SAY YOU SAY ME

CHAPTER 5

Both Arushi's mom and dad were pretty excited about their daughter coming to meet them after about a year and had clearly gone over the top. Arushi's dad had probably shopped the entire grocery store and Arushi's mom had been working in the kitchen since a day putting in effort to make all her favorite dishes.

Arushi's parents lived a middle-class lifestyle and no matter how much Arushi tried to spoil them with latest gadgets, attires and some other stuff, all they did was stack them up in their wardrobes only to be 'used later', a later that never really came whatsoever. She clearly remembers how she gifted her mom with a Chennai Silk saree and her dad with a Ralph Lauren Tuxedo saving three years of her stipend to wear at a wedding and they couldn't stop telling everybody they met how costly the attires were and how their daughter had worked hard day-in-and-day-out to gift them such attires. She couldn't help but laugh when her mom narrated what they had said at the wedding because it was clear exaggeration.

"Shefali, this time I swear if you don't teach me how to make biryani hands-on, I will get really pissed off."- Arushi's mom, just like any other person who had had the wonderful experience of tasting Khala's biryani, was an ardent fan of the same. She had tried her recipe over phone which unfortunately turned out to be a disaster and this time she was motivated to learn it from her hands-on.

Khala laughed- "Sure, Arti. I am just about 5 minutes away."

"Ahaan, I got to know from Aru that you work for INB as well. That's great. How was your experience at the US?"- Arushi's dad said.

"Yes uncle. I had always wanted to be a neurosurgeon and Harvard Med School provided the best of training and exposure that I could get. It was one of the best experiences of my life and whatever my skills are as of now, are all because of the quality exposure I received amongst top notch doctors."

"Well, that seems quite exciting. But how did you manage there all alone?"- Arushi's mom asked.

"Actually, I did have my tuition fees waivered through scholarships and regarding my stay, I did quite a couple of odd jobs until I had an MBBS degree. Thereafter, I'd earn pretty well as a doctor."

"Five years of odd jobs! That's an achievement Ahaan."- Arushi's dad said. He was clearly impressed.

"What were the odd jobs like?"- Arushi was inquisitive

"Umm, quite a few, like bartending, washing cars, working as a cashier or sometimes a librarian. I even joined in as chef at an Indian restaurant."

"Ahh! I knew it. Being a chef would definitely be in your list of odd jobs."- Arushi and Khala smiled at one another.

"How's work at Bangalore going? Aru told me you're her boss and I seem to like the idea to bits. She needs someone to hold her horses, I tell you."- Arushi's mom exclaimed and Arushi looked at her annoyed.

"Umm, not quite literally Aunty. We both work for a project at INB. That's all."

"No Ahaan. I report to you in regards to the project. So, you are my boss."- Arushi said, chiming in the word 'boss'. She loved to tease Ahaan over how he supposedly is her 'boss', because Ahaan didn't quite like the concept of being someone's 'boss'. What was it, a corporate office? Ahaan just gave a playfully tired face.

"Didn't she create any ruckus? I wait all year long for her to come to me and tell me all the ruckus she created in a year. Such a messy and chaotic girl that you are!"- Arushi's mom said

Ahaan and Khala could immediately recall how Arushi had suffered a blow on her head during the riots at Garden City, how Ahaan and Arushi had been stranded on a lone highway, how she'd gone far enough to donate blood for an accident patient only to find herself weak in her knees for 2 whole days. Ahaan and Khala really did have some fun teasing Arushi over all that she did and all that happened with her.