Hey there!
Welcome to Unfazed - the story of people who deal with life every day and still look at adversity in the eye and give it a wink and a smile. Sometimes, when no one is looking, they cry too.
Join Deeksha Bhalla - AKA Dee - a girl with si...
I had been conversing with Rohini Aunty who immediately recognized me and enquired about my well-being over the years when I heard shuffling feet and realized that Dee had taken her place next to her mother. I felt a pair of eyes boring into my side and while one part of my brain asked, "Why is she staring at me?", the more rational one said, "She's staring past you at something, idiot!" And truth be told, I wasn't sure which one of those I preferred. I wanted to look that way, but I really didn't want to meet the drilling eyes of Harsh Bhalla again, if I could help it.
Just as I finished talking to Rohini Aunty, who had begun chatting with Vishwas, I turned to see Deeksha with a huge smile on her face. 'Ah... Dimples again' I found myself thinking but I was thrown off by the happy expression she sported. "You can't really be this happy to see me, can you?" I asked, sounding full of myself, without intending to.
While I expected a sarcastic comment or reply, what she actually did, surprised me more: Deeksha reached up and gave me a big hug, saying "This is such a pleasant surprise!"
Surprise? Was she kidding? I was shocked! And that was just in the first two seconds. "Listen – play along. I need to teach my brother a lesson" she whispered in my ear and I before I could stop myself, I found my own hands wrapping her in a hug too. "Good. Now let me go, you creep!" she whispered after what seemed like a few seconds.
Taking a step away from me, Deeksha, still smiling, said, "Haha – no no – please! Let us not talk about work today at all!" and learning from watching years of drama practices in school, I knew better than to mess up one of Deeksha's little acts. "Why – of course", I said, continuing with a pause to sport a smile of my own, "but yes – it is lovely to meet you too!"
She smiled and turned to talk with my brother, who threw me a "What the Hell?" look while a little far off, I could see a fuming Harsh Bhalla throwing daggers at me with his eyes. If looks could kill, people would be celebrating my death anniversary, were it up to Harsh. I was about to make a move when I saw a girl – Snake's step sister – go and talk to him.
The sound of her voice seemed to help Harsh refocus all his fury onto her, but there she stood, unflinching at whatever poison he was spitting out at her. And if I knew anything about Harsh, it was that when a good man like him got angry, even the gods above ran for cover.
