Chapter 2
Sitting on her bed with the laptop on her legs, Khushi waited anxiously for her Papa to come home. Chatting online with Payal, she had perfected the technique she would employ to persuade Papa.
It can't be that hard right? Papa has never really said no to anything I've asked for before.
Khushi 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 Khushi, 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. Papa's so liberal, he'll have to agree!
Khushi heard the front door open and her brother's voice announce Papa's arrival. It was 11pm and Papa was home just in time for Pratigya, she thought.
Payal, I g2g, Papa's here! Wish me Luck!! Bye.
Good Luck, and don't back down. Bye.
Quickly reading the response, Khushi sprinted out her room and down the stairs. Everyone look up, acknowledging her presence. Giving her mother a meaningful glance she turned towards her Papa.
"Hi Papa, how was your day?"
"Khushi beta! It went well, what were you doing upstairs?"
"Nothing much, just talking to Payal." Replied Khushi, stealing another glance at her mother. Tentatively Khushi continued, "Papa I need to talk to you about something, it's really important."
"Can it wait half-an-hour?" Shashi questioned.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Well then let me finish watching Pratigya!"
Ansh, Garima and Khushi roared with laughter. Not having known why Gurmeet had asked to wait half-an-hour, they had all become apprehensive.
"Shush, I can't hear what Sajjan Singh is saying! Complained Shashi, "He's the best actor in TV."
00:00- After Shashi and Ansh have changed for sleep.
"Okay Khushi, what did you want to talk about?" questioned Shashi, walking out of the downstairs bathroom.
Ansh, who had gone to his room to change, walked down the stairs, he wanted to see how this would play out. He had told Khushi that convincing Papa wouldn't be easy but had offered to help out if he could.
"Well Papa, you know how I'm in third year now, and will finish uni at the end of next year?" Khushi approached the topic cautiously.
"Yeah, and then you'll be a doctor and will start your internship."
Ansh and Garima, sitting on the couch, swivelled their heads from Khushi to Shashi.
"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 Khushi paused, trying to recall her argument.
"Well Papa, I think what Khushi is trying to say is; she wants to do something fun and different before she finishes uni." Stepped in Ansh, trying to assist Khushi with her efforts.
Garima 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 Khushi to go to India without the family.
"Exactly Papa, 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." Khushi completed in one breath.
Shashi looked up questioningly, wondering what this was all about.
"So, I was thinking, why don't I go somewhere during the semester, on exchange!"
Shashi'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 Shashi, cutting Khushi's sentence halfway.
"No, no, no, you can't go to India by yourself. Definately not!"
"But Papa, I won't be going alone. Payal's allowed to go if I'm allowed, we can both go together." Pleaded Khushi, her cheeks starting to warm up and eyes getting watery.
"Payal's parents are letting her go?" questioned Shashi.
"Yes, Papa. 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 Khushi, 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 Payal, but you just don't see it!" Khushi 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!!" Khushi screamed.
"KHUSHI!!! That is not the way to talk to your father!" bellowed Garima, now standing up.
"Well it's true! Papa 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 Khushi.
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.
Hope you like it :)
Edited by Jiwan08 - 12 years ago
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