A week later

" Good Morning Dad " Lavanya greeted her father trying to force a hint of cheerfulness in her voice and failed miserably like the last 7 days. It had been a week since she learnt the truth and she hasnt come to terms with it yet. No matter how hard she tried she couldnt get over it soon.

" Good Morning Princess " her father voice soothed her anxiety as she leaned to kiss his cheek , when she had been young she would demand her father to lift her up so she can kiss him and when she grew a bit taller she would demand him to bend his legs so she can kiss him and now all she got to do is get on her tiptoes to reach him. She was tall but not tall as her father.

Once they went together to the kitchen, she saw the table filled with food and realized her mother was stressed because whenever she was stressed she cooked for more than the four people in the house, right now the food looks like it was made for 50 people not four. Lavanya didnt want her mom to be stressed or to miss her father smiling at her for over a wekk but she didnt know how to fix herself, she inadvertently created a emotional distance between herself and her parents . The Emotional distance between her and Father grew each day little by little and Lavanya was aware of the tension her behavior created in her family .

" Good Morning mom" She greeted her mother with a smile and hoped it allayed their fears , She was trying to go back to the ways things were before she found out, but she felt rejected and sad all the time and she cant help it or the way it changed her life in the past week, she left the house a little early and returned back an hour later than before not much of a change but still her parents must have noticed it .

Even now she wanted to leave soon , before she broke down in front of her parents as tears seemed to be her constant companion under the confines of her room . She won't let them see her tears not if she could help it . because she knew her tears would break her father and she didnt want to see him hurt because of her . The reprieve to her tears came in the form of her brother who rushed in to the dining table with happiness that the other three lacked.

Yuv, being yuv helped to keep everyone mind away from her, he talked non stop about his upcoming football match later that evening that lavanya relaxed over the course of breakfast until her brother looked at her with confusion, maybe he noticed her sadness as well. She had hoped her brother was kept in the dark

" You will come for my football match today right sis ?" her little brother asked her all of a sudden and she wondered why he would ask the question, she never missed any of his matches and she wasnt going to miss today as well .

" Ofcoure Yuv , when have I ever missed one " she answered him back which was true but he didnt elaborate on the reason for his questioning as he went back to eat with a smile. Maybe he noticed the tension in the house as well and lavanya felt the unexplainable need to leave the house soon .

Even then she managed to finish her breakfast even if it meant eating it faster than normal and then got up to leave the house, so she will not disappoint them any longer if she could help it .

" I will drop you Princess ,if you give me few minutes to get ready " her father voice called out with a slight hesitation . The hesitation she created in him and she hated herself because of it.

" It okay Dad , I will take bus , no need to rush for my sake .Love you " she spoke up as she kissed his cheek and walked away , she was glad she didn't have to lie about her heart as she Still loved her father and maybe that should be enough if only she could have a crash course on how to stop being sad .

When she entered her school , her best friend greeted her at the gate .She was just dropped off by her step father a fact that became so vital to her thoughts recently . As they both entered the class room together. She can't help but ask her best friend the questions that she has been holding back for a week .

" Didn't you use to hate the word step parent .Then how did you accept your mom's second marriage ?" Lavanya spoke and saw the way gauri face changed in surprise at her question .

She hadn't told her best friend or her cousins about the truth yet . And they haven't asked her about it either . They waited for her to speak up on her own and she delayed enough not wanting them to be caught in her confusions .

Her mind was still stressed about the hesitance in her father voice, stressed about the fact her mom had been cooking for fifty people everyday and stressed about the fact her brother was getting clued in about the tension in the house as well . And she need to sort out her feelings quick .

" He made my mom happy . As you know I was scared of him at first .His police attire made him much more fearful than my step mom who you know his evil incarnate .But behind the seriousness of his job , he was a kind person who made my mom laugh .

You know I was twelve when they asked me if they can marry . They had been dating for two years by then and they did meet at your birthday party if you remember .

So I said yes. I wanted her to be happy . And he is a decent person ,he doesn't cross the lines I have created , we get along well . " Gauri spoke up and that didn't make her feel better it made her feel worse . 

