Author POV

It was a typical tuesday night everyone was engaged in one or the other work, some in the town were chilling, like Aarav while some were studying hard to get their dreams to get where they belonged to, like Naira and while some were working like father of Saira but some were in the medical rooms getting their treatments waiting for the results of tests performed like Aarav's mother, while some were at their home in the kitchen to prepare the family's dinner to be served at times.

At Saira's House

It was a typical evening in the house where the mother was cooking and the daughter was studying in the living room while waiting for her father who was out to earn the money which would get them survive through the month by his profits made which would have been helpful to pay the bills.

Suddenly the doorbell went off indicating the man had arrived at their home.

"Mom, I will get the door. Can you please bring a glass of water? It must be dad." Saira exclaimed.

"Sure bacha go soon or dad will surely make the battery in the bell go weak." her mother replied.

child

"Haha, mom I will go now." She laughed at her mother's silly joke.

The girl went to take the door while her mother brought a glass of water for her husband.

"How was your day dad?" Saira asked while getting aside of the door to let her father come through and close the door after him.

"It was good, how was your my rani?" her father asked while giving a peck full of love and adoration on the forehead of his daughter.

princess

"Mine was a great one dad, you know I went trekking today with Alisha" she told her father while getting his father's bag which had his laptop being a businessman that too in a city like Mumbai.

"Oh that's great but that means your mum would be eating my brain for a long time" her father said while playfully rubbing his head, while Saira gigled.

"What are you both laughing about?" Saira's mother asked, passing the glass of water to the man who had just arrived.

"Nothing at all right Saira?" her father replied asking Saira to play along.

"Yes mumma we were just talking about his day and mine too" she replied with confidence when her mother had already listened to the father daughter talks and was playing all along.

"Sure, it means no one was talking about me eating someone's brain. I must be imagining things I need to contact the doctor in that case." her mother sighed.

"What… I mean yes… I mean yes we were talking about you but please don't tell you need to visit the doctor uncle he is bad." Saira exclaimed, tears filled her eyes while remembering her last encounter with the doctors when her father was admitted in the hospital getting his treatment for a stroke he had due to some stress and how worried they both were for the person who was the reason for their living, more like surviving on the planet or else they would have been long dead.

"Bacha don't cry, I was just joking. See I am all well." her mother said, wiping off the tears that fell from the eyes of their child.

child

"What do you do Radha ji, see you made my child to cry and see two diamonds of her waste. Now give me the amount you wasted." her father said dramatically to which she smiled a little, hugging her father a little.

"Yes dadda mumma always does that. She even scolded me in the evening." she cried in her father's arms, feeling it safer.

"Oh now don't get all on me. It was her which got me to scold her. I told her to get some cucumber for salad and cut it but she in exchange made a salad with zucchini, now tell me what should I have done?" her mother told the mad man who was giving a look 'we need to talk about this' to his wife who made her princess cry not once but twice.

"Oh that was not a great thing to scold for, but don't worry my rani we can go grab ice cream after the dinner what say?" her father made a deal with his daughter winking at his wife. After she nodded in yes, giving a green signal to his dad at which she showed a tongue to her mother who repaid it by showing hers to Saira.

princess

"Well then we shall move for dinner. It has already been served to my majesty and his princess." her mother replied dramatically.

"Sure because we have a little business to take care of afterwards right princess?" her father asked, winking at her.

"You are the best dadda, I love you" Saira said and moved to get up and help her mother.

Timeskip

After Dinner

Saira's father was honking in the car waiting for his daughter and mother to come and sit for the ride to get the deal made complete.

"Coming dadda in just 2 minutes." she screamed from the door grabbing her shoes to walk out.

"Baccha be a little fast or else all the shops will be closed. It is already 9:50 P.M." her father told.

child

"Mumma hurry we are not gonna get any ice creams if we get late dadda says." she replied in hope to get her mother out.

"Coming bacha let me lock the doors also you always forget to put the lights out we don't get our electricity for free we pay for it aish when will this girl grow up." her mother replied, annoyed by her daughter.

child

"Can I drive dadda?" she asked giving puppy eyes to her father in hope he agrees.

"No, you still have to get your licence not before you get one." her father replied and she let it go knowing her father won't allow her to break the laws in any case no matter what happens.

"Can I get a sundae please then?" she asked.

"Sure why not?" her father said but got an angry reply from his wife.

"No you can't, it is already cold and night not in any case whatsoever." her mother replied thinking practically when her husband started driving after knowing all are seated all buckled up.

"Ok mumma." she replied, tired of any drama.

"That is my daughter, now light up your mood. I will make your favourite rajma chawal tomorrow how does that sound?" she asked, cheering her up a bit to which she showed her brightest smile and nodded vigorously happy about the deal in her favour.

beans and rice

Timeskip

At Their Home

They came back after eating all their cravings for ice cream. It was a routine in their house having a sweet tooth. They always craved something sweet after their meals.

They all were happy with each other and went to their rooms and did their night time routines and went to sleep letting their dreams wander over their minds sleeping, keeping beside all the tensions but there was a person who was all alone worried about a call that he was attending awake late at night.

On The Phone

"What would be your payment?" he asked.

"Your daughter" he replied.

"What do you mean?" He spoke.

"Oh no Mr. Kumar, this is not the way one should say anything by the way don't forget the dead you did 21 years back I still can show you the proofs that you removed very easily." he spoke when her father tried to speak the line on the other side went dead.