Who Am I?? by warda n karthik

[Mukhra]

Hi everyone!
Well…karthik and I, warda, are back again….but this time….we arent going to give u a poem….this time it’s a novella…it is different frm the stories that you have read…and you will find out how
Instead of tht…u must be wondering how this novella is going to be written…one chapter is going to be written by me…and the other by karthik…and so on…
But…for those of u who have read my story, “love, life, and friendship” will be a little surprised when you read this one…this one is going to take you on a completely different journey…by…well…let’s find out
Keep reading!

[Mukhra]

The novella's name is "Who Am I??" and you might get a little feeling as to what the novel is going to be abt....but just sit bac...and enjoy the ride

[Mukhra]

Who Am I??
Chapter 1

“If I hear another word come out of your filthy mouth…I will throw you out of the house!” Neha’s father, Mr. Richards yelled at her mother. Neha was sitting at her dining room table, listening to her parents fight, something that had become regular over the past few years.
“FINE! I don’t care what you do to me, you hear me? I’m tired of living with you anyways. Nothing ever goes right with you does it?” Neha’s mother yelled back at her father.
“YOU…” Neha’s father made a move towards her mother, his hands ready to hurt Mrs. Richards. Neha got up from the table, and sighing walked towards her father.
“You seriously need to take a chill pill,” she said nonchalantly, and walked out the door, leaving her father’s face, purple with anger. She got into her Vs2 Celica, and drove to the nearest park.
She got out, and walked towards the trees. Once she was sure that no one was watching her, Neha took out a cigarette and lit it. She smoked for a few minutes, trying to forget her parents fighting, trying to forget that her life was a complete hell.
Neha was the oldest child of her rich parents, and probably, the only one that would survive. Her younger brother, Ronit, had leukemia, and even at a young age, it was incurable. This was one reason Neha wanted to run away as far from her present as she could. The other was her parents fighting all the time. Their fights probably didn’t effect them, but it had caused her to stay away from home as much as possible, and start to smoke and drink. Neha had tried to stop smoking and drinking, but that one dose made her addictive. That one dose made her think smoking and liquor would help her release her anger, her tension.
The sixteen-year-old girl had one thing on her mind right now, suicide. This is the only way. I have to get out of this shit. I can’t listen to them squabble anymore, she thought. She had considered suicide many times, and every time, she had stopped for the sake of her younger brother. Ronit was almost like a son to her, always staying with her. He was more comfortable with Neha than he was with his mother. He was the only person Neha lived for. He was the only one who gave her hope, that maybe, things would turn better.
“Ouch!” Neha yelled as the cigarette burned her fingers. She hastily threw the cigarette to the ground, and rubbed her fingers, her eyes filling with small tears. She turned around to see if anybody was watching her. The only person she saw was a boy, but he seemed to preoccupied to notice. Instead of him, the park of New York seemed deserted at the time.
The teenager got into her car, and drove to the nearest liquor store. She chose her drink, Saque. Neha went to the counter and took out her wallet. She gave the cashier a hundred dollar bill. The cashier didn’t take it.
“Well, take it. I don’t have all day,” Neha said impatiently.
“I need to see your I.D. please,” the cashier said. Sighing, Neha took out her fake I.D., which said that she was twenty-one, instead of only sixteen. The cashier studied the ID, and rang up the alcohol. Neha took the bottle of Saque, and put it in the cooler in her car. No one went in her car, so it was safe. Who knows, I might need it tonight she wondered. Beep Beep went her cell phone. Neha checked who it was. It was her brother, Ronit.
“HI Ronit. What’s up?” she answered as usual. Ronit would usually laugh at the beginning, but this time, he didn’t.
“Can you get home quickly? I…I’m hurt,” Ronit whimpered. Neha’s heartbeat stopped.
“What…what…where’s mom?” she asked. Mrs. Richard should learn to take care of her son.
“Probably in he room, locked up. She and Dad had another fight, so I don’t want to disturb her. You know how she gets,” Ronit said. Neha agreed.
“Well, hold on. I’ll be right there,” Neha said and hung up. She quickly started the car and raced back home, wait not home, but just a mansion.
Neha parked the car in the garage, and ran to Ronit’s room. While she was going, she kicked her mother’s room hard, and then kept going. She got to Ronit’s room and opened the door.
Ronit’s face was pale, almost white. He looked frightened about something, and in pain.
“Ronit, what’s wrong?” Neha asked. She rushed to him and examined him.
“I--I can’t breathe correctly.”
To Be Continued…

[farhana]

hi warda...abtak ki kahani dilchasp hai...do write the 2nd chap soon...waiting to read...bye

[Rohin]

Warda and Karthik...

Wonderful initiative and very nice... keep it up... it is kind of intresting .... waiting to read more....

But next time ek kaam karna ... at the end of the chapter write...

To Be Continued by Karthik or
To Be Continued by Warda

So that We can kick the right person if that person delays in posting the next chapter

Take Care
Rohin

[farhana]

hey warda n karthik...when r u posting the next chapter???waiting to read...take care.bye

[Mukhra]

Chapter 2

“I--I can’t breathe correctly,” Ronit’s eyes rolled into his head. Neha quickly rushed to the Ronit’s medicine cabinet. She unlocked it and took out the oxygen mask. She quickly put it around Ronit’s face and mouth. After a few minutes, Ronit’s face turned back to normal. Neha took the oxygen mask off, and put it away. When she turned back around, she looked at Ronit with anger.

“Why did that just happen? Why didn’t you get up and get the oxygen if no one was home?” she demanded. Ronit looked down at the floor.

“I didn’t take my medicine today. Sorry,” Ronit did look sorry. His face masked innocence, but Neha held on to being strict.

“And why the hell didn’t you take your medicine? Just because I am not home or if mom isn’t there to help you doesn’t mean that you are not going to have to take your medicine. You know what can happen…and if your didn’t, you just found out now,” Neha lectured. Ronit hung his face.

“I--I’m sorry. I lost my keys to the cabinet,” the ten-year-old boy replied. Neha softened. Ronit never lost anything, so this was something new.

“Why didn’t you call me earlier when it was time to take the pills?” she asked.

“I forgot,” Ronit said quietly. Neha went over to Ronit and hugged him tightly. She bit her bottom lip to stop her tears.

“Oh honey…I…I just don’t want to lose you. You’re the only one I actually care for. I’m only here because of you. Just…don’t do anything like that again. Ok? Please…I don’t want you to leave me,” Neha said, her head resting on his tiny shoulder. The scrawny boy hugged her back tightly.

“Neha…I love you…aapee,” calling Neha what he used to when he was five.

“Ok…now you are going to take your medicine. And I’ll get one of the cooks to bring you something to eat. I’ll be right back ok?” she asked. Sometimes, it wasn’t good to leave Ronit. He had grown too close to her to stay away from her for a while. Ronit nodded.

“Tell the kitchen staff I want some pizza,” Ronit said. Neha shook her head and smiled.

“You aren’t going to get pizza for a few days. Right now, it’s just healthy food for you…no junk. That’s what happens when you don’t take your medicine in time,” Neha confirmed. Ronit sighed woefully, and turned on the huge flat screen T.V. in his room. Neha went out the door, and down the hall.

She power walked to her mother’s room and barged in without knocking.

“What is going on here? You can’t even take care of your only son. He is SICK mom…SICK. YOU need to see to him. YOU need to be with him, NOT me,” Neha yelled at her mother. Her mother looked at her sullenly.

“Go ahead…you can yell too…that’s all I’m here for…to hear my husband and teenage daughter yell at me,” Mrs. Richard’s voice cracked.

“Well…what else do you want me to do? Watch Ronit get sicker and sicker by the day? Watch you and Dad…” Neha broke off, noticing her mother’s black eye. Sympathy surged within her. She slowly walked over to her mother, and sat down next to her. She examined the black eye, and the rest of her mother’s face. Her father’s fingers were still visible on Mrs. Richards. That bastard, Neha thought.

“Mama…did he do this to you,” Neha asked. Her mother nodded. Neha touched her mother’s face tenderly, wishing she could revenge her mother. She wished that once, just once, she could show her father how everyone felt about him, how everyone hated him.

“Just don’t…don’t talk to him about this. It’s going to get him even more violent,” Mrs. Richards warned quickly. She knew what her daughter was thinking.

“I won’t…don’t worry. I’m sorry I yelled at you. It…it hasn’t been a good day for me,” Neha hugged her mother, basking in the warmth. She put her head in her mother’s lap, and laid down on the bed.

“No…I’m sorry. You’re lives are not what they should be. You should be happy, not angry all the time,” Mrs. Richards gently kissed her daughter’s forehead. She swept back Neha’s soft, brown bangles.

“Mom…why did you even marry him?” Neha asked. She had asked this question many times, and the answer was always the same.

“I…I thought it was a good choice. I thought I would be happy,” her mother said.

“Well…it wasn’t,” Neha said. Her mother was silent, small tears running down her face.

“I’m going to go see Ronit, and maybe take him out somewhere,” Mrs. Richards wiped her tears, and got up. Neha looked at her to make sure she was ok. When she was satisfied, she nodded.

“Oh wait. I…uh…can I have some money? I’m sort of low on it,” Neha asked.

“How much?” Neha’s mother took out her purse.

“Just…a hundred,” Neha said. She knew she would get this much from her mother. It wasn’t a big price at all. If she had asked her father, he would have just given her a blank check in order to get her out of the way fast, but her mother didn’t do that.

“Neha. You spend way too much money. You’re just like your father on that,” Mrs. Richards handed her daughter a hundred dollar bill. Neha took it.

“Then maybe I should change this habit. I don’t want to be like him,” Neha muttered.

“What did you say?” Mrs. Richards asked.

“Oh nothing. Just trying to remember how much the new camera phones cost. My cell is getting old, so I was going to buy another,” Neha said truthfully. She was going to buy another cell phone, but she was going to use her credit card for that. The cash was needed for when she needed a drink, and a credit card wasn’t accepted. Neha quickly pecked her mother on the cheek and walked out the room. She went to her room, and started doing her homework. Even if she was buried deep in trouble, Neha always had time to do school work. It was work that came naturally to her. She was the class valedictorian and a university had already offered her a full scholarship.

To Be Continued...

[farhana]

interesting......waiting to knoe what happens next.....good work u guys.....take care

[Mukhra]

Chapter 3
just giving u a lil break with this chappie before the dhamakas!


After school ended, Neha went to her friend’s locker.

“Hey Wirda. Wanna go somewhere today?” she asked her best friend. Wirda was a tall sophomore, a year younger than her, but they were the best of friends. They were inseparable. Wirda shut her locker door, and turned to face her.

“Umm…sorry Neha. I can’t. I have an appointment with the doctor’s today. Mom’s waiting outside for me,” Wirda looked sorry.

“Damn it! Fine. I’ll talk to you later then. Bye,” Neha gave Wirda a quick hug and walked down to her car in the junior’s parking lot. She got in and drove to the park, searching her purse for cigarettes in the process. Neha only found one.

“I need to get a few more packs,” she muttered to herself. Then, she rummaged through her purse, looking for her lighter. She couldn’t find it. Frustrated, Neha kicked a nearby tree.

“HEY!!!! WATCH OUT!!” a voice yelled from behind her. Neha turned around in surprise, just in time to see a young boy on a bicycle hurling towards out. Not having time to move away, the boy collided with Neha, both toppling on top of each other. Neha’s cigarette sailed from her hands. Angrily, Neha pushed the boy off her and stood up, brushing her capris and tank top as she did.

“What the hell? Can’t you watch where you’re going?” she pushed the boy. The boy once again toppled to the ground.

“Hey miss. Watch it. I was yelling at you to move away. I was riding down a hill…so hello…I didn’t have much control over my bike. It’s not my fault your deaf,” the boy retorted. Neha looked at him. The boy was actually a teenager, around her age. He was tall, with gray eyes, and short black hair. Very good looking.

“Umm…excuse me…I was standing here, trying to smoke. I don’t think its my fault,” Neha said. The boy looked familiar.

“Yea ok. By the way, smoking isn’t good for you,” the boy said.

“And who are you to tell me what’s good for me and what isn’t?”

“Me? I’m Eric, a senior at your school.” Neha nodded.

“Yes well…you need to buy me a cigarette, since you ruined my last one,” Neha demanded.

“Yea…ok…in your dreams. I don’t smoke, and I don’t let others smoke either,” Eric said. Neha rolled her eyes. She was about to turn around when Eric caught onto her wrist.

“Hey…uhh…can you drop me home? You sorta ruined my bike, and my car’s at my house,” Eric asked. Neha sighed and nodded. She got into her car, and unlocked the passenger’s door for Eric.

“Get in,” she said. Eric obeyed.

“Where do you live?” Neha asked Eric.

“Pandora Hills,” was the reply.

“Hey…I live their too. How come we never met before?” Neha wondered out loud.

“Oh…I know you…who doesn’t know you. It’s just that…you don’t know me,” Eric said sheepishly. Neha drove down the street carefully.

“Wait…stop here,” Eric said. Neha stopped at Pizza Hut.

“Why?”

“Wanna come inside and have a pizza. I’m really hungry. Plus, it’ll be my treat,” Eric said. Neha considered the offer. She politely said yes to the offer, but on the inside, she was dying for a cigarette. Neha and Eric went inside the pizza place. They chose a table in the far back, and ordered a larger vegetable pizza.

“So…why do you smoke?” Eric asked. Neha looked at him incredulously.

“Are you kidding me? I have just met you and you expect me to tell you everything?” Neha said angrily. Eric doggedly nodded. Neha rolled her eyes.

“I smoke because its my habit ok? I can’t live without it now,” Neha said.

“Smoking is what is gonna kill you. Why do people smoke anyways? The smell is just enough to make me puke,” Eric made a face.

“My dear, start smoking and you will find out how good it tastes,” Neha said. Eric made the loser sign at her. Neha’s eyes flashed angrily, and she got up from the table.

“Look mister! Do you want me to drop you home or not?” Neha asked.

“What do you think? Obviously yes,” Eric looked smug.

“Then shut up!” Neha’s teeth were clenched. Eric simple looked at her, with no expression on his face. When the pizza came, the two teenagers busied themselves to eating it. As soon as she was finished, Neha abruptly got up and went out to her car. Eric scrambled after her, with a huge piece of pizza in his hands.

“Way to leave me,” Eric said sarcastically. Neha accelerated the car and sped to Pandora Hills. Eric gave her directions to his house, which turned out to be quite far from Neha’s house. Neha stopped the car at Eric’s house and waited for him to get out. While she was waiting, she looked at the house. It was built similar to hers, a four storey mansion with all accessories such as a swimming pool, and a gym.

“Thanks. Drop in sometimes?” Eric asked. Neha nodded and quickly sped off to her house. When she got there, she quickly went to Ronit’s room and peeked inside. Ronit was sleeping soundly. Neha’s face burst into a smile and she silently went back to the living room. There, she saw her father.

“You’re home early today. What’s the occasion?” Neha was surprised.

“And you are late. We have important guests coming in today. I want you to got get ready for them and be on your best behavior,” Mr. Richards warned.

“Fine. On one condition. I’m not going to sit through your stupid meetings,” Neha said. She stalked off to her room and rummaged through her closet, looking for a dress. Neha took out a long, sleeveless black dress. The dress came down to her feet, and showed a decent amount of leg because of the slit that went up the left side of the dress. Neha put the dress on. She stood in front of her mirror, and applied a little makeup on her face so that it would hide the bags under her eyes. Finally, she put her shoes on and went downstairs to the living room to wait for the guests.

