AMBAR

Chapter 20

Armaan's POV

We recieved a new contract. We all had been working hard. Earlier we had lost a contract for spare parts because of cost price which I really couldn't figure out how why we lost it. I knew something was fishy otherwise how could our rivals afford to offer a price which would only make them face huge losses. As I was leaving for home my secretary came in my office. "Sir these are the documents of SVM company you had asked for." She said.
"Thank you so much Rina, but how did you get your hand on these?" I asked.
She smiled. "Sir I have some friends who are at right places."
I smiled at her reply. "We are lucky to have well connected people with us."
I went straight home and checked on kids. Ambar was busy in writing her assignments. Ridhima was sleeping and Kabir was studying.

"Returned too early, didn't you Armaan?" Ma said. I checked the time. It was 11.15. I smiled. "There is a good news, we got the contract for HUL and we got our hands on the previous quotations of Farma & Farma."

"How?" She asked.

"Rina. She had some contacts. She pulled some strings." I went in to my room and changed and got fresh. I came out and went in the dining room. There both Ambar and Kabir were sitting and having dinner. Kabir wasn eating his dinner in patience while Ambar was holding pen in one hand and fork in other.
"You guys didn't had dinner yet?" I asked.
"No." Kabir said. "What is that in your hand?" Kabir asked.
"Farma & Farma." I said.
"You got them." He screamed and took the papers from my hand. Before I got to know about Ambar, Kabir was only kid in my house whom I had to train well enough to be my successor. I have been teaching him about some common aspects of business since he was 12, but now I have to teach all these things to Ambar also.
"Got them? Did you bought their shares?" Ambar asked.
"No. But why did you ask?"
"Nothing." She said and again started to eat. I looked at Kabir and he was reading the papers.
"Bade papa they reduced their rate in material in at least 3 contracts each worth more than 21 crores." Kabir said.
"Yes but why and how is this possible? It is not even possible that they are compromising on material. Because in three years I have not heard any thing bad about their work." I looked at Ambar and she was writing something and then scrabbling it. She looked quite frustrated.
Then she kept her book aside and started to eat. Me and Kabir discussed upon this and nothing seemed to work out. After sometime Ambar and Kabir finished their dinner. When Ambar left for her bedroom she left behind her notebook in which she was scrabbling. I thought to return it but for a second thought I decided to read it. It was her physics notebook. As I turned pages I could only see each and every question was solved atleast 3 times and in the fourth attempt she got it right. In some questions the handwriting was different. Which means some one was helping her and now she lacks help. I looked at the question and they were easy for me. A mechanical engineer's kid is weak in physics. It was quite a disappointment for me. I solved the questions in some 15 minutes. I got up from the chair and took the book with me to give it back to her but before that she came back in dinning room. She looked drowsy and clueless. "Are you searching for this kid." I asked her. She took the book from me and then checked her notes. "You did my homework?" She asked.
"Had to." I said and left from there before she gives snarky comment. I cannot help Ambar with her studies every time. She needs a tutor. I cannot see her struggling with one subject. I will arrange a tutor for her tomorrow itself.

Ambar's POV

Armaan gave me the book and left. I stood there thinking what next. But I was too tired to care about it. I was tired after writing a 75 pages of practical book in one sitting. I went in my room and slept. I left for school the next morning. Prateek seemed quite surprised as I had all the answers of physics assignment as he knew that I am very weak in physics. I still couldn't believe it Armaan got these right. Once Manav asked me what does Armaan do for a living I told him he runs a company. God knows what he does apart from stalking past. I don't want my friends to know about my life. I don't want them to know why I have two sets of parents. I want to hide it. The way Mom and Dad had, making people live in total oblivion of reality.
I came back home by 3.30 pm. I changed my dress and again started to study physics. I had to get it right. Armaan solved my assignment was like salt on my wounds. It was near 6 when Kanwal dadi came with a lady in my room. She was wearing Salwar Kameez. Her hair was tied in a neat bun. She was a little short than me. She looked quite sophisticated.
"Ambar dear meet Mrs. Ira and Ira ji she is Ambar you will tutor her." Kanwal dadi said.
I looked at her with my jaws open. The lady looked at me with a little confusion. "Your father told me you struggle in grasping the concepts of physics." She said.
"Ira ji will teach you on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays." Kanwal dadi said. I looked at her again. "She will start teaching you from tomorrow." Kanwal Dadi said. I smiled and nodded. I had no other choice. I had to pass the upcoming test with enough marks because not everytime Arush can solve my problem.
I finished my assignment and came out of my room for the dinner. Kabir was already there having his dinner. "Daadi said you got a tutor for physics." He said while he chewed on his salad. Whenever I beat with him I find him eating more salads then food.
"Yes." I said. "How was your day?" I asked.
"Fine." He said. We finished our food and I placed our plates in the kitchen. Many find it odd here but it is a habbit that had been inculcated in me since childhood. Kabir came in the kitchen and removed chocolate cake from the fridge.
"Should I cut a piece for you too Ambar?" He asked.
"Yes." I said. As he placed the knife on the cake it stopped him. "Bigger one." I said. He smiled and gave me a real big piece. We sat in the kitchen table. I two plates from the cabinet and two forks. We sat on the kitchen table enjoying our desert. It was a cold night and I am trying to restrict myself from going out because of the pollution. I saw Kabir looking outside.
"Are you waiting for Armaan!" I asked.
"No. I was just thinking something." He said.
"What?" I asked.
"A memory I find hilarious now." He said. "It was 6th birthday. After a small party I went to sleep but I had the craving in the midnight to eat the cake again. I sneaked out of my room and entered the kitchen quitely. I removed the left over cake from the fridge and started to eat it like a hungry rat." He said.
"Then?" I asked.
"As I ate I saw a reflection of a four legged creature on the kitchen window. It was completely dark but had bright eyes. Scary eyes. As soon as I saw it I got so scared that I left the fridge open and ran out of the kitchen screaming. I was crying and terrified if what I had saw. But Bade Papa came towards me running. He always used to work past midnight so he heard me screaming. He calmed me down and washed my face and hands and took me back in the kitchen to show the monster. It was a black cat." As he said this I bursted into laughter.
"Since that day I hate cats."

