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I went and sat down on the stool in the kitchen and plugged in the headphones to my iPod . Immediately selecting the playlist I had especially saved and kept for such occasions, I relaxed. This was going to take a while ... When mom would start lecturing me on deciding my future career choice and it would go on to a small chapter on ' Why You Shouldn't Be Like Ann-among other things' .

Thank God she hasn't figured out I had headphones on under my scarf..That would definitely result in all hell breaking loose.

You know your dad and I want you to go to an Ivy League college. We approve of you having freedom and all, and obviously you can do what you want later on.. But for now you should get into one of the best colleges and do Business. I know you like Arts,but really this is for your own good.

Another month went by and there I was again, sitting on the same stool, listening to a longer version of the same lecture.

We think you need to stop hanging out with your friends. You need to concentrate on studies. I know you are in the top 10 of your class, but why aren't you the topper ?

More months, more lectures, same playlist, same stool, same me.

Maybe you can try harder next time Ann? Don't we provide you with enough resources? Why exactly have you lost one mark in your paper again?

I guess you are wondering why I kept listening to this and never said anything back to her instead. It's just that this was what connected her to me. It kept her sane to pretend I was still alive and hadn't committed suicide 3 months back. So I visited her every month and sat on the same stool, with the same playlist, pretending to listen.