Serendipity [Temporarily Discontinued]

Chapter 9

Saee watched as her father paced back and forth in front of her. She was casually seated on her couch in her pajama bottoms and was biting her nail-a habit she had picked up in school. It was too early for her to argue with her dad over a matter as serious as what he had proposed. She wasn't answering and her dad was on the edge of his patients. He was circling the living room with his hands behind his back and Saee was worried he would get dizzy with all the rounds he was doing.

Taking a deep breath and finally deciding to break the awkward heavy silence between them, Saee spoke up. “Please sit down. I am getting dizzy looking at you.” She ran her fingers through her hair and sat up straighter on the couch.

Her father gave her a look, pausing mid stride. Saee could see her father’s nostrils flaring and a hint of anger in his eyes. Obviously that was because of her all-too-casual attitude and her cocky behavior. Saee wondered if her father was going to give a snide comeback but rather than doing the obvious, he looked straight ahead of him and started pacing again. She rolled her eyes and with a huff stood up and walked towards the kitchen. “Let me know when you are done pacing.”

She got started on breakfast. Since she had to make food for only herself before, the groceries were scarce and shelves were stocked on junk food. But since her father literally started living with her now, she had to get groceries for two and cook borderline edible food. She buttered the bread and put them on the toaster. “You know dad, you should probably started speaking whatever you are thinking about telling me. I don’t have all day and I have loads to do before I leave for work.” She placed the frying pan on the stove for it to heat. She had a craving for scrambled eggs today.

While she was cutting the onions and tomatoes for the Indian style scrambled eggs, her father appeared next to her. She looked up at him for a second but went back to cutting the vegetables. She heard her father sigh but responded with nothing in return.

“Saee, listen to me. Your mother and I, we are getting old and we don’t have much time before we can do nothing on our own.” At the particular sentence, Saee lifted her head up to look at her father. He was being ridiculous, that’s what she thought.

“Dad, you both are only in your 60's. Please enlighten me how are you’ll become incapable so soon.”

“Okay probably not that old.”

Saee laughed at her father. He was trying so hard to convince her to do what they wanted. But Saee in no way was going to get married so soon. Not in a million years, no. “Why are you trying so hard, dad? It’s not my age to get married. Let me settle down in life first and then I’ll probably give a thought.”

“I am not telling you to get married now. I am just telling you to started looking for guys.” Her dad stated.

“I am looking for guys.” Saee retaliated. The handsome face of her neighbor, Alex, popped in her mind and her face flushed.

Like an unknown force joining their minds, her dad kind of picked up on her brain waves and said exactly what was going on in her head. “Alex is not the guy we are marrying you off to.”

Saee’s mouth formed an O in the unexpected reply from her dad. “Excuse me! Alex? What...what are you...?”

Her father crossed his arms across his chest and looked at Saee with a straight face. She hated when her parents pulled that we-know-everything look on her. Sometimes she wondered if she would ever be an observant parent like that and pull such tricks on her kids. That is when she stopped the train of her thoughts. She had gone too far. “Anyway, what is that you want me to do now? I am not getting hitched and I have many things on my plate to even think about these things. I can’t kick you out and I can’t listen to mother crying on phone again. What am I suppose to do?” She scrambled the eggs one last time before putting them on plates, next to the toasted breads. Pouring a glass of mango juice in a glass for her dad she placed the breakfast in front of him.