Hey y'all I know this one is shorter but I'll update it soon. This is kind of just introducing people and reintroducing others. I have this kind of all planned out but if no one
likes this I probably won't continue. I also promise to update my other existing stories as soon as I possibly can. So enjoy. And please review!
16 years later.
"Anik Kishan Rajaram!" Dad yelled to me from some where in our abnormally large home. He so rarely shouted that it made me flinch. I slowly crept down the stairs from my room to the library, where Dad sat behind his desk reading a book in what I assumed was his native language. "Yeah Dad?" I asked uncertainly. I was a bit nervous, he didn't seem upset or angry but he had shouted at me. He calmly closed the book and set it down. His expression surprised me. It was amusement. Like a joke only he was in on and I had to guess what it was. "Do you know what your mother told me recently?"
I looked at him shocked. What had Mom said? Was it bad? "Ummm no. I don't know."
"She said you were talking to a certain attractive young lady in your class, she wouldn't happen to be a girlfriend of yours would she?" I gaped. How on earth did my mom know I had a girlfriend? I never said anything. And we had only been dating a few weeks. I recovered enough to answer my dad. "Well um yes. Her name is Sarita she just moved here from India. We started dating I guess a few weeks ago. Why?"
My eyes darted to the door hoping I could escape before I had to talk girls with Dad.
"Anik why don't you sit down?" He seemed to know I was going to bolt and caught me, I had no choice but to obey him. I slumped in a comfy chair across from him and allowed him to talk. "I'd like to meet Sarita and her family. You should invite them to dinner for Wednesday." I sat bolt upright in my chair. "Dad no. That'd be weird. We haven't been dating that long. Not even a month. I don't know if we are even serious." I was doing everything I could to stop this from happening. He gave me a curious yet level look. "Have you kissed her?" I sputtered not knowing how to even reply to that question. He took that as a yes. "And she's from India? She was born and raised there?"
I nodded not trusting myself to actually speak. "I suspect she does think it is quite a serious relationship. I've told you dating is a different culture in Indian and you need to be aware of that around her. It is a good idea for your mother and I to meet her and her family and understand where they are hoping this new relationship to go. Invite them for Wednesday at five thirty pm." He stared intently at me waiting for my answer. "Fine, I'll do it. Can I go now?" He nodded happily and picked his book back up. "Thank you. Yes, you may leave now." I quickly jumped out of my chair and out the door. It was Sunday evening and I would see her at school tomorrow. I had one night to come up with how I would ask her over. I spent the next few hours trying to practice what I was going to say in front of my mirror. Ready for bed I headed down stairs to wish my parents goodnight. I heard them whispering conspiratorially and stopped to listen. "Ren I'm worried they didn't come to his fifteenth birthday party and we haven't heard anything from them." I wondered who they could be talking about. Maybe Dad's distant family from India? Then Dad replied and it made a bit more sense. "Priya I know you are worried. I am a bit too. They come every five years to wish the children happy birthday on Anik's birthday. But you read Kishan's letter. They travel a lot. And they can change their appearances at will. So although they looked older when Anik was five and ten. Maybe it was just for his benefit. Maybe they will contact us soon."
I knew a couple who always told me happy birthday every five years but I never knew their names. And kishan. That was my middle name. Could he be the man I was named after? I was so confused at this point that I forgot to say goodnight to my parents and just went to bed. Heading back to my bedroom I ran into my younger sister. "Kalmala Deshchen, why are you still up?" I asked her. It was ten pm and she was supposed to be in bed. But being twelve years old made her annoying and never listened. "You were up, and you're supposed to be in bed so it's okay if I'm up too." I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm going back to bed now, and you should too." I smiled playfully at her know exactly what would make her go to sleep. "And you should get your skinny little butt in bed too before Dad finds you awake. You know what he will do to you." I warned her. She looked alarmed. "No, not the tickle torture. He knows I'm as ticklish as Mom." She turned around and ran to her room and quickly closed the door. I laughed softly then went to my room and finally fell asleep.