Love Maze

Chapter 5

Hello, my lovely readers!<3
This chapter is from Anya's POV, where she recounts her trip to India to Faith. Enjoy!

I guess it all began when mum got a phone call from my aunt Priya. She said that her elder daughter- my cousin- Maya, was getting married, and we'd all been invited to attend the wedding for the next two weeks.

I remember being so excited; I squealed with ecstacy when mum gave me the news. It was the first time I was going to meet a whole side of my family that I had never known, and being an only child, I was especially eager to finally meet some cousins who were closer to my age.

All of it was such a rush- packing our bags, boarding our flight- and before I knew it, we were in India. I could see this amazing new city all around me, but somehow the link between my eyes and my brain had disconnected in all the excitement. I just couldn't comprehend that I was actually in a completely different country, halfway across the world.

I didn't get time to take in the city around me, though. For some reason, mum and dad decided that now was the best time to argue about whether they had carried enough socks. I rolled my eyes at the pointless conversation and managed to spot our driver while they continued to debate over the issue. That's exactly why I think you get along so well with my parents- the three of you love to start up a good debate even at the most inappropriate times.

Anyway, I couldn't stop staring at the unfamiliar surroundings as the car made its way to the house. All my concerns about whether I'd be able to get a good look around as the car zoomed by, disappeared. Mumbai, I discovered, has traffic from hell. So there was plenty of time to observe the countless street stalls, the old buildings, the numerous little grocery stores and best of all, the people. An old lady in a well-worn sari dodged the cars as she firmly held a little boy's hand and crossed the road. Another man wearing a grey suit walked briskly on the footpath, making frustrated gestures as he shouted at someone on his cell phone. A group of kids sauntered by, chattering amongst themselves. I wish you had come with us- I think you would have liked it. At one point a little kid clad in tattered rags came up to the window and thrust his hand inside, begging for money. I was so surprised I almost gave in, but our driver only yelled at him to clear off before asking me to close the window.

"You must never encourage them," he said with a serious face. "Plus, it's bad enough that there are thousands of beggars on these streets. If you try to give them all some money, your pockets will probably be empty by the end of your stay."

I remember being surprised that he spoke English so well, but when I hesitantly voiced my thoughts he only laughed, saying something about not judging a book by its cover. My face burned with embarrassment, and the rest of the ride remained awkwardly quiet.

When the car finally slowed to a stop in front of the big, old building where the family was staying, I couldn't help but wonder how a city could be such an amalgamation of both old and new. Mumbai is such a hodgepodge of soaring skyscrapers and run-down, tiny buildings with faded paint peeling off their walls; it's so different from New York, which has the newest stores and the latest trends.

We took the elevator straight up to their floor, and when the doors slid open with a ding, we were greeted with a flurry of activity. Women in saris rushed forward to pinch my cheeks, cooing at me and asking how our flight had been. I vaguely recognized them from the photographs mum had shown me.

"Oh my God, Joshua, its been ages since we last met at your wedding!" Aunt Priya exclaimed loudly.

"Nina, darling, you look like you haven't aged a day," Grandma gushed, delighted that her daughter was finally here.

I felt a little odd, since nobody had been introduced to me yet, but I silently followed them into the spacious apartment. Inside, a tall, pretty girl dressed in a casually chic outfit was waiting for us.