Chapter 10

Sheetal knocked on Sharini’s door, awaiting anxiously, her palms were sweaty. It was 9 pm, and the teacher hadn’t responded to her calls or messages all day. Though she deserved it, she felt hurt and worried. She knew she messed up badly, but she wasn’t thinking straight when Sharini suggested running away.

******

Earlier that morning at the Chapel:

That morning after the Mass, Sheetal had a talk with her parents. The father had cried, Sheetal witnessed it for the first time in her entire life, and was broken. The man, having lost his father in law, tending to whom he considered was the purpose of his life, now started to realize how much he has missed by not being a part of the little things that made him a father.

Not to judge him—he was a good man at heart, shaped by a life that never taught him how to make the best choices. Not everyone who’s emotionally unavailable chooses to be; some are made.

Now, Samuel started to see that he had missed more than a decade of looking after his wife and children, missed spending time with them, missed talking to them, and even missed seeing his daughter graduate, and everything fell heavy on him. He realized how his daughter had grown into a beautiful young woman now, thriving in a career of her choice, even though he had hindered what she actually wanted.

He told Sheetal that he might not understand the good and bad of today’s world, but he was happy to try and learn with her. Though he might not be ready to accept everything she said. That’s how fathers are, he thought.

The air had soon turned awkward for the father and daughter, for neither of them had spoken to the other much in the past, and it felt too weird. Sam had cleared his throat, wiped his face as if nothing happened and walked away quickly, not before gently patting his daughter’s head.

The mother, also new to such emotions being shared, tried to act indifferent. “We are trying to get you married, right? Maybe that is why he is suddenly getting all emotional and blabbering like that. Don’t you worry.” she said, turning the whole conversation to a different place. Sheetal internally groaned, not wanting to have another yelling contest with her mother once they head back home. The match-making streak was going ridiculously fast.

Wanting to get away from there, she tapped her foot impatiently as they waited outside the chapel, for the father had walked away to find an auto rickshaw. Seeing her fiddle with the shoulder strap of her handbag, Sheetal’s mother nudged her. “Why are you standing here? Let’s go.”

Sheetal hesitated before saying, “Amma, Sharini is coming to pick me up, you know I have to go back to Chennai in two days, so we are going to book the bus tickets. I’ll come back home in around 2 hours okay? Please tell appa.”

“Oh God, these kids! Why can’t you tell me these earlier? We have invited a groom and his family to our home for lunch. Don’t make us stand there in shame. Come home soon. I will talk to your appa. And why do you need two hours to book a bus ticket? I know you girls are planning to go eat all those disgusting street food again. How many times should I tell you to keep a check on your weight? Already you are rejecting every single man we bring home. If you keep eating all those nonsense, everyone will start rejecting you. I should first talk to that Sharini‘s mother. What kind of a mother gives a scooter in the hands of a girl? That woman doesn’t question anything her daughter does and you are joining her to dance on my head. I wouldn’t be surprised if that girl made you run away from home one day. I’m telling you, she’s bad news. Cut that friendship first and my daughter will be fine and ready for marriage. I am seriously going to talk to —- haan! coming, Sam!” the grumbling voice of her mother diminished gradually as she started walking across the street to the yellow vehicle her husband had managed to hire.

Right then, her brother poked her from behind, before waving back to their parents that he’ll be there in a minute. Sheetal turned to look at the shorter one, nodding her head in question. “I know you like someone. But, won’t run away like Amma said, right?” he expressed that he was worried. He had noticed how secretive his sister has got lately with the late night phone calls and texting. He had seen her giggle and blush and had caught her daydreaming at times.

It didn’t bother him much earlier, but having seen his father cry today without listening to the actual conversation, and just hearing the last part of what their mother was saying, Stephen assumed that his guesses were true and misunderstood the whole situation thinking that his parents found out.

Before she could answer her little brother, as if Satan himself timed it, their grandmother walked over to the two of them at the very moment, and overheard what Stephen said. She then yelled out loud, attracting the attention of a handful of strangers and the parents who were waiting across the street.

Soon a drama took place, a frantic grandma shouting at how Regina has failed as a mother and the family has lost its pride because of the shameful act Sheetal pulled. Sheetal begged her grandma to kindly shut up, but the old lady was not ready to give up.

