Chapter 3

Sahiti's POV
1 week before the real journey
Location – Mall (American Tourister showroom)

Ummm…
“How is this bag, Amma?”

“Umm… it’s sturdy enough but it’s wayyy too small. You need a very big trolley to carry clothes, books, your documents and—” she gasps harder, remembering something.

 “Also, don’t forget to take my mango–gongura pickle that I made last night. It took me 3 hrs making and waiting for 5 days to dry the mango and other processes.”

“Tchhhh, again Amma? Why pickles? We already have Indian restaurants and Indian supermarkets there, naa?”

“London is sooo veerry expensive, kanna. You need to take these things so that you can firstly focus rather than cook food. You can eat this with rice when you are very much busy.”

“Ee vanni maatlu ikadene cheyali annukuntunava amma?? Intiki vellinakuda idhi manam maatladochu.”
(Do we need to continue these talks here or should we buy this and continue talking at home?)

“Sare le.”
“Oohhh—” she gets surprised looking at the big bag as she walks near a showcase and she points out the bag to the salesman.

And after nearly half an hour of durability check, its material testing, calculations of how many clothes will fit, and all of that, we finally bought a few trolleys required and we came home later on, relishing and enjoying the rains of the Chennai streets.

Last 5th day

“Saaahiitiii!” my dad called me out. As I came down, I saw my dad holding one big parcel. As he opened it, he found out my new first passport and my student visa to London.

“Kanna, is everything packed?”

“Haa Nana, all the clothes have been packed. Today only I got the mail of flight tickets from the university. I’m flying on board with British Airways, which Akka used to travel.”

With a little bitterness of the memory but with a smile, he tries to forget the memory and nods happily as he again talks about the same fatherhood feelings of seeing their daughter grow up, and later reminding things that I have taken in my trolley. I drifted off to sleep, and I wondered—

My dad was an excellent genius. If we would have ever gotten this opportunity, he would have excelled by now and would never ever have felt those extreme struggles and hardships just like how nowadays students aren’t. I’m happy that my fate supports me and my family too. I’m so very excited but also sad at the same time that I’m leaving the house.

Dev sent me a message; I get a notification.

Here is it Sahiti, the address of the street.
And here is my friend's number:

 Zane Weston
+021 xxxxx xxxxx

 And I will share rest details soon.
I’m sorry Sahiti that I won’t be able to be with you for now. My boss is really strict here; he wants me to handle the business here and I can’t ask him out for getting me back to London. But I promise I shall meet you there in 2 months.
Love you wifeyy!!!

Wife??? I mean like wifeee???? Idk why it doesn’t sound lovable to me—like it’s cringe listening to this from someone whom you don’t love. But so sweet of him to send this.

I drift off to sleep for the next 7 hrs.

Time skip

“You took everything na, kanna?” my dad asked me.

“Haa Nana, everything is packed in. I already read out the checklist 3 hrs back.”

(The boarding announcement takes place.)

“Ohh Amma, Nana—it’s time for me to leave.” I look at them with an emotion that I never thought I would experience.

I saw my sister cry before leaving for her MBA. I thought, Why is she even crying? She would have lots of fun. But I get you, Akka… I get you.

“I’m feeling emotional right now.”

“Amma!!!” I sob harder in her arms as she hugged me—literally hugged me! Actually, it’s really rare for a family like us to share emotion, and I saw her melt too rather than being cold and stoic, as my dad patted my back, soothing my sobs.

“Kanna, this is it. This is what a person’s life cycle is like—this. A soul grows as a baby, then a toddler, teenager, and finally an adult. Now you are an adult; you need to now make your own life, where your parents were just selected by the Almighty. We are the parents only for this lifetime of yours, but God—He is always with you forever. Don’t feel sad, don’t worry about us; worry about yourself, your health. God is with you, always being behind your back. When you take a wrong step, God is with you behind and will make you learn from your mistakes and will make sure to never hurt you. Promise me one thing, kanna—

You won’t cry for us anymore. Be happy, being excited for the new things you are going to learn, because that’s what makes a human’s life, isn’t it? To learn and teach their children the same. We, your parents, did what we could. Now it’s time for your discovery of dealing with your life in the outside world. Ohh—it’s time for you to leave now.”

I step back, wiping my tears with the hoodie, and I take blessings from my parents.

“Kanna…” my mother acts serious and emotional, not showing her emotions out.
“Call me every day with video call. Every day do puja—I have kept the Ayyappa maala and murti inside your bag. Don’t forget to meet Lathika attha (aunt). And don’t do anything nasty there, okay? Don’t spend money too much. I have kept some snacks and grains for you to cook, and also don’t forget to taste the pickles I have packed. And talk to Dev every day, okay?”

I nod and we happily talk a little, and the next minute there’s again a boarding call. I take my 3 trolleys and a huge backpack and walk away.

The walk from the entry gate to the waiting lounge somewhat felt heavy—emotionally, mentally—like I left half of my precious times. Now the rest I have to make up by myself: study hard, work hard, and build a future.

After immigration, later on I was allowed to wait for the boarding inside the aircraft. As I was waiting and reading a book on Wattpad, I suddenly got a call from Dev.

