Compromised

Chapter-36 {Edited}

"Why don't you eat something until she returns?" Harjot suggested, "Yeh cookies aap bachchon ke liye hi hai."

["These cookies are for you kids only."]

"No." Ruchi shook her head at Harjot and scooted closer to her brother by clinging on his arm. "Hum apne ghar se khana khakar aaye hai, Uncle."

"We have come from our house after having food, Uncle."

She wasn't fond of the man due to the ugly character description given by her detrimental father about the man who took away her mother from their happy family. For Ruchi, Harjot broke her parents' relationship so no matter how tempting the glasses of chocolate milkshake looked she won't be having anything offered by him.

"But, dear-"

"We're good. Thank You."

A fifteen-year old, Kartik who wasn't involved before in the one-sided talk being carried out by his sister with a former member of their family now politely refused to the refreshments provided by Srinija's new husband.

"Mummy chorr!" Ruchi raved under her breath which didn't go unheard. "Why will we ever eat anything from his house?"

["Mummy thief!"]

"Do not talk like this, Baby!" Kartik scolded her softly but she remained adamant on the contention she was fed. "Sorry." She mouthed. "I won't say that again but Papa said that he's a bad man. He took her away from us."

Kartik opened his mouth to tell her otherwise when the said man let it slide for it was somewhat true. He was a villain in the story of a little girl's perfect family. He was an eyewitness towards the ignorance and negligence directed from Srinija for her firstborn yet the young girl's innocent eyes always longed for a glimpse of her outcast mother.

Apart from being guilty of his own selfish choices Harjot also felt pity over the poor kid who was legally permitted to meet her own mother once in a month just for the limited span of two hours.

He sighed knowing something as trivial as a divorce or separation of one's parents can cause heavy disruptions in a child's life which sometimes becomes worse than losing them to death.

Kartik remembered, "Baby, Maa asked us to return before Sunil Chachu got back from work." Ruchi was aware of the same, she still pleadingly looked at her brother, "I want to stay a little more with Mummy, Bhai. Please! Bas thodi der aur ruk jaate hain na..." She requested back slowly.

["Let's just stay for a while, shall we..."]

"Baby..."

"Today is Friday, Bhai, Papa won't be home early. Badepapa told me that his boss gave him a lot of office work to do during the weekend and so he would be really late." She implied but still the worry lines didn't dissolve from Kartik's forehead, "Arey! Daro mat, Bhai." Ruchi thoughtfully explained. "There will be no problem because both of us will just be a little."

["Hey! Don't be afraid, brother."]

"What if they scold me?"

"Main hoon na!" She proclaimed, "Nobody would scold you."

["I am here."]