Conflicted Desires – Part 1

Corn!! Corn!! Corn!!

“Coming!! Stop shrieking early in the morning, Keezo.” Rohini pulled the bag of fresh corn from the refrigerator for her grumpy-in-the-morning parakeet.

“Here, take this and please stay quiet for some time,” she grumbled while keeping the bowl of corn in his cage.

He hopped down the swings and started snacking instantly, Rohini has a love-hate relationship with the Himalayan Parakeet. As much as she loves the silence in life, her son’s annoying pet bird keeps her company throughout the day.

While sipping her morning tea, she checked the day’s work schedule when the doorbell rang. Her florist has arrived with today’s fresh bouquet of sunflowers and carnations.

Hot-maal. Hot-maal. Hot-maal. Keezo shrieked again breaking the solemn silence.

“Madam, your bird is very smart” – quipped the florist with a flirtish smirk.

“Not again, Keezo. You just had corn greedy boy.” Rohini doesn’t like such innuendos, especially from the staff. In response, she glared at the florist and moved away to place the fresh bouquet in the large glass vase on the center table.

Being a career counselor, she has to keep herself updated by reading research papers, books, and documentation on career counseling. She needs to finish her new file, before her first aspiring student arrives, who happens to be from their neighboring vicinity. A grade 11th student aiming for admission to International undergraduate law colleges.

Rohini still has a few hours in hand to finish her groundwork, jot down some notes, and create a questionnaire and list of probable colleges in different international locations.

Her phone rings exactly at 8:00 am and she knows it’s Raunak, her son calling from New York. He shifted last year to pursue his higher education in Management Studies. Rohini lives in a penthouse in Mumbai’s luxurious ultra-rich housing society with her corporate head honcho husband (who is currently based out in Singapore for work), and Keezo, the gusto parakeet.

“Hey, Hot-maal what you doing baby?” Raunak woes his mother with his charming words and carefree style.

“You stop calling me that, your grumpy bird keeps repeating this word the whole day, it is so embarrassing at times, you know.” Rohini has been trying to teach some good words to the bird, but he has a liking only for slang and Raunak’s crassly lingo.

“HE is not wrong, and you know that Ma. Remember all my school friends had a secret crush on you. Come on, take a chill, will ya!!”

“Stop it, and teach him a good word or two. Anyway, how are you, my sunny boy? Hope your fever is down now and you eating well. I told you to stay with me so that I could take care of my baby boy. But you had to leave your mom alone with this crazy bird and your never-at-home father.”

“Keezo my boy, Hoot Hoot, say SEXY! SE_EX_YYYY.” The bird instantly started jumping around hearing Raunak’s voice and butting his beak to and fro.

“Raunak!!! STOP IT! You both are crazy, Oh MY GOD!” Shouted his mom.

These are a few moments of joy she awaits every day eagerly. Her son’s phone call revitalizes her quiet and almost singular life.

Checking the time, she bid goodbye to her son and rushed to study the new files. Keezo kept jumping and muttering gibberish in the background.

The intercom informed her about the early arrival of the client, and she asked her assistant to help them in the room and with the paperwork, meanwhile, Rohini made some last finishes to her presentation.

While entering the counseling room she feels at ease and in her solace. It’s a makeshift office in an unoccupied wing of their penthouse is used as ‘Roh’s Academy.’ An institute designed to help students seeking admission to follow their future dreams. Rohini is passionate about her work, and she feels personal joy when her students are enrolled at good places. Their prospering future is her achievement.

While entering the office, she met with a girl looking timidly around the office and scanning the photos on the wall. Certificates from different colleges, universities, and education institutes around the globe. The proud wall of achievements fills Rohini with a new streak of motivation.

She noticed the girl’s body language, a very important parameter for her to gauge as a counselor, she is petite with beautiful features and a sweet timid smile. The girl was definitely nervous, her sitting position was hunched and her hands were clammy. Anxiety, Rohini knows these are signs of early anxiety, and wonders why an adult is not accompanying her for such an important session. That’s when a man entered the room from the ensuite bathroom.

She looked up to see his face and their eyes collided. He slowly walked; no, he sauntered towards her while keeping his stance attentive. Rohini was momentarily dumbstruck by the man’s sharp features. She somehow is not able to place him in the student counseling room, he can’t be the father, can he? She thought to herself.

To be continued…

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2024

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