The Unnaturals . Book 2

Part 25 New Beginnings

                                                                         New Beginnings

The year passed , sometimes torturously slow , sometimes flying past and it soon was Piku's turn .

Piku had been ready . He had Duke's help, his notes to guide him and was happily waiting for it . There was one more reason for his extreme joy .

His beloved sister was sitting for the matrics along with him . His fighting hadn't helped but his mother's skills of persuasion were unmatched . Gently , using all her feminine wiles , she had managed to persuade her husband to register their daughter's name . Rajani was beyond ecstatic . 

She was dumbfounded when one morning her father called her over to him and handed over her registration paper saying , ' sit for the exams this year . Hope there's enough time for you to prepare .'

Back in her room she sat staring at the paper with her name on it and started to weep silently . Her mother came up behind her and hugged her .

Brother and sister buckled down to revise for their exams which meant the same thing for them both .

Freedom .

Freedom to study further for Rajani and freedom to join Duke in college for Piku .

**

Matrics over , Piku got ready to head to town .

He had received the highest score in the history of their district . His parents were extremely proud . Piku felt nothing in particular . His focus was elsewhere .

He would be staying with Duke in the Roychowdhury townhouse in Shyambazar . The two fathers had thought that's the best since they were both studying in the faculty of science in Calcutta University . The boys could barely hold on to their anticipation .

Piku was given the same adjoining room he'd slept in , the first time he travelled to town with Duke . His parents came to drop him off and check his new home . Everything was set . The household increased by just one made hardly any difference to the old caretaker, Makhanlal .

Mr Crane was asked to look after both the boys now . He happily agreed .

He knew from past experiences that having them together helped Duke study better . They competed against each other for his praise and made life much easier for him .

This year of living together was probably the most enjoyable year of their lives . Young and carefree , bothered only about course work and homework , they spent every free moment out and about . Going to dances and dinners , attending photography workshops and musical concerts , developing hobbies and evolving and growing into sophisticated young men .

So immersed were they in each other and their newly developing passions that the gambling , betting and drunken debauchery that their class were well known for, simply left them unmoved.

That life and the crowd that it appealed to were always kept at mere nodding distance . The two fathers kept a close watch on their activities , received regular updates from Mr Crane and felt satisfied .

**

Their bond kept growing deeper and stronger with the passage of time .

There was just one issue that got them always at loggerheads .

Piku's intense need for privacy . In Calcutta he'd become completely withdrawn . He didn't socialize with any of his classmates . Studies , hobbies and his Avi was enough for him . Duke , always more garrulous and friendly , felt suffocated by his sullen insistence on privacy .