"Wake up, wake up" Tanya yelled, bouncing on her bed. It was finally Diwali and the two lazy slowpokes were still sleeping

"Oh come on! Do wake up. We have to make rangoli!"

Allison groaned "rang- what"

Fasina sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Those drawings Indians draw on the floor and colour with sawdust on the occasion of diwali" she remembered

"Remember we had looked up some designs on the internet" Tanya said impatiently

Allison yawned
"Yeah... wait. We draw them early in the morning!"

"I'll give you two like ten minutes to freshen up and then drag you downstairs" Tanya declared and bounded off

Fasina looked at Allison and smiled

"You got your answer"

__________________________________________________

Ten minutes later the girls were eating breakfast downstairs, hastily dressed due to Tanya.

They had barely finished their breakfast when Tanya dragged them outside the house, near the garden. The floor wasn't covered in tiles like the rest of the house and right beside the girl's feet lay some sawdust colors and pieces of chalk.

"So lets get started" Tanya cheered

Last night, the girls had decided to draw a peacock design with a peacock in the middle and some colorful designs around it. As they started drawing it they soon realized that Allison was the most artistic and skillful as she swiftly drew a beautiful peacock.

"Wow" Fasina said. "Did you take any art lessons"

Allison blushed and shook her head

"You're a natural artist" Tanya said cheerfully

"Then you'll certainly enjoy making rangoli"

Sure enough, Allison enjoyed every minute of it as they spread the sawdust colors in the picture and in the end gave it a white outline with suji.

The girls looked very pleased with their artwork and then went to bathe and change into fresh clothes, wearing the suits they had bought.

Allison wore a dark pink anarkali suit with golden edges and black designs. Fasina also wore her yellow suit which had golden and black designs and Tanya was clad in a light pink and dark blue suit which had golden edges and a blue and white design at the bottom.

(AN: SEE THE PIC ATTACHED)

"You all look beautiful" Mrs Triveni said as they descended downstairs

She then proceeded to click their pictures. 

"And now for your gifts" Fasina's mother smiled and Tanya squealed as they saw some wrapped up gifts on the table. Each parent had brought one for each of the girls.

Tanya hurriedly unwrapped the gifts and her eyes widened.

"I got a new pair ghungroos, ( they are small metallic bells strung together to form a musical anklet tied to the feet of classical Indian dancers), a beautiful sweater and a box of chocolates" she said excitedly and peered over Fasina's shoulder to see her gifts

Fasina had got The Hunger Games trilogy, a delicate bracelet and a box of candies. All in all she looked rather pleased. The two girls looked over to Allison who was tearing at the wrapping paper. 

She had got a new I-pod, a pair of gloves and mufflers and a letter. Curiously, Allison opened the letter and immediately recognised her mom's writing.

She had sent a voice message to her parents yesterday, telling them that she wanted to spend more time with them and that she missed them. She still hadn't got a reply. Was this letter their reply?

With bated breath, she read the letter mentally.

Dear Allison,

We are so sorry. We didn't realize we were pushing you away from us. We had thought that like most teenagers you wouldn't want us around much and we both were so busy. We tried to compensate for it by getting you everything you wanted but we didn't know that all you wanted was us. We are deeply sorry and promise you that you will never feel lonely again.

- Love, Mom and Dad

By the time Allison finished reading it she had tears in her eyes. She didn't realise that everyone had left the room except her parents. She ran up to them and they enveloped her in a hug

"We are sorry dear" her dad whispered but Allison shook her head

"It was my fault. I should have talked to you instead of throwing tantrums"

"Let's all forget it" her mom said and everyone nodded

"By the way we have a good news for you" her dad said

"You are going to become a big sister"

Allison let out a cry of delight and fixed her gaze on her mother. Her stomach had recently started bulging but Allison had thought that she was gaining weight. She hugged her mother once more.

"This is the best present I have ever got"

_____________________________________________

The girls stood in the balcony of Tanya's room. They had just finished praying as per the rituals and were now looking at the sky as it lit up with hundreds of fireworks

"Don't you burst fireworks?" Fasina suddenly asked

Tanya shook her head. "We celebrate a Green Diwali. Bursting crackers causes so much pollution. Who needs to burst them when thousands of people are putting up such a spectacular show for you"

Allison smiled. "Thank you guys"

"What for" the girls asked

"Fasina, you gave me courage to talk to my parents and now everything is good between us. You showed kindness to me when I most needed it. Tanya, you introduced such new and pleasant things to me. I  am so grateful to you both"

"You are not the only one" Fasina said

"Tanya has done so much for me too and you have also driven away my fear. I am always bullied due to my origin and color but living with you two has taught me that it doesn't really matter how you look. It matters how you are from the inside".

"You wouldn't believe it but I was prejudiced" Tanya said quietly

"I always thought that American girls are spoilt, stuck up and that black people are ugly. But now I know that you just have to see people beyond their race and skin and you'll find beautiful people underneath"

"This small meeting has taught us all so much" Fasina said, voicing their thoughts

"It was a new and very different experience for all of us and one that we will never forget"

The girl's faces glowed, not from the light of various diyas and candles but from the joy they had found and happiness they had found. 

"To new friends" Tanya said, offering them laddoos( Indian sweet )

The girls smiled and took one each

"To new friends" they chorused watching the fireworks in the sky, their lives as joyous and bright as the sky itself.