THE PROMISE OF TIME (SEQUEL of ' SPARK OF LOVE')

Chapter 6

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That evening, at home, Abhika was on the dining table with her book open and a pencil in her hand doing her home work. Trying to do rather.

Ritika was with Abhika, helping her with it. But her mind was restless. She couldn't understand why she had felt jealous earlier today. Abhiram had been just hanging out with his colleagues. It had to be because she wasn't invited into their cozy group. Abhiram had arrived from the hospital some time back but she hadn't talked to him yet.

Should she ask him why he hadn't thought of calling her? Would she sound too possessive? How would Abhiram react?

"Ma, I don't want home work." Abhika announced and hid the pencil under the chair.

Ritika was snapped out of her thoughts.

"Abhika, baby you shouldn't tell that. You have to do it. Won't your teacher scold you tomorrow if you don't?," Ritika picked her up positioned Abhika on her lap.

"No, I don't want to do," she started crying.

"Abhi, you shouldn't throw a tantrum. Listen to ma," Ritika tried to pacify her.

Abhiram walked into the dining room. He was in his white T shirt and black shorts. He had just taken a shower after coming back from the hospital. As soon as Abhika saw Abhiram, she jumped down from Ritika's lap and sprinted towards her dad.

"Papa, I don't want to write." Abhika pouted. Abhiram picked her up and planted a kiss on her cheeks. Abhika returned the gesture,

"Don't force her to write," Abhiram looked at Ritika sternly.

What the heck? Ritika thought. With great difficulty,she had made her daughter write half a page and here comes her dad, ruining all her efforts.

A phone started ringing. It was Abhiram's.

"Hello, Sara?" He spoke into the phone.

Meanwhile, Abhika started reciting a loud song making it difficult for Abhiram to listen to what Sara was saying. He moved into the living room.

Ritika rolled her eyes. Abhiram came back in a few minutes after he had finished talking to Sara.

"You have just come back from work. Still you keep getting work calls. You don't know where to draw the line, Ram."

"It was not a work call. Sara wanted access to my online journal subscription."

Did he just share his password with her? Ritika could not help feeling annoyed.

"Papa,can I go and play?" Abhika asked her dad.

"Of course you can," Abhiram told her and flashed his hundred watt smile for his daughter. Abhika rushed off to play. Ritika could only stare at her husband who was now smirking.

"What?" he asked Ritika.

"You pamper her so much, Ram. She would have finished the homework if you had told her to." Ritika steamed.

"Kids have to play," Abhiram replied nonchalantly and that infuriated her even more.

"Oh yeah, says someone who doesn't even know what they teach his daughter at school. You are spoiling her rotten." Ritika slammed the book she was holding on the dining table.

Abhiram just stood there in silence. Ritika's eyes spotted a tiny muscle flicker in his jaw. What was he thinking? He was the one mollycoddling his daughter and sharing passwords with colleagues at work. She was now unsure what bothered her more, him pampering Abhika or giving out passwords.