Coloured Me Grey (Book Two)

Chapter 4

"Can we go to the park today, Dadabhai?" My sister blasted my eardrums on a fine Saturday morning. But it wasn't just any Saturday morning - a very important one.

"It's 9 o 'clock in the morning and you want to go to the park?"

"Yes please," she sang. "You didn't take me last week. You had been busy filling up foams."

"Forms. Busy filling up forms," ​​I corrected her as I began packing up the things that laid sprawling on my bed. Especially the hammer and nails - wouldn't want Zara to get hurt.

"FOMS." Zara took a step forward to a pair of pliers lying and at the same time I lunged and snatched them away like a hawk. She gave me a guilty toothy grin.

"Forrrrrms. There's an '-r' in between."

"Forms."

"Good. Go and inform mother that we are going out for an hour."

"Two hours. Pwease?"

"One and a half hours." Not the puppy eyes, not the puppy eyes.

"Maaaaaaaa-" She ran away only to turn up with Mother a few moments later.

"Were you busy?"

I did not even look up from my kit bag. "No."

"You don't have to take Zara out if you have something else to do."

"It's fine."

"Okay."

I gestured Zara to follow me out. She gave me another grin and left her mother's side.

"Riyaaz?"

This time I looked back at her. She fished out a paper from the paper from the pocket of the housecoat she had on.

Onion - 500g
Tomato - 250g
Bread - 1 pound

"Get those from the grocery for me while you're out."

"Okay," I put the list in my pocket and opened the gates.

"Goodbye, Ma," Zara shouted back as I picked her up in my arms.

"Behave yourself outside. Goodbye," came the stern reply.

"Dadabhai?"

"Hm?"

"I want to become a writer once I grow up."

"Wow. That's cool," I pushed the park door open with one free arm, supporting Zara's baby bum on the other. She was getting heavier day by day. Soon I would no longer be able to carry her like this.

"What will you write about?"

"I'll write about myself, my brother, my parents, my grandparents, my school, this park - look! Rohan is here! Put me down! Down! Down!"

I placed her down and at once she raced towards another toddler, obviously Rohan. He was even younger than her and the girl of my age sitting on the bench was probably his elder sister. I'd seen the siblings around the neighborhood.

"Dadabhai," my sister sang again and the girl looked up from her phone to look at me advancing towards them.

Don't blush. Don't you fucking blush, Riyaaz.

There must be more fearsome things than being sized up by a girl. They weren't my forte. Neither were boys. I was good with kids though.

And no, you perv, not in THAT sense.

"Meet my friend, Rohan," my sister screeched again and looked at the little boy who was trying hard to suppress a giggle. "Rohan, this is my Dadabhai."