The Umbrella Partner

Chapter 6 - Easier dead than done

Quick recap because it has been years.

Shravu's mum and dad are getting a divorce. He is being bullied. Devansh is worried. Prakruthi is concerned. Santa Claus aunty is busy taking care of her grandson. Uttara had a fight with both her dad and her girlfriend.

---***---

"When aunty told me you're here, my heart sank a little." I made a show of licking my donut.

Gross? Yes.

But absolutely necessary when Uttara, the food snatcher, sat beside you.

"Thanks, Deva! Love you too." She said. Not a hint of love or any other emotion in her tone. Borderline creepy.

"See, everytime you're here, it's either because you quarelled with your dad, or almost ended things with your girlfriend." I noticed that she hadn't touched her donut while I almost finished mine. Honestly, it's concerning. "Uttara, what's going on? You look worried."

She took a bite, though it looked like she did it just to have something to do. "My dad thinks I brought shame to my family, both living and dead. If I dug my ancestors' graves I'd find them rolling inside. No, seriously."

"What's his problem now? I thought he agreed to look at this from your point of view." I knew her father back when they lived here. He was overprotective. A typical baby boomer who loved his children with all his heart, but seldom cared about their emotional well-being.

He didn't have a problem with lesbians per se. He just hated that his daughter was one.

He had his reasons though.

One, he wanted grandchildren.

Two, who would do masculine chores like opening tight jars, cutting watermelons and stuff, if there was no 'man of the house'?

Three, what would the society say?

Uttara took another bite. "I took him to meet Radhika. He--"

"Whoa! You made them meet? That's progress, dude."

"Yes, it is. At least it was, until my dad subtly hinted that Radhika is the main culprit in turning me into who I am today. Didn't go well with her. To her credit, she didn't yell at him. Just stood up and left."

Did he seriously use the word Turning? What did he think his daughter was? A werewolf?

If only he had just opened his phone and did some research instead of sending silly good morning messages on group chats. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. No one knows what to say."

"Did you speak with her after this, er, fiasco?" I knew her dad was a lost cause. At this point, her focus should be on making damage control and end whatever quarrel she had with Radhika.

"She thinks I should stop trying so hard. He'll come around when he'll come around." Uttara's superhuman effort to not tear up filled my heart with a rare combination of pity and admiration, if that was even possible.

"Listen to her. There's just no pleasing him. Accept that he will never come to terms with it." I advised her.

Harsh? Yes.

But absolutely necessary.

Someone had to drill this through Uttara's thick skull, that she was hurting the person who did nothing wrong, by waiting for her father's approval.

"Go, live your life. If in a few years he relents, it will be a pleasant surprise. The bar is low. But hey! Still better than expecting something and only feeling disappointed in return."