𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 ༄ 𝗷. 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗻

𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢-𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗

𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢-𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗. 𝚜𝚊𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖

Age: 3

"Bhavika, chota sitaara where are you?"

"Over here baba!" She giggled.

"There you are." He laughed and picked her up, spinning her around.

"Varun."

"Yes Marjane?" He asked and turned around.

"Rohan is acting up again can you talk some sense into him?"

"Sorry sitaara." He said and placed her down. "I'll be right back I promise."

"Okay baba." She smiled.

"Oh, Bhavika you cannot be influenced by your fathers touch. You need to learn how to be a woman." Her mother picked her up.

"Okay mama." She agreed with childhood ignorance.

"Good answer. How about we go play house?"

"No! Baba said he would play planes with me." The little girl pouted.

"Planes are for boys. Women are never the ones flying planes, you would never find joy in that." Marjane protested and took Bhavika down the hall to play house.

She placed the toddler down in front of a play kitchen and handed her a baby doll.

"This is your baby. You will need to learn how to take care of her and multitask while never taking your eyes off of her."

"But mama I want to play with my planes." Bhavika whined.

"NO! You will play house, I will sit here and watch you. Now take care of your baby or you won't get to play with your planes for the rest of the month." Marjane's voice rose at the toddler, who was now quivering in fear.

This wasn't a new occurrence in the Patel household and unfortunately it would never go away.

Age: 7

"Bhavika you can't keep hovering by the phone." Her mother yelled.

"But, baba promised he would call soon."

"He won't call if you sit there and wait. Now come help with breakfast." Marjane snapped her fingers and Bhavika scurried over.

There was crying down the hall and Marjane sighed, "Watch the food." She huffed and tan down the hall.

Bhavika stirred the upma in the pot as the TV played softly in the background. She grabbed some roti's from the pan and began dishing out the breakfast.

The phone rang.

Bhavika turned off the stove and ran to the phone.

"Baba?!" She asked excitedly.

"Bhavika." He sounded muffled, there was screaming in the background.