After coming back into the house, Amita
took off her jacket, went back to the cream sofa and sat back
down, picking up the laptop to continue talking to her friends.
# Hii Mark, am back now!
# Welcome back! Is it as cold there as
it is here?
# Sure is! So how has your day been?
#Not bad! Was a long day at the school!
#I bet, can't be easy teaching a bunch
of 6 year olds!
#Not easy, but it's fun when they
aren't causing chaos!
#So you're still enjoying it?
# Oh for sure. It's so rewarding to see
them progress and learn.
# That's wonderful. I'd love to have a
job that helps people to grow like that!
# It's worth the stress, usually!
#I'm sure it is... how's the wife?
Mark taught at a school in New Jersey
in the United States. He and Amita started talking five years earlier
after engaging in a heated argument about which Back to the Future
film was best on a movie forum site. For the record, Mark thought the
second film, whereas Amita was certain it was the first. They talked
quite regularly, maybe once every few weeks, and tried to look out
for each other as best they could whilst separated by a large ocean.
#She's fine :) busy with work, but we
get to go out to the cinema tonight!
#Yay! What are you going to see?
# I have no idea, we couldn't decide so
are going to make an impromptu decision when we queue up!
# Sounds exciting! Have fun won't you
both :)
# We will! Take care you :)
#You too! X
#Bye x
Amita folded her laptop screen down,
places it on the cushion to her side, and walked into the kitchen to
get a snack.
“Hi mummy.” Amita
said.
“Hi dear, thanks for taking the
rubbish out.” Kanti replied.
“That's ok!”
Amita replied, before putting her arms round her mum and hugging her
from the side.
“Oof! Love you too dear.”
Kanti replied.
Amita
loved her family, seeing them more often was the only real benefit to
living back in their house. Having had her own space for several
years, it was very disconcerting to find herself with little privacy.
Her parents tried their best to give her space, but simple things
like not being able to sit down with a cup of coffee on her own
seemed a long way away right now.
There
was also another issue that kept cropping up, one that Amita was keen
to avoid.
“So Amita, are you ready to start
looking for a husband yet?” Her
mum asked.
“Mummy I told you.”
“I know dear, but I wondered if
things had changed.”
“No mummy. I'm really not ready, I
don't know when I will be. If I ever will be.”
“But you can't stay single forever
dear.”
“Why not? I have so much I want to
do with my life. I don't need a husband to do them. I'm not even sure
if I can even love someone like that, or if they could love me.”
“Don't be so silly dear. Of course
you can. But you have to look!”
“I don't want to look mummy.”
“You'll have to one day.”
“No. I don't have to.”
Amita sighed loudly
and walked out of the kitchen, through the living room, down the hall
to her room. She opened the thick white painted wooden door, walked
in and then shut it with both hands before resting her head against
it.
'I don't want to get married. Why can't
they understand that?'