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Asvi has finally succeeded to receive a bachelor's degree from a premium college in her Engineering discipline. She couldn't celebrate the event for she didn't live her dreams. Her stereotyped parents never gave a thought to get acquainted of her interests. They wanted their child to be a nerdy engineer and she took the shape that they craved to see.

Asvi had other serious plans for life. Her ambition to be a head cook at one of the world-class restaurants couldn't see the light of the day. "Keep calm and stay happy" is the philosophy she believed in; and for that she put up a fake smile on her face till date. But on the very day she decided to break the ice as she started believing that "Life is too short to make a room for regrets."

That night as three of them (Asvi, her dad and mom) sat down for the supper, Asvi had her first gutsy say with her father.

"Appa, I've something serious to say".

Her dad almost witnessed a trauma on her word. His eyebrows were to the sky.

"What so serious?"

As he ended, Asvi lost her pace. She was set back into the same old rapport by some vicious instinct. She totally got into the usual tone that she always maintained with her dad.

"Appa, how do you feel meen vevichathu today?"

"You said you have something serious to say instead, you're asking something silly?"

"Appa actually, I made the dish today."

"You do it every time, isn't it?" he said making his round face oval. "No! You wanted to say something else. Don't worry, speak your mind Asvi."

"No appa please tell me how did you like the dish for god sake."

"Okay! You know I'm a gourmet and how do you expect that I'd eat it if it is bad?"

"Appa, a straight answer please. I beg you!"

"What answer? You await a rating from me? I feel you strange today. But..." he started his sermon when Asvi took her side midway.

"Appa, I don't want to be an engineer."

Her dad landed up into turmoil in a jiffy. He felt himself in a quicksand with no one in his sight to shout out for a help. 

"Asvi, you're already an engineer. You are too late to confess me of your hatreds concerning your life."

"No appa, I took this time out to confess my passions, and not hatreds."

Her dad's face looked so worried that have you had his picture at the moment; you would use it as a meme on social media.

"So, what are your passions? Let me know", he said in a low taut voice. Asvi felt it the most obvious moment that she waited for years.

"I want to pursue bachelors from culinary arts."

"Culinary arts? What on the earth is that?" he quizzed.

"It is about cooking. My life!"

You would burst out into laughter if you have witnessed those puzzled faces Asvi's dad made each time Asvi bombarded him.  

Her mom, busy till then chewing meat and spewing bones claimed her presence.

"Cooking is your life? Your appa had sacrificed his life for yours, and now, how did you even imagine yourself a cheap cook?"

"Amma, don't look down on my dreams and it's not 'a cheap cook', 'the chief cook' which I aspired to be."

"What about Altair? You're about to be called in a month or two, remember?" her mom asked.

"Are you in a trance or something like that? That is not an issue at all. I'm all prepared to give it up if you both welcome me now."

"Asvi, why were you afraid of me all these days? I never wanted to be a stupid father, and I took it for granted that you'd be like other children around. Your respect belied your fear and now I see myself a loser. A loser as a father", he almost cried.

Asvi caressed her dad's shoulder saying "Appa, you're not a loser. It is me who has mistaken your care for your authority."

Asvi felt that the situation was too much dramatized as she never before had seen her dad breaking into tears. It was such a sappy scene for her and she wanted to divert it which otherwise, she'd be helpless.

"Appa, easy now! We'll talk about this some other time. I'm sorry for whatever happened. Please have your dinner."

"Your appa had never cried before. You'll pay for this one day. And even now you don't want to end it; you want to talk about it some other time", started her mother.

"Mridula! Enough of what had happened. You still want her to be afraid of us? I can't take this anymore", he admonished his wife and turned to his daughter saying "from now on, never suppress your thoughts for me or your amma. You got every right to live your life. Which is the best institute in India for c-u-l..."

Asvi was on cloud nine when she knew what her dad was about to say and she immediately helped the poor guy complete his word.

"C-U-L-I-N-A-R-Y A-R-T-S appa", her face illuminating like a bright star.

"Yeah, whatever it is!"

Asvi was the happiest child at that moment but, it was exactly for a moment.

"Now, how many years are you going to waste in the process?" was her mom's idiotic doubt the next second.

Imagine the ecstatic Asvi declining to desperation in a flash. 

"Amma, do you love me at all? Please don't kill me with your dissuading questions."

"Don't I have the right to learn about your career? I'm your mom, do remember that."

"Yeah, I remember that but you often forget there is something called 'manners'."

"Ratan, look at who is teaching manners to whom!" she complained her husband. 

"Shh! Why do you irritate her so much? Is she going to take the admission right now? There's a time for everything. Let her eat peacefully now. She'll tell you everything in detail tomorrow." Ratan backed her (Asvi) up.

"It is your nurturing which has made her so discourteous towards elders" Mridula muttered pulling a morsel of the delicious meen vevichathu into her mouth.

At the end of the day, Asvi could see herself a merrymaker.

The clock struck eight as Asvi got out of her bed. She made her coffee, walked straightly into the living room, grabbed the newspaper on the center table, and set herself on the couch. The ridiculing mom took her position in an armchair opposite to the rampaging child. She got a plate of puttu for her breakfast.

"Baby, the sun shone."

"Yeah! Good morning!" Asvi replied without lacking any spontaneity that it needed.

Mridula was already on her nerves but Ratan's absence worried her to start a new fight.

"Look Asvi, I'm totally done with you. I know you're preoccupied with anger and contempt towards me. But still, you've got certain inevitable questions from this moron to be answered. So please do consider my regards for you."

There was utter silence for some time as they both scowled at each other.

"CAI, Hyderabad. Okay?"

"What?" Mridula made a quizzical face.

"You wanted to ask me about my college, right?"

"Oh girl!" Mridula caught her forehead on unraveling the mysterious answer given by her daughter. "Okay, is it the best one?"

"I'm one of the best learners."

"Jeez! I am proud to own such a diplomat."

"You don't own me."

"How come the dark horse in you find its voice all of a sudden?"

Asvi kept quiet as she was fed up of her mom. She browsed pages coolly which itself conveyed her "not interested!" to Mridula.

"Alright! What is the admission policy?" Mridula queried again.

Meanwhile, Asvi did a double take through a wedding column. She was surprised by the news of her friend's marriage. It was a wedding invitation.

"Amma, did you know this? Sathwik is getting married next month."

"Which Sathwik?"

"'Sathwik' amma, Vijay uncle's son."

Mridula was astonished too. At least then, she could remain silent for a while.

(to be continued...)