C2 Chapter 1

Manju's POV

"Anju, get up fast my Angel, it's already 8:00A.M. Don't you have to go to the college?" My mother's amplified voice resonated the silent walls of my dark bedroom. I slid off my covers in a swift movement and glared at her with my eyes getting to slits in steeping annoyance. Last night I worked till late in the night as I had a project to be submitted. "Mom, why is it always necessary that everybody in the house has to maintain a military discipline 24/7 and get up before the clock strikes five in the morning? Why can't rules be relaxed depending on situation and circumstances?" I stand up from the bed squaring her with my lips formed in thin line.

She smiled at me acting innocent and moves to slide the curtains of the window for letting the sunlight peep into the room. "Keep those beautiful glaring eyes for the man of your dreams and start getting ready to the college. For today, your dad will drop you as you are already late." Those radiating silver and grey optics is the most beautiful feature I inherited from mom. Rolling my eyes at her untimely sense of humour I went to the closet to bring out a face towel. "Mom, the hell wouldn't burst up if I skip the boring business lecture of Mr Ramaswamy."

Her bright features instantly turn glum. "Okay, tell your dad everything you just spoke to me. Actually he was the one, who told me to wake you up this early in the morning." There was a hidden irritation in the last five words of her sentence." Shit! I messed up even before hitting the target. Listening to the lecture of Mr Ramaswamy is much better than to hear the lessons of dad, my prudence intervenes giving a timely warning. Plastering a fake smile I turn back and spoke too sweetly to her surprise. "Mom I will be down within the next ten minutes."

"Good, you are very intelligent girl." She pats my head but looks at me in an interlocked warning.

Ten minutes later...

"Anju eat your breakfast and don't you dare to skip it." My dad beckoned standing a few steps behind while I was trying to escape the distasteful pudding. Fuck! Why has this day started so difficult for me? I gulped my breakfast at my dad's orders within 5 minutes and was all set sitting in the car waiting for him to come and drop me in the college.

I am really frightened of dad at times though all of us love and respect him for things he does to us. We are a middle class family but my parents never let us run short of anything in life. My dad works as a manager in a private bank and my mom is a home manager. I have a younger brother who is still in his schooling.

Hey...Hey...my friend Anshi jumped beside me and smacked my back "Are you late to the college again?" I shake my head looking morosely towards her. "I got up late and invoked the irritating attitude of my mom followed by the threats of dad for trying to skip the breakfast." Anshi looks at me with her best pitiful looks and suddenly bursts to a laugh. "I am sorry, I couldn't control." She squirms a little in trying to escape my hits. "There is no soul yet born in the world to remedy you, Manju Bhatnager." I look at her penetrating my fake anger and she smacks my arm playfully. "The accounts professor Mr Das was asking for you today morning when he came to our class on rounds." Oh my! What better explanation can I give him now?

"Anshi, I can't find my accounts class work of my first year. I think I misplaced it somewhere. Mr Das had been asking me for it since our college re-started after the summer vacation but regretfully I have no idea where I kept the book." Anshi holds her jaw open and smacks her mouth with the palm of her hand. "That old man is dangerous. He is for sure going to have your brains for his next meal. He already looked impatient searching for you in the class a while ago." Anshi tells me in a forewarning and I was on the verge of having my first panic attack.

Throughout my education I worked hard and topped my college getting distinction marks in all my subjects. So generally all my professors insist on my class works for their later reference. I had been a student of St Xavier's college, one of the best colleges in Mumbai for commerce stream since my 11th class. Now I am in my second year of graduation. Like any teenager, I have dreams big. I want to complete my post graduation in Accountancy to become a charted accountant and one day make my parents proud.