        
                  Gauri wasn't talking about the unconditional love Lavanya  shared with her father . She was talking about getting along with him . And Lavanya knew that won't be enough for her with her dad . She could never settle for something similar to Gauri relationship with her father .

                  Their conversation came to an halt when kavya entered the class room. And Lavanya glanced at her cousin to see she was furious and if the heated glare she sent at her where any clue she was furious with her 

" Hi Gauri and someone I never speaking with again " Kavya spoke up and sat beside her still glaring at her , over the week kavya had told her often that her sadness had been noted by her parents who in turn were sad that it was noted by her uncle ,kavya father who worked with them.  

       Gauri had tried to keep the peace between them ,but kavya was adamant in her anger . She demanded either lavanya tell her the truth or stop being sad as if lavanya could do so in whim .

" I overheard my parents talking last night .Dad was worried about Sanskar uncle . I don't know what you said to your parents after they told you the truth .

Make it right Lavanya that was what you promised us when you told me you were gonna search for your birth parents or at least tell me what the truth that has gotten you so sad for over a week ." Kavya spoke up finally when she could no longer held on to her silence .

            Lavanya knew under all the anger behind her cousin . Kavya cared about her and yet she can't speak  up not when she still has no clue about her reactions , so she welcomed the arrival of the teacher and held on to her silence for the rest of the day .

            Lavanya made her way to her brother school when the class ended  , it was within walking distance from her school ,from the young age of 3 , her brother loved football .He would stay awake in their father lap and his eyes would be fixed on the TV screen. So when they brought him a football for his fourth birthday .He made his career choice from the first kick .

                 Unlike Lavanya whose only sport interest had been playing tennis with hers cousins  for fun , her cousin were good at the game so she never won a match but it had been fun to play with them and that as far as her interest in sport . 

              
               And  the sport interest in her family fell on her brother Yuv and it was because of that her parents let Yuv join in Arnav bhai  school where sports were a priority .Just like how Kavya moved to her school because she wanted to be with her .

            Usually parents dictate which school and what course of career a child should take , but Lavanya knew her parents and Kavya parents were an exception who choose the school based on their wishes .

               
               As she walked into the familiar grounds of her brother school , her eyes spotted her Mom first who was talking with the other parents . Then her eyes located her father who was already seated in the grass where the view would be good .

              It was another one of their family tradition while watching her brother play , she would sit at her father right and her mom would take his left . And it was one family moment she didn't want to change at least today .

                  She waved at her father when he noticed her , sat beside him as she intended then faltered when few seconds passed away . She loved to sit beside him in Silence but the silence was wrecking chaos in her mind today , She looked around for a way out and that when her eyes located two familiar figures .

Lavanya was often proud of the number of aunts and uncle she has and not to forget three grandmother and two grandfather . And then there is her cousins except kavya and Arnav bhai who were close to her age , the rest of them were around her brother age .

And as family they made it an habit to appear to Yuv matches often yet they would never join them but always sit few meters away from them as they never intruded on her family moment and today she was thankful to see those familiar face amidst the crowd .

" I will right back dad " she spoke up as she kissed his cheeks and walked away from him , it was just few meters of distance but it felt way too far away .

              She smiled a little as if nothing was wrong ,when she sat beside her aunts . She ignored the look of understanding on their face and she hoped they will not ask her any questions .

She saw her mom making her way towards her father few minutes later , she saw the moment she realized her husband was left alone . She then sat beside him and Lavanya saw the way her mother rested her head on his shoulders as if trying to comfort him from her betrayal . 

But the worst of it came when her brother marched into the field , as his eyes scanned the crowd ,it alighted with happiness when he saw their parents but the confusion in his face to not see her with them was heart wrenching .

She saw that her father knew his son concerns and pointed his gaze towards her direction .She waved cheerily as if her heart wasn't breaking and the answering smile on her brother face made her much more aware of the need to sort out her feelings soon before she end up breaking her family apart

P.S : That it for now .Let me know your thoughts and Feedback .Hit the votes if you liked it

Love

Juanita Reid