Husband For Hire

20. Suspended

20. Three Days of Suspension
Fixing someone else's mood lifted up my mood for some reason.

I crouched down next to grandma's wheelchair after breakfast the following day. She had finished hers already and had moved into the living room. The Virk siblings were still finishing their toast with omelettes.

I wondered if they ate that before coming here. They might as well enjoy their stay. Ashar wasn't half so bad. Especially after what he had told me last night.

"Grandma, Jhanvi is divorcing Sunny," I told her.

The pool of yarn in her hand dropped to the floor quite dramatically. I expected as much. She shot me a questioning look.

"He was cheating on her and admitted it in front of everyone," I explained. She started shaking her head in disbelief. No one told her? "I don't think she's wrong in separating from him. Do you think I should support her?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, should I be by her side even though she left me to deal with therapists after Papa's death?"

Grandma stroked the side of my head and blinked affirmatively. I leaned into her and let her hold me. I hoped she'd learn to talk again one day. Just to give me some adult in my life to talk to.

We were broken out of her bonding time by Ashar's angry voice. Aara was rushing out of the house and her older brother chasing behind.

"Aara! Aara!" Ashar stopped in the doorway. He let out a frustrated sigh before turning around.

Grandma nodded me to find out what happened.

"She probably doesn't want to go to school," I guessed. "Poor people don't mix well with the rich."

Grandma gave me a hard stare and I got up.

"Ashar, is everything okay?" I asked aloud. He was walking back towards the dining room.

"I don't know," he said with a helpless look. "She won't tell me anything. She keeps saying she wants to return to her old high school. Why? She won't say."

"Maybe she's missing her friends . . . or boyfriend," I said jokingly.

"Her friend and boyfriend is Netflix," he said before leaving me.

He didn't even value a further conversation with me even after that stormy snowy night? For a low class person, he sure had the attitude of a Roman king.

I bid goodbye to grandma before leaving for work.

Ashar could solve his family matters on his own.

* * *

"I'm going to quit," I threatened. "Roshan, if he makes me redo the schedule for next week again, I will walk out. The man is modern day Hitler. Even Hitler was kinder to his Nazis."

"Annie, relax," Roshan cooed. "I'll talk to him. Honestly, I'm getting tired of his behavior towards us too. We are assistant directors not slaves. He treats us like peasants."

"He doesn't know my mom could produce any movie I want to make," I vented out. "I don't need him."

"We can't quit as per the contract," Roshan mumbles.

"The penalty is nothing but loose change," I said. "I'm giving him a final chance today or I'm gone next week."

Roshan made a face. "You're gonna ditch your best friend? Oh come on!" He swung an arm around my shoulder.

I pushed him off. "I'm not kidding."

Frustrated, I returned to the set from my break to resume the peasant work for the next few hours.