The Flower You Didn't See | Mystery

Chapter 19

Turning to Sara again, he said, "And the funny thing is, you were the one who introduced him to her! And she is still in the group!" 

"WILL YOU JUST FU**IN SHUT UP!?" Sara yelled with frustration. Anger, resentment and irritation boiled within her. She let out a breath and said her final decision, "Fine. She is out."

"I told you it'd be too much for you," said Sara when John remained quiet for quite a while even after Sara was done talking.

"Every single word I have said is true. We were with her for a long time. So I know her well now. When kids who have been shut from freedom their entire life, suddenly find it, they utilize it to their best. That's what Ruby did too. Although I did not think she'd be so smart too that she'd outsmart me."

"It was you three who distracted my daughter from her studies. She left the college hostel, started living on her own, started working part time, started failing grades and she didn't even tell me!" John burst with anger.

"I'm in the top ten of my batch. Laksh is one of the top five. So, you have no right to stay that we distracted her. If she never told you about us, that's not our fault." Sara remaining calm even after speaking those words, unnerved John.

"Why didn't Lee come with you two, today?" said John.

"Do you really think he would want to meet his ex girlfriend's father? Lee hated her. I agree that he was an ass. But Ruby wasn't a saint either. Laksh never did anything to harm her, but all the while she was trying to steal the scholarship. So I'm sorry that she was in an accident, but we do not want anything to do with her. Besides when you try to shut your kid into a box, she doesn't learn discipline, she just learns of new ways to lie to you. It'll be better if you realise that as soon as you can."

With this Sara stood up and left, Lakshmi following her.

John sat idle, staring at the spot Sara was sitting a few seconds back. All the details Sara described were fresh in his mind. He didn't like that he had just received advice on how to raise his kid from another kid. But deep inside, he wondered if Sara was right.

Was handling every little aspect of Ruby's life, taking care of every little detail, planning every little milestone of her life, a bad thing? John did all those things because he had seen some kids take the wrong decision and regret it the rest of their lives. A particular face and name stood out in his brain as an example.

He shook his head to forget about it. Instead, his mind wandered off to the days in Ruby's first year.

"Pa! I have to go!" Ruby whined over the phone, her lack of time to talk to him evident in her tone.

"I literally just called!" Said John.

"I know Pa. But I'm getting late and I have to go."

"Alright. At Least tell me how you are? Is everything going well?" He asked.

"Yes Pa, nothing has changed since last night."

John felt a little upset by her retort.

"Did you read today's quote?"

"Yes. I did. It was sweet, like always."

"Okay," he said, "Call me when you are free."

"Okay bye. Love you."

She had immediately cut the call, not waiting for him to respond.

John recollected how she had gotten rather busy as months went by. She'd rarely call him, and even when she did, the conversations were short, like these. Now he wondered if she was actually busy or if she was just pushing him away, hiding her secrets, hiding her true self from him, just like her mother.