“Ummm… hi Sahiti!!”

“Hi, how are you?”

“I’m good. How are you doing right now?? Nervous?”

“Ummm yes… a little. I’m feeling a little scared of travelling alone for the first time.”

“Whaaaatt?? Did you not ever travel alone, Sahiti??”

“I mean… I only walked alone for buying milk, flowers for puja and vegetables. But I was never allowed for school exhibitions, school field trips. Nor even college—as I took PCM, and it was integrated, and Nana wanted me to study BS here in Chennai Mathematical Institute instead of ISI (Indian Statistical Institute). He wanted me to be with us and stay protected. You tell me, Dev—what was your first experience working in London? After all, you never might have struggled, right? You were settled there since your childhood…”

“Who said I wasn’t struggling?? Of course yes, I was struggling. I’m an Indian, and any Indian going abroad, whether settled or not, has to learn to cook, clean and make ourselves sustainable. I even did that when I moved to France for my MBA with Zane—that’s where we met, and now he is my boss plus best friend!!! Isn’t it weirdly exciting!!! Don’t tell me how much I struggled—that’s a long story.

Anyways, happy journey, have a safe journey. I have shared the address details of the apartment and I’ve sent everything you require. When you reach London, do call me and let me know.

Love you, wifey… I need to go; my boss is getting angry, hmm?”

He gives a kiss and ends the call.

The kiss was adorable actually, but it didn’t ignite something into me. He is very supportive, but I insisted to him that I would stay in a small dorm—but he is allowing me to stay in his apartment, which is below his friend Zane’s floor (he owns a penthouse).

The final boarding call is announced and after around like 20 mins I am inside the British Airways seat, in between a father and a son sitting and watching Friends. That uncle’s wife is sitting behind me, always nudging them—“Eat this, eat that, don’t do this, don’t do that”—and all those annoying things people mostly refrain from.

I slowly drifted off to sleep, calmly forgetting my sorrows of being alone.

Cooking noise of the baby increases slowly…

I suddenly give a South Indian cuss word and in drowsy mode I start to yell in Telugu as I realise that I’m in a flight where there is all chaos in the economy class. Rs 1,15,000 flight from Chennai to London only for economy class—I realised that my college was kind enough, rather than taking up money, just like how my rich bratty friend paid for business class ticket for her education.

My whole 15 hr flight went between Friends, chaos and vice versa—like someone flirted with the air hostess while I found some hot men flying in front of me, the hot captain who looked like a fuckboy dressed in a pilot uniform, and a few men who were staring at me flirtatiously—until everyone drifted off to sleep.

I meanwhile got up from my seat to the washroom, and later on I slept.

This night I missed my bed, my mom’s lessons of Carnatic music, my dad’s daily news ranting, the sweeping noise, my daily late-night Wattpad reading, and my way of looking at life with red roses became dull as I wasn’t that comfortable in the position how I was sleeping.

Next day early morning

3 AM. I was already woken up, and the flight landed. I literally waited 3 extra hrs for visa security line. Economy class hone ka nateeja!!!

Later on I called up Dev and he directed me to walk towards Terminal 2, where everyone was waiting for their respective people, and he told me that Zane wasn’t coming to pick me up. But in between, my phone’s battery died.

I walked slowly down the way and I saw a board on which it was written:

Sahiti Vishwanathan – Pickup

And I walked towards that board and I saw a blonde, shy woman standing there. She removed the board from her view and I saw her.

She asked me,
“Are you Sahiti???”

I said yes, as I smiled, taking my trolley, and I shook our hands with each other as she smiled and introduced herself.

“Hi, I’m Sofia. Zane’s sister. I hope Dev has told you about us.”

“U.mmmm yes, yes… he told me about Zane. But I suppose he was supposed to pick me up, right??”

I asked out of no doubt, as I wanted to see him. Idk, I felt attracted to him since the beginning Dev introduced me by telling Zane’s name.

“Umm… he had some business meeting so he couldn’t come.”

“Well, that’s fine. Thanks for coming up.”

“Surely! Sahiti, looking forward to being with your side as friends,” she smiles, as I smile silently, accepting her friendship request.

Her eyes were very doe ones, blue, soft, white milky skin filled with innocence and shyness with simplicity. Even though she was filthy rich, her eyes and her gestures were filled with kindness and her helpful nature.

Her eyes drifted down slowly towards my gold engagement ring. As she smiled back and looked at me again—

“So you are engaged to Dev.” She tried a lot to speak happily, but somewhere I felt she was trying not to break down. But actually, she tries her best not to break down.

“Congratulations to both of you,” she said truthfully, smiling and with no hidden agendas, even though I sensed something off about how she felt about us. Maybe she does like hi—oops, let’s not just stick up to conclusions.

“I’m feeling hungry actually, Sofia. Where can we find somewhere to stop by and eat breakfast?"

“Sure,” she looks at me excited. “I’m also very hungry—let’s grab some food.”

We both walk out of the airport happily, while we drop down the bags inside the car, and we drove off happily.

Sahiti's outfit,not exactly this but imagine a simple middle class girl travelling for tbe first time in abroad.