𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒊𝒅𝒆

PART-10

Ira lay sprawled on her bed, her eyelashes lowering and lifting with lazy disinterest as she scrolled through her feeds. The faint glow illuminated her face, casting a pale blue light on her bored expression. While the soft hum of the ceiling fan overhead seemed to lull her into a state of numbness.

The door banged open, shattering the lingering silence.

Vaidehi stood at the doorstep; the rustle of her synthetic saree carried the scent of mixed spices. She clenched a worn spatula, her knuckles whitening around the steel handle.

"Get inside your phone already!" Her sharp voice rang out.

Ira's fingers faltered on the screen, and the phone slipped from her grip, landing on the crumpled bedsheet with a soft thud. Her eyes darted to her mother, wide and startled.

Vaidehi’s eyebrows knitted as she took in her daughter’s startled form. The spatula trembled in her hand while she poured out her anger, her face animated with frustration. "For the last four, five months, not once have I seen this girl turning a single page! You're just wasting time! No focus, no ambition. After graduation, what will you do?!"

Ira's shoulders slumped, her chest sinking as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs. A knot of frustration twisted inside her, making her throat constrict. She wanted to speak, to defend herself, but the silence pressed harder, suffocating her.

Vaidehi's voice pressed on, relentless. "You need to think beyond just passing college, Ira! Government jobs, further studies—something. You cannot just drift through life!" Her words echoed off the walls, filling the already fragile atmosphere with a high tension.

Ira's jaw muscles flexed as she gritted her teeth. Her throat constricted, burning with unshed tears that stung her eyes.

Vaidehi's tone remained firm and unrelenting, like a judge pronouncing sentence. "I am still saying, return to the medical path. People clear those exams even after twenty-five. You are only twenty-one. You still have time."

Ira gulped, her lips trembled before she  pressing them tightly. She lifted her gaze, her eyes glinting like shards of glass in the dim light. "If you want it so much, why don't you take the exam yourself? There's no age limit, is there?"

Vaidehi's face darkened. "Don't talk back, Ira! I am your mother. Learn to be respectful toward your elders. And don't be ridiculous. This is about your future."

Ira's hands curled into fists at her sides, her nails digging into the mattress. "I'll do what I want. Not what you decide. I trusted you people once. And now I won't make that mistake again."

With one swift motion, she swang her legs off the bed, snatched her phone from the bedside table, and walked out of the room.

Vaidehi stood frozen in the doorway. Her eyes clouded – less with worry and more with irritation – as her gaze following Ira's retreating figure. The spatula still trembled under her fingers' wrath.

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

Ira sat alone on the rooftop, wrapped in the stillness of the night. The moon glowed above, casting a silver glow on her face and surroundings. But its light seemed powerless to scatter the shadows that clung to her thoughts like dark, swirling clouds. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks, while her muffled sniffles broke the stillness.