ALL I HAVE IS YOU

Chapter 18

The dinner was quiet and only a few work related talks were exchanged. After the dinner, Abhi and Navya asked them a few questions. Like where they grew up, where they studied, where they learnt music, achievements, etc. Manik told them everything truthfully while Cabeer and Mukti exagerrated a bit. The 2 of them were still not confident as to where they came from.
Sometimes it happens when the questions get too personal and you are ashamed to admit the truth you start exaggerating. The 2 of them find it very difficult to mingle up with the people who are different from them. They both dont understand that its something to be proud of what they achieved and that too starting from scratch. Its not to be ashamed admiting that you are an orphan and you faced struggle.
Anyway, since they cant exaggerate about the place they grew up, they did while telling about their achievements. For instance,Cabeer told Abhi that he got an award for playing drums in youth fest. And Mukti told him she once worked for India's top fashion designer and left the job because he was too unoriginal.

Abhi caught the 2 of them in a moment but decided to keep quiet. He get people like that all the time.

Abhi - Nandini tumne kuch nahi bataya apne baare me??

Nandini - ummm... mein kya bataoon?? Mein bhi bachpan se inke saath ki badi hui hu. Same school me padi hu. Haa college alag tha. Manik, Dhruv bhai,Aliya aur Mukku di ne government se padaii ki hai. Mujhe Manik ne scholership ke St. High college me padaya. Mere koi khaas achievement nahi hai. Mein zyada compititions me part nahi leti.....

Manik - Abhi, iss idiot ki baato me mat aao. Nandini apni college ki topper thi. Best student. Har cultural fest ki head and iske interior designs ki research ko india ki top company Zest ne best research ka award diya hai. Nandini sirf khudko underestimate karti hai.

Nandini - mein underestimate nahi karti, tu karta hai. Tune bhi toh nahi bataya. Tu college football team ka captain tha. Tune states me Maharashtra ko represent kiya hai. Tere you tube channel pe 500K subscribers hai. Tujhe 4 scholerships mili hai. And your physics project got selected for national science exhibition. Tune kyu nahi bataya.

Abhi - woah... you guys are... something else. Ek dusre ke baare me itna sab jaante ho.

Aliya - Abhi, yeh inka roz ka hai. Ek baar yeh apne baare me sab bhool sakte hai. Leki Nandini, Manik ko, aur Manik, Nanini ko, kabhi nahi bhoolenge.

Abhi - toh abhi mein tumhaare baare me sab jaanta hu. But ek problem hai.

FAB 5, NavNi - Kya??!!

Abhi - last name. Tumhare koi last names nahi hai.

Dhruv - nahi.

Manik - actually, jab hum chchote the tab orphanage ke bachcho ko ek surname diya gaya tha. Par humnne voh naam nahi liya.

Abhi - kyu??

Manik - umm... Abhi, actually, hum naam nahi lena chahte the. Hum sab except Nandini, hum paida huve the tab se humare paas naam nahi hai. Aur hum sab yeh sochte hai ki jo naam hume mila hai, i mean humara first name, hum usse hi apni pehchaan banaenge. Hum benaam hai toh vahi sahi. Par kisi aur ka naam nahi lenge.

Abhi - toh tum surnames nahi loge??

Fab 5 - nahi.

Abhi - well its weired, aisa kabhi mene pehle nahi suna. Tumhaare id cards, admission forms, aadhaar cards pe kya naam likhte ho. Sirf first name??

Manik - haa. Agar koi puchchtaa hai toh hum usse bata dete the ki we are orphans. Usse aage kabhi kisine puchcha hi nahi.

Manik said it so casually. As if it was normal for them. Abhi took it shockingly.