Chapter -15:
...Smooth Sailors...
“Maa! Crookshanks is at it again,” I hear Urmi yell from the backyard. I roll
my eyes and dry my hands with a towel as I just did the dishes. It’s Tuesday
and my bookstore is closed. That means Diego and Urmi will be at our house for
most of the day. Jennie’s fantasies from before Urmi was born are sort of
becoming a reality, to be honest. I can tell that Diego likes her, but Urmi is
a little too indifferent towards him, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.
Urmi is a lot like me when it comes to her personality, she gets her
indifference, disrespectfulness and stubbornness all from me. She is a very
bold and witty child, not afraid to speak her mind no matter what she comes to
think. She’s the kind of person who doesn’t hold anything in and speaks every
thought she comes to think out loud. She is also kind and sympathetic at times
but in the most pathetic way possible. She is a lot like Sawyer in many ways
too. She is driven and passionate like her father. She looks a lot like a blend
of me and Sawyer, too. She is also outgoing like him, unlike me who is quite
reserved. She has Sawyer’s sandy blond hair and green eyes, but her every other
feature is like mine.
I
walk onto the patio to see Crookshanks making a mess of the place. Crookshanks
is the cat Sawyer had bought for Urmi on her fifteenth birthday. Urmi is a huge
fan of ‘Harry Potter’ and wanted to name him Crookshanks. But the cat is a
strange one, to be honest. One taste of sugar and it starts causing havoc. I
grab Crookshanks by the tail and he tries breaking free by running in the air
but her isn’t able to and gives up. He is still fighting against my grip as I
walk him into the store room, which is mostly empty, and lock him in. I’ll let
him out in an hour once the sugar has worn off. I walk into the living room to
find Diego and Urmi arguing as usual. They immediately stop and face me once I
enter the room. I cross my arms across my chest, “Who fed Crookshanks sugar?”
the two of them spontaneously point at each other in perfect sync. I know I
should be mad but I can’t help but find their behaviour amusing. Mainly
because I’ve done every bit of mischief that they’re doing. I let it go and
just as I turn around, the doorbell rings. Urmi rushes to open the door. She
smiles to see Aksh, dressed in his jersey, at the door. Aksh is years older than Urmi, she’s seventeen and he’s thirty, but the two get
along like they’re twins. I see my brother behind Aksh, smiling at me. Aksh
steps aside to let William in. “Hey Akshi, I was just taking Aksh to his game
and thought I’d stop by,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
I smile and invite them into the living room. Aksh is a clinical psychologist by
profession, like his mother, but plays on the local football team when he likes
to. Urmi goes to the kitchen to grab some water for Aksh and William. Aksh sits
down beside Diego to my right. I can hear them talking. Aksh is giving Diego
some tips to impress Urmi. I shrug off the fact that he’s trying to impress my
daughter but all I can say is that he’s asking for advice from the least
romantic person on earth. I don’t even know how Aksh is married today. He
married his girlfriend, I still don’t know how she agreed to date him, whom he
had dated for six years. “So? How’s life going?” William asks after he thanks
Urmi for the water. I smile, my brother has always been concerned about me ever
since I got married. It was a significant change in the way he treated me, I
never even thought that there might be concern in that person who spent all of
my childhood fighting with. “It’s great, great best friends, a perfect husband
who is clearly more romantic than you and a wonderful child. I must say, Aksh
seriously gets his awkwardness in the dating sphere from you.” I speak. “Hey, I
dated the girl of my dreams for six years, Appachi, you can’t say I’m not good
in the dating sphere,” Aksh says in defence. I brush it off and William asks
Urmi if she wants to come for the game. Urmi squeals an excited “yes” at
hearing that. Urmi loves watching Aksh play, it’s her favourite thing about
Aksh. I can tell that Diego feels a little excluded.
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