"Di, aapse ek baat puchun? Do you ever intend to fall in love and get married?" Bhumi shifted closer to her sister.
"Of course I do. Even I want to fall in love, get married, have kids. Spend an eternity with the man I love, but... " Sayali trailed off as she lied down staring at the ceiling above.
"But?" Her sister asked intrigued, pushing her specs appropriately.
"I belong to that old school romantic group of women. Love isn't a Facebook status that you can hit it off in a few seconds reaching a million likes! Falling in and out of love is like a WiFi zone where everything is up and down in seconds.
Love should be without conditions, terms, agreements. It should be pure not perfect. If I love a guy, I wont tell him to get his nose done like Kim Kardashian cuz it's a bit out of place.
He shouldn't be telling me to wear itsy bitsy clothes like Paris Hilton or to starve myself to get a perfect figure like Katrina!" Sayali replied playing with a strand of her hair.
"Eww for Paris and Kim but Katrina, damn!" Bhumi nodded cutely.
"I know right, she's got such a fine body! Her fitness is envious." Sayali added, as Bhumi came to lie down beside her.
"Di? I really didn't know you had such beautiful ideas about love." Her sister added as both put up their cute socks feet on the wall in front.
"Just because, I don't talk about it doesn't means I don't think." Sayali pulled her sister's cheek.
Ratna quietly entered the girls bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. The charity dinner had ended quite late and by the time, Harsh and She returned home the girls had been asleep.
She took away the book from Bhumi that she had fallen asleep reading and took off the specs from her, gently.
Next, she gently covered her elder daughter, and dropped a kiss on her forehead after caressing her hairs.
"You're so brave. So brave sweetheart! More than I ever have been, I may not say enough but I'm so proud of you, so proud." Ratna whispered softly with a smile.
Getting up she covered her younger daughter, gave her a kiss too and walked out quietly.
"Abi?" Steven glanced up from the comics he was reading.
"Hmm?" Ayedin responded as he shot a dart which hit right in the middle.
"You slapped Dimitri today. I mean you use violence as the last resort, but you lost your temper when he apparently served that girl on a platter!" He asked, finally adding 2+2 together.
The Turk turned and smiled at his baby brother.
"Women have to be one of the most mystical, beautiful creatures to be created by that supreme power. And women like her... Did you see her Steven? That fearlessness? That fire?
Her soul is made from that fire which destroys everything in it's way, but then did you see those eyes? When she held her sister and mother? That softness... She's not just fire but Earth as well, that loves. nurtures." Ayedin explained his cocoa eyes, shining as Steven looked at him awed.
"Abi? I think I have a conclusion." He spoke up as Ayedin danced his eyebrows asking what?
"But I won't tell you right now." Steven announced getting back to his comics as Ayedin threw a pillow at him.
Th Next Morning..
Finishing up the last toast in her plate, Sayali got up, straightening her dupatta as Bhumi went in to take her school backpack.
"Maa, I might be late today. I'll call to inform." She called out to Ratna who walked out carrying a tea tray.
"Why?" Harsh looked up from his newspaper.
"I have to visit some lawyers regarding our house. I can't have those buffoons lining outside our door again." Sayali replied, putting her cellphone in her bag.
"It isn't your headache." Harsh added firmly, putting the newspaper down.
"Excuse Me? How it isn't? It's my house, It's my family." Sayali retorted back, as Bhumi held on to her sister's arm.
"Is it too much to ask you to behave like a decent young woman? Kal ko you have to get married! Which sensible guy would ask for your hand seeing your activities?" Her father replied, getting up.
"Oh.. So you want me to sit at home, gossip, read fashion magazines and have tea parties to be a decent young woman? I'm sorry Dad, but I can't. I care for my family, and just because some guy won't ask for my hand, I can't sit here like a wimp." Sayali snapped back tired of her father's interjections and walked out holding Bhumi's hand.
It was a clear sunny day as people in the neighborhood came out of their homes. Lawn Sprinklers rotated splashing water around as kids played in it, while some adults sunbathed in their lawn chairs.
A 90's hip hop song was playing out on the stereo loud and still she could hear those hushed whispers that were doing rounds as she and her sister walked towards the bus stand.
Overnight, they became the topic to be talked about all thanks to the scene created in front of their house.