“Aargh! This is going to be a boring evening,” Neha mumbled. She went and lay down on the love seat, waiting for the “important” guests. When the doorbell rang, she got up slowly and made sure her hair was okay before she launched into her nice hostess mode. Neha opened the French door and welcomed the guests. They were a middle-aged couple, with a son to whom Neha didn’t even look at. She quickly shut the French doors after the guests had entered.

“Hey beautiful.” Neha froze. The voice seemed strangely familiar.

To Be Continued....

[farhana]

hmmmmm...i think the boy is eric.....lets c what happens next...take care....

[Mukhra]

Chapter 4


“You! What are you doing here?” Neha poked Eric in his chest. Eric caught her hand and held it.

“Well….ummm…see…my parents made me come here. So don’t be flattered; if I knew I was going to see you here I would have done anything to not come,” Eric said sarcastically. Neha wrenched her hand away from his, and pushed him. She glared at him, hoping that it would make him scared, but Eric looked at her calmly, with a smug face.

“Well, come on! Dinner is waiting,” Neha turned around and stomped to the dining room, making a mental note to stay clear of Eric. Eric followed her, and sat down next to her at the table. Once dinner started, they got busy eating. All the while, Neha kept glancing at Eric, who would occasionally wink at her, a small smile on his face. Neha, instead, tried to focus on what the adults were talking about.

“Now, if I may add my opinion. I think it will be highly profitable if we buy the Saleen S7 for our company. The GPA rates are mounting at a steady rate, and we need to find a way to…” Mr. Richards rambled on. Neha wasn’t interested in their conversations either.

“Neha. Why don’t you and Eric go up to your room and talk there. I have a feeling you are getting bored listening to our business talk,” Neha’s mother said to her pointedly. Neha sighed and nodded. She pushed Eric in front of her once they weren’t in view of their parents.

“Finally! Some time alone with you!” Eric joked.

“Yea, ok. Whatever. You need to get a life. I am NOT spending all evening with you. So excuse me, I have to check up on my brother,” Neha pushed past Eric and power-walked to Ronit’s room. Eric followed doggedly. Oh My God!! He’s not going to leave me alone is he? I am in desperate need of a cigarette or drink…but I cant do it in front of him! Neha thought to herself. She knocked softly on Ronit’s door. When there was no response, she opened the door slowly and went into Ronit’s room. Neha went over to Ronit’s side. She watched him sleep, an innocent look on his face, with no cares of the world, and a dream to live forever. Neha listened to Ronit’s steady, but raspy breathing, and the soft rhythm of his heartbeat. She put a hand on his cheek. Reflexive to the touch, Ronit’s eyes fluttered open.

“Neha?” he said groggily. Neha nodded.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Fine. Mom and Dad still with the guests?”

“Yes, Ronit.”

“Who’s the guy behind you?” Ronit asked as his eyes focused on a handsome boy standing behind Neha. Neha looked surprised as she turned around. While she was talking to Ronit, it had been so quiet that she had forgotten Eric was still in the same room.

“This, Ronit, is Eric. He’s the son of the Parkinsons,” Neha gave Eric a small, yet sincere smile for the first time. Eric blinked once as if to say he understood.

“Hi, Ronit! What’s up?” Eric patted Ronit’s back in a friendly manner.

“Not bad. How about you?” Ronit started coughing suddenly. His face took on a harsh look, something that should never have been put there on the little boy’s face. Neha reached to rub Ronit’s back, but Eric beat her to it. He slowly and gradually rubbed Ronit’s back until the coughing ceased.

“Sorry. It’s just time for my medicine,” Ronit said, his cheeks red.

“Oh don’t worry about it. Tell me where the medicine is, and I’ll get it for you,” Eric said.

“No, it’s ok. You and Neha can go. I’ll take the medicine myself,” Ronit smiled. Eric shrugged. He turned to go, but stopped and looked at Neha. Neha hadn’t moved at all.

“Coming, Neha?” Eric asked. Neha kept studying her brother. After what seemed like a while, she slowly aroused from her trance and looked at Eric.

“Yes, let’s go,” Neha gave Ronit a warm hug, and went out of his room.

“Thanks,” she said to Eric once they were out the door and walking to her room.

“Thanks for what?” Eric asked. Neha didn’t say anything for a while.

“Ronit has leukemia,” Neha choked out. Eric put an arm around her and rubbed her arms understandingly.

“It’s ok. Everything is going to be fine. You have me with you. Don’t worry,” Eric mollified. Neha nodded.

“Oh, by the way. Can I hold you in my arms more often now? I kind of like holding you,” Eric flirted as he kissed Neha on her cheek. Neha pushed him away abruptly.

“You idiot. No, you obviously can’t” Neha said, trying to hide her smile.

“Aww…come on. You know you liked it. I can see it in your smile,” Eric grinned.

“Thanks…for making me smile,” Neha said sincerely. It was true. She hadn’t smiled and meant it for a while. Eric nodded.

“Ok…where’s your room? I have to go mess it up, you know,” Eric said. Neha rolled her eyes, something she had been doing a lot of since she met Eric. She reluctantly led him to her room, and opened the door. They both entered.

“Cool. I like the room,” Eric looked around the room, his eyes taking in everything.

“I take it you’re really tidy,” Eric said. Neha nodded. She went over to her T.V. and turned it on, surfing through the channels, looking form something good. Finally, she settled to watching a song by Raghav. Eric listened to the song, singing along with it.

“You know Raghav?” Neha was surprised.

“Well…duh! Which desi doesn’t?” Eric looked at her incredulously.

“You’re desi?” Neha said. Immediately, she cupped her hands over her mouth for asking a question like that.

“Yes, Richards. I’m desi. Why is it surprising?” Eric asked her. Neha felt dumb, really dumb. She didn’t say anything and instead, smiled sheepishly.

“Hey, mind if I go on your laptop?” Eric asked as he opened the laptop and turned it on. Neha didn’t answer, she knew she didn’t have to. In the silence between them, Neha could hear the soft, but fast sounds of the keyboard as Eric typed on the laptop. She grew comfortable with the sound, letting it soothe her.

“ Hey! What’s this?” Eric asked.

“What?”

“Did you write this?”

“Write what?”

“This: Who Am I??
I asked my self once
But came back with no answer…only a dunce
Am I that person out smoking
Or am I that person out drinking
No…that can’t be me
Not at all…that can not be
But if not…then who am I?
I want to be normal
I want to be loving
I want to be caring
But…that cannot be me
No…not with


Who Am I??
I asked myself once
But came back with no answer…
Only a dunce
As much as I tried I couldn’t find myself
I was hiding too far below, to recover myself
As much as I tried…I couldn’t see me
As much as I tried…I couldn’t be satisfied
Then it occurred to me…
That maybe I was too busy
My soul hid away…but I didn’t see…” Eric read the poetry out loud. Neha got up quickly, and harshly took the laptop away from him.

“Never…and I mean never…do you read any of my poetry,” Neha’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“Sorry! I was just looking at it. How come you didn’t complete it? How come you started over again?” Eric bravely asked.

“None of your business,” Neha snapped.

“Ok…fine…got it. Never touch your poetry again. Now can I have the laptop back?” Eric asked, his had stretched out. Neha slowly handed the computer back. Eric went onto the internet, and started talking to his friends.

“So you like poetry?” Eric asked over the sound of his fingers hitting the keyboard. Neha nodded. She tore her eyes away from watching “Kyon Ki” on T.V.

“Well, I like writing it too. But that’s enough about that. Change the subject,” Neha demanded.

“Your parents really love each other don’t they?” Eric asked after a while. Neha looked up, surprised.

“Why do you say that?” Neha said. Her parents fought all the time.

“Well. They seemed really happy when we were at dinner…you know…and they were having a fun time together,” Eric explained. Neha smiled bitterly and thought, if only you knew how they really act towards each other. Them being all happy at the dinner table was all a show that they put on for all the guests so that the unsuspecting guests think we are a happy family. “Whatever you say,” Neha replied.

“What? You don’t think so?” Eric asked. Neha opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, Eric’s cell rang.

“Hello?” he answered. He talked in the phone and nodded. After he hung up, he turned back to Neha.

“Who was it?” Neha asked curiously.

“Oh…my parents. They just called to tell me they were going home, and I could come later if I wanted to. So I told them that I’ll go home later,” Eric said.

“Aargh! How long are you going to stay here?” Neha exclaimed. Eric made a face at her. Neha imitated him. Eric took hold of Neha’s cheeks and kissed her.

“Now copy me on that,” he said. Neha’s face turned bright red.

“Shut up,” was all she could say. Eric smirked, making Neha become furious.

“You know what? I’m going to make you do some work while you are here,” Neha said. She opened a file on her laptop and showed it to Eric.

“Tell me what you can make of that flower,” Neha said.
“Well, it’s a flower I guess…well…it’s a rose,” Eric said matter-of-factly. Neha made the loser sign.

“No duh! Even I know that! I mean, can you find a way to actually describe it in a poetic way? Let’s see how good you are with words,” Neha challenged. Eric took the challenge. He stared at the flower for a while, and then started to type. He needed to get all the details in…the fresh dew slipping down one of the petals, the blood-red color, the innocence, the freshness, the love…everything. While Eric was working, Neha couldn’t help but smile as she watched him.

“Ok…I know you’re smiling. But I want to know what is so funny that you can’t stop,” Eric said without looking up from the computer screen.

“I finally found a way for you to shut up,” Neha burst out laughing. Eric averted his eyes from the computer screen and gave her the you-are-the-biggest-idiot-in-the-world look.

“Instead of making fun of me, why don’t you help me,” he offered indifferently.

“What? Don’t think you can--” but Neha was cut off by a blood-chilling scream from downstairs.

[Mukhra]

Chapter 5

Eric’s face turned into one of surprise, while Neha’s one of horror. They both ran out of the room and down the stairs, following the sounds of the screams, which were coming from the living room.

“What the--” Eric started to say, but stopped as Neha put a hand on his mouth. She put her slender finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet.

“WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME?” Mrs. Richard’s voice could be heard.

“WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO A B----- LIKE YOU? ALL YOU CAN DO IS TALK SHIT!” Mr. Richards yelled. Neha moved closer to the living room and peeked inside. Eric did the same.

“Ok. Listen. Maybe…we…just need to calm down. Y-you-you’re drunk. We-we can talk later,” Mrs. Richards trembled. Mr. Richards moved closer to her, and seized her hair, pulling it forcefully. His wife made a desperate yelp.

“YOU can keep your ass out of my life! I don’t need you asking what I was doing, or in this matter, who I was with. That is none of your business…understand? Don’t try to bring out my bad side…it’s only going to hurt YOU,” Mr. Richards thundered. He pushed Mrs. Richards to the ground, his eyes blazing with fire. Mrs. Richards whimpered, but tried to get up.

“I…am….your….wife…I need….to know who that woman was,” Mrs. Richards said breathlessly. Her husband took a vase from one of the tables and got ready to throw it.

“Oh my god,” Neha quickly ran into the room.

“NO! STOP!” she yelled. Mr. Richards looked at her, surprised. His eyes took on a surprised look, and he looked down at the vase in his hands, wondering how it got there.

“Just…leave her alone. Leave us alone…please…we didn’t ask for this misery,” Neha pleaded. Her eyes frantically tried to look into Mr. Richard’s, but he kept his eyes to the floor.

“Whatever I do to your mother is none of your business. She is my wife…I have every right over her. Now get out of my face!” Mr. Richards said through gritted teeth. Neha’s sudden impulse was to slap him, but instead, she clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to control her anger.

“FINE! But when you lose us, remember this, there will be no coming back to you,” she said fiercely. Mr. Richards walked up to Neha, and smack!, his fingers leaving their mark on Neha’s face. Neha swallowed back her tears, and ran out of the room. Little did she notice that Mr. Richards had slumped down to the floor, his face in his hands, shoulders shuddering.

Neha walked into the bitter cold night, and ran to her car, tears streaming down her face. She unlocked her car and got in, hitting her head against the steering wheel. She stayed in that position, her head on the steering wheel, her whole body shivering as she cried silently. There was no point in crying really. No one was going to help wipe her tears. Then, a hand patted her back.

Neha flinched at the touch, and brought her head up abruptly.

“Don’t touch me,” she said shrilly. Eric looked at her with a sorry face. He looked into her eyes, not letting her avoid eye contact. As Neha’s tear-filled eyes stared into Eric’s understanding ones, they started to soften, and thought, that maybe, just maybe, there was still a way. But no…no way…she refused to believe it. Her life was a hell, and it was going to stay like this. Thinking of this, Neha started crying harder.

“Shh…I won’t hurt you…I promise,” Eric said. He let the distressed girl lean in against him, her head resting on his shoulders.

“Don’t cry. We’ll make it all better…we will…I promise,” Eric reassured. Neha looked up into his eyes, and for a minute, she really wanted to believe him.

“Stop giving me false hopes. I’m tired of hoping for something good to happen, and then, seeing my dreams shattered right in front of me. What is wrong with them? Can’t they just spend one evening together without getting into a fight?” Neha asked in a small voice. She looked at Eric, her heart wanting to believe that he knew all the answers.

“I’m not giving you false hopes. I promise to make it better for you. I’m going to be at your side, always,” Eric said softly.

“But…why me? I thought this only happened to people who were druggies or were related to crime…so why me? What did I do?” Neha sobbed. Eric had no answer for that. Instead, he placed a small kiss on Neha’s forehead. He held her, until finally, she quieted, and stopped crying. He wiped her face gently with a tissue, and put the tissue in his pocket.

“Give me the tissue. I’ll throw it away,” Neha reached for the napkin.

“No. I’m going to keep it. It has your precious tears on it. Every time your cry, I will keep the tissue. Let’s see how much we add up to every month,” Eric said. Neha shrugged and started the car suddenly. She sped down Pandora Hills, and onto a deserted hill, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. She stopped the car, and turned around, so that she could look into the backseat. She took out the cooler that she kept hidden, and took out the bottle of Saque.

“Want some?” Neha asked. She began to open the bottle, but Eric took it out of her hands.

“Why do you drink?” he demanded to know.

“It helps to get rid of the hurt. It really does,” Neha reached for the bottle desperately. Eric kept it out of her reach.

“This is only going to hurt you more,” he said quietly.

“Eric…just give me the bottle. I need it…bad,” Neha pleaded.

“Nope. From now on, you stop drinking,” Eric held on to the bottle firmly.

“But-but…I can’t stay without it now. It’s something I need daily,” Neha said.

“No…you don’t.”

“Please Eric! Drinking really helps me. I need to stop thinking about them. I need to stop hurting. Just give me one sip. That’s all I’m asking for,” Neha said exasperated.

“Really? Well…maybe I should help you instead of the bottle. Trust me…ok?” Eric looked at her, with a benevolent expression on his face.

“Ok,” Neha said after what seemed to Eric like an hour. Eric smiled. Neha stepped out, and leaned against the car, looking up at the star-filled sky.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Eric said. He sat on the hood of the car, staying close to Neha. Neha nodded with a blank expression.

“You see all those stars? People say they are all the loved ones that have died, but I think these are all the wishes that people have made when in despair. Look at how many there are. There is so much hurt in this world…our souls are so stained. Some of us are so hurt…that our souls have died…leaving us with just a breathing corpse,” Eric explained. Neha tried to follow what he was saying, but couldn’t.

“So, in the last hope, the people come out here and wish on the brightest star they see that night. They hope that things will get better, that they will be happy again…but never do they think that just wishing on stars isn’t going to help,” Eric said.

“I don’t get what you are saying,” Neha said, confused.

