Drunk & Sober : IN LOVE

Chapter 30

It has been three days since the funeral and things have been difficult for Rebekah ever since. She donated all her grandmother’s belongings to an old age centre.

Going through all her grandma’s things even before she was completely fine with the fact that she was no more with her was certainly a bad idea. But according to Rebekah she wanted to get done with it once and for all.

Her grandmother had already passed the ownership of the house to Rebekah but she was planning to sell it. ‘London holds nothing for me’, were her precise words.

She was running from the pain that followed her after her grandma’s death and I knew one day she will be tired of it and will have to slow herself down and look for ways to be okay with her absence. All our friends left the very next day of the funeral as they had to study for the semesters and also Rebekah didn’t want them to compromise on their preparations for her.

We were also leaving tomorrow in the morning after being in London for almost a week now. It was Friday night that day and we were in the kitchen baking a chocolate cake when suddenly her cell phone rang.

“It’s in the living room. I’ll go get it. Can you please boil the chicken for dinner?”, she said while licking the chocolate off her index finger. “Okay. I can do that”, I said while cleaning the flour that was spreaded on her cheeks.

She returned minutes later while looking at the screen with her mouth opened a little. “Who was it?”, I asked her while cleaning the chicken pieces.

“Um…It was Dad. He wants us to join him for dinner tonight”, she said dryly while putting the phone in her jean pocket. “And what did you say?”, I asked her while narrowing my eyebrows at her.

She looked at me unbelievably and said, “Obviously a no. Just because he helped us with the money required for the operation doesn’t mean that he is welcome back in my life. He is no family to me and he better get this straight in his head.” After saying this, she went back to preparing the batter for the cake.

I looked at her for a brief second but she behaved as if everything was fine. I knew she was wrong here and no matter how big her ego was she had to accept him as he was her only family now.

And no matter how much she dislikes him, for a matter of fact he will be there for her always. I crossed my arms and bore my eyes to her back till she finally gave up on ignoring me and said in a harsh voice, “What now? Stop making me feel conscious.”

I zipped my lip in a straight line and then finally spoke the truth that she needed to hear no matter how bitter it was. “What is it that is refraining you from maintaining any relations with him? Hasn’t he proved enough to you that you and your grandmother matter to him? He has paid all the hospital expenses which, you know wasn’t a small amount. If you feel he is pretending all this time, do you really think he will spend lakhs of rupees just to betray you again? Hell he has also been here each fucking day after the funeral to keep a check on you. If this isn’t what good parents do, I don’t know what else remains on his part to earn a decent position in your mind.”

She opened her mouth to speak and her voice came out hoarse as if her tears were stuck in her throat, “I don’t need his money and I will pay everything back to him once I have enough. Just because he was there for me the past 10 days, it doesn’t erase the fact that he wasn’t in my life for the past 6 years. Where was he when I needed him to be a parent? Where was he when my grandmother was working day and night to feed two stomachs on her own? Where was he when my mom was lying on her death bed and all she required was the love of her husband? He isn’t my family and nothing that he does will change this for me.” She then started crying and this was an indication that I was being harsh to her.