LOVE AND LOATHE

Chapter 2 HOPES AND HICCUPS

Prerna's POV:

The day passed as quickly as I picked up the parcel from the post office, gave a couple of lectures at the school and reached home in the evening.

I placed the parcel carefully on the dining table as I filled a glass of water from the purifier beside the table. I changed into some night-fits and went to the living room to catch-up with Maa.

"Mumma! The Teacher of the Year Award has been announced! And I'm confident that I'll win!" Again, no answer. It seemed like the silence stretched longer since the day I decided to part ways with medicine.

"Of course you'll, my victor!" I turned around towards the voice. "Papa!!" I leapt onto him into a hug.

"You're home already papa??"

"Haan, actually I didn't have any surgeries scheduled today. So, here I am, with my choti si pari!"

("So, here I am, with my little angel!")

"Ab toh aapki choti si pari bohot badi ho chuki hai papa... Ab school padhne nahi padhane jaati hai yeh pari." I slowly withdrew myself from the hug as Dad put his hand on my head in a gesture of blessing.

("Your little angel has grown up dad... Now, she goes to the school as a teacher, not as a student,")

Just then, Maa pushed herself up off the couch and approached Dad.

"Dinner's ready." She said sharply.

"I already ate before coming home, at a restaurant," Dad snapped.

"What do you mean you ate outside?? Why can't you wait till you reach home?? You should've told me if you didn't want me to make dinner," My sight got blurry and I could sense my heartbeat rising.

"You should've asked before you cooked food for me, Bhargavi."

I knew I had to step in at this point. "It's okay Mumma, I'll have the food. I'll have the leftovers next morning too, so don't worry, food won't be wasted." Maa just left the hall and she didn't even cast a look at me. I could feel the chills down my stomach and I couldn't catch my breath. What is this? Why does this keep happening every time Maa and Papa have a conflict?

"It's okay beta, she's just disappointed at you, she doesn't hate you. She's your mother, she'll talk to you sooner or later... Don't worry about it," Guess Dad read the yearning in my face. "That's exactly what a daughter doesn't want their parents to be. Disappointed." I muttered under my breath as I walked away and made my way to the park nearby.

I sank onto a bench, struggling to catch my breath. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. My increasing heartrate just kept on intensifying and I felt like I was dying. I couldn't see anything. And then, I heard it--a soft hum. The melody of my favourite song filled the air around me. They were not a great singer but there was something about the voice that soothed my heart and calmed the storm inside me. The voice wrapped around me like a gentle embrace and I could feel my breath again.

Once I gathered myself, I looked around, but the man behind the voice was nowhere to be found. Who could it be? I then noticed a distant silhouette of a man. Ah, it's certainly not the yellow-shirt guy I met this morning. The thought of him made me gag. How could someone be so... annoying?

Athreya's POV:

I was passing by the cafeteria the morning after the encounter with the waitress and I had already made the decision to never visit the cafe ever again even if that meant walking an extra mile for good coffee. Damn, how hard must it be to bear with her nonsense everyday! Thank the stars, I don't have to go through that.

I adjusted my bag strap as I stepped into the school premises, mentally preparing myself for another day of navigating between overenthusiastic teachers and a staff room that always seemed too noisy for my liking. The morning sun made my yellow shirt even brighter--a fact the waitress-girl had already teased me about. As I approached the entrance, I spotted Dhruv, my cousin and longtime partner-in-crime, animatedly chatting with two people--one of whom I instantly recognized.

The waitress-girl. She stood there, laughing at something the other guy had said, her expression completely free of the scowl she reserved just for me. I rolled my eyes at the thought of her and made my way toward Dhruv.

"Yoo, Dhruv!" I called out and he reached out his hand for a fist bump. "Hey, Mr. Sunshine! Trying to blind us all first thing in the morning?"

"Not you too." I groaned.

The other guy stepped in, "Hey! Is this the cousin-cum-bestie you said about?" "Yesss!! Farhaan, meet Athreya," said Dhruv, slapping my shoulder. "Athreya, meet Farhaan; Farhaan's a fabulous photographer, and ---" he gestured to Prerna.

"We've met." Prerna interrupted, her tone clipped.

"Met? Is that what you call that? I definitely think it was more of a debate-slash-roast session." I smirked. She rolled her eyes but ceased to react at all, much to my amusement.

"Greetings!!" Another voice joined the chat. I turned around to see a pretty girl approaching us--with a warm smile and an aura that felt even warmer. And I saw Dhruv's jaw drop at the sight of her.

"Hey! This is Aisha, Aisha Siddiqui. I'm the newly appointed English teacher" she said as she extended her hand.

"Athreyakumar, here. Didn't know we were recruiting optimists," I raised my eyebrows as I shook hands with her. Aisha laughed. "I didn't know we were recruiting walking sunflowers. Nice to meet you too, Athreya."

"A WALKING SUNFLOWER HAHAHHH! That's gonna stick bro. Thanks Aisha." Farhaan snorted.

The group that lacked any fashion chuckled at mine, while a tall guy jogged up to us, slightly out of breath. "Sorry, guys! Traffic was insane," he gasped. "Water?" I offered. "Sure, thanks." After he got his wind back, he introduced himself as Pranav Roy. "So, you're the infamous yellow shirt guy?" "Wow, this is exactly what I signed up for." I groaned as the chat laughed at my fashion. Again. How greatly of them.

"So I am here because Athreya called me, like a casual meet. What about you guys?" Dhruv piped up. "Oh, Pranav, Prerna and I are best friends! We are here for a run-in too," said Farhaan. "We should all hangout sometime. Our vibes definitely match!" Dhruv suggested. "Guess we have some angst here too." Pranav hinted at the waitress-girl and me. The group chuckled slightly and moved on with some casual talks.

The conversation lingered for a while, the casual banter flowed easily. It was an amazing start for the day. Later, Farhaan and Pranav left the campus and Aisha and Prerna went on with their classes. Dhruv was about to leave too when, "Siddiqui Saab!" I called him and not-so-surprisingly he flinched. 

"Ahhhh... So Aisha it is." 

"Bro, I was gonna tell you-" 

"You don't have to tell me da. Enakku unna pathi nee sollala naalum ellam theriyum." 

("You don't have to tell me, I always know.")

We exchanged knowing smiles and went our separate ways.

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