“You will,” Eric murmured. Neha nodded. She looked at the stars for a while, and then when she saw a shooting star, she let out an excited cry.

“Look Eric! A shooting star. Let’s wish on it,” Neha closed her eyes, and wished. While she wished, her face lit up in a small smile, with a hope. When she opened her eyes, she looked at Eric with a smile on her face.

“What did you wish for?” she asked eagerly. Eric shook his head.

“Your smile,” he said softly. Neha studied him.

“You know…I still think you’re the biggest idiot in the world,” she said innocently.

“I’m glad you do…can’t give up my reputation now…can I?” Eric replied, bowing. Neha laughed.

“Ok Mr. Idiot. Now let’s go home. I’m sleepy,” Neha said. She faked a yawn.

“Liar,” was all Eric said.

“You can see right through me, can’t you?” Neha said.

“Do I have to tell you that?”

“No…”

“Hey Neha. Let’s go back home,” Eric said. He got in the passenger side of the car. Neha got in the driver’s side, and carefully drove to Eric’s house. Eric got out of the car, went over to Neha’s side, and leaned into the open window.

“Don’t drink or smoke, ok? I’m going trust you on this,” Eric lectured.

“Oh my god! I won’t…if I do, then I will have to do your laundry for a week,” Neha promised.

“Deal. Oh…and Neha…”

“What?”

“Good night,” Eric leaned closer and kissed Neha softly on her cheek. Neha leaned her head against his for just a millisecond before she pulled away.

“Eric…you are a big flirt,” Neha said, hiding her smile.

“Hey…just because I’m so adorable doesn’t mean you can call me that. You wanted that kiss…admit it,” Eric leaned in again, but this time, Neha punched him lightly on his nose.

“Good night,” she said.

“What do you think I was trying to say all this time? But instead, you made me kiss you,” Eric joked.

“You’re impossible…did anyone ever tell you that?” Neha asked. She didn’t wait for an answer, and instead, sped off towards her house. When she got there, she parked her car in the garage, and made her way loudly to her room.

Neha quickly dressed into her pajamas, and then lay in bed for a while, repeating in her mind over and over again what had happened that day. Finally, she fell into a fitful sleep.

***

“Neeeeeehaaaa,” Eric called to her. Neha looked up from her homework.

“Yea,” she said lazily, as she looked out the window. The sky was beginning to turn dark with clouds. It looked like it might rain.

“Your brother died just a minute ago,” Eric said casually as he tossed a baseball in the air.

“What?” Neha couldn’t believe her ears. Outside, the thunder rumble, threatening to tear up the sky. Then, the sky started to cry along with Neha. Oh what a downpour it was, the tears of the angels from heaven washing away everything.

“Do my parents know?” Neha said between tears.

“Oh…don’t worry about them. They left for hell just a few minutes ago,” Eric said. Neha looked at Eric, suddenly terrified.

“Eric…what are you talking about? You aren’t making any sense,” she said. She looked at Eric closely, and saw that his eyes were empty, lacking life. His face was slack, and gray, as if it had been without oxygen for quite a while.

“I am making sense!” Eric argued.

“No…you’re not!” Neha cried.

“They left you, Neha. And you know what…I’m going to leave you too…all alone…with no one to take care of you. Neha…you’re going to be all alone. Cry all you want. We can’t wipe your tears anymore. Bye,” Eric waved at Neha.

“No…wait…don’t leave me….don’t leave me alone in this wretched world…please don’t,” Neha jumped towards Eric, holding on to his legs. Eric started walking towards the door. Neha got dragged along as well.

“Neha…let go of me. I have to go,” Eric said firmly.

“NO!” Neha said. Her tears were running freely now. She couldn’t be left alone in the world! God could not be so cruel! Eric turned his face away from Neha, and walked out the door. Outside, Neha could see they were at the hill next to the Atlantic. The sea was lashing against the rocks violently, looking for its prey. Eric kicked Neha with his free leg. Neha went flying, and landed at the base of the hill.

“Good-bye,” Eric said. Then, the sky tore, and opened up, engulfing Eric. Neha made a sound like a banshee, and leaped towards where Eric had been before. Instead, the ground vanished, leaving Neha’s bloodcurdling scream to be heard throughout the city as she fell towards the hungry vulture-like sea.

Neha awoke abruptly, her pajamas drenched with sweat. She looked around the room fearfully. Stumbling out of her bed, Neha silently ran to Ronit’s room. She softly opened the door, looked inside, and saw Ronit sleeping soundly. Breathing a sigh of relief, Neha went back to her room.

She looked at the clock on her bedside table; it was 2:30 A.M. Neha sighed, and got in her bed, willing herself to go to sleep. But, the sleep didn’t come. Instead, the nightmare replayed in Neha’s mind many times. Finally, when she couldn’t stand it anymore, Neha went down to the garage, with her car keys. She unlocked her car, and took out the bottle of Saque. She took the alcohol to her room, and locked the door behind her. Opening the bottle, Neha brought it close to her red lips, but didn’t drink.

“I’m sorry Eric,” Neha whispered into the air just before she drowned herself in alcohol, becoming hopelessly drunk, and finally, going to sleep.

To Be Continued…

[Mukhra]

yeps...two long chappies for u
well...for those of u who dont know...this novel is now only going to be written by me...my partner cant help in it cuz of some situations...

and thanx for farhana and rohin for liking the story...keep readingggggggg

take care
bye
warda

[farhana]

hey warda.....sorry got a lil late.....the 2 chappies were really good....hmm no porbs if only ur going to write it after all the poor boy is having his exams ......
ur writing really well sweets...keep it up...its really interesting...
hope to read the next chapter soon...take care...bye

[Rohin]

Badhe Chalo.. Badhe chalo....

[snowy]

hi mukhra...

nice going... i read the story today morning and believe me.. i read all the chapters at one go... i couldn't stop my self... i like reading... and u write such nice stories.. that one can't stop reading... this novel is way different from the previous one...but its as interesting as the previous one... keep writing..

bye
take care...
hope to see the next chapter soon...

[Mukhra]

Chapter 6

Neha squinted as the sunlight streamed down on her in the morning. She groaned and rolled over, shielding her face from the sunlight with her blanket. She started to get up, but slumped back down, her eyes scrunched tight from pain.

“Arrgh! My head” Neha held her aching head, trying to ease away the pain. She knew this was going to happen; it always did when she became drunk. Slowly, Neha’s lethargic body made its way out of bed, getting itself ready, while Neha’s brain was still a little asleep. Many times, the girl bumped into furniture.

“Ma’am?” a servant knocked on Neha’s door. Neha opened the door slightly.

“What is it?” she asked in a small voice.

“Mr. Eric has requested to see you,” the servant informed.

“Tell him to come up here,” Neha groaned. She quickly shut the door, and ran to her bathroom. Brushing her teeth, Neha thought about what would happen if Eric found out about her little liquor party early morning. Neha quickly dabbed on eye makeup to make her eyes look less clouded and hung over. She heard a knock on the door, and, quickly went to open it after hiding the bottle.

“Hi Eric!” she said in presumptuous voice. Eric raised his eyebrows at her.

“Hi. You’re still in your pj’s y’know,” Eric said. Neha looked down at her clothes and shrugged.

“Oh well,” Neha winced as a pain went through her head.

“Have you been drinking?” Eric asked suspiciously.

“Noooooo. I’m just tired, that’s all,” Neha lied through her teeth. She faked a huge smile.

“Right. Stop lying. You’re hung over. I can see it,” Eric said.

“Sorry. I really am so sorry Eric. I tried not to drink, but I had this really bad nightmare last night, and I couldn’t go to sleep because I was too scared to close my eyes. So I needed that drink. I really did, or else I would have been dead with fear,” Neha spilled out.

“Start doing my laundry from today,” Eric said indifferently.

“What?"

“You said it yourself last night. If you drank or smoked, then you would have to do my laundry for a week.”

“Oh…ok. So, I mean, you’re not going to yell at me then?” Neha asked, becoming hopeful.

“What’s the point of yelling at someone if she isn’t going to listen to what I say? What’s the point of even trusting you to keep your promise?” Eric said as he started to walk out the door. Neha’s mouth dropped open at the words.

“Yo! What are you talking about? You can trust me. Of course you can. And I said I was sorry. What else do you want from me?” Neha’s voice went up a notch. Eric turned around.

“Just the promise that you will stop all your bad habits. But, looks like you aren’t good at keeping promises…” Eric trailed off. He walked downstairs, and out the door, heading for his car. Neha scrambled after him.

“No! Don’t leave me!” she yelled. Eric slowed down his pace, but kept walking.

“Where are you going?” Neha caught up with him.

“Away from you right now,” Eric said bitterly.

“B-b-bu-but I need you,” Neha said. Was her dream actually coming true?

“Don’t you have a boyfriend you can go to? Why me?” Eric lashed out. He got in his car. Neha did the same. Eric started to drive down the driveway.

“No. All boyfriends can do are hurt me. That’s all they have ever done. Plus, I don’t believe in this stupid love anyways. It’s all a lie,” Neha said quietly. Eric momentarily glanced at Neha. He wanted to hold her, and make her better, but, he didn’t want her to take him for granted.

“Fine! Then go find someone else to listen to your blabber,” Eric said.

“I don’t know if I could find anyone else as caring as you,” Neha said. Eric softened.

“So why don’t you listen to me? I’m only trying to help you.”

“I know. It’s just that…I can’t explain. But, I need some time,” Neha said softly. Eric stopped the car and looked at her. He seemed to be trying to be debating whether he should take Neha’s word or not.

“Fine. You’ve got some time, but not all your life,” Eric agreed cordially. He drove to his house. When he got out of the car, he went over to Neha’s side and opened the door for her.

“Come on then! You’ve got some washing to do,” Eric said impatiently. Neha reluctantly got out of her car. She walked with Eric into his house.

“Cool place you have here,” Neha observed the hall. It was dimly lit with a yellowish light, giving the place a peaceful look.

“Yea. My parents are freaks when it comes to decorating the house,” Eric said lamely. He walked over to the phone on the wall, entered four digits and started talking.

“Hey Phil. Bring up some cookies and soda. I have a friend here…….Yea. Leave the stuff in my room. Thanks,” Eric hung up, and turned to look at Neha. He gestured for her to follow him as he walked towards his room. He opened his room, pushed Neha in, and then bowed as Neha looked around the room.

“Nice…but…you like pink? Ha! That’s funny…you have a pink bedspread,” Neha giggled uncontrollably.

“Actually Richards, I don’t like the color pink, but my other sheets need to be washed so I had no choice. But why are you asking? I think the pink kinda looks good,” Eric joked. He jumped onto his bed, took a remote control, and turned the surround system on. The room filled with Eminem.

“Uhhh…SHUT THAT OFF! I HATE EMINEM!” Neha yelled in Eric’s ear. Eric merely shrugged, and turned the volume up higher.
“It’s my room,” he said defiantly.

“BUT I HAVE A HEADACHE!” Neha winced as she said it. Eric sighed and shut off the music.

“It’s not my fault you’re drunk,” he said.

“You know what? I’m getting tired of this. You’ve known me enough now to know that sometimes, I need to drink or have a cigarette. I’m not some kind of android who is just going to stop doing something immediately. You know me. It takes some time with me,” Neha said.

“And I’m still trying to know you. But I know this: I know you more than you do yourself,” Eric said softly.

“What?” Neha shrieked.

“Like I said. You don’t even know who you are. You are just trying to run away from yourself using all these stupid methods that eventually turn into habits. Heck, do you even notice that what you are doing is hurting you?” Eric let out.

“Wait. You seriously are not making sense. Of course I know who I am. I’m Neha Richards. I’m a junior in high school,” Neha said matter-of-factly.

“Never mind!” Eric exclaimed. Neha opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. Eric went into his closet and took out a huge basket, piled to the top with dirty clothing.

“Here you go. Start washing. The washing machine is downstairs in the basement. Just go down the stairs to the right,” Eric gave instructions as he brought the basket towards Neha. Neha looked at the basket, wide-eyed.

“But…I’ve never done laundry before,” she said.

“Too bad. This’ll be a learning experience for you then,” Eric grinned slyly.

“Fine! Then…I’ll see you later,” Neha huffed as she took hold of the basket, and dragged it to the basement with her.

“That idiot. What does he think of himself? I’ll clean his clothes so nicely, he’ll be amazed,” Neha muttered to herself. She went over to the washing machine, and stared at it. After a while of thinking, Neha turned on the washing machine. She watched the water start to run as she put some clothes into the machine. She then took the Tide box, and poured in about three cups of the detergent. Satisfied with the amount, Neha closed the lid to the washing machine, and waited.

In a few minutes, Neha started to get bored. She had put the timer on the washing machine as forty minutes. Out of curiosity, Neha started to rummage through Eric’s clothes. She checked the size of his clothes: large.

“Of course it’s large…Eric is a tall person,” she said to herself. Half and hour later, Eric came to see her.

“How’s it going?” Eric asked casually. He looked inside the washing machine.

“Wow. You really are stupid. You’ve put way too much detergent in there. The clothes are going to take a long time to get the soap out of them now. Way to go,” Eric drawled. Neha mentally kicked herself for being so stupid.

“Well…it was my first time,” Neha said. The two teenagers waited in silence until they heard the timer go off. Eric opened the washing machine, took out the clothes, and put them in the dryer. In about ten minutes, the clothes had dried. Neha took them out of the dryer and held them up one by one with a proud face.

“See…I know how to do laundry,” she said smug.

“You moron! You just ruined my red and white shirts. The color just went onto the white. It’s pink now!” Eric face was one of horror as he saw that his favorite shirts were ruined. Neha turned red in the face.

“Oh…ummm...uh…sorry?” Eric threw her a murderous glance.

“You can’t do anything right, can you?” he said angrily.

“No…I guess I can’t,” and Neha walked out of the room. She was about to slam the door, when two arms went around her waist. Eric held her in a tight hug.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” Eric softened his hold. Neha wrenched herself away from him.

“No. It’s ok. I know I’m stupid and annoying. Don’t worry though. I promise you won’t have to see my face again from now on,” Neha said tartly. She ran out of the room. Eric stared at the empty hallway. He was surprised. What had just happened?

“Women! You can never understand them!” he exclaimed out loud. Silly little Neha Eric thought with a surprised smile on his face. He waited for a few minutes before going outside to his car in search of Neha.

To Be Continued...

here u go!
a chappie for u ppl before i go on vacation

[Mukhra]

Originally posted by snowy
hi mukhra...

nice going... i read the story today morning and believe me.. i read all the chapters at one go... i couldn't stop my self... i like reading... and u write such nice stories.. that one can't stop reading... this novel is way different from the previous one...but its as interesting as the previous one... keep writing..

bye
take care...
hope to see the next chapter soon...

thanx neha for liking this story too

keep reading!

[snowy]

mukhra... where u going for holidays and for how long???? dont leave the story in the middle...

[Mukhra]

heyyyyy dont wrry neha....im bac
and ill post something tomorrow...hopefully

[Mukhra]

Originally posted by Rohin
Badhe Chalo.. Badhe chalo....

of course....aakhir Big B ka order hai

keep readinggg

[Mukhra]

Originally posted by farhana
hey warda.....sorry got a lil late.....the 2 chappies were really good....hmm no porbs if only ur going to write it after all the poor boy is having his exams ......
ur writing really well sweets...keep it up...its really interesting...
hope to read the next chapter soon...take care...bye

heyyyy srry im a lil late too! chalo...we're equal...ek maafi aapki...ek maafi meri...hehe

thanx for liking my story farhana...and thanx for replying along with the chapters....it really makes me feel nice....iss choti si jaan nanne se bache ko accha lagta hai jab koi usse compliment kare...hehe......yeh bacha apne big b par gaya hai

keep reading always

take care
ur friend always
bye
warda

[farhana]

nice going sweets...take care...interesting....

