One Shots #VariaSquad

A real Dhawan

'I'm eighteen ma, why do I have to ask my dad before I leave the house?' she demanded. 

'Don't take that tone with me. As long as you live under this roof, you will follow the rules Anjali. If you want to go out, go ask your dad.' 

'I'm telling you, why do I have to go tell him?' she questioned, attitude becoming worse by the second. 

'Because he's your dad and that's the rule.' 

'And you're my mum so I should just be able to tell you.' she argued, fixing me with a look I often gave Varun in our arguments. Though her behaviour was way out of line, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, knowing she wouldn't act out like this for no reason. 

'Fine, just this once, I'm saying yes. But I want names of who you're going out with and you have to be back before one.' I permitted with a sigh.

'Seriously ma? I have to give you a list of names? What? Do you not trust me?' she queried, trying and failing to make me feel guilty.

'Anjali, I have no idea what's gotten into you but I don't like this behaviour. These are the rules, you either follow them or you don't go anywhere.' 

'Ugh, fine, I'm going out with Tania and Priya. Happy?' 

'Try again, and this time, don't lie.' I said, fully aware that she wasn't just going out with a couple of friends. 

'Okay, maybe not just Tania and Priya, Aamira and Bella are coming too.' she admitted.

'Uh-huh and the names of the boys coming out with you?' I asked, recognising the evasion tactic. 

'Rahul, Aryan, Rohan and Raj.' she finally conceded. I was about to say it was okay before my brain flagged one of the names. 

'Raj, as in Raju Somani?' Any parent with kids at Anjali's college knew the name, especially if they had daughters; he was a trouble maker, easily pulled girls in with his looks and charm and then broke their hearts and, more often than not, ruined their reputation as well. 

'Uh, yeah.' 

'No, absolutely not.' I denied. 

'But ma-'

'But nothing. You know full well you're to have nothing to do with that boy. You aren't going anywhere.' I refused.

'Come on ma, we're all going and you know Rahul, Aryan and Rohan, they're all good guys.' she persuaded. 

'I don't care. You are not going anywhere where that boy is going to be present.'

'But the girls are coming too.' she persisted. 

'Anjali, even if one of your brothers was coming with you, you wouldn't be allowed.' 

'This isn't fair!' she snapped. 

'Fair or not, you aren't going and that's the end of it. Now stop making such a fuss or I'm going to have to get your dad involved.' I warned. 

'You are such a hypocrite ma. When you were my age, you spent all your time with dad and kaka but I'm not allowed to go out just cause there'll be a couple of guys there?' 

'This has nothing to do with you going out with guys, Anjali, and you know it.' I refuted, close to snapping at her. 

'What do you have against Raj? I bet when you met dad he was the same.' 

'Your dad was nothing like that boy when we met, in fact, he was never anything like him.' I told her, taking a breath to calm myself. 

'Oh yeah, I'm sure.' she scoffed.