Discrete parodies

Birthday plans.....

That day is spent in celebrating Reema's birthday. But in between she gets her mother's call.

Anokhi- Maa? Sab theekh toh hai?

Rama- Haan beta. Aaj woh bahar gye hai. Isliye call kar lia.

Anokhi- Maa aap kaise ho?

Rama- Mein toh bilkul theekh hoon. Par teri fikar hoti hai. Tu kaisi hai? Dost bane hai tere?

Anokhi- Haan maa. Bohot acche dost hai meri. Reema naam hai uska.

Rama- Achaa. Pichle hafte tera birthday tha aur mein call tak nhi kar payi. Par tere paas toh tere dost rhe honge. Tumhare janam din ko khas banane ke liye?

Anokhi- Maa. Haan maa. Bohot achese kata.

Rama- Toh photo bhej de jaldi. Tere papaji aane se pehle dekhkar delete kar dena hai mujhe.

Anokhi- Mumma. Woh... woh. Mere phone mein toh nhi hai. Baad mein bhejti hoon.

Rama- Par bohot accha laga. Tera birthday manaya iss saal tune acchese. Mein toh meetha bana deti thi chupke se thoda. Uske eliva toh kuch kar nhi payi.

Anokhi- Maa. Kaisi baatein bol rhi ho aap?

Rama- Iss saal toh mubarak bhi nhi de payi tujhe janam din ka.

Anokhi- Maa aapne mujhe padhne bheja wohi sabse badi baat hai.

Rama- Beta woh toh hak hai tera.

Anokhi- Maa. Thanks.

Rama- Achaa beta woh aa jayenge kabhi bhi. Mein chalti hoon.

Anokhi- Bye Maa.

After Anokhi keeps the call, Anokhi feels that it's time to probably turn the lie into a truth. Maybe for her mother. And she can't change the past for her mother but no mother if she has been through horrible situations will wish her child to not have a birthday. Her not having a birthday is not going to make her mother or her sister feel better. So why not celebrate it so that they feel that she is cared for. She rings up Shaurya who was at the dinning table. This was unusual for the Sabbarwaals as Shaurya had over the years convinently resorted to meals in his room. His phone started to buzz and Anokhi's name showed. All the members on the table stopped nibbling staring at his phone screen. Shaurya was caught in a moment. He chose not to pick up and continue with his meals as if nothing had happened.

Devi- Yeh Anokhi iss waqt kyu call kar rhi hai? Yeh koi waqt hai call karne ka?

Shaurya- Mom maine hi bola tha. Fest ka kuch kaam bola tha aur usne nhi kia time se toh mein bhi gussa ho gya aur bola ki aaj raat tak kar de.

Tej- Shaurya organizer badal dete hai? Aur koi student rakh de?

Shaurya- Nhi bade papa. Usse samjha kar rahunga ki kitni badi responsibility li hai. Aur yeh uske bas ka nhi hai. Jab tak woh give up naa kare mein nhi chodunga.

Shaurya had realized that lies were his only option as he didn't expect the Sabbarwaals to understand anything. Apart from Kanchan of course. But he would have to change the way he saved her number to avoid getting caught. Oh God! He was an adult. Why did he need to make these elaborate schemes to date someone? He didn't know why he could not just admit the truth. Why were they so controlling? Why was everything about him dissected and invited interference? He was lucky that he could get away from them through his work and room service of a dinner or pretending to go to bed early when in reality he would be reading, watching animals or marvel films or other things... Other things! Was he meant to stop other things now that he was dating? I mean that's how he always was but? Anokhi was literally a kid.... And how is their sex life going to be. This was no dinner table thought. And actually a pretty stupid thought. But moral of the story he didn't know why he never could truly express himself and instead had to lie. Hell he could atleast be openly angry with Aastha. Here it was weirdly toxic.... All of them too close and very little space to breathe in.....Hmm.