Yes, I am inclined towards serialising these days. Don't forget to read part one of the novella in this very same blog.
- the author
"Oh yeah, Ish? Tell you what, I'll bet you a dairy milk that I'll be a way cooler parent than you ever will be." "Haha. Maybe. Isn't it a bit too early to decide that crap? What makes you think we'll end up anywhere at all?" Raghu turned and grinned at her." Sweetheart, you really think I am going to stay a bachelor if I don't get you."Isha came closer to him and whispered "Sweetheart."
"Yes?"
"Go fuck a goat."
November had come to Bangalore and with it, the winter was slowly setting in. The city was among other things known for its pleasant climate but the winter months tended to be a bit chilly. However, November was the transition period and therefore things hadn't gotten quite bad yet. It was a Sunday. To the IT generation in Bangalore, it was either a day of hangover or a day to clean up the household mess depending on which side of the lasso-on-the-neck line you fell. Of course, even that line got blurry with the younger generation. Isha was dusting the house. Raghu had taken Nihal for a morning walk in the small park nearby. Their house was located in the suburbs of Kundalahalli and such parks were in plenty.
Nothing good had happened for quite some time, Isha thought as she brushed the sofa a bit more furiously. She was trying to get Nihal into a good school in Bangalore. The Vidya Niketan interview had taken place on Wednesday. But, the management had not been very impressed with Nihal. He had gotten rejected. Isha's hands shivered a bit. Not impressed. Isha's eyebrows crinkled. She went towards the window. Raghu was least bothered. "It's okay, da. We'll get him into another school. And if that doesn't work out, we can go to Kollam or Trivandrum. There are excellent schools there." She would have agreed, if only Raghu had a well thought-out plan.
But, it was usually just words. Raghu had been job jumping ever since he quit TCS. And it had been a good eight years. But it was never the usual job jumping, that people do in search of increased salary and perks. No, it never had been that. She started coughing. The windows hadn't been dusted for over a month and her attempts to tackle it now had engulfed her in dust. "Damn it."she yelled and took hold of a cloth lying on the table to cover her nose. Raghu had even attempted an entrepreneurial venture. Something involving large scale selling of second hand books. It had failed miserably. He was now employed at Bangalore Mirror, as a journalist. It wasn't even half as glamourous as it sounded. He would be usually reporting about KFC opening a new outlet or some random dog winning a pet show. And eight years after TCS, he was working at half the salary he once got.
It was her steady job at LnT that enabled them to pay the housing loan and raise Nihal. And he had the gall to say it would be okay. She flung the brush onto the floor and sat down near the dining table. And he didn't have an ounce of shame. Usually, if you scar their ego, they would get angry and spring into action. Probably, do something. But, talking to him was like talking to a valley from some mountain. Words just bounced off and returned. She went to the book shelf, overflowing with a huge variety of novels, among them brightly illustrated ones of Dahl and Blyton. It was one of the few things they had in common. A love for the written words. They had injected it into their son as well. He was twice as smart as any kid of his age. And Vidya Niketan had rejected him.
She slid her fingers across the neatly arranged books. She had married into a puddle of idealism, ideas and thoughts. That was alright. She did not mind. But, what she did mind was that it lacked any coherence. She had fallen for a man with a lot of dreams. But, somewhere along the lines, he had lost the dreams, the drive and the sense to understand that he had lost it. What she was left with, was a confused mess of mid 30's acting like it was still the early 20's. She had hoped that things would change as Nihal grew up. He loved him and indulged him a lot. But, it never did. He appeared to have settled into a state of limbo with respect to his career. The unthinkable crossed Isha's mind again. It was just a flash. A big, bright flash.
"Acha, I think sleeping would have been a better option. So cold, out here."
"Dei. Shut up and keep running. You are becoming so lazy."
"What do you mean? Keep running? You are walking."
"Hey. I am old, I deserve some rest."
"Ayyaaaaa."
