{ CHAPTER - 20 } ONE HAPPY FAMILY

"KA...RMA"

When he overheard a voice, he thought to himself, 'Did someone say Ka?'

"KARMA"

When he heard his name, he once again questioned himself. 'Who is calling me? Who? Am I mishearing? Why can't I open my eyes?'

"KARMA!!"

As soon as he heard it this time, his misgivings vanished. 'Who is calling my name? Wait, this sound familiar'

"I SAID WAKE UP!!!"

Naturally, he had to wake up when someone yelled close his ear since otherwise, he risked losing his hearing.

"WOW, WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED?" WHO'S SHOUTING?"

He was partly sleeping when he abruptly leaped up.

"What? What happened?"

He stared around him in confusion.

"How long are you planning on sleeping? it mid-day"

When he felt the ground underneath him, he discovered himself on a couch. When he turned to look in the direction the voice was coming from, he saw someone standing close by.

"Huh?"

He closed his eyes since the light was hitting them straight and he was still having trouble seeing.

Something annoyed the person, they were pissed.

"'HUH?' DON'T 'HUH' ME, GET UP MISTER, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE"

When the light entered his eyes, he recognized who it was.

"What do you need, Mom?"

This irritated her even more, and she was 'NOT' pleased.

"What do 'I' need? What DO 'You' need? Just because your exams are finished doesn't mean you can sleep all day. Get up, it's already past midday."

Karma was startled by the sudden scolding and jumped to his feet.

"Okay, I'm up. I'm awake, Geez."

Karma stood up and walked to the opposite side of the room.

He observed his mother cleaning the couch he was lying on.

"What are you doing ?"

As the author, I'm not sure why he asked such a silly question, but that was foolish nonetheless.

He felt his bones tremble as Ava gazed at him; it was as though a devil was tearing through his soul. He approached the door and apologized incoherently after realizing his error and being at a loss for words.

"Okay, sorry"

Instead of correcting him any longer, Ava merely concentrated on cleaning.

From behind him, a hand touched his shoulder and murmured as it did so.

"Don't bother her, she's been like that since morning"

Karma asked, shocked if he had received another shock. "Since this morning? What happened?"

"Nothing much, it's just women's problems," the person said casually.

Karma slowly removed his hand from his shoulder and turned around, suspiciously looking at the person.

"Huh? A woman's problem? You don't say"

When Karma tried to look his father in the eyes, his pupils shifted sideways. Karma saw the guilt in his father's eyes.

He inhaled a deep breath of disappointment and pouted, sucking his lips inwards.

"Wait, why are you staring at me like that?"

Karma grabbed his father's shoulders and dragged him to a corner outside the room.

When Karma asked, his father still tried to keep his gaze to the sides.

"All right, what did you do?"

Aryan continued to play dumb until the very end. "What exactly do you mean?"

He wasn't having it; it was as if their roles had been reversed, and Karma was the one questioning the criminal.

As he continued to stare at his father, he gradually closed the gap between himself and him.

"OKAY, OKAY, OKAY. It's a little complicated."

He was correct in his assessment of him. "AHHA, I saw it coming. "So, what did you do?"

"I... was busy because I had a lot of work to do... And... I... Might have forgotten some 'Things' which is understandable"

Aryan tried to stretch the conversation, but Karma was on him. He took another deep breath and said. "I'm not interested in your life; I'm interested in what you did." "What did you forget?"

Aryan said quietly as he slowly tried to look into his eyes. "I forgot about our..."

Did his eardrums rupture? Or has he gone completely deaf? He was certain he had only heard the first three words.

He put his hands on his ears and asked him in a grating tone. "What exactly was it?"

Aryan mustered the courage to say. "I...I forgot today is our wedding anniversary."

"HUH?"

Karma took two steps forward, did a 360°, walked back, and looked at him with a big dumbfounded look that said it all.

"Isn't that totally 'YOUR' fault," he said, pointing his index finger at his father.

Aryan now openly admitted that he had no more excuses. "You're kind of right."

Aryan realized his error and begged forgiveness. "Sorry"

"Don't say it to me, say it to her."

Karma sighed and placed his hand on his head, saying. "Did you at least get something for her?"

His father attempted to make a point by saying. "Why would I forget if I had a gift for her?"

"Are you trying to make a point instead of apologizing right now? How did you manage to forget this?"

"I was preoccupied with work, you know a lot is going on right now, 'And Demons that eat"

Karma suddenly felt light-headed and lost his balance as a result of what had just happened. He was about to fall when Aryan caught him.

"Are you all right? How did you trip?"

For some reason, Karma had forgotten why he was feeling dizzy. "What did you say?"

"What is it? I just told you I've been swamped with work from the headquarters."

'Am I just hearing things?' he wondered.

"Yes, I see. Anyway, you should go apologize right now."

Aryan sighed and said as he rubbed his neck with his hand. "You're right, that's something I should do."

He went inside the room, as suggested, while Karma remained outside.

Ava was cleaning when Aryan approached from behind and called out to her in a gentle voice, "Dear."

Ava didn't bother, she just went about her business.

"AVA, are you still upset?"

What type of inquiry is that? Of course, she's mad; why would he ask her that? Even Karma, who was watching from outside, sighed in disappointment.

When Ava became irritated, she spun around and pouted like a child. She gave Aryan death stares. Even from his point of view, it appeared as if he was witnessing a monster, and he claimed to have seen white smoke rising from her lips.

Aryan clasped his hands together and begged for pardon since he was so aware that he had done wrong.

"I'm truly genuinely very very sorry"

She only said while pouting. After saying, "HMPH whatever, I don't care anymore," she resumed cleaning.

Aryan looked at Karma and requested assistance with sign language since he was at a loss for what else to do.

CHAPTER - 20 - TO BE CONTINUED