Sins to Pride

New York Return

The dining room was grisly with all the visible signs of life but no human sounds. Samara’s parents looked like they were silently at peace as they ate whatever delectable delicacies were decorated on their plates. Samara was partially at peace sitting there at the dining table because although it was surreal to be dining with her family, she wanted them to auspicate a conversation to make the occasion even better.

Where her father was incessantly tapping his thumb on the screen of his Blackberry, her mother was chewing the contents in a very delicate, feminine way, as if barely eating.  Their eyes were anywhere but at their daughter’s dainty features.

To hog their attention, Samara cleared her throat but the sound didn’t reach their ears successfully. “I cracked my recent deal with David D’Souza.” She made it sound like the biggest achievement in the universe, which maybe was for her. 

Her smile faltered as nobody replied to such an amazing news even after a long wait of two agonizing minutes. She was disappointed but didn’t stray from her idea of grabbing their desperately wanted attention. Surprisingly, she wasn’t seething with anger. It was her nature to exhibit serenity in case of her life givers.

Patience is the key, she remembered.

The main course was done and now was the time for dessert. Her favourite chocolate chip ice-cream was presented to her but she barely looked at it. The wheels in her brain were constantly churning in ideas and thoughts and her eyes were fixated on her idols who she worshipped. She knew nothing but the fact that they were her Gods. Just when she was about to speak something, anything at all, her father stated out loud. “We’re having a guest at home, day after tomorrow. “ Samara was astounded for a second because her father was looking her in the eyes and talking to her in particular. She was overjoyed indeed.

“Guest?” She voiced excitedly.

He bobbed his head up and down. “For how long?” She was already mentally planning on how to make the guest feel at home so as to impress her father.

“Two to three months!”

“Isn’t that too long?” She blurted stupidly, as if she were prone to idiocy. Her father gave her a sharp look which ordered her to mind her own damn business and she resisted a tempting urge to wince.

Stupid, stupid!

“Don’t worry daddy! I will take care of her. She will feel at home all the time.” She answered his unspoken question like an obedient toddler. Her lips were stretched into a broad smile.

“He!” Her dearest daddy interrupted her moment of mirth.

“Pardon!” Suneel’s brown gaze swung at his daughter impatiently and he repeated. “The guest is a man, not a lady. His name’s Danish. He was born in India but his parents moved to New York when he was ten. Now he’s twenty seven and has a business proposition for me. I’d in fact like to know what he has in store for me. His father claims he’s a genius.” Samara noted her father’s eyes gleaming with sheer pride, as if Danish shared his genetic code. Looking into his lustrous eyeballs, Samara felt a twinge of jealousy instantly but she decided to channel her emotions and energy into making things work with her family.

Their perfect daughter nodded her head, smiling a fake smile. “Wow!”

“Ravi e-mailed Danish’s picture to me yesterday and I must say; the boy is handsome. He’s a combination of beauty and brains, sweety!” Samara was definite that the word ‘sweety’ was used by her father for her and not her mother. Her heart swelled with bliss and she contained her want of performing a happy dance right at that second as the same word reeled in her head like a broken record. For some reason, her mother’s eyes were covering her daughter suggestively but Samara brushed her odd behaviour aside and focused on her lovely father.