A Heart of Stone with a Coat of Gold

What the Heart Desires?

Absolute silence. Broken intermittently like a piece of ice cracking slowly, by the halted ticks of the second's hand of the clock; and the light snores of her husband, filling up the room. Anu glanced at it. 5 minutes had already passed. She waited, hoping Neel would wake up by himself. 

Another 5 minutes.

The wait was not all bad, she was enjoying the calmness of the room; right now, he almost seemed like a genial middle-aged man enjoying his sleep, a welcome change from the surly mood he was sure to wake up in. Moment by moment, dread raised its ugly head in Anu's mind. It almost seemed like he was going to complete his whole night-time nap on that chair only, in that small room full of stories and knowledge.

Anu was turning impatient; she hadn't had a whole night to spare there. She hesitated, then she lightly tapped his elbow resting on the touchpad of the laptop placed on his desk.

He woke up with a start, his hand banging on the laptop screen. Straightening himself in his chair, his blue eyes tried to focus on her face while he rubbed them. He sure was sleepy.

"What were you listening to?" Anu asked curiously to break the ice. 

"Oh! Just some today's market news." He answered casually, but his eyes didn't meet her. He leaned forward towards his laptop, his fingers swiftly tapping on the mousepad in a hurry. She guessed he was closing his open tabs on the browser.

She gulped, her mouth turning dry. Now it was the time to discuss the matter. "So you saw my result. What do you think?"

"It's fine. But you won't be able to get into the top colleges." He answered with a yawn.

Her heart fell. She already knew that. Then why had he called her here? What was there to discuss?

His voice broke her train of thoughts. "But come here. I have something for you." For a moment she was unable to process, still disheartened by his earlier statement. She didn't move.

"What are you staring at? I won't come over to you. I'm too tired." He grunted again.

She got up and dragged her chair beside him. When she was done, he pointed his fingers to the screen. She peered, leaning over towards the desk, her hand resting on his shoulders. He threw a quick glance at her hand, then averted it towards the screen.

Websites of several colleges were open on the browser, the names of some of them were familiar; she had heard them in passing by. His fingers traced them. He spoke, "Now these are not the best colleges. But they will do. I go to campuses for hiring once in a while. These colleges are growing, their faculty is young but talented. They have the basic setup; their placements are satisfactory.

But the most important thing- the vision of the founders is progressive. I can bet that they would be among the top colleges in the coming years, and then you can easily cash on your degree later on. Particularly these 2." He pointed two of the names. "So they are your best bet. " He paused, rubbing his eyes as he inched his face dangerously close to the laptop. His eyesight, which he was unwilling to accept, was growing weak. 

He went on, "Now, the next thing in question is which stream you would choose. Marketing, Finance, HR, and there are a few more. But I strongly advise Finance." He laid emphasis on the last sentence. 

"Marketing." She spoke without a second thought. Neel frowned, he seemed disappointed.

"Why?"

She looked uncomfortable, but as she spoke, slowly the vigour rose in her voice, "I started liking it during Graduation. I loved it, I was good at it. I have a couple of Internships in it, I have worked hard towards it. It's what I want to do. I never imagined my career dealing in stocks, bonds and money. That's not me."  Her face was shining with passion. Even Neel looked taken aback, nevertheless, the displeasure shone brightly in his eyes.