D for Daddy

14. Invitation

Armaan came back to the empty house and oopened the door with the key he had.

He was surprised to see an envelop that was pushed in from the slit of the closed door. He picked up the envelop and his eyes narrowed upon reading his own name.

Who would write a letter to him?

With a skeptical mind he turned around the golden-yellow envelop and narrowed his eyes. The envelop was from a certain boarding school - Rosewood High, somewhere in Dehradoon. His young mind clouded with thousands of questions as he carefully tore opened the envelop and pulled out a letter pad like paper and read it carefully.

Armaan sat down on the sofa once he read the letter. It came as a complete surprise that he was invited to Rosewood High to spend the Diwali Vacations. He did not even know that such a place existed and he did not understand how and why anyone from Dehradoon would contact him and invite him to spend the vacations at an unknown place.

He carefully folded the letter and waited patiently for his father to show up. There was no way that Kian had applied on his behalf. Kian would never send him to an unknown place, atleast not without discussing.

Kian came home and found the boy sleeping on his stomach in the back garden. Maan lay down on the soft grass in the evening breeze and tried to wave off the fatigue. After a cold splash of water, Kian walked in the kitchen, letting the boy sleep a bit more under the dinner was ready. He knew Maan was hungry and if he was awake, he would gobble down at least two apples and then would not eat what was cooked. Letting him sleep was a better option.

Kian blinked when he looked at the envelop kept on the dining table. He picked it up and found that it was already opened and read.
He pulled out the paper and read the letter, only to have his heart skip a beat.

He read it again. His little boy was invited for a stay at a reputed boarding school in Dehradoon.

The name of the city froze his body for a mere second before everything came crashing down. The moment he read the signature, he could understand everything and who was behind all this. The first thing he did was dial Kartik's number.

Kartik was in a meeting and replied that he would call back soon with a text message. Kian slummped down on a chair and drank a glass full of water.

He felt as if world was spinning around him. The fact that Maan had read the letter already, was disturbing enough. As if on cue, Maan came in looking for his father.

"Dad?" the boy looked at his father in concern.

Kian looked up startled and blinked with widened eyes.

"Are you alright? You look pale?" Maan asked coming closer.

Kian nodded and stood up.  He did not want to worry the boy unnecessarily.
"I am good, Maan. I will fix a quick meal and then we can study together."

Maan nodded skeptically and was about to walk away to his room when Kian's phone gave out a familiar ringtone. Maan halted in his steps and turned around to look back. Kian hastily looked at the caller id and then back at Maan.

"Stay here and don't follow me." The coldness in his voice made Maan blink in surprise and Kian walked out before he could respond.

"What are you up to, Kartik?" Kian barked once he was out of Maan's earshot.

Kartik did not reply for a moment and Kian was on the verge of losing patience.
"Calm down, Kian. What's wrong?"

"I have received a letter that Maan has been invited to some boarding school for Diwali vacations in Dehradoon. I am sure this is your doing." Kian snapped.