||THE OUTBREAK||

||Chapter 1: Before The World Went To Shit||

Chicago, USA

17th May, 2020

KAIRAV'S POV

Hi guys. I'm Kairav.....Kairav Goenka. I'm eight years old. I study in the third grade at Evergreen Academy. My mom's an artist. Her name is Naira Goenka. She's an amazing cook. She makes finger licking spaghetti. She loves me a lot. She's my favourite. My dad's a commando in the Special Forces in US army. My parents are Indian but they have lived in the U.S since the beginning so they have acquired U.S citizenship. Our family lives in India but we aren't that much connected to them. Don't ask me the reason🤷‍♂️.

Leave about our family, I'm not that much connected to my dad also. I mean I love him obviously, but we don't share as much father-son moments as other kids do. That's because of his very hectic schedule. He leaves early in the morning, comes late at night or doesn't come home for a one whole week. I don't remember the last time we had a conversation. I feel like he ignores me. Doesn't he love me?

I was having my break fast that I heard the sound of dad's boots. I remember the sound because he's the only one in this house who wears such heavy boots and that sound is familiar to me, the way he walks, the rhythm in which he walks, all is familiar to me.

"Naira...I'm late. Please hurry up!", dad called for mom and there she came with his watch.

There he goes again.....!!

Dad wore his watch and started walking out in hurry that mom noticed he had left his handkerchief on the table.

"Kartik...", mom called him picking up the handkerchief and walking out of the door.

There they go again.....!!

I nodded my head side to side in disbelief and continued eating my cereal.

NAIRA'S POV

I followed Kartik as he walked towards his car and handed him, his handkerchief

"Thank you babe", he said taking the handkerchief  from me and he was about to sit in the driving seat that I stopped him.

"Don't you think you're forgetting something?", I asked him. He looked at me confused. He realised and gave a peck on my lips. He was about to enter into his car that I stopped him again.

"This is not what I was speaking about", I said and he turned towards me.

"What is it then? Naira please hurry up, I'm getting late", he said frustrated. I sighed and looked into his eyes annoyed.

"You're always in a hurry Kartik. You don't have time for us. Leave about me, you don't have time for your son. That kid is waiting for you. He's waiting for his dad to spend time with him. Last week, you promised him to take him to the baseball match, you ended up breaking that promise! He doesn't speak anything that doesn't mean he doesn't feel anything. He's the one who's suffering the most. He wants his dad by his side. I fear you get late and he already grows up. I want you to show up for him before its already late", I explained Kartik, hoping he would understand the whole situation.
He sighed and looked at me.

"Listen Naira...I know I'm always busy. I hardly have time for you guys but that doesn't mean I don't love you. I love you so much. I love our son so much. He's the best thing ever happened to me. Its just work that-", he began to speak that I interrupted him in between.

"If you mean these words so much then stand by them. Do you remember what's this month?", I asked him with a raised eyebrow and my arms crossed across my chest.

"I remember its his birthday....how can I forget our son's birthday Naira?", he asked me frustrated with all the blames.

"I fear you can. So I want you to promise me that you're gonna be there for him on his birthday. It was his fourth birthday that you celebrated with us last. It has been four years Kartik. Promise me, you're gonna be there", I pleaded him waiting for his reply.