[Mukhra]

Chapter 7

Eric drove slowly, thinking he would find Neha walking along the sidewalk. However, as he searched through the neighborhood, Eric didn’t find Neha anywhere outside. Starting to get a little worried, Eric called Neha.

“Heelloooo,” Neha’s slurry voice said.

“Neha. Where are you?” Eric asked anxiously.

“Me? I’m not anywhere. I’m with me,” was the reply. Eric looked at the phone with a skeptical look on his face.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Leave me alone!” and Neha hung up.

“Perfect. Now what?” Eric started the car, and went to the nearest drinking bar. Maybe it was the slur in Neha’s voice that told him where she was, but he went inside the bar. The dim place took a moment to get use to. Everything was so dark, except for the light of the TV coming from the corner. Eric walked over to the barman.

“What would you like?” the barman asked.

“Nothing. Did you see a girl with long brown hair come in here. She was wearing pajama pants and a tank,” Eric inquired. The barman pointed to the left. Eric turned his head and saw Neha drinking from a tall glass.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over the place for you,” Eric said. He took hold of Neha’s arm. Neha wrapped her other arm around him.

“You know. You look really cute. I love you hair,” Neha ran her hand through Eric’s short hair.

“I already knew I’m cute. But, let’s go. You just called me cute, and that’s not a good sign,” Eric pulled Neha along with him.

“Who am I?” Neha asked suddenly. Eric stopped in his tracks.

“Neha Richards, of course.”

“Do you know me?” the teenager looked innocently up into Eric’s eyes. Eric nodded.

“Am I nice? Am I mean? Am I liked?” Neha asked. Her confused eyes looked up at his surprised ones.

“Wait. What are you talking about? Let’s get out of here,” Eric pulled on Neha’s arm again, but Neha stayed where she was. She shook her head stubbornly, and pouted.

“Tell me!” she said, crossing her arms.

“Of course you’re nice. Let’s go now,” Eric successfully walked Neha out to his car. He helped her get in, and then went over to the driver’s side. He started the car and slowly backed out of the small parking lot.

“Then why doesn’t anybody like me? Nobody loves me. I’m all alone,” Neha asked quietly. Eric studied her face, before finally answering.

“I’m always here for you.”

“But not my mommy, or my daddy. They hate me. My daddy hit me one day. And it hurt too,” Neha’s eyes started to form tears as her voice took one of a little child’s.

“No. They love you. They just find it hard to express,” Eric explained.

“It’s my father’s fault. All of it. Whatever I do now, if it is not good, it’s his fault,” Neha whispered.

“No it’s not.”

“Yes it is. He doesn’t love me. You know…I only do bad stuff to get his attention, but it never works. Once, I smoked right in front of him, and all he told me was to smoke in the other room. That’s it. Nothing else. No yelling…no nothing. If I died right there on the spot…he wouldn’t have cared either. I feel like a loser in front of him. Why am I a loser?” Neha asked eagerly.

“You aren’t. You just think you are. Talk to your father about this. That’s all I can say,” Eric sighed.

“But…you’re supposed to help me. And I can’t talk to my dad. I don’t know how. The last time I really talked to him was when I was in third grade,” Neha reasoned.

“I’m trying to help you. But you keep running off and doing exactly the opposite of what I tell you to. How can I help you like that?” Eric asked. He drove to Neha’s house, and stopped the car. He helped her get to her room, making sure Neha’s parents didn’t see them. Eric put Neha on her soft bed, pulled the blanket over her, and tucked her in.

“Dad is that you?” Neha asked, her eyes closed. Eric didn’t know what to say.

“Umm. Yes,” Eric said uncertainly. Neha smiled faintly.

“I love it when you tuck me in at night. How come you don’t do that anymore?” she asked as she dug deeper into the covers.

“Sorry sweetie. I will now,” Eric said as he turned to leave.

“Dad? Aren’t you going to ruffle my hair and give me a goodnight kiss like you used to?” Neha said in a small voice. It was evident she was half asleep. Eric just stood there. Then, very cautiously, he ruffled Neha’s hair, and kissed her lightly on her forehead. He walked to the door.

“Goodnight,” he said softly. As Eric walked back to his car, he wondered what had just happened between him and Neha.

***

Mrs. Richards woke up. She slowly rubbed her eyes and got up. Just as she was about to get ready, something caught her eye. It was a bouquet of blood-red roses, and beside it, a diamond necklace. The necklace was small but the intricate design made it seem much more important. She picked up the roses and read the card attached to them.

You Are My Flower
Always Filling My World With a Beautiful Fragrance
You Are My Sunshine
Enveloping Me In Your Comforting Warmth
You Are My Guardian Angel
Protecting Me From All Harm
You, My Dear, Are My Life
Making Everyday Special…
Happy Birthday To The Love Of My Life. Forever Yours, Daanish Richards.

To Be Continued…

[Mukhra]

Chapter 8

“Happy birthday, Kiran,” Mr. Richards wrapped his arms around Mrs. Richard’s small waist. Mrs. Richards became stiff, but her husband took no notice.

“Daanish? What are you doing?” Kiran whispered to her husband. Daanish cuddled her and kissed her cheek warmly. He took the necklace from Kiran’s hands, opened the clasp, and placed the necklace gently around her neck. Daanish redid the clasp, and kissed Mrs. Richard’s neck.

“It looks beautiful, doesn’t it?” he asked. Mrs. Richards silently nodded. She didn’t know how to act. Daanish hadn’t remember her birthday for a long time. Kiran turned around to look into her husband’s handsome face. He still looked young, even though he was past thirty-five.

“I’m sorry for how I acted. Sorry for hurting you,” Mr. Richards traced his fingers across the gash in Kiran’s left cheek. Kiran, still skeptical, looked into his eyes. She saw something there; Daanish was hiding something, she knew. She had known for a while, but had tried not to let it get to her. Remembering, this Mrs. Richards took a step back from her husband.

“What are you hiding? Just tell me,” she asked. Mr. Richard’s face hardened, and his eyes took on that usual cold look again. He hastily took his hand away from his wife’s face, and turned away.

“I’m not hiding anything,” he spat. He was about to rush away from the room, when he felt Kiran’s hands on his broad shoulders.

“What’s happened between us?” she asked. Daanish closed his eyes, and silently counted to ten, a tactic he used to stay calm.

“What are you talking about? Everything’s the same,” Mr. Richards said hastily. He turned around, but averted his eyes from his wife, for he knew that if he looked into those beautiful chocolate brown eyes, he would never be able to lie.

“No…it isn’t,” Kiran said softly. An awkward silence followed.

“C-come on. I have some surprises for you,” Mr. Richards put on a fake smile, determined to win his wife’s love back. He took her hand, and led her out their bedroom.

***

Neha woke later in the day. This time, her headache was gone, but it was now replaced with a feeling that made her stick to her stomach. She rushed to the bathroom, and vomited in the toilet. Then, she remembered it was her mother’s birthday.

“Oh fudge!” she exclaimed out loud. Neha rushed to her parents’ bedroom, and opened the door.

“Happy Bir-” but she stopped. There was no one in the room. Neha checked the bathroom. She then searched the whole house, but couldn’t find any trace of her mother. She was about to call her mother, but then decided against it. Instead, Neha took a piece of toast, and made her way back to her bedroom.

Neha went into her bathroom, and looked at her reflection in the mirror for a long time. She wanted to look different today. She wanted a change. Neha went to her closet, and took out a black miniskirt, and a white and silver shirt. She put the clothes on, and then searched for her black boots. She put those on, and then, went to her dressing table. After applying some makeup, and curling her hair slightly, Neha looked at her reflection. She looked…different. Her usually pale cheeks had a rosy touch to them. He hair looked much better. Satisfied with her look, Neha put on a small blue jeans jacket, and walked out to her car. She drove to Eric’s house, vaguely remembering that she had been there earlier in the morning.

The teenager parked her car in front of the Parkinsons house, and got out. Carefully patting her hair, she walked up to the front door and knocked on the door. The butler opened the door.

“Hi. Is Eric here?” Neha asked as she walked in to the house. The butler nodded, and led her to Eric’s bedroom. Neha softly knocked on the door. Eric opened the door.

“Way to keep me waiting!” Neha faked annoyance as she entered his bedroom. Eric silently shut the door, his eyes never leaving Neha.

“By the way…how do I look?” Neha asked as she posed in front of him. Like the sun coming out after many days of gloomy rain. Like the first moment of dawn. Like that dream that has come true. Eric wanted to say all this, but knew he couldn’t.

“Beautiful…” he breathed. He moved a little closer to Neha, watching her innocent smile spread across her doll-like face.

“Wow! A compliment from you!” Neha said. Eric thought of something mischievous to say, but nothing came to his mind. Instead, he raised his hands and touched Neha’s face gingerly. He was about to hug her…when he felt something cold on his head. Confused, Eric put his hand in his hair and felt something slimy.

“What the heck?” he said as the egg dripped down his face. Neha burst out laughing. She pinched Eric’s cheeks, and rushed to the other side of the room.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. It was the perfect moment,” Neha said between gasps of laughter. Her eyes were twinkling with a childish look that hadn’t been present for many years.

“You----” Eric charged after Neha. Neha ran, but wasn’t fast enough. Eric caught her, but she squirmed away, still laughing. Eric took a pillow and threw it at Neha. It hit her square in the stomach. Neha, still giggling, picked up the pillow and threw it back at Eric. Eric dodged it expertly, and ran towards Neha, who screamed, but didn’t move. Eric picked her up, and hauled her to his bathroom. He set her beside the tub gently.

“Now you are going to wash the stuff out of hair,” he said. He leaned forward to tickle his friend, but the girl was too fast, and pushed him into the tub. He landed on his face.

“Oh! You are so helpless,” Neha guffawed. Eric stayed in the tub, and grinned. He licked the sides of his mouth, where the raw egg had reached.

“Mmmm…that tasted so good,” he joked. Neha made the “ewwww” sound. Then, she turned on the water in the sink, and took out the shampoo. She set it next to the sink.

“Here you go. Clean yourself, you dirty little hag of a boy,” she said. Neha closed the door to the bathroom on her way out. A few minutes later, Eric came out of the bathroom with a towel to dry his hair. He threw the towel on his bed, and turned to look at Neha.

“I think you should watch your back,” he said.

“I think you should shut up,” Neha mocked him. Eric made a face at her.

“So…you never told me. How do I look?” Neha asked.

“I did tell you. But if you want to hear it again, then it’s fine with me. You look like the ugliest woman in the world. I mean…look at you. Only idiots will think you look beautiful. Every other sensible person would run away from the sight of you. But…you seemed to have put a spell on me with your beauty,” Eric said, watching Neha’s face go from a calm one, to an angry one, to a smile.

“Aww…you deserve a hug. But I’m too beautiful to give you one,” Neha joked. Eric laughed and grabbed Neha in a bear hug. He didn’t let go for a while.

“Hey..let go. I’m hungry. Let’s go down and make something. I feel like cooking something,” Neha pulled away. She took off her jacket before following Eric down to the kitchen.

“Well…do you know how to make cake?” Neha asked as she rummaged through the many cupboards, and finally took out a box of cake mix.

“Hmm. It seems easy enough,” she said reading the instructions given on the back of the box. Neha set to work, finding all the things needed.

“A bowl, a mixer, eggs, cake mix, and a can of pineapples,” Neha said absently. She started working quietly, carefully measuring everything. Finally, she put it in the oven, and set the temperature. Neha turned back towards Eric.

“Oh…sorry. I forgot you were there. It’s my mom’s birthday, so I thought I could make her a cake,” Neha said as she rummaged through the refrigerator. She took out some watermelon, and started to eat that, savoring the flavor.

“Oops! Want some?” Neha asked Eric.

“Nah. I like the pomegranates better,” Eric took out a pomegranate and started to cut it open, taking out the fruit in a small bowl. Neha shrugged and kept eating.

“I…uh…Ihadsomealcohollastnight,” Neha said in one breath.

“Didn’t your mom ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full? Eat and then tell me,” Eric said. Neha rolled her eyes.

“I said…I had some alcohol last night. Sorry,” Neha said timidly.

“I already know you did,” Eric said in a dull tone.

“You do?” Neha asked surprised.

“Yep. I saw you earlier today. And then you ditched me because of something stupid I said,” Eric said. Neha’s mind slowly recalled the events of earlier. She stayed quiet, thinking of what to say.

“You know. I had a strange dream this morning,” she said after a while. Eric nodded to say he was listening, but kept on eating.

“I dreamt that Dad came into my room, and tucked me in like he used to. He even gave me a kiss on the forehead before leaving,” Neha recalled softly. Eric stopped eating.

“Oh…uhhh…cool,” he said. He mentally kicked himself.

“But…it felt different. Like, maybe it was someone else. But that must have been because I’ve almost forgotten my dad’s touch. But it felt nice,” Neha said looking out into the distance. Eric kicked himself again, but this time, physically. He let out a yelp as pain shot through his right leg.

“What? What happened?” Neha asked.

“No-nothing. I just…uh…kicked myself accidentally,” Eric said quickly.

“You seriously are the weirdest kid I have ever met in my entire life,” Neha said.

“Well…actually…I have to tell you something. It wasn’t your father that tucked you in and kissed you goodnight. Umm…it…uhh…was me,” Eric said truthfully. He edged his chair father away from Neha, looking scared. Neha smiled.

“Idiot. I’m not gonna bite you just because you did that,” Neha said.

“Oh whew! And here I thought I would never see the world again,” Eric looked relieved.

“Thanks though. It really did feel good to have someone tuck me in,” Neha said.

“Does that give me the permission to kiss you?” Eric asked with a flirtatious look.

“No…but it does give you the permission to get the heck out of here before I throw something heavy at you,” Neha replied.

“Heyyyy. I was just kidding. Spare me some slack will you?” Eric joked. Neha smiled, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

“Dad used to tuck me in every night. It was like a little tradition of ours. He would read me a bedtime story everyday, and even when I insisted that he read the same book everyday, he would never say no. Then, when my eyes would begin to droop, he would stop reading, lean down, and place a kiss on my forehead. I always loved that. And then, on some nights, I’d try to stay awake longer just so that Dad would stay with me, but it never worked. I’d fall asleep within an hour,” Neha smiled as she remembered her childhood.

“And your mom?” Eric asked quietly.

“Oh…mom would come in every night too, but she would give me a kiss and then go to her bedroom while Dad read to me. You know, I have this stuffed animal. It’s a really cute teddy bear, and I got it on my first birthday from my dad. I used to carry it around with me everywhere. And when dad went away on a business trip or something, I would give him the teddy bear. ‘Here’s something to remember me,’ I would always say. And he would laugh and pick me up and twirl me around. I used to love it when he did that. I’d feel on top of the world, knowing that Daddy loved me. He would bring me candy everyday, and even when he was in a bad mood he--” but Neha stopped. It was too much for her to bear. She bit her bottom lip to cease from crying, and looked down at the watermelon in from of her.

“Come on, let me drop you home. It’s getting late,” Eric said. He didn’t want Neha to break again. Eric took the plates and as he was putting them in the sink, the buzzer on the oven sounded.

