Pihu glanced at her mother from her peripheral vision - she was in a foul mood ever since they had argued in the morning. It was the same old argument, Pihu had demanded a phone since she was now a fourteen-year-old teenager while Priya had refused outrightly. This went back and forth and resulted in Pihu sulking in a corner and Priya, making a ruckus in the kitchen.
Today, however, had been different. Pihu was frustrated with her mom's refusal. "If my dad were here, he would've bought me a phone immediately," she'd blurted out. A flash of hurt crossed Priya's face. "But he isn't here, so you better sit your ass down and listen to me. You are not getting a phone until you're done with your tenth grade," she retorted. Priya was mad at her daughter. She had raised her single-handedly and the latter had the gall to mention her father. It angered her. She huffed angrily and retired to the kitchen to make preparations for dinner.
They ate their dinner without making any conversation. Pihu brushed her teeth and flossed. She sat on the mattress in an upright position. They couldn't afford a bed. They lived in a small chawl where electricity went off abruptly and water was available for only an hour in a day. This was their fifth house in the past year. They had to move around because no one was willing to keep them for long. Pihu didn't know why, she just assumed they wanted an increase on the rent.
Priya climbed onto the mattress beside Pihu. "I'm sorry for today Mom. It's just that all my friends own such expensive phones and I don't even have a cheap one, let alone an overpriced one." Priya sighed. "Pihu, you know I cannot afford a phone right now. I don't even understand why you might need one anyway. If you need to send or receive notes, you can use mine." Pihu let out a frustrated sound. Her mother would never understand her. She decided to change the topic entirely. "Mom, I know you don't wanna talk about it but what's my dad like?" Pihu enquired. Priya had been expecting her to ask this question someday but she didn't expect it to be so soon.
"Well, your dad was different from others. At least other men I had encountered in my life. He was sweet, caring, loving, but most of all, considerate. Ours was an arranged marriage. I didn't believe in love. Your father made me fall in love. He made me the happiest woman." "If my dad was so good, why aren't we with him?" Pihu questioned. Priya was tongue-tied. Pihu should never find out about her father. Priya could never come clean to Pihu about Ram. She'd not even told her Ram's name. Priya decided to end the topic; it was getting quite late. "Come on now. It's already eleven-thirty and you've got school tomorrow." Pihu let out a frustrated groan and lay on the mattress. Priya turned the lights off.
Priya fell asleep almost immediately but Pihu remained wide awake. Her mother hadn't even told her her father's name. She was curious about her dad. Why couldn't they live as a normal family? Did he not love them anymore? Did he leave us because he has another family? Pihu's mind swirled with numerous questions. She tiptoed to the small wardrobe in the corner of the house. Without making a sound, she took out a folder which contained official documents. Pihu's heartbeat fastened when Priya stirred in her sleep. Thankfully, she did not wake up. Pihu opened the folder and tried looking for her birth certificate; her father's name was bound to be on it. It took her a while to find it since the lights were out.
Pihu grabbed her mother's phone from the nightstand, careful to not disturb her. She took her birth certificate and went to the farthest corner of the room. She shone the phone flashlight on the document, covering part of the light with her finger to not rouse her mother. She scanned the document for her father's name. Ram Kapoor. Pihu's heartbeat quickened as she stumbled upon her father's name. My dad's name is Ram Kapoor. Pihu Kapoor. I am Pihu Kapoor. Pihu smiled. Kapoor had a nice ring to it.
Pihu quickly put back the document in her school bag and returned the folder to the wardrobe. Quietly, she made her way over to the mattress and covered herself with the duvet. She kept thinking about her father. Ram Kapoor. Pihu Kapoor, daughter of Ram Kapoor. She liked it. Why her mom wouldn't tell her much about her father, she didn't know. Pihu didn't blame her father. With the kind of kid she turned out to be, it was obvious why he didn't wanna stick around. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of not being wanted by her father. Since they always kept moving around, Pihu didn't even have any friends she could vent to. She'd only known her mother all her life. But this was something she couldn't share with her mom. She went into a foul mood every time Pihu broached the topic of her father. Pihu wiped her tears with the sleeve of her T-shirt. She tried sleeping but sleep eluded her. She had been having trouble falling asleep for the past two years. She didn't mention it to her mother as she didn't wanna unnecessarily stress her out. After a good hour and a half, Pihu fell asleep.
