Page 23 - Love Story of a Commando

3. Homecoming

My return home made my parents very happy and created a buzz among
colony aunties and old lovers for a while, but there was nothing left for me
to do there. The air felt dull, TV and Facebook became my new best friends,
and my phone pinged all the time from friends I did not even know existed
back in college. I craved to start my job.
My mum was on an extensive mission of fulfilling all her motherly
duties by stuffing me with ghee and oily food along with the constant
worries over my physical weakness (presumed). She sincerely believed that
four years of my college life had robbed me of my health and glowing skin
and only copious quantities of home-cooked food could save me from my
doom. My dad would try to strike forced conversations with me once he
returned from his office to make up for all those lost years of communication
with his only child. But we ended up watching the news together after a little
discussion over current affairs and national politics.
Only to move apart again once Mom would call us to dinner.
We would collect our plates and settle ourselves before the TV in the
bedroom again, ignoring my mother’s constant rants and curses at my father
for teaching me some seriously bad manners. After some sincere efforts, she
stopped calling us out, and would serve us food right there in the bedroom.
Admittedly, my parents were much cooler than most Indian parents.
They never asked me about my future plans or gave me the standard
lecture about getting married which most college graduates receive in India.
Also, the perks of being the only child meant I would always be a baby in
their eyes. Those idle days of lazing around reminded me of Captain Virat
again. I tried very hard to stalk him but he was nowhere to be found. What
kind of person doesn’t exist on Facebook? Only ghosts!
I even received two wedding invitation cards from my batchmates
while I was still looking for a suitable boy to date. Some batchmates even
got their joining letters and happily WhatsApped about it on our college
group. Those of us who were still awaiting their joining dates thoroughly
cursed and congratulated them half-heartedly.
I missed my college terribly. You get this strange feeling once you
leave your college, like you will miss not just the place and people but also