Meant To Be

Chapter 14. Love Lost

    "Where were you?" asked Sam's father coldly, as she sat near the shoe rack and unbuckled her left shoe.
    "I...er.." her mind was suddenly blank. She had by hearted this excuse so many times, since she had left for the concert, but the intensity with which the expected question was asked was unnerving. She quickly unbuckled her right shoe, removed her shoes and kept them neatly in their place.
    She stood up to face her parents. There was a look of intense anger on her father's face while her mother kept looking at her and then at her father, changing her expression with every turn of her head. When she looked at Sam's father, there was a worried look on her face and when she looked at Sam, there was a look of intense anger and hatred clearly etched on her face.
    There was complete silence in the house. No sound could be heard, except for the birds chirping outside, in the yard and Sam's own breathing, which has surprisingly become heavy. The best she could think of at the moment was to break the silence, by blurting out her by hearted excuse, which at last she remembered.
    But as she opened her mouth to speak, her father came almost came running towards her and the next thing she knew- there was a great 'whack', she had closed her eyes and her left hand was on her left cheek. Her father had slapped her.
    Sam opened her tear- filled eyes, and as her tears streamed down her cheeks, she could clearly see her father's expression. He was shaking from head to toe. He had never been so angry in his life, especially with his darling daughter.
    He raised a shaking finger at her. "JUST. SHUT. UP." he barked. Even though, his hands were shaking uncontrollably, his voice was firm. "We know. You were with those people." he jerked his head towards the window. Sam understood. He was talking about Boby and Shammi. Her parents hated them so much, especially Boby, that they considered it inappropriate to say their names.
    Without waiting for an answer he continued as if he was sure that his assumption was correct. "And what is going on between you and that guy?" Again he jerked his head towards the window.
    Sam's heart gave a small heart attack. "How did they...?" She tried her best to act as if she didn't know anything. She put on a bewildered look on her face and shook her head slightly.
    Now it was her mother's turn. All this time she had stood rooted on her spot, watching the entire drama and not stopping her husband even once. She came striding towards Sam and pinched her hard.  Sam winced. "Don't lie. The neighbours are talking about you. Roaming around with that guy, every day and then lying on our face." her mother said, continuing to pinch her. Sam removed her hand from her cheeks and placed it where her mother had pinched her. Her left cheek burned, as if frying it in a pan.
    The neighbours were watching us? "Forget it dear,.." her father said turning towards her mother and slumping down in the chair near the shoe rack, ".... this shameless girl has done things, and that too in front of everyone, to such extent, that we can't even show our faces to anyone...anymore." he jerked his head towards Sam and buried his face in his palms.
    "Hmph. Celebrating her birthday with her "lover" and that too with a guy who has a wife." Sam's mother hissed.
     Fresh tears were streaming down Sam's face. She had never felt so ashamed of herself in her entire life. She had never let down her parents so much in her life. She had a great desire to just explain that there was nothing between them, but she had completely lost her voice. How could her parents believe her when their entire neighborhood was talking about them. Of course they'd say that they see them every evening, and some of them might've even seen them in the concert.
    After what felt like ten minutes, her father finally stood up. She had felt even even more miserable in that ten minutes and was thankful for some kind of a movement. Her father's  expression was unreadable. "I've decided" he started, in a voice as if someone had cried a lot, "that we won't be staying here anymore. We leave this village. Today itself. Go and pack your bags."
    Sam's stomach churned and fell down from its place. It was the last thing that she'd wanted to hear, at that moment. Leaving this house forever, where she'd taken her first steps, she'd learnt to talk,  where she'd spent half her life, spent all the happy moments, was just the thought that she couldn't digest. And more that that, she wasn't ready to accept the fact that she wouldn't be able to see Boby anymore, see his charming face anymore, listen to his talks anymore, go on evening walks with him anymore. Every single thing and person,  what and who had meant so much to her, came flashing in her mind.
    She tried her best to persuade her father, to give her one chance, to give up the idea of leaving the house. She even fell down on her knees and folded her hands as if asking for mercy. But her father stood firm. He avoided her gaze. Even Sam's mother was crying now.
    "GO!" her father barked. Sam's stomach jerked and she slowly got up. She knew that she had no choice.