Family Short Story – Let’s share an ice cream
Photo credit: prairiebeat from morguefile.com
She was already late for home as per the deadline set by mom, she opened the door very slowly and carefully with her keys without making any sound, there was complete darkness in the hall, hence she headed directly towards her room, but as she stepped on the stares someone switched on the light,
“Oh sh*t” it was her elder brother.
“I am gone today, bhaiya gonna kill me” she thought in her mind.
“Where were you at this time” the question was expected but not the tone. It was very polite and casual.
“Actually bhaiya, I was with my friends. It was Nisha’s birthday so I got a little late” she replied in mixed feeling of confusion and fear.
“It’s ok, come I was waiting for you for the dinner as mom and dad went to see Rajiv uncle” She can’t believe what she heard, not about mom dad visit to uncle, but the word “Its ok”, she was thinking in mind, “is everything alright or something gonna bang suddenly.”
Then she heard his voice again, “what are you thinking? Come”
“Bhaiya I had dinner with my friends, Sorry I didn’t knew you were waiting.”
“Ok don’t eat whole dinner at least sit with me, have a little Rajma and I will have dinner, it’s been long time we sat together and talked.”
“Ok bhaiya I will change and come”
“Ok you come I will bring the food on the table.”
After 5 minutes
They were eating silently when he started the conversation
“So how’s your college is going on?”
“Ya it’s nice, I am preparing for MBA and will try to make it”
“Don’t worry about that I am sure you will make it. And how’s your social life, I mean friends and all?”
“It is also nice, I have lots of friends”
“Good to know that, do you remember when you were in 5th standard and a boy pulled your ponny?”
She tried and remembers, “Yeah I got it, how can I forget that, I had cried for whole day.” She smiled and took a sip of water, “then you came and asked me about that, and next day you threatened the boy to not to bother my sister”
“And on the very next day our parents had been called and I got suspended for 2 weeks” he added and they both laughed.
“Do you know why I am reminding you these things suddenly?”
She stopped smiling and asked, “Yeah why?”
He took a deep breath and said, “I just want to remind you the time when I was your best friend and you always use to share things with me.” He paused for 2 seconds and continued, “I am not saying that it’s your fault for this gap between us, It’s me who got so much involved with new friends, school, college, outings, hanging out that I didn’t left with time for you.”
“But bhaiya why this suddenly?”
“Yeah you are right, why suddenly today I am telling you this, I just want to tell you I wanna make up for all that mistakes.”
“Bhaiya its ok, I am not angry or complaining about anything.”
“I know you are not complaining, but we can be like friends once again, and share some discussions time to time.”
“Bhiaya you were always my friend and my hero too.”
“So from today’s onwards we will share things right?”
“Right, but” she paused for a second, “everything?”
“Yaeh why, ok let me start. I want to tell you I have a girlfriend…”
“Oh my god” she almost screamed, “you have a girlfriend, I knew it, I always had a doubt”
“See you have a doubt but never asked me, this is the gap I was talking about”
“But bhaiya how can I ask you that, what if you would have become angry.”
“Ok I promise you from today onwards you can ask me anything and I will not be angry on you, ok?”
“Ok” she smiled.
“but you also have to tell me everything honestly if I ask you something”
Now her smile again got vanished.
“Something like?”
“Like do you have a boyfriend?”
She became silent for few seconds.
“Common you can trust me and tell me about it” he insisted and this time she can’t resist.
“Actually, there is a boy, I am meeting now a days and he is from my class.”
He immediately got up from his chair and left the room.
This action scared her a lot, “oh no I shouldn’t had told him this, bhaiya became so angry, what I am gonna do now.?” She was thinking that, when he returned with a large packet of ice cream and 2 small bawls.
“I was almost forgot about it, I brought it for us, chocolate flavor, your favorite right?”
“Yeah right” she sighed with relief “I thought you became angry”
“Angry? Why? See I told you about my girlfriend did you became angry?No na? Then why should I?”
He said filling bowls with ice cream.
After listening this she immediately got up and hugged him, “thank u bhaiya, love you, you are the best brother in the world.”
“Ok ok enough of buttering, see you can enjoy your space and proper freedom, as long as you know your limits, and remember I trust you”
“Thanks bhaiya I know my limits well and I promise I will never break your trust.”
“Ok, now its too late, finish your ice cream and go to sleep”
***
8 hours ago same day.
He was waiting inside the ice cream parlor for last 1 hour, finally she entered with a trail of sorry,
“Sorry sorry sorry baby, I know I am late but trust me its not my fault” she was trying to make it up.
“No no its not your fault its always my fault to come on time” but he was not in the mood of listening, “so what is today’s excuse?” He asked with a fake smile.
“See its not an excuse, my brother was outside, he was talking with someone. I was just waiting for him to leave hiding myself behind a tree.” She explained him everything, “if he would have seen me with a boy here, he would have killed me.”
“Oh common Shreya, in which world your brother is living. Its 21st century, every girl should have a right to live her life.” He said eating his ice cream.
“Look, giving lecture is an easy task, but following it is not the same.”
“What are you talking about? I am completely with women freedom and equality, I never mind if you have any career choice or friends circle with males.”
“And what about your sister?” This question stunned him.
“What about her?” He asked staring her.
“What if you find out that she has a boyfriend or she is not at all interested in boys at all?”
“What the f***, I know her she is not like that” he got pissed on her last statement.
“Why? Why can’t, see, did she told you about that. No right, because she is afraid of expressing her choice in front of you, in the same way I am afraid of my brother.”
He became speechless on this, but she continued on her point.
“It’s very easy to talk about modernization, being liberal, freedom of personal choice, personal life and personal space. But all these things seem meaningless when it comes to our own family. Look at yourself you are not even ready to accept the thought of your sister to having a relationship with someone or being a lesbian and talking about my brother that what kind of person he is. For your kind information he is the same as maximum people in this country, everyone wants a change but no one wants to start from his own house.”
They were silent for 2 minutes, when she spoken, “I am sorry if I hurt you but I didn’t mean it I just wanted to…..”
“No Shreya, you are right, let me break my own shell first before commenting on others.” He smiled and looked for something, then signaled the waiter to come, “Give me a large family pack of chocolate flavor ice cream.” She was looked confused.
“My sister like chocolate flavor and Its been long we had ice cream together.”
__END__