"By the way, keep this." Ignoring it all Sayali placed a few pounds in her sister's palm.
"Why?" Bhumi looked up at her sister.
"I know it's bake sale in your school today, so I want you to enjoy that's it." Sayali smiled ruffling those curly hairs.
"You know I didn't need it." The younger one smiled at her sister.
"I know, but you need to loosen up a bit Einstein!" The elder one winked at her younger sibling as the bus honked around the corner.
Sayali looked at the attorney seated in his plush leather chair, as she tapped her fingers irritatingly. The man from last 55 minutes, was looking through the papers with an occasional "hmm."
She had appointments with other lawyers as well.
"So what do you think?" Giving up on her patience, she asked keeping her palm on the table.
"Hmm.. Miss.." The middle aged lawyer adjusted his silk tie.
"Sayali." She snapped at him.
"Yes, Of course. Uh.. from whatever I studied it isn't clear that the land or house belonged to your grandfather as you claim. It can be an acquired property." He replied, blankly and apparently bored.
"So? There isn't any way?" Sayali replied, lines of worry evident on her face.
"There is. Actually I can keep postponing the case for you, and even put in a clause or two. You and your family can live without a care in the world." The attorney answered, smiling for the first time.
"And I should keep paying you your fees, right? No offense but the amount I would spend on your fees for a year in that I could rent a place and live happily." Sayali snapped firmly as she snatched the file from him and walked out.
A blonde smiled at Sayali as she got into the bus and patted the vacant seat next to her.
"Where are you up and about?" Linda, Their neighbor and a waitress at the cafe Sayali worked.
"Had meetings with some lawyers for the house issue." The latter smiled at her friend.
"Okay, any luck?" She asked, her baby blue eyes gentle.
"Not Yet. I've some more appointments tomorrow. Let's see." Sayali replied with a tired sigh.
"You have the evening shift today, don't you?" Linda added to which she nodded.
They got down at their stop, talking and Sayali offered to help with the grocery bags for her friend's both hands were full.
Nora, Linda's daughter was playing in the front lawn as they came in who ran to her mother, her little ponytail flopping in the air.
She was a single mother who took a divorce from her alcoholic abusive husband.
As Sayali finished keeping the groceries in the kitchen, Nora wrapped her little palm around her finger pulling her out in the lawn.
"Can you please weave flowers in my hair, Miss Sayali?" Nora requested in her cute voice, her eyes were as blue as her mother.
"Okay, but after this we'll go to the ice cream shop round the corner. Just you and me! We'll have an extra scoop of your favorite blackcurrant crush!" Sayali added, booping her little nose.
"You've spoiled her with those ice cream treats!" Linda spoke up from the kitchen making Sayali chuckle as she tickled the little girl whose bubbling laughter echoed in the summer air.
Plaiting Nora's hair wasn't very difficult with little summer blossoms from the shrubs in the garden. The little girl animatedly told her about her playschool, her teachers and her friends while Linda busied herself in making lunch and even insisted her friend to stay.
A football suddenly came bouncing and hit Nora on the arm, thankfully Sayali had shielded the little girl otherwise it would've hurt her.
"Are you okay sweetie?" She asked rubbing her little arm to which Nora nodded, her blue eyes filled with tears.
Sayali gave her a kiss, wiped the moisture from her eyes and holding her hand walked out into the street.
That mean group of adult guys looked at her with a smirk.
"Give our ball Miss India!" One of them taunted and the group broke into snickers of laughter.
"I should've guessed, it couldn't be anyone else than you assholes! Showing your masculinity on little kids, how pathetic!" She spoke up, venomously.
"Aww, would you call UNICEF then?" The same guy taunted again and the group chuckled.
"I have a much better idea, why don't you guys let me play a mini match with you? And we can see who needs to call UNICEF and who needs to call their mamma!?" Sayali snapped back as kept her feet on the ball.
Their head or the Big D, Mike chuckled.
"It isn't like making those Indian breads and tandoori chicken!"
"We'll see!" She replied tying up her dupatta to the side.
Effortlessly she guided the ball through the obstacles and kicked it hard enough to bounce off the forehead of one their gang members and straight into the goal post.
Nora jumped up clapping with her little hands.
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