Page 180 - The World's Best Boyfriend

luck. ‘God knows what I had done to deserve such a daughter. I wish she were
dead.’
Aranya sat in a corner, hands wrapped around her knees, the phone stuck to

her ear, crying, wondering what she had done to her family, as if her disease was
by her own volition.
‘Aa raha hoon kal main. Theeka karta tujhe mai. (I am coming tomorrow to

set you straight),’ said the father and cut the call. Aranya spent the night curled
in a little ball on the floor shaking with fear.
The next morning, her father landed in the college, veins bursting out of his

temple, fists clenched. He marched right to her hostel mess and slapped Aranya
in front of the hostel staff. Luckily, it was a Sunday and most hostellers were
sleeping.

Aranya was paraded for the next two hours, taken from one professor to
another. Her father had begged and pleaded in front of the professors,
apologizing for Aranya’s shortcomings, her professors had nodded, appraising

Aranya in the newfound knowledge.
‘I’m extremely sorry for her behaviour, Sir. She will never do it again. She got
into some wrong company I’m sure. She’s usually not like that,’ her father

begged, hands folded.
‘I understand.’ Prof. Tripathi shook his head. ‘I will make sure I am stricter

with her. Also, Prof. Mitra would want to see you as well.’
‘Thank you so much, Sir. And Aranya, say sorry to Prof. Tripathi again.’
They met all her professors. Numbers were exchanged between her professors
and her father and promises were made to keep Aranya in check. Like she was a

teenager gone astray with tattoos on her shoulders, a dildo in her bag and
cocaine her in her bloodstream. However, despite her father’s pleas, none of the

professors took Aranya in their projects.
‘Who would want a research assistant like you?’ bellowed her father. They
were made to wait for three hours for Prof. Mitra to get free from his meetings.
He finally called for them. Her father shook Prof. Mitra’s hand and immediately

started to apologize for his daughter’s digressions.
‘Sir, I apologize for my daughter’s behaviour. Her mother is still in shock. She

has always been a perfect student, Sir. God knows what got inside her head. She
must have fallen into bad company. I have talked to her. She won’t create any
trouble.’