Nihal turned around and started pushing Raghu from behind. He smiled.
"Sheri sheri. Come. Let's go."
Nihal was very much right. He definitely preferred sleeping to running. But, he loved taking Nihal to the park. So, even if it was irregular, they would come here atleast twice a week. They had started the routine long back. He used to walk Nihal around the park when he was as little as three. The park was probably the sole thing he loved about Bangalore besides its climate. It wasn't a big one. But, it wasn't crowded either. And the greenery always gave the cold morning air a lingering taste, which would lash out across their face when they ran.
This was also probably the only place around where Isha's accusatory glance wouldn't follow him. And inside this small park, no new outlets would open or silly shows would take place like it usually does in the big ones. Such things usually meant that he would have to take photographs and go around, asking silly questions. Journalism was not exactly proving to be an eventful career epecially with the vague work hours, but atleast, he loved writing. And, once in a while, he would come across a genuinely heartwarming story as opposite to the usual what's-new crap. Nihal had gone way ahead. Raghu ran a little faster.
He wondered what Isha was doing back home. Probably cleaning and definitely swearing at him. They had a bad week. He grimaced as he remembered the rejection fiasco. It had jolted him a bit. He hadn't quite expected a scenario where Nihal would not clear the exam. In fact, he never did expect a scenario where Nihal would not clear any exam. They had later told Nihal. Raghu had in fact told him only bits and pieces. He didn't seem to care much. Raghu remembered Isha's expression when he started talking about schools in Kerala. A good school is important, but he wondered why it had to be the very best school.
Isha was a bit bent on the very-best in everything related to Nihal. It sometimes seemed that she was trying to channelise all her abilities, which got lavishly praised in college and which pretty much sank into some dark recess after she started her career, onto Nihal. And so she always wanted him to start speaking on small topics like "My Home" , "My Dreams" before her. She wanted him to join a music class. Of course, she never compelled him. But, she was eager to pounce on any little thing he did. So, if not having anything to do, he drew a scrawny picture of a cat, Isha would pack him and Nihal onto their car and rush to the house of the neighbourhood artist. And there, she would convince the poor man to take their child as a student. He supposed she was just competitive like every other mother.
Raghu had caught up to Nihal. "Acha, you are too slow today. Usually, it's me who gets tired by around now." "Yes dei. It's all that complan you drink with milk. Your amma never gives it to me, these days." "Oh. Do one thing. Next time, I will give it to you, Acha. You drink it for me. Just keep it a secret." "Ayyaaaa. Okay. Enough of running today, let's go play catch." "Wokay"
Raghu wondered for how long, this would go on. Him, Nihal and the park. He knew that the kids were grewing up fast these days. And one of these days, Nihal would be asking all sorts of embarrassing questions to him. Or even worse, he'll never ask them. Nihal would eventually start lying a bit, start ogling at girls and start spending too much time on Facebook or maybe Twitter. Then, adolescence would eventually set in and he would be leading quite a rebellion. Raghu hadn't yet decided his stand on many things including drinking and relationships. He knew that Isha would freak out on the former. He wondered what his stand would be. Would his liberal approach result in a bad upbringing? He wondered whether he should be as strict as Isha. His dad was strict with him. Of course, he rebelled secretly but the strictness ensured that he knew his lines. Even though he crossed them quite a bit, he always did eventually return back.
"Acha, what are you dreaming about? Throw the ball." Nihal screamed from the distance. Raghu smiled and aimed his left hand upward. Yes. Him, Nihal and the park would eventually stop. But probably, the park would substitute for his own dad's strictness. Nihal would always have an anchor in his life. Raghu threw the ball and ran. Both of them ran towards the falling ball and both of them missed it. The ball landed safely onto a nearby hedge.
Nihal looked at Raghu.
"Acha."
"Yes?"
"Nalla bestu throw."
He grinned. Raghu grinned back. Nihal dived into the hedge to retrieve the ball. Raghu's grin had disappeared into a wide and perhaps a knowing smile.