“Oh! The cake is ready. Wanna help me decorate it?” Neha asked. Eric, in turn, took out cake icing. The two got to work, and pretty soon, had decorated a sloppy cake. Neha carefully put it in a cardboard box, and took it home. She brought the cake to the living room, and was about to shout a greeting when she saw a surprising site in front of her.

Her parents were laughing and having a fun time. Mrs. Richards was feeding Danish a piece of cake. And Daanish was red in the face because of laughing so hard about something. For some reason, instead of being happy to see the happy couple, Neha became angry. She took the cake in the dining room, and stomped off to her room.

***
Around midnight, Mr. Richards silently went into Neha’s room. He stopped by her bed, studying the sleeping girl. Her face was unguarded, but was frowning because of a bad dream. Mr. Richards put his hand on Neha’s head, and swept back the hair from his daughter’s forehead. He leaned down and placed a gentle, fatherly kiss. Then, just before leaving, Mr. Richards took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket, and placed it next to Neha. Slowly, he walked out the room, closing the door behind him.

To Be Continued….

[Mukhra]

Chapter 9

Neha opened her eyes as the sunlight peeked in from her window. She felt something next to her arm, and slowly turning over, she saw it was a Hershey’s candy bar: her favorite. Smiling, the girl put the candy on her bedside table. She quickly got ready, took the chocolate, and went to Ronit’s room.

“Hi Ronit!” Neha greeted cheerfully as she plopped down on Ronit’s bed. Ronit smiled at his sister.

“Hi Neha. What’s up?” Ronit asked as he went to the medicine cabinet and took out his pill bottle.

“Nothing. Thanks for the chocolate. I haven’t had candy for a while,” Neha said. Ronit turned around, confused.

“Wait…when did I give you chocolate?” he asked.

“Well. I found it next to me this morning when I woke up. I thought it was you who left it there,” Neha said.

“Nope. Not me. It must have been someone else.”

“That’s strange. The only people who know chocolate is my favorite are you and…oh. I see. Ronit, I’ll be right back ok?” Neha said as she realized it was her father who had left her the candy.

“Where are you going?” Ronit asked.

“Just to see Dad.”

“Hold on. I’m coming too. I need to ask him something,” Ronit said. He pulled on a sweatshirt and followed Neha to their parents’ bedroom. Neha tentatively knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a faint voice said from the inside. The siblings entered quietly, so as not to disturb their father. Mr. Richards turned to look at them. His face was a mixture between pleasure and anger.

“Oh. Uh…hi Neha. What’s….umm…what’s up?” Daanish asked uncomfortably. He didn’t even regard Ronit.

“Hi Dad!” Ronit said cheerfully, while Neha just smiled nervously. Daanish barely acknowledged Ronit. He turned his full attention towards Neha.

“So…uh. Neha. Did you like the chocolate I left you?” Mr. Richards asked.

“Yes. Thank you very much for that. I thought you had forgotten what I liked,” Neha said quietly. She looked down at her feet, silently chastising herself for acting like she didn’t know her own father.

“Oh. Well, of course I remembered. How can I forget? You are my daughter,” Mr. Richards smiled.

“Dad. I had to ask you something. Can I go to the baseball game with my friends tomorrow?” Ronit asked. Mr. Richards stopped smiling, and looked towards Ronit.

“Don’t ask me. Ask you mother,” Daanish spat. Ronit’s face fell.

“And umm…one more thing. I need you to be there when they operate on me next week. Mom is going to be there, but I want you to come too,” Ronit suggested softly. He apprehensively played with his ear.

“I don’t have time to see them operate on you. I’ve got more important stuff to do,” Mr. Richards said angrily. Ronit, disappointed, started to shy away when Neha took a hold of his arm to stop him.

“What could be more important?” she asked, her voice bitter.

“Well…uh. I have an important business meeting on that day. And if I miss it, then 30 million dollars will slip out of our hands. The meeting is very huge. It’s very important for the company. I cant miss it. Plus, I don’t really see what is so important in watching an operation,” the children’s father said hastily.

“Well…can you at least try to be there?” Ronit asked.

“I told you already. NO. Your mother will be there. That is enough. And I don’t want to hear anymore about this,” Mr. Richards closed the matter in a firm voice. Ronit quietly shuffled out the room. Watching his retreating back, Neha turned to her father with anger.

“He’s your son. The least you could do is be there when he really needs you,” Neha reasoned.

“No son of mine has leukemia,” Daanish said sullenly.

“You’re impossible,” Neha stormed out of the room after her brother. She found Ronit sitting on his bed, his face turned away from Neha.

“Ronit? You ok?” she asked carefully. She could hear a soft sniffling coming from Ronit.

“Just go. Just…leave me alone,” Ronit said harshly. Terrified by her brother’s tone, Neha fled.

After Neha was gone, Ronit slammed his bedroom door, and kicked it. He threw everything down from his shelves. All the books, magazines, and little toys. Everything. He watched with a satisfaction as all the mess littered the floor, making the room seem very messy. Then, with a look of remorse, Ronit fell onto his bed, his hands forming fists. He turned on his back, and looked at the ceiling.

“What have I done wrong? Why is Dad nice to Neha, but not to me? Is something wrong with me? God, why does he hate me? I know I ask you this a lot, but please, give me an answer. Anything. Just tell me why he hates me,” salty tears stole down his cheeks as Ronit felt a slight headache begin. Ronit waited anxiously for an answer in any form, but it looked like God had refused to do so.

“He never liked me. I’ve always been an outsider,” Ronit said to no one in particular. He closed his eyes, and remembered the time when he used to be younger. Mr. Richards would keep Neha at his side all the time. There was never a time when they were apart. Daanish would bring Neha candy everyday, but never any for Ronit. Ronit would rarely get a response from his father. His father would tuck Neha in, and read her bedtime stories. But never to Ronit. Ronit would wait by the door every night, dressed in baby pajamas, and a hopeful look on his face that maybe that night, Daanish would make his way over to his son. Maybe that night, the father and son would get together and have a great time. It never happened.

Ronit’s mother tried to be there for him, but even she would be a little uncomfortable around him at times. It made him feel like an alien. No one wanted to be near him.

“Why? Is it because I have leukemia?” Ronit wondered out loud. He knew that was the reason his father did not like to be around him, but what about his mother? She was the one who had brought him into this world, so why her too? Leukemia wasn’t contagious, so why did everybody except Neha and a few of his friends stay a good distance away from him? And why did everyone always gush over Neha?

“Sometimes Neha…I hate having you as a sister,” Ronit said as he turned, and buried his face in his pillow.

***

Mr. Richards locked his bedroom door, and shut the lights. He sat on the floor, and leaned against his bed.

“What should I do?” he asked himself constantly. He kept sighing with anxiety and ran a hand through his soft brown hair. After thinking for a while, Daanish stood up, and went to find his wife.

“I have to tell her. I can’t keep it in anymore,” he said to himself in a defeated voice.

To Be Continued…

[Mukhra]

Chapter 10

Neha fled from Ronit’s room, tears rimming her eyes. The tone in Ronit had frightened her so much, she started crying. As her throat closed up with tears, Neha thought. She thought and thought and thought, but couldn’t figure out why Ronit would act in such a manner. It wasn’t her fault Dad had yelled at him. She had only tried to help Ronit. She ran, with no particular direction. Finally, when she had a sharp stitch in her side, and thought she couldn’t breathe any longer, Neha stopped. She caught her breath and looked at her surroundings. Somehow, she had ended up at Eric’s house.

Slowly walking up the curvy driveway, Neha decided she would spend the night. She knocked and asked the butler if Eric was in.

“No miss. He just left a few minutes ago,” was the reply.

“Oh. Well, do you know where he went?” Neha asked.

“No. I’m sorry but he does not inform me about his whereabouts,” the butler said solemnly. With disappointment, Neha walked away. She started to walk back home, but instead changed her mind, and took another way. After walking for a while, Neha came across an unfamiliar alley.

“Where am I?” she wondered out loud. A cold, sinking feeling in her stomach told her she was lost.

“Oh shite!” she exclaimed. Just then, she heard a few voices behind her. Quickly turning around, Neha saw a group of teenagers. One of them shot her a big grin. She grinned back uncertainly.

“Hi. Ummm…where am I?” she asked. The group looked at her.

“In Brooklyn,” the one who had smiled at her slowly said.

“Oh ok. Thanks. Can you tell me how to get from here to Pandora Hills?” Neha asked.

“Sure. Just take the 3:15 bus, and tell them where you wanna go,” a boy replied. He lit a cigarette, and started smoking. Pretty soon, he was done and had started another one. Watching him smoke made Neha want to.

“Thanks. One more favor. Hope you don’t mind. But…can I have a cigarette?” Neha asked uncertainly. One of the girls nodded and handed her a Virginia Slims 100. She even lit it for Neha. Neha thanked her, and smiled.

“Well. Bye then,” said Neha has she took a long smoke and walked out of the alley. She walked to a bus stand, and waited. When the bus came, Neha quickly got on, not wanting to be left standing outside. She took out a ten dollar bill, and gave it to the bus driver.

“Pandora Hills,” she said.

“Lady, don’t you got no change? It’s only 50 cents, and your givin’ me ten bucks,” the driver said. Neha fished into her pockets for change, and finally gave the driver a dollar.

“Ye. Here’s your change. Where’d you wanna go again?” the driver asked her. He handed her the change. Neha repeated herself, and then went to sit down in one of the seats. It was her first time on a public bus, and it made her feel uncomfortable, for she didn’t know when her stop was going to come. Hey Hey Hey Pick up up up went her cell phone. Neha unclipped it from her belt.

“Hello?”

“Hi Neha. It’s me Eric.”

“Oh hi Eric. What’s up?” Neha asked as she kept a careful eye at the window. She didn’t want to miss her stop.

“Where are you?” Eric asked.

“I’m in a bus in Brooklyn. I kind of got lost, but it’s all good now,” Neha said guiltily.

“And what were you doing in Brooklyn?” Eric demanded.

“Nothing. I just came to see a friend. That’s it,” she said and started coughing.

“Have you been smoking?” Eric asked.

“Nope. Not at all,” Neha lied.

“So….tell me…why did you come over?”

“Oh…Eric…no reason at all. I just wanted to talk, that’s it,” she refrained herself from telling Eric about Ronit and her father.

“Ok. Well, then I’ll talk to you later. I’m kind of busy. My dad and I are making dinner, ‘cause its our turn tonight. OK. Bye,” Eric said quickly as he hung up.

“Idiot,” Neha whispered as she clipped the phone back to her belt. In a few minutes, Neha saw the sign “Pandora Hills” approaching.

“Hey….mister! That’s my stop!” she called. Quickly, the teenager got off. Even this time, instead of walking home, Neha took a detour to one of the stores. She bought a pack of Menthol Lights 100s, and a new lighter. Eric had confiscated her old one. She lit a cigarette and started smoking as she walked home. Taking in deep puffs, Neha enjoyed the familiar feeling, and found that she would never give up cigarettes. They were too precious for her.

Spotting her house in view, Neha quickly threw the cigarette away, and dusted her clothes of any ash that might have fallen on her. Then, taking in big gulps of air, Neha controlled her coughing.

“I’m home!” she yelled to no one in particular as she made her way down to the living room. There was a certain, again she wanted that was lying somewhere in the living room. She wanted it so she would have something to do. However, when Neha got to the room, she stopped. Inside she heard voices. As she peeked in, she saw her father hugging her mother. A small smile spread across her face.

“Honey…I have to tell you something,” Mr. Richards said as he took his wife into his arms.

“I’m listening,” Kiran said. She had a big smile on her face, for she was happy to see her husband so intimate with her.

“I…ummm….I,” Mr. Richards didn’t know how to say it or how to begin.

“Hun, look at this. Isn’t this really nice. I think it would go lovely with the upstairs guest room,” Mrs. Richards said absently. Daanish nodded in response. Just as he was about to say what he had come to, his phone rang.

“Excuse me for a minute,” Daanish said as he walked to the far corner of his room, away from his wife.

“Hi….yes yes…I’m…I’m about to tell her. Yes. Just…just wait for me outside ok? Yes….outside my house. And then we will see. OK. OK. Yes, you too. Bye,” Mr. Richards said into the phone. He hung up, and shut his phone, so there wouldn’t be any interruptions.

Neha, in the meanwhile, was watching her parents. She could sense her father had something to say something, but was afraid to. Knowing this, Neha got a feeling that maybe she didn’t want to hear her father’s words. They might make her angry for some reason, but curiosity got the better of her, and she stayed on to listen.

Mr. Richards turned back to his wife. He watched her with nervousness, because he didn’t know what would happen after he told her.

“Kiran, I…I…oh God! I don’t know how to tell you,” Daanish exclaimed. He played with his hair constantly.

“Honey. Just say it.”

“Ummm…I have another wife,” Daanish Richards said in a rush. And the news hit Kiran like a hard rock aimed for her stomach.

“Ha ha ha. Very funny. Don’t every joke about something like that again,” she said unconvincingly.

“I--I’m n-n-not,” her husband stuttered. Kiran’s smile vanished. She looked back at her husband with a look of hatred. Mr. Richards looked away.

“WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? YOU HAVE ANOTHER WIFE? SINCE WHEN? I MEAN….WHAT THE HELL HAS BEEN GOING ON UNDER MY NOSE?” yelled Kiran.

“OK. Calm down. It’s not that big of a deal. It--”

“HOW LONG?”

“F-f-four years.”

“OH AND LET ME GUESS. YOU MIGHT HAVE ANOTHER CHILD TOO THEN?”

“Y-yes. His name is Rehan,” Mr. Richards said. He watched a single tear role out of his wife’s eyes. He moved towards her. But she held out a hand to stop him.

“Don’t! Don’t come near me,” she said in a choked voice.

“But I--”

“NO! Just leave me. Get the hell out of here and go back to that…that s**t” Kiran said. But Daanish made a move again. This time, when he came towards her, Kiran brought her hand up and gave him a tight slap. His right cheek turned a bright red. To spare himself from anymore humility, Mr. Richards turned and stormed out of the room.

“I’ll get the divorce papers in soon!” he yelled. Just as Daanish Richards was going out the door, he met with someone else: Neha. His daughter. She looked at him with incredulity.

“So you heard?” he asked. Neha nodded silently.

“Listen. It might hurt your mother, but it’s not going to hurt you,” Daanish said.

“You’ve been sleeping with a woman other than my mother and you expect me to stay quiet?” Neha asked.

“Well…yes. It’s none of your business what I do,” her father argued. And Neha slapped him. This time, his left cheek turned red. Mr. Richards’ eyes became wide with shock.

“You--” he made a move to hit Neha, but Neha moved out of the way.

“Don’t you dare touch me. Or…or else I’ll call the police for child abuse,” she said weakly. Mr. Richards glared at her as he pushed his way out the house. Neha ran after him, and with tears filling her eyes, she saw Daanish kiss a young woman who was not her mother. Seeing this made her angry. What was her father doing with another wife when he had Kiran? Her mother didn’t deserve this.

“Hey you! Yea you! Get your ass off my property,” Neha yelled at the woman. The woman gave her a cold smile, and stalked off with Daanish. She looked back with a look of triumph. Neha slammed the door shut, and fell against it as she realized what day tomorrow was; Fathers’ Day.

To Be Continued…

P.S. am i going too fast or too slow??

[Mukhra]

Chapter 11

Eric and his father were in the kitchen, their hands filled with vegetables and various spices. The evening before Father’s Day, Eric and Mr. Parkinson always cooked dinner for the whole household. The kitchen staff was given a day off. It was a way both father and son spent quality time together. Today however, Eric’s mind was on something else. Mr. Parkinson noticed his son’s lack of enthusiasm.

