Alone Or Lonely?

CONCLUSION

The next day knocked the door and the Mathur household seemed not in much mood of welcoming it. Forget welcoming it seemed like the night had not yet left the house. None of them had proper sleep.
Finally after a long time, as hunger could no longer be managed within the stomach, Mira's mom had the breakfast table set. After much persistence from her mom and dad Mira had descended from her room, to grace the table with her presence.
Her dad broke the silence and spoke up,

" Miru sweetheart, did you have a good sleep?"

" Since when did it start to matter for you, Mr. Mathur?"

" Stop it Mira, you may have forgotten your manners but at least don't forget that I am your dad and mind you, you just cannot treat me like this." he said giving a stern warning.

Mira was silent for a while. Surprisingly, her mom hadn't spoken anything since quite sometime. She seemed to be busy messaging on her phone.

" Darling, do you have any plans after breakfast?" asked her mom inquisitively.

" No not really, why?"

" You have to go and get me my favorite espresso from the downside cafe." she said.

" I presume, you need to request for a favor and not command like this."

" Well then, you are free to rephrase it the way you please. But now I expect you to get going." her mom said. Like a mechanical doll, which was lost in her own world she reached the cafe and placed the order. She seated herself comfortably on a corner table and patiently waited for her order to be handed over to her.
.............................................................

She came home stomping and fuming all the way from the cafe. She waded through the hallway straight to the kitchen and threw the parcel in front of her mom.

" Are you out of your mind?" screamed her mom.

" Exactly!"

" What do you mean?"her mom asked puzzled.

" Why did you do this to me ha? Every time I try and convince myself that maybe this time, maybe this time you may consider me as a human being but every time you prove me wrong. For heaven's sake when the hell will you stop torturing me like this."

" Firstly calm down Mira, no need to get hyper. Just take a deep breath, relax and tell me what is the matter?" said her mom maintaining a calm yet sophisticated tone.

" Don't even try acting as if you don't know what I am talking about. All this was part of your ploy right, you all of sudden asking me to get your espresso and making me deliberately go to that cafe."

" What ploy, there is some misunderstanding dear!" her mom said acting unaware.
By this time, sensing the noises from the kitchen soaring higher than the threshold even her dad had ushered in the kitchen.

" Mrs. Mathur why the hell did you try setting me up with some random guy, some cheap rogue whom I don't even know."

" Mind your language, Mira! He is not some random guy. He is my friend's son, he comes from an elite family. And yes, I had sent you there so that you guys get to know each other. So what ha, I am your mother if I send you somewhere might as well for a date, what crime have I committed?"

" Yes, you have committed a crime. You have no right to force me like this onto someone. I have always been obeying to whatever you have asked me to do, however silly or disgusting I have felt about it. Not because I lack the ability to rebel but because I felt that if i tried doing any of this it might push me away from you guys and I didn't want that, but never did i realise that it was not me who was drifting apart but it was you guys. I always walked on the way you guys wanted me to just hoping that someday you may consider walking with me but today this is the limit, I and only I will choose whom I want to be with. And now please don't give me that crap
I am your mom, and don't I have any right on your life!
Just for the record, even if you do happen to say that all I will say to you is that you don't have any right on my life. I don't know about others but at least I will give the right on my life to someone who has been there with me at every stage and not to some show off, kitty party attention seeker!"

" Mira!" screamed her dad slapping her right across the face.
Mira was stunned at this sudden reflex action. She was a bit scared now, for like any normal girl she too knew that whatever you say to the mom, she might just swallow it all but once the dad gets angry, you should simply shut up.

" It's not just your mom who is to be blamed. We had planned this together."

" But dad, you don't understand I can't even imagine myself on a date with somebody else. Please don't ask why, because I have my own reasons." she said sounding sober all over again.

" Kabir, is that your reason?" questioned her dad.
Mira was shocked for a second. She chose to remain silent.

" Please don't deny this because we know everything." said her dad sternly.

Now even she seemed a bit weary of pretending now that they knew all of it.

" Yes dad, it's him. Now that you know of him, yes I like him in fact I really love him."

" Stop this madness Mira. Do you know anything about the man you claim to love?" asked her dad.

" It's not necessary for me to know his bio data to love him. I know him much to just simply love him. And please now you don't start it off like Rina." said Mira confidently.

" We will Mira, we will have to start it off. We care about you god damn it! Why do you think we planned to hook you with someone? Not because we suddenly feel like interfering in your life or we have no other work to do but because we can't see you destroying your life like this." her mom said.

" What do you mean?"she asked nervously sipping some water from a glass.

" What we mean is that you haven't been able to trace him. Have you ever thought why? That's because he doesn't exist Mira. He is not there. Please try and understand." pleaded her mom.

She angrily broke the glass.
" No..no that's not possible." she screamed aloud.
" Mira, we care for you. We are not lying. We may not have been the best of your friends but that doesn't mean we are your enemies dear! Please believe us, we beg of you."pleaded her parents in unison.

She was stunned at the tone of her parents. She dropped down to her knees on the floor.
For the first time in a long while had such concern, such love and such honesty been reflected from the voice of her parents. In amidst this incompleteness there was a tingling sensation of fulfillment that had tightly gripped her. The fulfillment, the satisfaction of a life long thirst getting quenched in that one moment. Tears started flowing like tsunami from her eyes and her eyelids started drooping.
Seeing her cry like a baby her mom rushed towards her and tightly hugged her.
" Don't worry baby, we are always there with you. Stop crying. You know we would never like to see you cry right?"asked her mom. Sensing Mira silent her mom slightly shoved her apart and felt her body unbalanced and its weight shifting entirely towards her. Horrified as she was, there in the corner of the eye her mom could see a big piece of glass stuck in the tissue of her wrist region which had slit it from within and blood was hurling out like a fountain from her body. Before she could take a stock of the situation or react, her daughter slowly shut her eyes and her life reached a full stop.