The parents had to run back to the three, totally shocked by the sudden outburst. Regina tried to stop her mother from yelling, while Samuel had calmly started to explain to Sheetal that falling in love looks all happy only on movies, that it is not good for the family and that love always broke families.

There were passersby who were well invested in the scene, stopping to stare at the commotion at the entrance of a church, making Sheetal feel embarrassed, wanting to shrink and vanish. But she held her emotions in as hard as she could. When her parents questioned her if it was true, if she was actually in love with someone, she realized how truly her heart felt that special emotion for a certain someone, but she had swallowed the lump and shook her head in a no. This was no time and place to tell them.

She was happy yet guilty to see when her mother spoke against her grandma, standing up for her, saying that she trusts her daughter. She felt indebted to how they believed in her, and felt compelled to express it. And she did the first thing that came to her mind. She immediately promised her parents that she would only marry someone who they approve of.

Samuel’s heart swelled in pride. He glared at the old lady who was still yapping, successfully shutting her up with just that glare. Then he turned around to the people who were staring, “What? Show’s over. Nothing to see here. Just go mind your own families!” he chased them, throwing his hands in the air.

“You go out somewhere with Sharini after booking the tickets and come back when you feel better, dear. I know we can trust you.”, Samuel told Sheetal despite the protests of the old lady, and rushed the family to get going.

When the elders had walked across the street again, Stephen whispered a small “sorry akka” before running to the others.

The family left the place, leaving a hurt, confused and embarrassed Sheetal to wait for her friend. Sheetal could still feel piercing eyes on her and felt dirty. Unable to stand there anymore, she walked a few steps away from the place of worship. She went to stand under a nearby banyan tree, proceeding to text Sharini, asking her to pick her up.

Later the whole confession at the beach, the conversation was a mess.

**********

Now, at Sharini’s door:

She can have a hundred excuses to why she behaved the way she did, but Sheetal felt like a complete AH for saying the things she said to Sharini. Especially when she said that the latter had problems with her family. That was a very touchy topic to the teacher and she knew it.

This is the kind of pain we silently agree to, when we decide to be vulnerable with someone. When you let people know weakness, when you let someone close to you know what hurts you the most, you give them the power of hurting you with it.

And that is what happened to Sharini. Sheetal used her own weakness against the teacher, and it killed her to think that she cannot take those words back. And she badly wanted to do something to fix it, mend what she bent.

Now standing outside the door of the person she loves, the person she hurt, she expected to be ignored, but was greeted by an older replica of the girl she was yearning to see, Sharini’s mother.

“Auntie, Sharini…” , she dragged the question, many emotions coursing through her at the moment.

“Sharini hasn’t come back home yet, Sheetal. I thought she was with you. But I saw you coming home early. Then I thought she probably went to roam on the streets with her scooter like she usually does. Did she not tell you, Sheetal?” , the mother asked, very calm. Not an ounce of worry in her tone. She was used to this now. Used to her daughter not informing them of her whereabouts. But she always returned home. So, she never had to worry.

Seeing her daughter’s best friend silent, standing at her door, fidgeting with her fingers, she felt poor for the kid. She understood that the two should have fought over something. This wasn’t new. They fought a lot. She gently reached out to hold Sheetal’s hands, stopping her thoughts. “Did you two fight again?” the older woman questioned softly.

Sheetal nodded and held her head down almost immediately, trying to hide the tears that pricked her eyes.

Sharini’s mother felt bad for the girl in front of her. “Don’t worry. She will come back. It is not new for you two to fight. You seem like you didn’t eat anything, do you want to come inside and have some chapatis?” the lady asked, concern laced in her voice.

Sheetal shook her head meekly, and replied “No, thank you, Auntie. I am not hungry. Please ask her to call me when she is back. Please.“

The elder smiled a little and nodded. The smile reflects a little too much of that of Sharini’s. Sheetal thanked her and ran down the stairs, quickly returning to her block of apartments and into her house. She could do nothing but wait.

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A/N:
Felt like writing today. So here’s a full chapter from scratch. Unedited. I just realized it is longer than the last few chapters.

I will be happy to hear some feedback and suggestions.

I write for my own happiness. I hope it makes you happy to read too.

Pic credits: pxrpleberryjxmin on Pinterest