“What’s on your mind son?” he asked while expertly cutting a red tomato into small, square pieces.

“Hmm? Oh…nothing, Dad. Just worried about Neha,” Eric said quietly. He had just gotten a text message from her, and it had read: Someone just kill me! He didn’t know what it was that was bothering her, but he had noticed a change in her tone when talking to her earlier that day.

Mr. Parkinson nodded, apparently thinking.

“She has got some pretty heavy problems, and I don’t blame her for needing someone, but don’t you think you’re spending too much time with her?” he asked. Eric stopped chopping the onions, and wiped a stray tear from his eyes.

“How can you say that? She is my friend, and I should be there for her,” he said.

“Of course you should. I am not stopping you. It’s just that sometimes it’s not that good of an idea to….forget it. Don’t worry about it. By the way, Ishita called,” Eric’s dad said casually. Eric cut his finger when her heard her name.

“Oh. What did she say?” he asked indifferently as he washed his finger under the sink with lukewarm water. His dad regarded his state with questioning eyes.

“She left a message. You can listen to it. It seems you’re not picking up on your cell phone, so she had to call here. She didn’t sound too happy,” Mr. Parkinson remarked.

“Oh…umm. Well, the thing is,” Eric racked his brain for an excuse, “you know how I changed my number? Well, I forgot to tell her about it. I was so busy with Neha and stuff that--”

“Eric. Ishita is your girlfriend. She is going to be jealous if you hang out with another girl more than you do with her,” Mr. Parkinson broke in. Eric looked at the floor as he chewed on his perfectly manicured fingernails.

“Well…uh. Dad. You see…I was just going to go over her house after we finished dinner,” Eric lied.

“Don’t lie to me. I’m your father, but I’m also a man. I’ve been through the same glitches you are going through now,” his dad reassured.

“Ummm. I promise I’ll go see her today,” Eric said quietly. He may seem like a knave to others, but in front of his father, nothing was hidden. It was just the way their relationship was. Eric and Mr. Parkinson had always been together from the beginning. They talked about everything, whether the topic was cars…or girls in this case.

“Come back early though. Our games are still on tonight,” Mr. Parkinson smiled as he turned back to preparing dinner. Eric chuckled. It was a tradition. Every year, before Father’s Day, the night would be filled with games like wrestling, chess, pool, and ping pong.

“Don’t worry. I know you like being beaten,” Eric retorted. His father’s face lit with a happy smile as he enjoyed the time with his son.

***

Ronit had explored the entire house but he could not find his father. Finally giving up, Ronit went to his mother. He found Kiran laying on her bed, tears trickling down her high cheeks. Her nose was red, indicating she had been weeping for quite a while.

“Hi mom. Are you ok?” Ronit asked, his light brown hair falling into his eyes. Kiran’s eyes gradually fell onto Ronit’s face. She took a tissue and wiped her face.

“Y-yes. I’m fine. Just fine,” she said in a crestfallen voice.

“You don’t look it. Anyways, where’s dad? I have to talk to him. It’s urgent,” Ronit rushed. Kiran’s eyes grew wide as she heard the mention of her husband, and she hurriedly stood up, fury in her eyes.

“Don’t you DARE mention him in front of me! I never want to hear his name again. He is nothing but a tyrant…a fiend!” she yelled, her eyes wild. Ronit jumped back in defense as his mother came towards him threateningly.

“Mom…are you all right?” he asked again. Kiran didn’t answer. Before she could hurt him, Ronit ran from the room, not stopping until he got to Neha’s room. He breathed heavily as he knocked the door and went in. He stopped short as he saw Neha lying in the same state.

“What’s up with you and mom?” he inquired. Neha stared at him.

“Nothing. What do you want?” she asked slowly.

“I needed to talk to Dad. So…do you know where he is?” Ronit asked, afraid of Neha’s reaction. Unlike her mother, Neha just buried herself deeper into her covers.

“I don’t know. But Ronit…I suggest you don’t talk about Dad in front of Mom…ok?” Neha said.

“But why?”

“Just…don’t. Ok? Some things are just meant to be,” Neha rushed out. She was apparently not in the mood of telling Ronit what had happened. Ronit, with a puzzled look on his young features, sauntered out the room. He was just about to walk back to his room when he heard the phone ring.

“Richards residence,” he said into the phone.

“Ronit? It’s me…your dad,” a voice replied.

“Oh dad. I’ve been looking over the place for you. Where are you?” Ronit asked, taking the opportunity.

“So no one told you yet?” his dad inquired.

“Told me what?” Ronit asked suspiciously.

“Your mom and I…we have decided to separate,” Mr. Richards blurted out.

“Oh,” and Ronit hung up at a snail’s pace. He walked leisurely back to his room, astonished but not sad about the news. He had never been that close to his parents, and neither had he ever seen them in love. They weren’t affectionate to each other at all.

***

Eric knocked on the door of Ishita’s house. Ishita’s mother answered.

“Hi Mrs. Malhotra. Is Ish around?” Eric asked, making conversation.

“She’s in her room,” Mrs. Malhotra smiled warmly as she saw in front of her who she hoped would be her future son-in-law. Eric thanked her, and went up to Ish’s room. Without knocking, he entered the room.

“Hi Ish!” he said with fake enthusiasm.

“Oh my god Eric! I want to kill you! Where have you been? Oh my god, I’ve missed you so much,” Ishita ran over to Eric and planted a kiss on his beautiful mouth. Eric kissed her back, but without any passion. Ishita broke away quickly.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing. Nothing at all,” Eric said. Ishita studied her boyfriend’s face.

“You seem different today. Even your kiss was different,” she said, nibbling his earlobe.

“Umm. Nope. I’m the same,” Eric said nervously.

“Hmm. So tell me, where have you been all these days?” Ishita asked. She took Eric’s hand and pulled him to her bed.

“Oh. I’ve been with Neha. You know her. You know that really pretty junior. The one who has blackish-brown hair. She’s the best one on the hockey team. And she sometimes wears glasses. Come on. Don’t you remember? She’s acted in so many school plays. She’s the one who played --” but Ishita pressed a slender finger on Eric’s mouth. Eric immediately stopped talking.

“You seem to know a bit too much about her,” Ishita said, aggravated. Eric didn’t get the hint. Instead he went on.

“Well. I’ve been helping her. She really needs help sometimes. I mean, she is just so…depressed. She needed a friend, so I’ve tried to be there for her. She really needs to be comforted sometimes. But yea. Neha is a really nice friend,” Eric finished, waiting for his girlfriend to praise him for helping one of his friends. Instead, Ishita frowned.

“But honey, you forgot about me,” she whined. Eric rolled his eyes.

“Ok. Ishita. I did not forget about you. I just had other stuff on my mind,” he said.

“Other stuff? Looks like another someone. Someone who seems to be more important than I,” Ish pouted.

“N-no.”

“Well….you know what I think? It looks like you like that Neha girl. Seems like you’re not interested in me anymore,” Ishita argued. Eric sighed in annoyance.

“You really can be a vexation sometimes. Neha is just my friend. FRIEND. Nothing more. You understand? How can I forget you? I love you,” Eric lied through his teeth. Ishita smiled, happy again, while Eric let out a sigh of relief.

“Then why don’t you show me?” Ishita flirted, a playful twinkle in her eyes. She pinned Eric to the mattress.

“Umm. Maybe another time. It’s getting late,” Eric said, sitting up.

“How is it getting late? You’ve stayed later than this before,” his girlfriend moaned.

“I know…but tomorrow is Father’s Day. So it’s mine and Dad’s night to play. I’ll come over later. Maybe…I don’t know…day after tomorrow,” Eric said as he quickly brushed his jeans, and got ready to leave.

“Wait. Just tell me what’s wrong,” Ish asked again.

“Ok. You want to hear it? I don’t like you anymore. You’re just an annoying snob to me now. And if I stay here any longer, I think I’m gonna puke because of your false sweetness. And I know you don’t like me either. I’ve seen you around with that Jay idiot. So let’s break it off…right here….right now. Bye,” Eric dashed out the room.

Ishita called after him but he was already out the house and in his car. Once safe in his car, Eric breathed freely. He replayed the scene in his mind. Then, realizing his words, bit his lips in horror.

“Oh…my…god. I just broke up with Ishita,” he said out loud, stunned at the act. But he didn’t think about it for long. Instead, his thoughts went back to Neha. He was worried about her and considered going to see her, but then changed his mind. He was thinking too much about her. Now that, he thought, is a big problem.

To Be Continued…

[Mukhra]

Chapter 12

Neha was reminiscing and lost in the year of 1995, remembering her fifth birthday and how her father had made it special. Instead of hiring a professional clown, Mr. Richards had come in dressed as one himself. All the jokes he had cracked seemed corny to others, but to Neha, they were the funniest ones she had ever heard. She had laughed hard at every single one of them, feeling good in her father’s lap. She remembered---and then…a servant came in.

“Miss. There is a phone call for you,” he said, and then walked away. Strange. Why would someone call me on my home phone, and not on my cell, Neha thought as she made her way to the hallway phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi. May I talk to Neha?”

“Yea. This is her.”

“Oh…you little b----h. How f-ing dare you?” came the voice of a deranged young woman.

“And can I know who the hell I’m talking to?” Neha asked, irritated.

“Yea. It’s your very own Ishita. Eric’s ex-girlfriend. And you know what, it all happened because of you,” Ishita said.

“What? How? Lady, you have me mixed up with someone else,” Neha sputtered, bewildered. Since when did Eric have a girlfriend?

“Oooooh. Don’t play smart with me. I know what you’re up to. Well guess what, he will never be yours. And I’ll make sure of that,” Ishita said, not making any sense.

“Great. Really awesome,” Neha said, bored.

“I--I’m…just goiNG TO KILL YOU!” Ishita yelled into the phone.

“Hah! Go ahead. Do you want me to meet you somewhere and bring like a knife or something so you can stab me, and then watch me writhe in pain as I die from your merciless act? Oh…and should I wear white? Or do you guys wear black when someone dies,” Neha asked cheerfully. For some reason, she was laughing at the situation.

“What?” Ishita asked, confused.

“You heard me. Kill me. I’ll be glad if you did that. It’ll save me from a lot of trouble,” Neha said menacingly as she slammed the phone down on the receiver. Stupid people, she grumbled in her head as she made her way back to her room, with a mood worse than before. Thinking about her father, the young girl fell into a fitful sleep, filled with nightmares about her father, and Eric.

***

Eric yawned as he woke up with a smile on his face. He stretched out, and did his regular morning exercise, but today, hurrying a little. Quickly changing into his regular clothes, the seventeen-year-old went down to the kitchen. He prepared breakfast for his parents, taking extra time on his father’s plate. He piled it high with pancakes, decorating them with syrup and raspberries to make a mustached happy face. Then, taking out a tray he had decked late last night with streamers, the excited young man put the ready breakfast on it, and took it carefully to his parents’ bedroom.

“Good morning!” he sang gleefully as his mother woke up. Eric gave his mother her breakfast, and then, went over to his sleeping father’s side of the bed. He took a glass of cold water, and slowly poured it on Mr. Parkinson’s face. Mr. Parkinson woke up immediately and tackled his tall son.

“I got you this time,” he chortled as they wrestled.

“Ok ok. Fine. You win. But, there’s still next year,” Eric said lovingly to his Dad. It had become a little custom for many years now. On the morning of Father’s Day, Eric would play a trick on his father, who in return would try to catch him red-handed before the trick progressed.

“So son, those pancakes look really tasty,” Mr. Parkinson said, eying the plate of food with a look of hunger as he rubbed his belly.

“Happy Father’s Day Dad,” Eric put the food in front of Mr. Parkinson, leaned over, and gave him a big hug. Then, he started to eat with him. All those delicious light-brown, warm pancakes were not going to escape him.

***

Meanwhile, Neha’s alarm clock went off, its annoying loud recording making Neha angry. She hastily shut the alarm off, and got off the left side of her bed, with a bitter look. It was only 9:30 in the morning anyways. There was no need to hurry.

She climbed out of bed, and still in her thin pajamas, down the stairs and into the kitchens. She started making pancakes, and, made sure two of them were deeply burnt. The regular ones, she ate, and the burnt ones, she put in a small plate, which she took to the living room. There, Neha put the plate in front of her father’s picture, and stood back, observing her act.

“Happy Father’s Day to an ungrateful father,” she said sourly as the disgusting smell of burnt pancakes wafted to her nose. But, as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Neha’s eyes welled with tears.

To Be Continued…

[Mukhra]

