when she needed him and he meant the most to her than anyone else in the world.

Teji was the one who made Vrinda work hard and because of her determination, she had gotten accepted in the best universities in Canada and was also valedictorian. Her speech summarized the four years she had spent in high school and how there is always someone there who helps you and inspires you to work your hardest. Vrinda also achieved many scholarly awards for the grades she had gotten. At the end, when she received her diploma, she ran to Teji with her plaques and diploma.

"I did it bhaiya! I'm so happy! I'm finally done high school" she exclaimed while she hugged Teji. "Thank you for everything bhaiya. It's all because of you."

Teji shook his head. "It because of your hard work Vrinda. You strived and pushed yourself and came so far." Vrinda just smiled and hugged him again.

"Congratulations beta"

Vrinda finally noticed her parents behind Teji. "Thanks mom, thanks dad" she went over to hug them as well. After saying goodbye and taking pictures with friends, Vrinda made her way towards her family so that they could leave. As she walked past some of the other graduates and saw them interact with their families, she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. As she saw the other kids, she saw the togetherness that her family lacked. She felt and arm wrap around her and squeeze hers gently. She looks up to see Teji who smiles at her and indicates he understands how she feels.