Arush's POV

I never knew that Ambar was the reason that makes our home feel alive. When she used to be here she would often make me to help her in her homework. It was always she who would tell Nilu didi what to cook in dinner. She was truly the lady of the house. Our home is dead quite. Sometimes when possible Saami Anna takes me along with Tejas to his farm house. It is far away from Bangalore and the drive is around 4 hours but it's worth the time you travel. It's quite and I get to experience sometimes the way hospitals work in rural areas. I returned a book to the library went back in the library to search a book on pharmacology. I borrowed the book and started to walk out from the library. Today's day was over and I had to visit Mom's clinic, she had told me to assist her sometimes in her clinic for experience. As I walked out I heard as if someone was running towards me as the footsteps got close some girl yelled my name. "Arush. Arush wait." She yelled. I turned back and saw that it was my classmate Namita. She came near me and forwarded her hand with some keys. I looked at the keys and they were mine. "Where did you found them?" I asked her.
"Outside library. It might have slipped out of your pocket." She said. I took my keys back from her.
"Can be. Anyways thank you so much." I said to her. She smiled and left from there. I got back home and went into my room. I reached Mom's clinic by 7 and there were patients already sitting on the small benches kept outside. The clinic was small and near the market place. Mom would come here after her hospital duty was over. I entered into Mom's cabin and saw her writing a prescription to a middle aged man. "You must stop smoking sir." She said in firm voice. "I can see infection has reached down to your throat." She looked towards the door and saw me. "Come Arush." She said. "You'll be fine sir. Take these medicines for fever and stop smoking." He nodded and said thank you to Mom. Even I know he won't stop smoking. I removed my notepad from my bag. "Throat infection?" I asked. "Yes." She said. "Next." Mom said and another patient entered. It was an old woman around 70. She looked fragile. Wrinkles were present all over her face and eyes sinked in. She was limping while walking. Another lady had accompanied her. She looked in her 50's. He was firmly holding the old lady's hand. I pulled the chair for the old lady and helped her in sitting.
"How are you Mam?" Mom asked her. She smiled. "I am fine but these days it hurts more when I walk." She said.
"Arush she had slipped and broken her fibula." Mom said. I looked at the lady again. Survived a broken leg in old age. Mom got up from the chair and bended.
"Mam please try to lift your leg." Mom asked. The lady looked at Mom and then at her companion. "No. I won't lift it." She said straight away. I looked at the lady again. "Amma try to lift your leg. Do what the doctor is saying." The other lady said. We persuaded her for 5 minutes but the old lady won't nudge.
"Ajji just lift it once and we won't ask again." I said. At last she agreed and did as we asked her to do. Damn this lady is the real gangster. After this old lady left other patients kept coming until 11. I parked my bike in Mom's parking and came home in her car.
"I never saw this kind of lady." I said to Mom. She chuckled.
"In near future you'll find more eccentric patients." She said. "But I like the way you handled her." She said. We reached home in half an hour. Me and Mom were walking inside our home.
"When you will graduate Arush these things will help you in future in identifying your patient's problems. You are already far better than me and I am proud of it." She said. I couldn't understand why was she saying this to me over a small thing but it filled my heart.
I was always comfortable around patients. Mom would take me with her to hospital or clinic and Dad would take Ambar along with him and we were fine with this arrangement. This arrangement was from the beginning. Neither of us would envy each other. It was like Mom and Dad had selected their heirs from the beginning.