Chapter 13

Ronit silently watched his older sister place the pancakes near Mr. Richards’ picture. He saw the tears in Neha’s eyes, and from then on, he started to hate his father even more. His father did nothing but make others cry. And Ronit hated that; he hated seeing his mother’s lonely expression; he loathed the tears in Neha’s eyes that always formed because of Daanish. He hated the fact that his father practically hated him because of his disease.
Ronit padded back to his room, the bunny slippers softening the sound of his feet against the floor. Ronit opened his medicine cabinet and studied it; it was filled with medicine, there wasn’t a single free corner. Since he was four, Ronit had seen the various medicines; they laughed at him, taunted him. They told him he was a bad boy; he must have done something wrong to get such a punishment. After all, only the bad guys in the movies he had seen had bad stuff happen to him. The little boy’s mind had fixed itself firmly to that one thought: he was bad, and that was why he had leukemia.
Oh how he hated that disease! He was only ten years old, but was mature enough to know that no, he would probably never live to be as old as Neha. He would never be able to have the fun other children had as they grew up. At sometime, the disease was going to take over, and use its vicious attack to kill him. His murderer was just waiting for the right moment. Oh God, Ronit thought, please don’t let me die until I see happiness in this house. Let me see Dad come back; let me be able to see Mom smile again. Please don’t take me away too quickly.
A servant entered Ronit’s room. He looked upon the little boy with a sincere kindness.
“Young master Ronit, have you had your medicine yet?” the young man asked. Ronit shook his head and rolled his eyes. The servant smiled, went over to the medicine cabinet, took the required medicine needed in the morning, and gave it to Ronit. Ronit grudgingly took it and washed it down with a glass of cold water. He winced as the big pills went into his body. In about an hour, he would feel the same drowsiness he felt everyday. The servant served the breakfast, and then went out the door silently, leaving Ronit to eat in solitude.
***
Around noon, Neha made her way to Mr. Richards’ favorite park. Mr. Richards would always take Neha out for a stroll in the park everyday. He would keep a close watch on her as she went on the slides and swings with glee. He would laugh with her every time Neha would plead that Mr. Richards push the swing just a little higher. The wind rushing through her hair was the best feeling in the world.
The teenager sat down at a bench near a swing set and watched quietly as the park quickly filled with families. The little children played with their fathers while the mothers chatted amongst each other.
“Where is your daddy?” a smiling little girl of about five years asked innocently. She sat down next to the Neha. Neha gazed at the girl before talking.
“I don’t have a daddy,” she lied. The little girl’s smile trembled.
“It’s ok. You can share my daddy today then,” she said as she took Neha’s hand. Neha yanked her hand back. Her eyes glinted with anger, but upon seeing the hurt look on the little girl’s beautiful face, Neha softened. She took one of the little hands into her big one.
“Sorry about that,” she said with a small smile. The girl’s eyes lit up. She stood up and pulled Neha along with her. The little girl paced towards a young man sitting on the cool grass.
“Hey Monique. Who have you brought here?” the handsome man asked kindly.
“Daddy, this is my new friend,” Monique said simply. Her father gave Neha a friendly smile.
“I’m so sorry. Your daughter just dragged me along and she is so cute, I couldn’t help but follow. My name is Neha by the way,” Neha offered a hand. The father shook it.
“It’s quite alright. Monique does that a lot. She’s very polite with people she doesn’t know. I guess she likes you. I’m Jarred,” Monique’s father replied. Neha smiled softly.
“She was all alone Daddy. She doesn’t have a daddy anymore. He’s gone. Can you be her Daddy for today?” Monique asked with a naïve expression.
Neha laughed. “Isn’t your father a bit young to be my Dad?” she said. Jarred smiled knowingly.
“Yea. I married six years ago, when I was eighteen. I just wish you could meet my wife. She died during childbirth,” Jarred said sadly. Neha offered her condolences.
“Well, you seem to have brought up Monique with lots of love. She doesn’t seem to mind not having a mother,” Neha said quietly.
“Hmm. I wasn’t alone in that however. My younger brother helped me a lot. Why don’t you meet him? Hey Rehan! Come here,” Jarred called. A young man around eighteen came running over.
“Rehan. Meet Neha. Neha, meet my step-brother, although we never let that word come between us,” Jarred introduced them. Neha held out a hand, but Rehan didn’t shake it. He just stared at Neha with a peculiar expression on his face.
“I’ve seen you somewhere… Are you by any Neha Richards?” Rehan asked. Neha froze, and stiffly nodded.
“I know you. You’re my stepfather’s daughter. Your father is Daanish Richards right?” the young man asked. Neha’s heart sank as she recalled Mr. Richards telling her mother about his other son, Rehan. Still, she had expected him to be a lot younger.
“Yes. I have to go now. Bye Monique,” Neha gave Rehan a cold look and walked off.
“Wait!” Rehan jogged up to Neha.
“He’s not that bad of a father. He really spends a lot of time with me,” Rehan said.
“Yea. And your time took away mine and my brother’s. Thank you very much for that and I wish you and your mother go to hell for it,” Neha said and then ran away as fast as she could. She stopped at a place in the park far away from where Rehan was standing.
Hurriedly, she called Eric. Eric picked up with a lazy “hello.”
“Hey Eric. It’s me, Neha.”
“Oh…hi Neha. I can’t talk right now. You know how it is. It’s father’s day so my dad and I are going somewhere. I’ll talk to you tomorrow or something. Ok? Bye,” Eric said hastily and then hung up.
“Wow. No one has time for you Neha. They are all busy with their loving fathers,” Neha said to herself. Neha tried to stop thinking of her father, but it was impossible. He had bought her an expensive true blue dress for her on her seventh Father’s Day. She had happily put it on, marveling at how the dressed swished around her legs. She had loved the frills and the sequins; they had made her look like a princess. And just to make her happier, Mr. Richards had bought a matching tiara to go with the dress.
“There now my sweet princess. A beautiful crown for a more beautiful girl” he had said, setting the tiara on her shiny brown hair. Neha had smiled widely, her baby teeth shining her smile as she had jumped into her father’s warm embrace.
“Oh daddy! I love you soooooo much,” she had yelled happily, planting a wet kiss on Mr. Richards’ shaved cheek.
“I love you more,” Mr. Richards had said as he laughed loudly, picked Neha up, and twirled her in the air. Neha put her hands out straight, pretending to be an airplane. She had shouted with joy, the laughter on her face.
“Daddy. Don’t ever leave me ok?” she had said once Daanish had set her down.
“I would never even think of it,” Daanish had said, tweaking Neha’s cute button nose. Kiran Richards had watched from her reading chair as she held a sleeping baby Ronit in her lap. Daanish had made his way over to her, and kissed her soundly, but carefully so as not to hurt Ronit. Neha had put a hand over her eyes as she smiled secretly.
Now, the sixteen-year-old Neha smiled sadly at the memory. The blue dress still hung in her walk-in closet. It was one of her favorite clothes, even if it didn’t fit anymore. Don’t ever leave me ok? I would never even think of it. Her father had said that.
“So why did you leave? You promised you would never that,” Neha asked out loud.
“You loved Mom so much…so what happened?” she asked. Neha had so many questions to ask her father, but knew it was pointless to. Instead, she just bit her lips and leaned back against a tree.
“I miss you Daddy,” she whispered and closed her eyes.

To Be Continued...

[Mukhra]

Chapter 14

Kiran Richards blinked as her eyes attuned to the dark room. She lay down on her bed, deep in her covers, in the dark. There was no point of turning the light on. No one could fill her life with happiness again. She ran a hand through her silky brown hair, but halfway, she stopped and started to bawl.

Daanish had loved her hair. He would fondly stroke his hand through it, cherishing the softness. A smile would always light up his eyes as he would look at her eyes with an admirable face. He would always look for a time when they could be alone. And always, whenever they were alone, Kiran would sit in Mr. Richards’ lap as he would play with her hair.

“God took extra time on your hair,” he would mumble softly. Kiran would always blush and lean in closer.

“I love you so much,” he would say. He would turn her around, and place little kisses all over her face, taking his time.

“Now I know why your name is Kiran. You lit up my dark world with your bright rays. Never let those rays blow out. Always be happy, never sad. It would dim my world,” Daanish would say so many times. Kiran would just laugh and tell him that no, she would never be sad. Oh, how she wished that was true now.

Suddenly, Kiran laughed bitterly at the irony. “Oh Dan,” she said out loud, “you used to tell me that, but now, you’re the one who took my light away. You’re the one who made me so unhappy. Are you feeling good about it now?” Kiran went to her dresser and looked at her reflection. She messed up her hair by running crazy hands through it, and finally, when satisfied, she looked at herself again.

“Yes,” she whispered, “I look like a witch. Hah! My hair is ruined…perfect,” and she started to laugh again. The hysterical laugh soon changed to a wail as she took a hairbrush and flung it across the room in fury. The hairbrush hit a big glass picture frame holding the Richards’ wedding picture. The glass shattered and fell to a lowly position.

***

Neha wiped her lips as the delicious taste of whiskey traveled through her body. She threw her head up and sucked in a few gulps of air. Then, she laughed.

“Oh my God!! I feel so good! I can’t believe I forgot how good this tasted,” Neha relished the flavor. She had a sloppy smile on her face, and was just about to take another sip from the bottle when a hand appeared and took the bottle away from her. Angrily, Neha looked up to face the trespasser. Eric’s light eyes gazed back at her.

“Oh! Hi Eric. Haven’t talked to you for a while,” she said soberly.

“Hey yourself. You’ve been drinking again? Now, let me see. You drink all the time; you can’t seem to stop. What is in this that keeps you so…thrilled? Hmm. I think I’ll try some of it,” Eric lifted the bottle to his mouth, but Neha hastily stole it away. “No. It’s not good for you. You shouldn’t drink. It isn’t good for your health,” she chastised. Eric raised an eyebrow and took the bottle back.

“Oh really. Are you saying that it’s harmful to everyone but you?” he questioned.

“No. Of course not. Alcohol is harmful to everyone. It’s just that…umm,” Neha stumbled, trying to find a way out of the mess.

“Mhhm. And do you have anything else to say…other than sorry?” Eric demanded. Neha bit her lower lip and scrunched up her face. She ran a hand through her silky hair.

“Umm, sorry?” she said weakly. Eric stepped closer, almost omitting the space between them. He brought his hand up to Neha’s cheek and stroked it thoughtfully. Neha swallowed involuntarily.

“So uh…I didn’t know you had a girlfriend,” Neha broke the silence, and also the spell. Eric moved away, but only just a little.

“What do you want to know about her? I broke up with her just about two days ago. Nothing else is new,” Eric stated.

“Yea ok. And she called me for no particular reason?” Neha’s eyes narrowed. Eric gulped.

“Ok. That part I didn’t know. Why would she be calling you? I suggest you ask her,” annoyance covered Eric’s fine features.

“Well, she did threaten to kill me,” Neha said matter-of-factly. Eric laughed loudly.

“Kill you? It would be a surprise to me if she so much as pinched you. She’s the weakest person I’ve ever met,” Eric grinned.
“And you still went out with her?”

“Umm. OK, fine. Maybe it wasn’t for her personality. Maybe it was just for the--”

“I kind of figured that out. You don’t seem like the one to date a weak one for no particular reason,” Neha let out. Eric nodded. Neha moved a step closer to Eric. The boy’s heart started beating faster.

“Now, I think you might want a change right?” Neha tilted her head back, put an arm around Eric’s neck, and edged him closer. Then, in one instant, she took the bottle from him and turned away with a exultant look. Eric looked surprised.

“Wait. What?” he exclaimed. Neha looked at him simply.

“What what? I just took my drink back from you. Now, please do me a favor and go away,” she said with intent.

“Mhhm. And leave you alone here? Not on my life. Neha, listen to me. I care about you, probably more than I have cared for anyone else. You make me smile, but just the thought of your tears makes me sad enough to curl up in a hole and never come out. I’m not begging you to stop all those bad habits for nothing. I want you to be happy, and this drinking is only going to make you sadder than before,” Eric reasoned. Neha looked at him thoughtfully, and the longer she stared, the higher Eric’s hopes rose that maybe his friend would listen to him.

“Nice speech,” Neha said artlessly. Eric grew angry.

“Forget it! I am so stupid for saying all that. It has no effect on you whatsoever! You don’t care for anyone. Heck, you don’t even care for yourself. Don’t the hell talk to me again,” the teenage boy threw his hands up in defeat and began to jog away.

“Suit yourself,” Neha shrugged. She took another sip of the whiskey as she finally realized what Eric had said. Shite!, she thought, why do I always seem to mess everything up? She launched into her running mode and tore down the pathway as fast as she could. She caught up with Eric after a while, heaving at every breath.

“Ok. I’m, I’m sorry,” she panted as she took hold of Eric’s sleeve and stopped him.

“Like I said. Got anything else to say other than sorry?” Eric clashed out.

“Yes. I do have something for you. I promise, that I won’t drink again. And if I do, I deserve punishment. Please, just, don’t walk away like that,” Neha pleaded.

“Stop reiterating. I’ve heard this before already, and I’m not going to believe you this time. It looks like I can’t trust you on your word,” Eric said. A look of hurt passed on Neha’s face.

“I mean it this time. Before, I never meant anything. Seriously. Please, give me one more chance,” Neha implored. Eric sighed helplessly.

“Alright. But only this last chance. No more,” he said. What is happening? I can’t even say no to her. I’ve got to get my act together, he contemplated. Neha smiled, and wrapped her arms around Eric.

“Thanks,” she whispered against his shoulder. Eric held her tightly, not wanting to let go. Thank you, he thought.

“So tell me,” he said, not breaking away, “what happened yesterday?” Neha closed her eyes, and sighed.

“What do you think? It was Father’s Day. Everyone but I had his/her dad. This little girl even took pity on me and offered to give me her dad for the day. She took me to him, and the father turns out to be the brother of my so-called stepbrother. So yea, I met my step niece, and two stepbrothers. The younger one recognized me, and I ran away,” Neha recalled the day before. Eric led Neha over to a bench and sat down next to her. He played with a stray hair that had fallen out of place from Neha’s straight locks.

“So, you basically got scared. You don’t want anything to do with your dad’s other wife or children,” Eric summarized. Neha nodded.

“That, I am sorry to say this, is stupid. Running away from your dad isn’t going to help. You’re just going to end up hurting yourself. I admit that your dad shouldn’t have done what he did, but maybe you should go talk to him about it,” he explained.

“Eric. I don’t know my dad anymore. He isn’t the same now. I’d be talking to a complete stranger, and that is hopeless,” Neha argued.

“Neha. You have to get out of that bubble. Think outside it; your father still loves you. Maybe he doesn’t express it much or anything--”

“Forget it. Tell me, how was your Father’s Day?” Neha interrupted. Eric smiled happily, the fun from yesterday still unmarked.

“It was really fun. Dad and I played hockey, football, and soccer. I beat him in all of them, because well, you know me, I’m good at sports. Then, he and I went to our favorite restaurant, Nasheman’s. It’s a remarkable desi restaurant. Awesome food. We pigged out on the food there, and then, we went to the football game held at the--” Eric stopped as he noticed Neha’s eyes getting moist.

“What’s wrong?” he solicited.

“Hmm? Nothing. I just wish my dad would do all that for me.”

To Be Continued…With A Lighter Chapter

[Mukhra]

Chapter 15

A Few Months Later…More around beginning of September…

Ronit let out a slow breath and lowered his body to the operating table. He flinched as his skin touched the cold metal. The hospital gown was a very thin one, as well as the sheets covering the table. But, now the cold was more acquainted. It didn’t bite him as much as before. But even the cold couldn’t keep one question away from the little child’s mind, would he live through this surgery?

That question had always scared Ronit, but he knew not to expect anything good, or even bad. Whatever would happen, was meant for the better, but who knew. Just then, a nurse came into the surgery room and hurried over with a tired smile.

“Well hello, Ronit. How have you been?” she asked while checking his blood pressure and temperature.

“Fine as usual. How long is this surgery going to take?” Ronit went through his normal routine of questions. What he did not tell her was that for the past week, he had been feeling a great shortness of breath. That part had remained a secret from everyone; he was too afraid of the problem. The nurse checked his ears and mouth.

“Well, Dr. Howard said it might take a few hours, maybe two or three,” the nurse replied. Ronit nodded. The nurse gave him a cup of a clear mixture, anesthesia.

“Tell me, will I live through this one?” Ronit asked sleepily. The nurse mumbled something, but Ronit was too sleepy to listen. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep. The nurse sighed and watched him for a minute. He was so angelic, so innocent when sleeping, not someone’s who’s body could give out anytime.

“Well, it’s a good thing I won’t be in here while they operate. Poor child,” the nurse said as two doctors, and a few nurses came in. The first nurse smiled and bid goodbye as she left.

The doctors and nurses assembled themselves. The nurses got ready to hand over the surgical instruments, and monitor Ronit’s body on the machines.

“Dr. Yang, this young boy has always had a very fragile case. That is why I invited you to join me in operating on him. I do hope we succeed,” Dr. Howard said. Dr. Yang nodded. Both doctors adjusted their surgical masks, and began the surgical treatment.

***

Kiran sat worriedly outside the operation room. She had sat on the bench many times, but today, it seemed a bit uncomfortable. Something just did not feel right. The haggard woman kept mumbling all the prayers she had ever learned, hoping that everything would be alright. God would listen, He surely would.

After two hours of waiting, Kiran finally breathed a sigh of relief when a nurse came out of the operating room. She quickly walked up to him.

“How is my son? Is he fine? How did the operation go? Is everything alright?” she bombarded the man with questions. The man gave a small nod, but went on his own way. In a few minutes, the doctors came out and headed for Kiran.

“Mrs. Richards, there is a slight problem,” Dr. Howard started. Kiran turned pale.

“While we were operating, Dr. Yang noticed that the blood was very dark, too black. Since he is registered to check the lungs, I allowed him to work on the lungs, and we found something astonishing. Somehow, the leukemia had reached the air sacs of the lungs, and had spread very quickly. And, no matter how much oxygen is supplied to the body, the lungs are not willing to let it enter the air sacs. In fact, the amount of oxygen entering the lungs keeps lessening as we speak,” Dr. Howard explained.

“So…can’t we keep him on oxygen 24/7?” Kiran asked desperately. The doctors shook their heads simultaneously.

