Feather After

Chapter 20

Feather After // Chapter 20 // Tears And Deep Breaths

Aria's POV 

Nanna and I walked inside. I was very scared because somewhere I knew something wrong was going to happen. Even Nanna who was cool and composed through out the vegetable and fruits shopping spree looked unhappy and tension radiated through her body.

She was having an inner debate, that was very clear from her face. She suddenly started taking deep breaths in and out and I looked at her. She was so busy with herself that she didn't even notice me, looking at her. What was going to happen? I asked myself and me, myself took a deep breath inside and then exhaled.

We stopped in front of father's office which was more of a library adjacent to my parents' room. Nanna knocked on the door and I saw a drop of sweat run down her wrinkled face. She wiped her hands on her skirt which now I assumed were wet.

"Come in," We heard father grumble and Nanna looked at me and smiled. It wasn't one of her toothy smile but more of a lips teeth hiding a smile. She was reassuring me for something which I didn't know. Nanna opened the door and she stepped inside. I followed behind her.

"Come on, sit Aria. You may go, Nanna," I heard my father say. So there were going to be no greetings today. It must be really important then. They never involved anything which included me usually it was more like let's keep it as a secret from Aria. I took a seat and turned back to look at Nanna. She had turned about to leave but somehow I found my voice.

"I think I want her to stay," I announced and all eyes were on me. Now saying what I wanted was a crime? Nanna looked at me with those eyes. She was my hope and strength. Although she was just Nanna, who I didn't share anything with, nor my blood or my looks she was very close to me. She was more of a family than my parents could ever be. That was sad, but it was the truth as well. Nobody could change that. Whenever I had a hard time sleeping Nanna used to protect me. I remember the endless parent-teacher meetings she had attended and had wiped my never stopping tears because I felt sad that my parents couldn't attend it with me.

For the first time, I had noticed that decor and my parents. A very large wooden Kashmir table was in the center of the cream colored room. My father was sitting on the sofa which was kept adjacent to the Kashmir table and mother sat beside him. There was a coffee table in front of the sofa and there was a file kept on it. I felt scared when I looked at them. I got up and stood where she was. I stood next to her and then looked at my mother and father. They could now say what they wanted to say.

I was strong now because I had my family beside me.

They looked at me again and I looked at them. My mother was wearing a pair of black pants with a pastel color frilled sleeveless top. She had her favorite nude sandals on which where I don't know were, almost 5 inches? Her purse which almost looked like a big carry bag was lying on the sofa next to her. My father, on the other hand, wore his black tuxedo and white shirt. His arm was resting on the crest rail of the sofa and his beard was unshaved. Nanna had once told me that whenever father was under stress and had tension, he didn't shave his beard. It was a weird tradition but he followed it unknowingly.

"Aria love," My mother said. I walked down and sat parallel to my mother and father. I took a deep breath and looked at them.

Why are you here? What do you want? Why do you suddenly leave and come back? Please tell me everything. Just go and don't come back. I don't want you here because all you do is create problems for me. My simple life goes away when you come back. Just leave.

I wanted to say something. Only if they could understand what was going in my life. They were hurt, but so was I. I wanted to say so much to them. Ask them thousands of questions but strangely no words poured from my mouth. There were just silence and silences.

I looked at them, but I didn't say anything. I looked at them and I just wished that my mom could understand that I was there, I was hearing but I couldn't speak, I wanted to but I couldn't. I took a deep breath.

"Dad and I are not exactly in good conditions. You know Aria. I'm sorry for what we did. I'm sorry for leaving you alone and most importantly we are so sorry we left like that, last time. And we're even sorry for even missing most of your childhood and now we see that you have turned into such a beautiful young adult." She looked at me, I saw her wipe her tear which was threatening to escape and I even saw father squeezing her hand. She then continued, "I'm sorry my doll. We didn't mean to hurt you and make you feel bad about yourself. We love you with all that we have and all that we are but we're sorry that we were not there to make you feel loved."

I wanted to cry. There were emotions that were bubbling inside me which I didn't know existed. I wanted to forgive them for missing out everything which was not exactly the problem. They were already forgiven. It was not their fault they choose their career over me. Everyone had the right to do whatever they wanted.

I nodded to tell them that it was okay and they were my parents and they shouldn't say sorry to me. I felt happy that they were happy doing whatever they were doing in their life.

"Thank-you Aria, Thank-you so much," She smiled. "We love you so much, doll. You don't have any idea. But we're here because we have s little problem. Dad's business is not going well from the past year. We have had lots of ups and downs and we don't have much money. We are almost bankrupt," She told me and started crying again. I looked at father but he didn't look at me this time. His head was hung low as if he was ashamed of himself.

"Do you want some water ma'am?" I heard Nanna ask mother. She was scared but she wasn't shocked like me. Maybe she knew about all this and was too scared to tell me this herself.

"No, I'm fine. Thank-you," Mum took the napkin that father offered her. She dabbed the napkin on her eyes. Her mascara was flowing with her tears on her skin while she tried to calm herself down. She put her hand on her chest and took deep breaths in and out. She sniffed and looked at me again.

"For the past three-four months, we have tried everything we can to pull the right strings we can. But we had no hope, we had no dreams that someone would help us. But we found something. Some are finally ready to help us Aria but he also wants something from us." She said and looked at my father.

I suddenly felt Nanna's hand on my shoulder and she squeezed my shoulder gently. What was happening? I looked at mum and this time my father said, " they want you to marry their son."