"Dad! Mom!" Bulbul shouted as she walked in to the front door of her parents' home. "Rano!? Rajeev?!" she continued yelling. "Well...if anyone is not home, I'm just going to pick up my letters and go home," she said as she made her way to the table in the front foyer to check for her letters. Suddenly she heard laughter coming from the back of the house, she put down the letters and walked over to the back.
"Jatin! You're spoiling me!" Mona laughed as Jatin put a piece of chocolate in to Mona's mouth.
"Ahem, ahem" Bulbul pretended to clear her throat.
Jatin instantly put down the chocolate and both Mona and him looked at Bulbul.
"Mom, Dad," Bulbul said with an embarrassed look on her face.
"Sweetheart," Jatin said smiling as he got up to hug his daughter, Mona followed.
"Come, sit, sit" Mona said as she ushered Bulbul towards a chair on the table.
"Thanks," Bulbul said, settling in to a chair.
"Should I get you anything? Water, milk, tea?" Mona asked.
"No, mom, just sit please," Bulbul answered as she grabbed her mother's hand, forcing her back in to her chair.
"It was just such a lovely fall night, so me and your mother decided we should have dinner out back," Jatin explained to Bulbul.
"No, you're right, it's a lovely night...where's everyone else?" Bulbul asked, knowing very well that her parents would not have some romantic soiree when the kids were about.
"Rajeev is at his friend's house, and Rano went to the school dance," Mona quickly muttered under her breath.
"Mom! Dad!"
"What?!" Mona and Jatin said in unison.
"I told you not to send Rano to that school dance, that they are all the same and the kids...they misbehave so much, how could you send her?" Bulbul said furious.
"Oh how could I send her?" Mona asked inquisitively, "how could I SEND HER?" Mona stressed the words even further.
"Mom, I know that-"
"No, you don't know. I'm her mother and I know best, I trust her and quite frankly Bulbul you need to stop being so negative" said Mona.
"I agree with your mother," Jatin began to reply before Bulbul could even plead her case to him, "it's a school dance. All the kids will be there, and we can't refuse to send her because we believe someone will misbehave with her, or there will be drinks. We trust her, same as we trusted you."
"Fine, I won't say a word" Bulbul replied, pretending to zip her lips.
"Anyways, how was your dinner with your friends?" Mona asked as she began to clear the table.
"Same old...minus the fact that Rachna and Raj have decided that they are getting married," Bulbul replied, not even trying to hide her disappointment.
"Oh wow, that's great! Isn't that great Jatin?" asked Mona.
"Yea...I mean, wow! It feels like yesterday when we used to drop Bulbul and Rachna off to elementary school with their matching backpacks...my God, how fast you guys have grown..." Jatin trailed off, reminiscing about his children's childhood days.
"Mom! Dad! Have you guys not been listening to my disdained soaked words whenever I spoke about Raj?" Bulbul said, surprised at her parents reaction.
"We know you're not a big fan of him sweetheart, but-" Mona began.
"They've known each other for four months, mom. How can people know each other in four months?" Bulbul said, cutting Mona off.
"Maybe you just need to try to get to know him more," Jatin said, with a half smile on his face.
"Oh come on Dad, I'm not the only one who thinks he's a jerk," Bulbul replied.
"Well, he makes Rachna happy, I mean isn't the fact she's ready to walk down the aisle with him an indicator that he may be the right person for her?" asked Mona.
"No mom, the fact that she's ready to marry him isn't an indicator that he is the right guy for her," Bulbul said, tears beginning to brim her eyes. She quickly looked away to avoid her mother's gaze.
"Bulbul-" Mona began.
"Forget it," Bulbul said as she got up from the table. "I should go anyways, I have some Saturday morning errands to run."
"Bulbul, sweetie...I just...I just...I meant that you should trust Rachna's judgement," Mona said, frantically trying to stop Bulbul from leaving.
Bulbul didn't pay any heed to her mother's word, inside she knew her mother didn't mean anything like she was thinking, but she just wanted to be alone. She quickly walked to the front door and grabbed the envelopes of mail off of the front table and shoved them in her purse.
"Bulbul please!" she heard her mother behind her.
"I'll call you guys in the morning," she whispered to her dad, who was standing beside her. He quietly nodded, and gave her a look reassuring her that he would take care of her mother.
"Bye sweetheart," he said, as she walked out the door.