Colliding Fates (On Hold)

Chapter 3: A Sense of Belonging

Closing the door and taking a seat on the couch opposite Mama and Mami, Dua said, "I hope you had a good journey from Delhi," with her usual smile.

"We did," Mama replied with a smile. "How is the restaurant going?" he continued.

"Good," Dua replied with a smile.

"It will be, Sara always had a talent for cooking!" Mami exclaimed in a loud voice. "And I read the article about your restaurant in the 'Taste of the Month' column of the magazine. I felt so proud saying that my girls run the restaurant," she continued, clapping her hands.

The phrase 'my girls' grated on Dua's nerves. It only meant that Mami wanted something. Dua had always longed to belong somewhere, to have a place she could call home. It had taken a lot of time for Dua to heal from her parents' death. When Mama and Mami came for them, she thought she would find a home again. Oh, but how wrong she was. Moving to Mumbai, starting 'Masala Grill,' buying a scooter, having a home with the stairs she adored, and the best part—doing it all with Sara—finally made her feel at home, her safe place, a place where she belonged, and a family she truly belonged with. Having all these happy moments should have meant moving on, right? But somehow, the term 'my girls' brought back bitter memories. 'My' implied something personal, a sense of closeness, and there was nothing close about Dua's relationship with Mami. Nevertheless, she plastered her usual smile on her face as an acknowledgment.

"Beta, Zafar got a job in Mumbai," Mami said, boasting about her son.

"That's good, Mami," Dua replied, nodding with a smile.

"It is, but you know how expensive everything is in Mumbai," she said, glancing at Mama.

Dua sensed the direction the conversation was taking, so she quickly got up and said, "I almost forgot, you guys had a long journey, and I didn't even offer tea. I'll go and make some." She walked towards the kitchen, which was attached to the living room without a separating wall.

"Sara is right," Dua thought, walking to the kitchen to make tea for Mama and Mami. "Mama and Mami will never change," she thought, shaking her head and picking up the tea bags.

Opening the fridge to retrieve the milk, Dua could sense Mami standing behind her. Taking the milk, Dua walked over to the stove while listening to Mami's words.

"Beta, the problem is Zafar doesn't have a place to stay," Mami said in a lower, softer voice. Dua began stirring the pan of milk, dropping the tea bags in, and remained silent

Mami continued, gesturing towards Mama, "So, we were wondering if Zafar could stay here with you girls," pointing at the home.

Dua continued stirring and replied in a soft voice, "Mami, there are only two bedrooms here, Sara's and mine. Where will Zafar sleep?"

"That's no problem! You girls can share a room, and Zafar can have his own room," Mami suggested, coming up with a solution.

"He can have his own room anywhere in Mumbai," Dua said, picking up the sugar.

"Yes, but with you girls, he will have a good home and food," Mami insisted.

"Mami, there is only enough space for the two of us, and we're not home that much. We're usually at the restaurant, catering events, or busy with deliveries. So, Sara doesn't cook much at home either," Dua explained.

"Did Sara put you up to this?" Mami said, growing frustrated.

"Don't! Don't bring Sara into this," Dua snapped, finally looking at Mami. "You are talking to me about Zafar. Sara doesn't even know about this. So why bring her into this?" Dua's voice grew firm, leaving Mami speechless. Noticing that the tea was about to overflow, Dua swiftly turned around to turn off the gas, breaking the eye contact.