- the author
"Oh yeah, Ish? Tell you what, I'll bet you a dairy milk that I'll be a way cooler parent than you ever will be." "Haha. Maybe. Isn't it a bit too early to decide that crap? What makes you think we'll end up anywhere at all?" Raghu turned and grinned at her." Sweetheart, you really think I am going to stay a bachelor if I don't get you."Isha came closer to him and whispered "Sweetheart."
"Yes?"
"Go fuck a goat."
November had come to Bangalore and with it, the winter was slowly setting in. The city was among other things known for its pleasant climate but the winter months tended to be a bit chilly. However, November was the transition period and therefore things hadn't gotten quite bad yet. It was a Sunday. To the IT generation in Bangalore, it was either a day of hangover or a day to clean up the household mess depending on which side of the lasso-on-the-neck line you fell. Of course, even that line got blurry with the younger generation. Isha was dusting the house. Raghu had taken Nihal for a morning walk in the small park nearby. Their house was located in the suburbs of Kundalahalli and such parks were in plenty.
Nothing good had happened for quite some time, Isha thought as she brushed the sofa a bit more furiously. She was trying to get Nihal into a good school in Bangalore. The Vidya Niketan interview had taken place on Wednesday. But, the management had not been very impressed with Nihal. He had gotten rejected. Isha's hands shivered a bit. Not impressed. Isha's eyebrows crinkled. She went towards the window. Raghu was least bothered. "It's okay, da. We'll get him into another school. And if that doesn't work out, we can go to Kollam or Trivandrum. There are excellent schools there." She would have agreed, if only Raghu had a well thought-out plan.
But, it was usually just words. Raghu had been job jumping ever since he quit TCS. And it had been a good eight years. But it was never the usual job jumping, that people do in search of increased salary and perks. No, it never had been that. She started coughing. The windows hadn't been dusted for over a month and her attempts to tackle it now had engulfed her in dust. "Damn it."she yelled and took hold of a cloth lying on the table to cover her nose. Raghu had even attempted an entrepreneurial venture. Something involving large scale selling of second hand books. It had failed miserably. He was now employed at Bangalore Mirror, as a journalist. It wasn't even half as glamourous as it sounded. He would be usually reporting about KFC opening a new outlet or some random dog winning a pet show. And eight years after TCS, he was working at half the salary he once got.
It was her steady job at LnT that enabled them to pay the housing loan and raise Nihal. And he had the gall to say it would be okay. She flung the brush onto the floor and sat down near the dining table. And he didn't have an ounce of shame. Usually, if you scar their ego, they would get angry and spring into action. Probably, do something. But, talking to him was like talking to a valley from some mountain. Words just bounced off and returned. She went to the book shelf, overflowing with a huge variety of novels, among them brightly illustrated ones of Dahl and Blyton. It was one of the few things they had in common. A love for the written words. They had injected it into their son as well. He was twice as smart as any kid of his age. And Vidya Niketan had rejected him.
She slid her fingers across the neatly arranged books. She had married into a puddle of idealism, ideas and thoughts. That was alright. She did not mind. But, what she did mind was that it lacked any coherence. She had fallen for a man with a lot of dreams. But, somewhere along the lines, he had lost the dreams, the drive and the sense to understand that he had lost it. What she was left with, was a confused mess of mid 30's acting like it was still the early 20's. She had hoped that things would change as Nihal grew up. He loved him and indulged him a lot. But, it never did. He appeared to have settled into a state of limbo with respect to his career. The unthinkable crossed Isha's mind again. It was just a flash. A big, bright flash.
"Acha, I think sleeping would have been a better option. So cold, out here."
"Dei. Shut up and keep running. You are becoming so lazy."
"What do you mean? Keep running? You are walking."
"Hey. I am old, I deserve some rest."
"Ayyaaaaa."
Nihal turned around and started pushing Raghu from behind. He smiled.
