Storm of throes

Chapter 1

I tie my long and wavy hair into a ponytail and clip it,sighing at the usual sound of my parent's quarrel which wakes me up every morning.I stare at my tall,slim figure in the full sized mirror on my cupboard for a long time,my ears still keenly listening to the sound wondering if it would turn into a big fight today.

"Get out of my house!I don't understand why I married you.Useless!",I hear my father scream.Today is not one of the very few days when my house is silent,let alone happy.Happy-the usage of the word by itself is prohibited in this place.I silently manage to get ready so I could leave to office soon.Just as I am applying my mascara,my mother comes into my room murmuring curses at my dad,another part of the fight which I hate the most.They begin to fight and it goes on and on and on until my father tells my mother to get out of the house and she stops screaming and begins to silently curse him.Its been going on ever since I knew them both.And even today,it is not easy.

"Aren't you ever going to eat?Your father will eat forever and I will have to fall on your legs to make you eat.Two extremes and I don't know how to manage.",she sobs.I never console her,never!She sound so pathetic and I sound like the world's worst daughter,don't I?Ignoring her,I walk to the kitchen and take five dosas and some chutney.I try to escape from my father's sight and go to my room but I was too late,"Sit here and eat.Why do always have to go there?It is wrong that I gave you a room."I make a face once he turns to the tv and pull a chair to sit down.It is summer in Hydrabad and the heat is unbearable but this father of mine is glued to the chair which is always under the only fan in the hall.I sit as close to his chair as possible and hungrily eat.I wonder why my mother scolds me for eating,I eat when I'm hungry and I feel totally fine with that.

"Come back early from work,got it?",my father says and I look up at him,pushing inside the dosa that is half hanging from my mouth.I forget my manners when I'm terribly hungry.And that is almost everytime I eat.

"Why daddy?",I ask and immediately regret asking that.I squeeze my eyes shut waiting to hear my dad shout at me to shut up and do as he said.

"I have something to talk to you,come early.",he says,void of any emotion taking me by surprise.I open my eyes slowly and catch him looking at me with a small smile plastered on his lips.I don't smile back cause as soon as I saw this very rare emotion,my mind only wonders if there is something really bad waiting for me.I simply nod,my heart beating thousand miles a minute.

I eat faster than I already was and rush to work without eating the two more dosas I wanted to eat simply because I was scared,scared that this father of mine would drop an atom bomb in my half horrible and half wonderful life.

"Hey,Shruthi....How come you are late than usual today?",Kavya,my cousin stops me just as I rush to my cabin.We have always been more than just cousins ever since we were little kids.There was something between us,some invisible attachment that drove us emotionally close and we have been inseparable ever since we found each other.Love the fate which drove us both to the same school,same college and now,the same workplace.

"Don't even ask me....I'm already feeling like I'm half buried.",I say,turning on my computer.She giggles and I shoot her an angry look and she immediately shuts up.

"With father again!!!Oh....that man.What is his problem this morning?"

"I don't even know what,Kavya.He told me to come early cause he wants to talk something it seems.And you know what!!He smiled.....at me!",my eyes widen apart until I had to calm down so my eyeballs wouldn't roll out.

"Dude ya,so what!Its not like you never had good times with him.He is just obsessed with money that he doesn't know what he is doing.Otherwise,he's fine."

"So effing obsessed that he wouldn't let me to your house when I was 10 years old cause it would take an auto fare of 80 rupees?How crazy is that!",I half scream.