“Doing that will not help at all. All we can say is, we’ve tried our best, but I guess some things are just left to nature. If the lungs want to fix themselves, they will do so in the next twenty-four hours. We are moving the patient to the critical care unit. Until then, we can just sit and wait. Let’s just hope Ronit survives,” Dr. Yang said. Kiran felt herself losing ground, and blindly looked for support. A nurse came and gently helped her sit down. Kiran was then helped to Ronit’s I.C.U. room.

***

Neha guffawed as strawberry milk ran down Eric’s nose. They were sitting in the cafeteria of the high school. Eric had graduated the year before, but he occasionally visited his teachers and younger friends.

“Idiot, who told you to laugh and drink at the same time,” Neha asked.

“Yes well. I didn’t have much choice. When I pulled the chair from under you and you fell to the floor, it was the funniest thing in the world, Miss Neha,” Eric laughed hysterically. Neha stuck her tongue at him.

“Yeah, Neha, that was really funny. You should have seen yourself. The look on your face was worth a million dollars,” one of Neha’s other friends teased. The rest of the crowded lunch table also joined in the laughter.

“Oh yea, Amy? I’ll get back at you. Remember, hockey practice starts today, after school,” Neha said. Amy and Neha were both players on the varsity hockey team. Neha was the captain and Amy was her assistant.

“Oooooo. Amy, you had better watch your legs!” Eric sang out. Amy took a tator tot from her tray and threw it at him. Eric caught it skillfully and popped it in his mouth, making a gross face.

“Yuck! School food is still as gross as I remember. I’m guessing today, they put in dead flies in the fries. And that burger of yours, Neha, looks like plastic. Are you sure it’s real chicken?” Eric asked with a playful smile. Neha made a face.

“I’m sure, but if you’re not, you’re welcome to try a bite,” Neha lifted her half-eating chicken patty burger and shoved it to Eric’s mouth. Eric choked.

“Take that away from me. I don’t feel like getting food poisoning,” he said dramatically.

“Oh my God, Eric! Seriously! You ate the same food last year when you went to this school, so what happened now?” Neha rolled her eyes.

“College food. It’s loads better than school food. It tastes real!” Eric said. Neha giggled and was just about to throw a candy bar at Eric when the vice-principal came into view. Then, Neha out on her best angelic face and smiled. The vice-principal smiled back and walked away, monitoring the other tables, as was part of his job. Taking the chance, Neha flung her Snickers bar at Eric, hitting him square in the eye.

“Oh! You are so dead now,” he said and was just about to take his milk when Neha’s phone rang.

“Crap! Amy and Steph, cover me while I see who it is. Who the heck is so stupid to call me while I’m in school!,” Neha exclaimed. She checked the number, but it was unfamiliar. Strange, she thought, either it's someone I don't know, or some stupid credit card company.

Neha answered the phone with a bright hello.

To Be Continued...a few more chapters...nd then the end...

[madiha]

HEY!!!! A GREAT STORY YOU REALLY DO WRITE REAL GOOD!!!

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.

BUTT ......... WHEN R U GOIN 2 POST THE LAST CHAPTER.......................... CAN'T WAIT 2 GET 2 THE END!!!

TAKE CARE

MADIHA

XXXXX

[Mukhra]

Chapter 16

“Hello? Neha?” Mrs. Richards said tentatively.

“Oh hi Mom! Why’d you call me at school? You know I could get in trouble for that,” Neha chastised as she rolled her eyes at Steph.

“Who…who else are you sitting with?” Kiran asked.

“Just Amy, Steph, Nicole, Josh, Becky, and Eric,” Neha rattled off.

“Oh…give it to…to Eric,” Kiran replied quietly. Neha made a face.

“Why?”

“Just give it to Eric. I don’t want to talk to you.”

“No, Mom. Tell me what’s wrong, first.”

“Nothing is wrong. Neha, stop being stubborn and give
the phone to Eric.”

“Is…is this about Ronit? Mom? What happened? No, you tell me. I’m not giving Eric the phone. Just--” Neha was interrupted as Eric snatched the phone from her hands silently. Hmm, why would Mrs. Richards want to talk to me? Eric thought.

“Hello Auntie. How are you?” he said.

“I’m fine. Eric, this isn’t about me. It’s about Ronit,”
Kiran said hurriedly. Eric quickly glanced at Neha, who was looking at him with a forlorn expression. He quickly turned away from her and pretended to talk as if the topic was just the weather.

“Yes. What happened to Ronit?”

“He’s…he’s dying, Eric! Oh my god! My baby is dying!” Kiran said hysterically. Eric’s eyes bulged.

“What!! Auntie, what is going on?” he asked. Quickly, Kiran reiterated what the doctors had told her. Eric patiently listened as he headed towards the main office of the school.

“OK, Auntie. You will have to call the office at school, and get Neha dismissed. They will not just let her come out like that,” Eric explained.

“Ok, ok. I will. I will call right after this. But Eric, don’t tell Neha yet. Just tell her they need her for some kind of test. Don’t mention anything about Ronit’s state,” Kiran hung up quickly and pretty soon, an office aide came to the lunchroom and headed towards Neha.

“Hey Neha. You’re getting dismissed by your mom,” a blond-haired girl said to Neha.

“Umm. Ok thanks Christi” Neha said. Christi walked away. Neha turned towards Amy and Steph as Eric made his way back towards the lunch table. He readied himself for Neha’s questions and let out a deep breath.

“Why am I being dismissed? This is so weird!” Neha said to Amy, even though she had a strange feeling that the reason wasn’t good.

“This is bad. What about hockey practice today?” Amy asked, disappointed.

“Shit! Coach isn’t gonna let you all play without me there, but we can’t cancel the practice either. We need it, our team’s first game is on Thursday! And it’s already Tuesday!” Neha banged the table with her fist.

“Calm down. Wanna go talk to Coach?” Amy asked. Neha sighed and swept a hand through her long hair.

“OK. I have to leave, but go tell Coach that you can captain for me today. It will be fine. Just make sure the girls don’t get too rowdy. We need to work ourselves for the game. How’s that?” Neha asked. Amy nodded slowly, then let out a horrified gulp.

“Are you kidding me? Me do captain? As in me take over your position? Are you crazy? The girls will kill me!” Amy squealed.

“Shut up. They won’t. Come on, Amy. You are the vice-captain, so it wouldn’t matter anyways, alright? Now obey my orders,” Neha said with a wink. Amy laughed and said “yes oh great Captain Neha!”

Neha gave a small smile; just then, a hand landed on her shoulder. Neha turned around and looked fearfully. She searched in Eric’s eyes for answers, but Eric had left them completely blank.

“What now? Why am I being dismissed?” she asked as she got up from the table and waved a lazy bye to her friends.

“Umm, nothing. There’s just a test you have to take, for your own safety of course,” Eric said matter-of-factly.

“You know, you’re a bad liar” Neha said. She ran to her car in the senior parking lot and got in the passenger’s seat. She gave the keys to Eric and let him drive.

“I’m not lying at all. Seriously, it’s nothing. Nothing to worry about,” Eric lied.

“Then why didn’t Mom talk to me? Why did she tell me to give the phone to you? And, why did you go all the way outside the lunchroom to talk? Did you think I wouldn’t notice all that? I’m not a baby,” Neha bombarded Eric with questions. Eric remained silent throughout the drive to the spacious Coney Island Hospital. Neha stared out the window with dismay. She knew something was wrong, there was a voice screaming inside her head, and she wanted to do the same too, but knew better to stay quiet. Once Eric stopped the car, Neha got out quickly and leaned against the hood.

Eric stayed inside, and called Mrs. Richard’s phone.

“Hi, Auntie. It’s me, Eric. I forgot to ask you before, but what room is Ronit being held in?” he asked.

“Room? Room 1012-C.” Kiran said without emotion. Eric hung up and got out of the car and went over to Neha.

“Who were you calling?” Neha asked with an accusing look.

“Just Dad. Told him where I was,” Eric fibbed. Neha nodded. Eric took her hand in his own and led her inside the hospital. Neha snatched her hand out of the grasp.

“I can walk myself, thank you. I’m not a baby you know,” Neha said irritatingly. Eric rolled his eyes.

“What has gone into you? I’m just holding your hand. Am I not allowed to do that? You know what, fine, as you wish.” Eric gave up and started walking faster until he got to the elevator. He went in and punched the button for the last floor, the ICU unit. As he waited impatiently in the elevator, Neha slowly slipped her hand inside his. Eric gave her a skeptical look but didn’t break the contact.

When they got to the room, Neha stood outside the door, not wanting to go in and see what the trouble was. Eric gently led her inside, and closed the door behind them. The room was dim, but a figure in the hospital bed and Kiran could be clearly seen.

Neha’s face slacked as she saw who was in the bed; Ronit. He was connected to all sorts of machines, and one that kept beeping annoyingly, but she took no notice of that. Then, a doctor came in at that moment. Neha slowly turned around to face him. The doctor introduced himself to Eric and Neha, and shook their hands.

“Well, as you can see, the patient’s health seems to be declining rapidly. We have done all we can, but now it is up to the patient’s willpower. We can continue to give the patient oxygen, but well, there is a chance it may not help. The patient’s well-being is, well, not in our hands. The patient--”

“The patient has a [I]name[I]! And his name is Ronit. I would really appreciate it if you called him that, instead of patient” Neha said bitterly, looking the doctor in the eye. The doctor blinked, and nodded. He talked a little more, and then left the room.

“Neha, come here,” Eric said. He wrapped an arm around her and led her out the room, leaving Kiran behind. Eric got a bottle of water out of one of the vending machines, and forced Neha to drink it.

“There was no need of that. You shouldn’t have said that to the doctor,” Eric said softly.

“Yes there was a need! Ronit has a name, and if that dimwit cannot say it, then I feel I should correct him. He kept saying ‘patient’ like it was some sort of animal, and I simply refuse to hear someone talk about my little brother like that,” Neha said stubbornly. Eric remained quiet, but stroked Neha’s hand.

“You do know what is happening right?” Eric asked cautiously. Tears slipped out of Neha’s eyes, and splashed onto Eric’s hand as she shook her head in refusal.

“Don’t tell me,” she let out.

To Be Continued...

[Mukhra]

Chapter 17

“Don’t tell me,” Neha let out. Eric consoled her quietly for a few minutes, until he saw a nurse rushing towards them.

“Neha Richards and Eric Parkinson?” the nurse asked for verification. Eric nodded.

“I suggest you come along with me,” the nurse said as she rushed to Ronit’s room. Neha stood and slowly walked to the room, dreading the monster. She stood outside the door for a few minutes, and watched as the nurse came out of the room with a folder.

Gathering courage, she opened Ronit’s door, and trudged inside. Eric saw her and put an arm around her, but the girl brushed him away. She walked towards the limp figure in the bed, and looked upon Ronit’s face. She saw that there wasn’t any oxygen mask covering the boy’s face; taking that as a good sign, Neha smiled and leaned closer to Ronit.

“Hey Ronit! I knew you would be okay!” she said cheerfully as if she expected Ronit to say something, but Ronit didn’t even open his eyes. His angelic face showed no emotion. His brown hair had carelessly fallen on his forehead, and his eyes were closed, leaving him to be a look-alike of a baby Apollo. Neha smiled even wider, and waited, but no, no response.

“R-R-Ronit? Wake up sweetie,” Neha shook the body. She hugged him, and then noticed, that there was no heartbeat. A cold, dreadful feeling spread through her body as she frantically pressed her ear harder against Ronit’s chest. Even the slightest beat would be fine, but no, nothing but silence.

“Ronit! Stop playing games alright? Come on, wake up. It’s the Red Sox playing the Yankees today, don’t you want to go see them? Come on, I got tickets for the game two weeks ago; get up and let’s go. It will be so much fun,” Neha said happily. No reply.

“Neha, he’s not there,” Eric came up behind her.

“Get the hell away from me, you liar. Of course he is here, just get away!” Neha lashed out violently. She looked around the room, and saw her mother slumped in a chair, with a defeated expression on her face.

“Mom! Why do you look so sad? What’s wrong with you all here?” Neha asked with the curiosity of a child. Kiran burst into tears. Rolling her eyes, Neha turned back to Ronit.

“Come on Ronit! Get up, or else I will never speak to you again,” Neha whimpered. Then, she shook Ronit again, and this time, hard. The little boy’s dead face snapped back and forth, but no flutter of life returned to him.

“Ronit! If you don’t get up I will kill you!” Neha shouted, and then fell to the floor, weeping loudly.

To Be Continued...

[Mukhra]

Chapter 18

His funeral left her broken. Her baby brother was gone, the only one she had ever considered family was gone. Neha cried for her bad luck, for the death of Ronit. The funeral had been like any other, with the preacher saying a few things about Ronit, and then the burial. What had been unordinary was that Mr. Richards had not attended the funeral, although he was told about the death just a mere hour after Ronit’s breaths were coveted.

Neha began to skip school, and even hockey, something she would never have dreamt of doing. She stayed at home, with her mother, listening to the “nonsense” that came from her mother’s mouth. Kiran would go on and on about Ronit, fretting as if he was actually there. Sometimes, it scared Neha, but she chose to ignore it, rather than think there was something wrong.

Neha even stopped talking to Eric, but only for a few days. After that, Eric made sure to call her every thirty minutes or so to check up on her. Neha would be quiet, but would muster up a few words before hanging up. One day, Eric came by her house.

“Neha, come on, get up from your bed. Let’s go out somewhere,” he coaxed her. Neha buried herself deeper into her blanket. Eric took hold of her covers and pulled them off Neha. He took her hand and pulled her up in a sitting position.

“Get ready, I’m taking you somewhere other than here,” he said in a business-like tone.

“Do not anger me Mr. Eric Parkinson. I don’t want to go, and that is final. I simply refuse to go,” Neha said bitterly.

“Listen, this is not going to help you-”

“I think I know what will help me and what won’t. You don’t have to worry about that, now please leave!” Neha exclaimed, took her covers back and pulled them over her head. Eric’s face fell, but he silently left the room, with a sad feeling in his heart.

***

Neha stared at the starless sky, searching for a star she could wish on, but luck didn’t seem to be on her side that night. She took another deep puff of her cigarette and let the coughing cease before she took in another smoke. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face, had a sick look on it, almost too pale. She looked around for a shoulder to lean upon, but her balcony was empty, aside from the blanket of darkness.

“Neha, you shouldn’t be doing that,” a voice said. Neha turned around wildly, trying to locate the voice. She finally saw a small figure of a boy smiling up at her. She smiled back.

“Ronit? Where have you been all these days sweetie? I missed you so much,” Neha leaned to hug her little brother. She took the little boy into her arms and held him, until she opened her eyes, and realized that she was holding thin air.

“Ronit? Where did you go? Stop playing hide and seek,” she said tearfully. She ran blindly through the whole house, but she couldn’t find her little brother anywhere. Finally, she fell on the floor and cried loudly.

***

Eric woke up startled. He was sweating, but he didn’t know why. He hadn’t had a dream, nor had anything been on his mind, so why was he troubled? He checked the time on his cell phone.

“What woke me up at 2:30 in the morning?” he asked himself. Eric shook his head and lay back down and shut his eyes, trying to go to sleep, but something was still bothering him. He tossed and turned, trying every position possible to go to sleep, but there was a feeling in his hear that he couldn’t quite place.

“Stupid sixth sense. Always comes at the wrong time, didn’t it know I was sleeping?” Eric muttered to himself as he walked out his room, heading to the kitchen for a drink of water. However, his feet took him to the other side of the house, near the hallway next to the backdoor. Uh oh, I forgot to lock the backdoor, he thought with a dreaded feeling. He locked the door and just when he was turning around to go back to his room, he spotted something at the foot of the stairs.

To Be Continued...