AMBAR

Chapter 31

Ambar's POV

To kill some time I started photography. I tried to take some landscape but every time I tried to take a beautiful photo in outdoors it was like heat was killing me. One day I found Ridhima playing with a small puppy. She looked so cute with the puppy that I ran back to my room to bring the camera. The same DSLR that Dad gifted me. I took many photos of her and the puppy. I took some candid shots of them. I looked at the puppy once again. It was a stray as it was not wearing a belt and was thin. He is patchy and goofy. "Ridhima where did you found him"? I asked.
"School." She said. "It was alone so I took him with me." She said.
"What have you named him?" I asked.
"Chocobar." She replied. I smiled and slowly petted Chocobar.
On a fine evening me and Kabir started to play Badminton in the garden and Ridhima was playing with Chocobar. We were enjoying the game when Kusum, Ridhima's nanny came. She took Ridhima with her to do her homework and me and Kabir kept playing. As we played Chocobar came near us and stared to run near my legs. We had to stop the game and look after the dog when I saw a guy. It was a nasty cousin of ours, Kunal. This guy is so irritating that even Armaan seems normal in front of him. He is too proud of things that he has and others don't. Like seriously he taunts me and Kabir for having only single parents in life. Once I thought to push him down the stairs but it would have become obvious that I did it. "Look at you two, playing with another abandoned thing." Kunal said. Kabir lifted Chocobar in his arms. "Look Chocobar, this is how a worm in rectum looks like." That was it. Kabir gained respect from me, because after that Kunal literally disappeared. I was trying to control my laughter but couldn't suppress it for a long time.

I was filling out forms for various colleges. I was getting worried now. I had started to experience something weird. These were chills that ran through every part of my body. It feels as if I am falling in to an endless tunnel. It is insecurity but lately that is the only thing that I can experience these days. I have asked Arush if possible to come and meet me. I tried to fill forms for certain courses but turned out the cut off was breaking the ceiling. I should have given exams for foreign universities as well. Satbir ji would have figured out how to bypass Armaan without getting anyone hurt. There was really nothing much I could do now so I decided to sleep all day but even sleep had abandoned me. I laid on bed. I was done reading physics for time being so I tried to complete Crime and Punishment but as soon as Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment main character) faints I felt sleepy. I rooted for this poor guy. He is the classic anti hero. The one who regrets his actions and is scared to death of getting caught but his circumstances cannot allow him to have morals. The next day the results were declared. I was so shit scared about it that I called Jahnavi to check the results for me. Jahnavi agreed as she got accepted in St. Stephens. I tried to calm myself. I know that I am not a very bright student but no one can say that I am not hardworking enough. I studied for 9 hours per day to avoid Armaan and his weird stuff. I was not doing anything just watching Jahnavi sit in front of me and enter my details. I could feel my palms sweat. I know somehow I won't make it to IIT. I don't know why I even tried. I don't even have a back up plan. What the hell I was thinking? As I was lost in my thoughts I saw Jahnavi covering her mouth. Her eyes were wide and she looked at the screen as if I was declared a fugitive. "How bad is it?" I asked. She looked at me as if I am a ghost. "Your rank is 307." She said. I looked towards my left. I knew this would happen. "It's alright. At least I have some experience of this exam." I said.
"Hey idiot your AIR is 307. You cleared it." She said firmly. My nervousness had actually erased my sensibility. It really took me few more minutes to realize that I cleared IIT entrance exams. I looked at the screen and there was my seat number and name along with my rank and marks. I sat down on bed. I don't know what it was but I started to cry.
"Why are you crying?" Jahnavi asked. She was holding my shoulder.
"Something so good has occurred in my life after so many days." I said while wiping my tears. Jahnavi started to laugh.
"Seriously, even I didn't cried when I got into St. Stephens." She said. "But I understand."
I got up and hugged Jahnavi. "Congratulations Ambar." She said.
"Thank you."
We both smiled. Seriously this was really the best thing that happened to me ever since I came here.
I called Arush and informed him about my result. He was really happy. I was actually feeling proud of myself. I took a sweet box and kept in the temple built inside the house. I had started to believe that indeed God had abandoned me but today was a happy day for me. So I decided to call a little truce.

Satbir's POV

I was working in my office reading some new policies from the finance sector when I recieved a call on my cell phone. It was Simran. "Yes Simran." I replied.
"Satt, Ambar is here to meet you?"
She said.
"What?"
"She has cleared her IIT entrance exams." When Simran said that I felt a sense of pride.
"I am coming home in 30 minute."

I reached home and Ambar was sitting wit Simran. She looked at me and stood up. "Satbir ji can we talk for a second?" She asked.
"Sure." I said.
I took Ambar with me in a room which was my office in my home to have a conversation. She sat on the chair in front of me. "Congratulations."  I said to her.
She smiled and said thankyou.
"I am ready to learn trading." She said. I looked at her. This was quite contrary to the events that occurred. "Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes. Satbir ji, currently my residence looks nothing less than a finance office." She smiled and looked down. "I wish to be independent in all terms. Be it money or property I don't want to rely on anyone. I have few bucks with me right now. Kanwal Dadi gave it to me after clearing the entrance. I can use it for a good start on my part rather than spending it on some dumb thing." She said and kept an envelope in front of me. "I request you to spend it on trading and after the profit is made I will pay you 10% brokerage." I looked at her in disbelief. I slided the envelope back towards her.
"What? I can make it to 12%" She said.
I laughed on that. She looked at me. "I don't understand, do you really want to help me or you were pretending?" She asked.
"Listen sweetheart, you must concentrate on getting your studies completed and you should not worry about money while sitting on the pile of it." I said trying to reassure her.
"Well that pile is not mine and I don't intend to keep sitting on it. I want to learn various aspects of stock market not just to earn but also to learn how the business works. Satbir ji I request you to help me."
I looked at my niece. She is as stubborn as my sister. "Fine." I said.
"Get your admissions sorted out. Celebrate your 18th birthday and make sure no one knows." I said. She smiled. "Thank you so much Satbir ji."

Ambar's POV

I did as Satbir ji said. Based on my ranks and marks I got admission in IIT Delhi in Mechanical engineering. I will always make Armaan to pay for my fees. He wanted to be my father so then he should only pay. After my 18th birthday I visited Satbir ji once again.
I was sitting in alone in his drawing room when Satbir ji came with some files. He had a smile on his face.
He kept some papers in front of me which were legal papers. "What are these?" I asked.
"Raina had an insurance under her name. The nominee was my mother. It was around 2 crores." He said.
I looked at him. "Since you are rightful heir of my sister and her only child you will inherit everything that was in her name."
"What?" I said.
"Yes. It includes a 4 acres of plot in Gurgaon. Her jewellery and some of her money that she earned. In total you will receive 2.5 crore rupees, a piece of land and jewels."
"I can't take this." I said. "I don't want this."
"Don't throw away that is rightfully yours." He said.
"It came after her death. What sort of"
"Ambar. Being considerate and honourable is good. But you are trying to be too honourable for your own good. Always keep this in mind money is provides strength, money is everything." I listened to him carefully and then looked at the papers. I lifted them. "Thank you."