Kal Ho Naa Ho - The Novel

Chapter 1 - My Everyday

Chapter 1

Naina

I wake up to the smell of frying bacon, followed with the cranking of Daadi from her room, which is on the opposite side. I want to go back to sleep, but my alarm starts blaring again, completely waking me up. "It's 7:30, wake up already." She yells opening my door, "Though I wouldn't know why you would want to wake up to eat this......" and her voice drains, as she goes downstairs.

I sit up and wear my glasses, my brother is somehow still fast asleep. I throw a pillow at him as he groans, "Why is everyone so violent in this house?" The ajar door flings wide open as Gia walks in, "Come down quickly, mum and I made the tastiest breakfast." She says grinning, and a smile etches on my face as I see her excited.

I signal her to throw a pillow on Krish too, she grins again, as she tip toes to my side, grabs a pillow and throws at him. "Not again" he groans louder and opens one eye to peek at us, "Oh, it's the Sister Squad against the Amputated Lone Brother." He says sitting up and discreetly trying to grab the pillows.

"Shut up, if Daadi hears you, she will march right up, to support the apple of her eye, grandson, and make sure we hear no end to this." I say crossing my brows. "Oh, I don't need Daadi's support, I am good enough to deal with the Sister Squad alone. ATTACK." He says and throws both the pillows at us, as we launch into a full pillow fight.

Our fight is cut short, as we hear loud voices from downstairs and despite it being a normal in our house, Gia and Krish's face turns sullen. I sigh and say, "This isn't over, you guys" with a small smile. I get up from my bed and give the usual orders to Krish, "Go freshen up, and come down with Gia, when things feel a little cooler." He nods with a grumpy, "I know" and Gia pretends to be busy with her toys, but I know, as usual she feels sorry again.

I can hear the same arguments again, as I climb down, "Again those threats, you are most welcome to leave the house if you want to." "Oh isn't that just what you want, I won't leave my dead son's house" Daadi says, as she walks away to the small temple in the hallway and starts murmuring prayers.

Thankfully today the fire's been put out, before I reached. "Morning Mum." I greet my mother who keeps running from the kitchen and table, laying out breakfast. "You aren't even ready yet, Naina. Have you seen the time? You'll be late again. I sent Gia to get you long back. It's like you are still one of the kids."

"Ma." I stand right in front of her, stopping her rambling. "I said, Morning." I say, with a small smile. She looks at me, her tense shoulders drop, and she rolls her eyes, "Morning Naina." She taps my cheeks and moves towards the table again, "Get dressed. Now. And where the hell, are these two? Krish? Gia? You'll be late for school."

"Coming Mom." Krish and Gia yell back in unison. I go back to get dressed, as Daadi passes by, "Morning Daadi."I say, and then instantly realize what I had done. "That's not how you greet your elders, its Sasriyakal." I quickly climb back upstairs.

When I come back down, there's pin drop silence as everyone is seated on the table. You could cut the tension with a knife. Mom is seated on one with Gia and Krish to her side, and Daadi on the other, frowning as she eats her toast.

I sit down next to Gia, grabbing two pancakes from the stack. I just about eat my first bite, when Daadi fizzes open to escalate the silent tension. "If it were just about me, I wouldn't say so much. But, I cannot watch my poor grandson eat all this. He needs good healthy Indian food. If we were in Punjab, he would eat, tasty Parathas every day." She sighed as she tossed her half eaten toast on the plate, "How much I miss my Punjab, my people."

Mum fizzed open too, as she casually remarked, "If you miss them so much, then why don't you go back to 'your people', no one is forcing you to stay." Daadi stands up as her voice raises, "That's just what you want. For me to leave. So that you can favor this girl and be unfair to my grandson."