"Sheri sheri. Come. Let's go."
Nihal was very much right. He definitely preferred sleeping to running. But, he loved taking Nihal to the park. So, even if it was irregular, they would come here atleast twice a week. They had started the routine long back. He used to walk Nihal around the park when he was as little as three. The park was probably the sole thing he loved about Bangalore besides its climate. It wasn't a big one. But, it wasn't crowded either. And the greenery always gave the cold morning air a lingering taste, which would lash out across their face when they ran.
This was also probably the only place around where Isha's accusatory glance wouldn't follow him. And inside this small park, no new outlets would open or silly shows would take place like it usually does in the big ones. Such things usually meant that he would have to take photographs and go around, asking silly questions. Journalism was not exactly proving to be an eventful career epecially with the vague work hours, but atleast, he loved writing. And, once in a while, he would come across a genuinely heartwarming story as opposite to the usual what's-new crap. Nihal had gone way ahead. Raghu ran a little faster.
He wondered what Isha was doing back home. Probably cleaning and definitely swearing at him. They had a bad week. He grimaced as he remembered the rejection fiasco. It had jolted him a bit. He hadn't quite expected a scenario where Nihal would not clear the exam. In fact, he never did expect a scenario where Nihal would not clear any exam. They had later told Nihal. Raghu had in fact told him only bits and pieces. He didn't seem to care much. Raghu remembered Isha's expression when he started talking about schools in Kerala. A good school is important, but he wondered why it had to be the very best school.
Isha was a bit bent on the very-best in everything related to Nihal. It sometimes seemed that she was trying to channelise all her abilities, which got lavishly praised in college and which pretty much sank into some dark recess after she started her career, onto Nihal. And so she always wanted him to start speaking on small topics like "My Home" , "My Dreams" before her. She wanted him to join a music class. Of course, she never compelled him. But, she was eager to pounce on any little thing he did. So, if not having anything to do, he drew a scrawny picture of a cat, Isha would pack him and Nihal onto their car and rush to the house of the neighbourhood artist. And there, she would convince the poor man to take their child as a student. He supposed she was just competitive like every other mother.
Raghu had caught up to Nihal. "Acha, you are too slow today. Usually, it's me who gets tired by around now." "Yes dei. It's all that complan you drink with milk. Your amma never gives it to me, these days." "Oh. Do one thing. Next time, I will give it to you, Acha. You drink it for me. Just keep it a secret." "Ayyaaaa. Okay. Enough of running today, let's go play catch." "Wokay"
Raghu wondered for how long, this would go on. Him, Nihal and the park. He knew that the kids were grewing up fast these days. And one of these days, Nihal would be asking all sorts of embarrassing questions to him. Or even worse, he'll never ask them. Nihal would eventually start lying a bit, start ogling at girls and start spending too much time on Facebook or maybe Twitter. Then, adolescence would eventually set in and he would be leading quite a rebellion. Raghu hadn't yet decided his stand on many things including drinking and relationships. He knew that Isha would freak out on the former. He wondered what his stand would be. Would his liberal approach result in a bad upbringing? He wondered whether he should be as strict as Isha. His dad was strict with him. Of course, he rebelled secretly but the strictness ensured that he knew his lines. Even though he crossed them quite a bit, he always did eventually return back.
"Acha, what are you dreaming about? Throw the ball." Nihal screamed from the distance. Raghu smiled and aimed his left hand upward. Yes. Him, Nihal and the park would eventually stop. But probably, the park would substitute for his own dad's strictness. Nihal would always have an anchor in his life. Raghu threw the ball and ran. Both of them ran towards the falling ball and both of them missed it. The ball landed safely onto a nearby hedge.
Nihal looked at Raghu.
"Acha."
"Yes?"
"Nalla bestu throw."
He grinned. Raghu grinned back. Nihal dived into the hedge to retrieve the ball. Raghu's grin had disappeared into a wide and perhaps a knowing smile.
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