Fates

Part 42- Unknown To Others

Riya tapped on the shoulder of the person laying on the ground, and the person shrugged their shoulder away from her.

"Stop bothering me, Drishti. Let me sleep. A person can't even get peace while sleeping in this house." The person said slurring their words as if they were drunk. Riya could only make out some of the words that the person was saying, and one of the words that she heard was Drishti's name.

"Uncle, are you okay?" Riya asked the person realizing that the person was a man, and probably one of Drishti's relatives because he said her name.

"You're not my daughter. Thank God she's so annoying anyway." The man said sluggishly sitting up and turning to face Riya, after hearing a voice that he didn't recognize.

"You shouldn't say that about your own daughter. Who is your daughter anyway?" Riya said now becoming confused as to who this person was and why he was insulting his own daughter, drunk and laying outside of Drishti's house in the middle of the day.

"My daughter- hehehe- she not even my daug-." The person began to say slurring his words, having a hard time sitting up. But a voice interrupted him.

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Drishti was walking home defeatedly, she had been to numerous interviews today but everyone had rejected her because she didn't get her education from a top college like other interviewers.

As Drishti entered her street she spotted two people on her doorstep, a girl who was facing the other way, and a person who was in front of her, but Drishti couldn't see the person because he was concealed by the girl.

When the girl moved a little bit to the side, Drishti finally saw the man and realized that he was none other than her father. When the girl moved Drishti saw the side of her face realizing that it was Riya. And then Drishti ran as fast as she could to reach her father and Riya before he said something inappropriate to Riya.

"Baaba! What happened why are sitting outside like this?" Drishti asked once she reached her dad's side.

"Oh, look here is my 'daughter.' Nikhil told Riya in his drunken state, doing air quotes at the word daughter.

"I was just telling this girl how annoying you could be." Nikhil said now talking to Drishti. Drishti looked down sadly, embarrassed by how her dad was acting. While Riya remained silent not knowing what to do in a situation like this.

"Come on, Baaba. Get up, let's go inside." Drishti said taking charge and putting one of Nikhil's arms around her shoulders to make him stand up. Riya wordlessly went to Nikhil's other side and did the same, helping Drishti take him inside.

In between the two of them they somehow got him inside, laying him on a bed, where Drishti covered him with a blanket, Nikhil had ended up going to sleep while they did all this.

"Thank you." Drishti told Riya after she was done taking care of Nikhil, facing the other way, unable to face Riya after everything that just happened.

"No worries, it happens to the best of us." Riya said to lighten the mood, coming to stand in front of Drishti, and giving her a hug because she looked like she needed one.

"What are you doing here?" Drishti asked breaking the hug, now smiling because Riya didn't run away after everything she had just seen as Drishti feared would happen.

"Oh kurta, I mean I came here to return your kurta." Riya said looking at the plastic bag in her hand.

"I tried calling you but you didn't pick up so I came unannounced. I know I shouldn't have done that- I'm sorry if I-" Riya said about to go on a whole rant about how she should have told Drishti that she was coming here, but Drishti stopped her by putting a finger on Riya's lips.

"Shush, it was very kind of you to return this to me on your own. There's no need to apologize, my phone isn't working right now, so no matter how many times you tried to call me I wouldn't have picked up. Let's go to the living room now, you wait there and I'll give you your shirt back." Drishti said waiting for Riya to reply but Riya said nothing, only looking down with her eyes.

"What?" Drishti said not understanding what Riya was trying to say.

"Oh, Sorry." Drishti said smiling, removing her finger from Riya's lips, which was still there stopping Riya from speaking.

"Okay, I-" Riya said about to say that she would wait for Drishti to give her the shirt but stopped when she looked at the clock on the wall.

"Shit! I'm late for my meeting." Riya mumbled too low for Drishti to hear.

"Drishti di, not today, I promise I'll come back later to get the shirt, right now I have to go." Riya said handing Drishti the plastic bag and starting to leave in a hurry.

"Okay wait at least let me walk you to the door." Drishti said stopping Riya, thinking that Riya was trying to run away after everything she had seen.

"No it's okay, you stay here, take care of your Dad. I'll see myself out" Riya said not wanting to waste time in small talk.

"Bye." Riya said, leaving in a hurry.

Drishti didn't try to follow Riya, thinking that Riya was trying to make up an excuse for leaving. Instead, she grabbed a chair and sat by an unconscious Nikhil, defeatedly.

******
As Riya was trying to rush out of Drishti's house she bumped into a table making a few papers and pens on it fall, but they didn't make much noise to alert Drishti.

When Riya was done picking up the pens, she moved on to the papers and came across a newspaper that had highlighted job openings on it. It was the same newspaper that Riya had gotten a glimpse of a day ago.

'Secretary jobs?' Riya thought to herself, now that she had a better look at the newspaper. But then she remembered that she had to be at the meeting right now and finished cleaning up the fallen things. Then Riya hurried out the door and got in her car, driving away.
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