Silently Falling in Love: Race - #Wattys2017

Chapter 24 - November 1994

Hello everyone - hope the first month of 2017 well for you.  For those of us in the US it has been a crazy Jan as we are currently be lead by a crazy insane mentally unstable man.  But, somehow in this chaos I was able to crank out a chapter.  As usual there are no edits.  

On a cheery note, I would love to know how many of you like going to clubs to dance vs how many of you hate going and if you do end up at a club try to spend most of it at a table somewhere in the corner.

Keep the feedback coming - it's what keeps me going!!!

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Anjali

"Hello," I said running to the phone after the sixth ring.

"Hey Anjali, thank god you're home!" Karthik said relieved to hear my voice.

"I just walked in. What's up?"

"I did it," he said calmly.

"You did what? Did you have an exam? A dissection? Did I forget something important?" I asked thoroughly confused.

"I told my parents about you," Karthik said quietly.

"How did it go?"

"How do you think it went?" Karthik retorted.

"Karthik, if I knew how it went do you think I'd be asking you," I said trying to stay calm.

"They went ballistic."

"Are you exaggerating?"

"Nope. They want me to come home for thanksgiving to talk this over but I told them I can't because I'm meeting your family."

I took deep breaths. He had finally told his parents about me. Which meant I had to take him home for thanksgiving since Diwali was already over.

"Okay," I say, "It will be okay. They're just in shock."

"Anjali, sweetheart, I don't think you understand. They've had my whole life planned out since I was born. They decided long ago where I'd go to school, what activities I should be involved in, what extra-curricular activities I should volunteer at, where I should go to school and that their oldest son was going to be a doctor and then he's going to marry the woman of their choice. I've let them lead me up until now. Shock doesn't even begin to explain it."

"Then, what can I do to help?" I asked desperately lost.

"Nothing. We'll just go according to plan. I'll meet your parents at Thanksgiving so my parents know I'm serious."

"Are you sure there's nothing else I should do. Should I call your parents?"

"No, not now, it's too soon. Lets give it a little more time to sink in," Karthik paused and was quiet for a long time. "I'm really sorry Anjali you have to go through this. I hoped that just maybe they'd shock me and handle this well. Looks like my prayers weren't answered."

"Karthik, they will come around; like you said they just need some time."

"Thanks Anjali. It's been an exhausting day so I'm going to turn in. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too."

I hung up the phone and stared at it as I let it all sink in.

And then I did what I always do, I called Arjun.

"Hello," a cranky Arjun answered.

"You and Alex need to save me and come home with me for Thanksgiving!"