Unreachable Destiny- The Curse Of Your Love

Chapter-1: A happy family

Abhir watches as his daughter sits at the counter having breakfast. He smiles at his children fighting over a slice of bacon. It has been such a long time since they left that house, that country. Over years, Abhir has found success everywhere he invested. It can be said that he got lucky or maybe it was the fear of poverty. After leaving his family with such confidence, he could not afford to lose, because his loss meant that he won't be able to provide for his children. He could not expect his family to fund his business after everything that has happened so he had to only rely on the profits he earned from his mobile tracking application. He walks into the kitchen with a smile, putting all the past behind him.

"Here, let me serve more bacon. I earn millions not so you could fight over £3.5 bacon."

"But he stole my bacon, Dad. That is how mannered he is." Maya says mockingly.

"Forget him. My sweet daughter can have as much bacon as she wishes."

Abhir pulls up a chair beside his daughter and serves her two slices of bacon. She puts a slice into her mouth and mumbles "Dad loves me more."

Aditya scoffs at his sister but smiles to himself. Aditya was never jealous of his sister as she was so pampered by everyone, because he knows that everyone love him just as much. It's just that his sister is so active and always an attention seeker and there is no other person he loves more than his sister. While Maya loves people's attention, Aditya tries to get her attention. Maybe it's because she is three hours older that he wants her to treat him like a younger brother, but at the same time, he acts annoyed when she does treat him like a younger brother. Everyone here believes they are twins as they share the same birthday and it's good because things are very hard to explain. Technically they are twins in a way. They have the same parents and share a birthday, so they act like twins. They even look alike. Aditya and Maya liked this concept of being twins so, since childhood, they used to match their clothes to look the part. They still wear the same-colored clothes, but now, of course, there are distinct changes in their features.

After having breakfast they move to the living room where Abhir starts reading the newspaper, while Aditya turns on the TV and Maya gets on with her work on her laptop. Maya has been anxious regarding the job she applied for at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. She had been praised for her work by the neurosurgeon specialist, who sponsored her project on eclampsia, especially on primigravida(a woman who is pregnant for the first time). She is hoping to receive an acceptance letter but it is a bomb that can be dropped anytime this week.

"Maya? Adhi?" Uncle Nishant's voice comes from the front door. Three pairs of eyes turn up to watch the new person who just entered the living room. "Here you are."

"Nishant uncle," Maya puts her laptop aside to hug her uncle. Abhir watches their interaction with a smile as Aditya turns the down the volume of the TV. Both Nishant and Maya settle down on the sofa. "You're finally here. You've been MIA for two weeks now. We thought you forgot us." Maya pouts at her uncle and Nishant chuckles at her expression.

"How could I forget the sweetest niece one could have? In fact, I came bearing gifts." Maya's expression turns to a surprised one and Aditya excitedly looks at the bags his uncle is holding. Abhir finally folds and puts aside the paper to take a look at the gifts too.

"Why do you have to bring gifts? You always spoil them too much." Abhir says as Nishant passed a bag to each of them.

"I spoil them because they deserved to be spoiled. Who is lucky enough to have such a protégé in their family these days let alone two of them? Youngsters these days do not care for their future or the well-being of their careers. We got two diamonds for children, so of course we have to cherish them."

"Uncle Nishant, Maya is the protégé. Everyone knows I've never done well in academics." Aditya states. He had always been envious of his sister's intelligence, but more than that, he had always seen his sister as a role model, if only he could be as good too.

"Being protégé doesn't mean you have to do well in academics, each has their own talent. She is good at studying while you are good at bringing beautiful onto a paper. Your father might think painting is just a habit but I think it requires a great effort to create something." Uncle Nishant is always like this, he can always make Aditya feel better about himself.

"I do not think less of his paintings. It's just that his work is not enough to get him into any college and without a good foundation how can he make a living in this field? I have been a painter myself but none of my work was globally recognized. You need the right kinds of motivation to paint something worth of a masterpiece." Ahir had never pursued the career of a painter because he could never create a masterpiece. The greatest of his works is a painting of his wife. But even then he knew he was not meant to be a painter. It requires a kind of passion. Aditya has that passion but he couldn't find his inspiration as his mind has always been distracted. I think it is time to get rid of this distraction. Aditya thinks to himself.

"Enough about this. Let's open the gifts, shall we?" They open the gifts with great excitement to find a pen with a small stethoscope-shaped clipper on its side for Maya and a book named 'Dreams of India' for Aditya. "It is a forever pen, by the way. And this is a collection of Raghu Rai's 20 years of photographic excellence, the first edition. How are they? Are they to your liking?"

"Uncle Nishant, have you ever disappointed us?"

"No. You never do and you never will." Aditya answers with a smile.

***

A week later, Aditya and Maya's birthday approaches. Just one day before their birthday, Maya receives a letter from the Birmingham hospital, saying that they regret to inform her that she is no longer being considered for the job. When she calls Dr. Williams, the neuro specialist who had been helping her with the selection process and her project, she was told the position has been filled by an early applicant and that the place is no longer vacant. Dr. Williams assured her that not all was in vain and that she can try again in the month of August and that until then, she can continue to work on her project, but Maya couldn't take it with a positive attitude like she was expected to. Maya had been a protégé all her life, and being told that she was second to someone was new to her.

On the day of their birthday, everyone was careful around Maya so as not to upset her anymore. Even though they were supposed to throw a big party, they had to cancel it and instead, settle for an intimate celebration with just their family. This time Akshay, Nishant's son and Maya's best friend, her partner-in-crime, and her childhood crush, also attended the gathering. They place the decorated cake that is made to look like a globe. They make a wish and blow out the candles and then go ahead to cut the cake into pieces to feed each other. Nishant uncle already gave them their gifts a week earlier and Akshay bought a camera lens for Aditya and a necklace for Maya. He put the necklace on Maya himself.

Both Abhir and Nishant can tell the chemistry that Akshay and Maya have. They have always been so close that everyone thought they are going to end up together.

"Papa, where is our gift?" Maya asks Abhir with an excited smile.

"Whatever you wished for while blowing out the candles, I will get it to you."

"That's not fair, Papa. I didn't wish for anything."

"Really, I thought you would wish for the job," Akshay says and everyone goes silent.

"That's not a wish, it's hard work." Everyone smiles at Maya's answer.

"Then fine, wish for something now and that will be your gift," Abhir says.

"Fine, I want to upgrade my car."

"As you wish, just tell me the model."

"Ok. Let me decide and tell you."

"What about you, Aditya? What do you want?"

Aditya hesitantly goes silent.

"What? You haven't wished for anything either?"

"I did wish."

"Then, go ahead. Tell me what it is." Aditya still stays silent. Abhir gives him a warm smile while others give him an assuring smile too. "Don't hesitate. Have I ever gone back on my word?"

"I-. What I wished for is... I want to go to India."