The Niche

The Family Girl.

I woke up to my mother calling me for dinner.

I looked at the clock it was nine at night.

I rose and went to the bathroom, looking into the mirror I found my face all puffy and red (that is what happens when you cry yourself to sleep). I had to wash my face three times in order to look normal; I don't want my mother to ask questions.

By the time I was done my mother already had shouted fifty times.

My mother has no chill.

My dad was home, which was surprising because he never arrives before midnight.

Yes my friends! My dad is Santa Claus.

I ran up to him like I was a little kid and held him tight, I love him. He is a very busy man always off to some land and when he is home; he is always working overtime trying to flourish his self owned enterprise.

He says the whole legacy of business belongs to me and my sister. Honestly, I don't care about that but whatever.

I looked up at him and he was smiling ear to ear; his smile is the best thing in the world. He gets all kid-ish when smiling. Mom says that it was his smile that made her fall for him.

I will do everything to keep that smile on his face.

"How are you, Kim?" he asked

"I am very good dad, how are you?" I said in a very cheery tone smiling joyfully. All the tension was in the back of my head.

"Good good, now I am going to freshen up OK? I'll be downstairs in a moment." He said and went upstairs.

I sat back on the couch and started watching Television. I am more of a YouTube and Vine user so television is never in my radar.

The channel I was watching was showing some dance reality show so I settled with watching that.

After half an hour or so daddy arrived and I joined him at the dinner table.

Dinner in Kapoor household is serene and peaceful only the sound of crockery chinking can be heard. But not today I have so much to talk to my dad and I am sure dad has too so I started the talking spree and my mother joined in.

"So, dad how was your day?" I started.

"It was good, it was amazing the company got a new customer, next week I will be off to Mumbai" he said.

I made a face

"But before that we will be going to your grandmother's house"

This time my mother made a face.

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

"Your aunt's daughter has given birth to your niece and for that your uncle is throwing a party, I just received a call" my dad smiling.

Though my folks are not 'the person of the year' I totally adore them. I can't help it, I am a loving person, and what can I do?

Yeah you love a guy who doesn't love you back, my quirky brain added.

And my cousins are the best people in the world, they are amazing and now a new cousin added to my list, joy!

"When are we leaving? I asked smiling like a mad woman.

"On Friday" he said looking at my mother and giving her a small smile.

"Okay" she sighed.

"When are we coming back?" I asked

"We will be back till Sunday afternoon, so that on Monday you can go to school"

"And yes Alya called, she will be coming in June now, due to her project" my mother said.

Alya Kapoor, my sister was pursuing Bachelors in Arts with Economic Major in Mumbai. She was the gem of that family but didn't come home for a really long time, two years to be exact and staying without her made me so sad I almost lost myself in the darkness of despair. I missed her way too much.

My dad noticed and tried to lighten the mood by telling stories about his funny co-workers.

A co-worker whose shoes smelled and so because of that he wasn't able to go to a premise where shoes weren't allowed and that cost the company a lot of money...

"And so he got fired because of smelly shoes" my dad ended.

We laughed and made jokes and mother also talked about her co-workers, then my dad started the ever popular stories about his childhood, we again started laughing

We sat on the dining table even after finishing our food laughing and smiling getting nostalgic and sharing every experience, as my mom dad were talking, for a split second I almost thought of telling them about Dhruv and what I am feeling right now but decided against it, I don't want to get in trouble. "Boyfriends are off-limits" my mother words echoed in my head.

Without realizing the course of time we laughed and nobody got up until mom looked up at the clock and declared it was half past eleven and so the day was over.

But not for me, I came back to my room and called my sister to give her a scolding for not coming home.

I called her phone and she picked it up on the second ring.

"Hello" she said.

"Your project is not that important, is it?" I said without replicating her greeting.

"Good evening to you too" she said.

"Why are you not coming this week?" I asked.

"Kimi, I just...you wouldn't understand" she said.

"Well, try me" how can she think I won't understand. She is only three years elder to me. Whatever it is I would understand I always did.

"Look, I want to come it is just the project are killing me"

"Bullshit" I shouted "tell me the truth" I demanded.

"I don't want to come home because it is suffocating; there I said it, happy!" she exclaimed.

I knew it.

"I don't want to come home because mom and dad make my vacations hell." She continued "They are always complaining and complaining, from the tiniest thing to the hugest. It feels like hell. I am being insensitive I am aware but I can't help it Kim"

"So will you never come home then?"

"I will of course I will. I love them; I love you I just need some time. And I am busy with my college and all, meeting mom and dad at such high time is not right. I got a job here and so I am working all summer" she said.

"You are really being a bad daughter" I muttered.

"I am not!" she exclaimed "that's why Kimi I don't tell you anything you judge me. You will never understand the freedom before you taste it" she boasted some super philosophical line.

"and Kim think for yourself; will you not love it if mother and father will just let you go without questioning or hanging on your neck?" she said.

"I don't know" I answered after a brief silence.

"You will after you get out" Alya said at last and shut the phone without saying bye.

After this conversation with my sister my brain was running in the speed of thousand miles per hour. I questioned myself do I love freedom? Do I even want freedom?

Mom can get a little annoying sometimes. Nagging is like her habit but I know she loves me. Will I be the same after I go to college?

I don't want to.

I will care about it when it will come. With that last thought in my brain I closed my eyes.

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