Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 81. It was a secret

"How about this one, Sandhya?" Faiyaz asked while pointing at a red scooter.

"Looks nice, but the design is too flashy," I replied.

"Let's check that section," Zoya suggested.

It was Dad's birthday tomorrow, and I wanted to gift him a scooter as a present. Thanks to my part time job, I had enough money to buy one without any problem.

Zoya and Faiyaz were helping me out, and we used the chance as an excuse to hang out since it was Faiyaz's last day in the city before he shifted places for his job.

"I like this one; the mileage is pretty good too and I am sure your dad will like something retro styled," Faiyaz said.

I gave him a huge smile when I finally found the perfect scooter for Dad. The design was as per his preference and the price was reasonable too. After talking to the sales employee, I made the payment and told them to deliver it to my house on the specified time.

After the shopping trip, Zoya, Faiyaz and I roamed around while discussing Faiyaz's job. We parted ways when the sky got covered with dusky hues, and I reached my home to prepare for Dad's birthday.

Mom was preparing dinner, and I took care of the remaining decorations. She informed me that Avasthis would come to our home for the celebration, and I nodded while sticking the balloons in the hall. She asked me what gift I had bought for Dad, and I winked at her.

It was a secret.

We had dinner and as expected, Dad tried to know beforehand what we had planned for him. Mom shook her head at him and he pouted. We finished our dinner with their continuous bantering and retired to our rooms.

I smiled when I replayed the earlier moments and plopped down on my bed. I checked the time: 9:45pm. I closed my eyes and imagined how Dad would react on seeing his gift.

∆~×~∆

"Happy birthday, Dad!" I jumped on him.

He groaned when I landed on top of him, and Mom laughed while recording it with the camcorder. Dad was still sleeping, and even though I greeted him the same way every year, he always forgot about it.

He opened his eyes and when he saw me, he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tightly.

"Get up, old man," I said and got off him.

"I am not old," he replied and smiled at us after we placed a chocolate cake in front of him and tied a birthday hat on his head.

"What about gifts?" he asked and cut the cake.

"You will get them later when everyone arrives. For now, let's enjoy ourselves," Mom said.

Dad grinned like a kid and fed us the cake. Mom and I repeated the same and we finished off the whole dessert within minutes. After the small celebration, we got ready to welcome the guests for Dad's birthday bash.

Some colleagues from his work, Mom's friends and Nikhil's parents arrived on time. I helped Mom in taking care of them but kept glancing out of the house. There was still time for my gift to arrive, but I had to make sure that Dad didn't notice it.

All the guests present were of my parents' age and only Nikhil was from my age group. I was getting bored myself, but I couldn't go and talk to him. So, I just roamed around the house and played on my phone in between.

Honk!

I snapped up from my spot and rushed out when I heard the horn of the transportation tempo. It stopped in front of my house and a man asked for me. Before Mom could enquire about it, I reached them and signed on the delivery papers.