After visiting Girisha's shop, Aashna returned to her home. She looked at the table on which she had kept her folder for her parents to see. It had changed its position, clearly pointing to someone's keen interest in the contents. Aashna smiled seeing that her parents were interested in her her life, even just a tiny bit, as rightly said by Girisha.
She noticed how her parents were trying to avoid eye contact with her, for reasons better known to them. She had just climbed one whole step on the ladder of her motivation to make things right. She picked up the folder, turned a few pages and started reciting whatever was written there.
"12th July, an eleven-year-old dyslexic kid can finally read a whole page of a nursery rhyme, with zero errors," Aashna said, expecting her parents to hear her words. "On 20th August, a hearing-impaired kid learned new words in sign language and had a free conversation for fifteen minutes straight. 25th August, the professor was proud of my research skills and entrusted another student to work alongside me. 5th September, my proposal gets approved for a national research competition..." Aashna could go on and on. She had deliberately noted down all her achievements that she felt she should be proud of, in hopes that one day if her parents read it, they would be proud of her, too.
However, she was interrupted by her father in the middle of her reading session. "What are you trying to prove here? That you're doing well without us and you don't need your parents anymore?" He asked, in a seemingly rude voice.
"Partially... yes." Aashna kept the folder back and replied in a calm tone. "I believe you've already seen this folder, so I might as well give you a little background to it. Mummy, Papa, I am doing fine. Amazing, actually. And I am trying my best to ensure that I do well for the rest of my life as well. This is exactly what you want for me, I know that. I know it's hard to believe for you, but please trust me. Psychology is an excellent field. I can be of help to people in many ways just like other doctors. The times have changed. I will have a brilliant scope, exposure and massive respect from all over the field. God forbid in case I don't, I will create my scope. This is all I had for an explanation from my side. Further, I only have requests for you."
She took a deep breath before continuing, "Please have faith in me, please don't turn away from me, please don't abandon me... I am doing this for myself, please let me be a little selfish and have your support here... Please, for once, keep aside all the things you've heard from society, and all those things that you wanted to say to society, and... believe in your daughter. I know you need time to digest all the new information in these generation gaps, and I am here to wait for as long as you want, I promise. I will prove both my words and my future to you." She was done speaking. Her parents were willing to give her a chance, is what she felt and looked at them with hopeful eyes.
Her parents looked at each other, feeling forced to make a decision. She quickly spoke up again, "It's okay, I'll wait for your response. Also about what happened at home the other day... The boy and the girl you met there, are nice people. We weren't doing anything bad, haha, whatever you had assumed." She chuckled recalling the funny part of that day and lightening the atmosphere a bit. "We were just talking and eating snacks, that's all. That boy, Kartik, doesn't live with us." Aashna cleared up some left-out things and picked up her folder again. "Well, then..." She said and went into her room, giving them time to think about her speech.
As soon as she entered her room, she finally felt relieved and got some time to check her phone. It was filled with failed attempts to contact her by Muskan and Kartik. She replied to Muskan's text and ended up on a video call for Abeer's Art competition result declaration.
- X - X - X - X - X -
The next morning, Aashna went to Girisha's home. She sat there and told her about the promise she had made to her parents. Girisha was proud, happy and feeling accomplished. Meanwhile, Girisha's grandmother entered the living room and saw Aashna sitting there.
"Dadiji! Namaste," Aashna greeted and touched grandmother's feet.
"How are you? You are here after so long. You don't feel like meeting your Dadaji and Dadiji often now?" Grandmother blessed Aashna and sat beside her.
"Uh... No, nothing like that... I'm sorry I'll visit more, hehe." Aashna smiled.
"Good girl." Dadiji returned her smile. "But, what are you doing here? What about your college?"
"College is all good. Really. I'm here to be with Girisha for some time until the shops-"
"Uhmmm Aashna, I lied." Girisha visibly deflated while confessing.
"Huh?" Aashna knitted her eyebrows along with a gradually decreasing smile.
"The shop... is perfectly fine... and... there was... no robbery anywhere..." Girisha said while looking all over the room, avoiding Aashna's gaze.
"GIRISHA WHAT!?" Aashna's frown was at its peak by then and her eyes were wide enough to pass as golf balls. She stood up, towering over Girisha, to get her attention for she had some explaining to do.
"See, calm down," Girisha looked up at Aashna and tried to make her sit back, "I did that so you could return home, and get things right, at home."
"BUT YOU LIED-" Aashna thought she had a hold on Girisha with that anger, but the latter had other plans.
Girisha didn't let Aashna finish her words and forcefully pushed her onto the sofa to make her sit. "Oh shut up. I said that I am going to make things right, as they should be."
"But-"
"This is how I did it. You are here now, having full-fledged, fruitful conversations with your parents."
"Listen-" Aashna kept trying to speak.
"My job here is done. Yours is too, I guess, to some extent."
"I- uh-"
"You can return home today. Goodbye." Girisha stood up and pulled up Aashna to push her out of the home. "Say goodbye to Dadi, Bye Dadi!"
"What was- Oh right, Dadiji, Bye!" Before Aashna could form proper words, she was thrown out of Girisha's home.
As Aashna stood in her room, packing her bags, she was disappointed with Girisha's lie but was somewhat relieved that nothing bad was happening in her life, at least. She happily said goodbye to her parents and booked a cab to go home that very day.
Sitting in the cab, she again checked her phone.
[Abeer is admitted to hospital.] the text said.
___________________________________________
A/N: That's all for today's chapter. Do not forget to engage! :)
(Posted some spoilers on Instagram, go check!)
See you in the next chapter! Until then, Happy Reading <3
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His Favourite Book
General Fiction*MATURE BECAUSE*: It contains serious, sensitive and triggering topics like self-harm, unhealed trauma, assault, murders, etc. Reader discretion is advised. We are all flawed in some way or another, aren't we? How far can we go into our real persona...
