"What do you mean I was gifted to you?"
"It is not good to eavesdrop but you heard it right. You are a gift that was forcefully imposed on me."
"Y-You... are.... lying..."
"Am I? You know what? Gift is a very fancy term for you. 'Trash' suits you be...
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10 years ago
"Mom, maa, amma, mummmyyyy, ammiiii, Moooooommm."
"What is it?"
"It is your favourite song. Come here quickly!"
Mom rushed out of the kitchen and joined me in front of our TV. She showed me her dough-stained hands and pointed at the wall clock.
"Your father will be here soon. I need to prepare dinner," she said, but her eyes kept flickering back to the couple on screen.
"We still have half an hour. Let's dance till Dad comes," I suggested.
She thought for a minute, her beloved song inching closer to its end. After a lot of contemplation, she and I started dancing randomly, and I increased the volume of the TV. She didn't even wash her hands, and just when the song ended, another one started, and this time, it was one of my favourites.
Mom and I exchanged a look and read each other's minds. We were so lost in our imaginary disco that we didn't hear the pendulum dinging loudly, showing the time of Dad's arrival.
"Oh no! Reyu, it is all your fault. Now your Dad will lecture me whole night." Mom shook her head in fear.
"Relax, Maa. I have a plan."
I didn't wait for her reply and ran to get my brother, Arman. He was playing his video games, so I had to drag him with me after bribing him with lots of chocolates. Mom was still glued to the TV, and I placed Arman between us.
"If Dad sees Aru with us, he won't say anything."
Mom raised her eyebrows in appreciation of my masterplan and told Arman to dance. The little brat was standing like a stick; I smacked him behind the head and falsely threatened that I would leave the house if he didn't agree.
He narrowed his eyes, but just as he heard Dad's scooter's sound, he began shaking his body like an amoeba and winked at me. I grabbed his right hand, and we did a small wave move. We had already noticed Dad coming in, but we acted like we didn't see him.
He sat down on the old wooden chair and kept his briefcase and lunchbox on the center table. He didn't say anything and started removing his shoes; I wondered when he was going to blow off on us because Mom was actually lost in her own world.
When I realised that he was glaring at her, I nudged Arman, and he launched himself in Dad's arms, just like we had practiced for years. Once my brother hugged our father, Dad forgot about the female beings in his house and started pampering his son.
Most of the time, I felt bad that he never showed me that kind of love, but I always remembered what Mom had told me. After giving birth to me, she learned that she was having difficulties conceiving. She was blaming herself for that, but later on she got in contact with a lady who gave her some tips.
