Hearts Crossed

1

"Priyu diii!!!" Nisha screamed as she ran into the house.

Prerna was fixing stuff around the living room and straightened up just as her sister ran in, grabbing her and spinning circles.

"Kya hua!? Itna chilla kyu rahi ho!" Prerna managed to stand still, but Nisha was still jumping.

"Di main select ho gayi!"

"Kahan?!" Prerna asked.

"Main ne Mumbai mein internship ke liye apply kiya tha, aur main M.S hospital mein select ho gayi!"

"Arre nandkisor," a whining tired woman came in, holding her head. "Kahe ka shor machta hai?"

Prerna chuckled and answered. "Bua ji hamari Nishu doctor banne wali hai. Isse Mumbai mein internship milgai hai!"

"To apne yahaan saare huspital ko aag lag gayi hai kya ke "Mumbai" jaana hai?"

Nishi frowned. "Aap hi to kehti hain na ke paise nahi hai, paise nahi hai? Mein doctor ban jaungi to kitne paise aajayein ge!"

"Hai nandkisor!" Bua ji held her head and flopped on the sofa. "Abhi doctor bani nahat hai, matlab. Aur Mumbai ke paise kahaan se aayenge. Abhi to shukar karo thaare paas hum hein. Warna khud kharcha karna parhe to phir pata laage. Mari suno, hum piche Palaash se kehi dete hain. Woh tujhe rakh lega. Koi Mumbai wumbai jaane ki zuroorat naahi."

"Pur bu..." Nisha began, but Prerna shushed her.

"Bus. Tu jaa, upar. Hum baad mein baat karte hai."

"Aapne dekha na, di! Me..."

"Main ne kaha na jao! Shabash, munh haat dho, main khaana banati hoon."

Nisha ran upstairs, rain on her parade.

"Yeh sabh thaari sheh ka natija howe. Aur chardhao sar pe."

"Sahi to keh rahi thi, Nisha. Mumbai me job miljaye gi to zindagi asaan ho jayegi."

"Aur Mumbai jaane aur rehne ke paise kon dega. Tharo baap? Ek to woh nandkisor mar ke tumhein humpe chord gaya."

"Aap ne hi to manga tha! Nahi lena tha na phir hamain!" Prerna got upset and blurted out.

"Haan haan. Hamari ghalti thi jo do anaato ka bhala socha," Bua ji shook her head and put her feet up. "Aik to naiki, aur upar se humpe hi seena jori. Ja, jaake khaana bana. Aur koi faltu istamaal mat karna. Bus thora sa rajma chawal bana do, aur mirche kam rakhna."

Bua ji started fanning herself, ignoring the girl. Prerna, with tears in her eyes, went into the kitchen to cook. As she went about making a simple dish, she thought of her circumstances.

Prerna had been adopted by Bua's brother, and the government gave him compensation. Baba and ma had loved her like their own daughter, and didn't stop loving her when they had their own daughter, Nisha, when Prerna was 6. But when Nisha was 8, their parents died in a car crash in the rain. Bua adopted them, greedy for the government compensation.

Bua only housed them however, and made their lives difficult. But Prerna tried her best to keep Nisha happy. Prerna decided to stay home so Bua could pool the tuition money and send Nisha to a decent school. Meanwhile, Prerna made good friends of her age who would let her learn from their books.

Prerna did the house finances, and so math became her good subject. She gave tuition to her friends, and got some income that way. Prerna also became good at cooking, and sold her food for another income. At first, Bua took all her money. But eventually Prerna became smart and lied about how much she made, so she could keep the rest of her money.

Eventually, the girls got older and Bua gave them more responsibilities. Prerna still saved her little sister from hardship, making sure Nisha was head strong and bold. Prerna also managed to get into a local college, and tested into the year. She sold food to the cafeteria so they could let her attend, and she graduated with a finance degree.

Nisha, bold as she was, was always a soft heart. She took care of her didi just the same. Nisha became good at healing and taking care of animals and people, and decided she wanted to become a doctor.

She studied hard in their college, which wasn't the best in the city, but better than where Prerna had gone. She graduated with top marks, and had managed to get an internship at a hospital in Mumbai, which was a big thing for a girl from a small school.

Prerna was proud of her sister. She would make sure Nisha would be able to go and survive in Mumbai. For now, she would just make Nisha's favorite dish to cheer her up.