"You're hopeless. You're hopeless and stupid!", my mom scolded, from the other end of India, through the phone but she was so loud that I felt she was just inches away from me. "I don't know what to do about you; what do I do with you? How many times have I told you to shut up in front of big people? Do you have problems understanding my point? I said it in Hindi. I said it in English. I said it in Gujarati. Do you want me to speak in Arabic now?", mom yelled in anger, and it took all I had to hold my laughter in; I must admit that my mom was always unintentionally funny whenever she was angry. Once, I told her that she should do a stand-up comedy show when she was angry; she would win the audience's heart within a snap of the fingers. "Why is your big-mouth shut now? Say something; explain yourself, Dityaa!", mom angrily demanded. "What's there to explain? That man has been targeting me since day one, mommy; I've been extremely calm since day one...", I attempted to explain, but mom cut me short. "I do not care about day one; I care about today. What happened to you today?", mom altered her question. "I stated an opinion", I answered to the point. "Did he ask you for your opinion?", mom interviewed. "Opinions are to be stated; no one 'asks' for opinions...that's why they're called opinions", I rolled my eyes. "I asked for a proper explanation; not for free tuitions, don't teach me", she said. "I do not have the 'proper' explanation you're looking for. He said something, I thought I should add my word, he couldn't agree with me and he fired me; insecure prick", I muttered. "Don't call people names!", mom sternly said. "You never take my side", I told her, crossly. "Well, that's because you're never right", mom said back and won the battle.

"You have been fired from the Raval Groups of Companies. How will I face Usha Di now? She told her son to hire you on my insistence, because I promised her that my daughter is unproblematic and silent", mom worriedly said. "You shouldn't have lied to her; too bad you did", flatly, I said. "You embarrassed us in front of her. I don't even know how I'll face her", mom panicked. "Mom, number one, when have you even met her? As far as I know that our last meeting with them was...a decade ago!; number two, if you're that embarrassed to face her because of me, then don't face her, simple; number three, I'm broke and jobless and stranded in Mumbai, and all you can think of is 'Usha Di'. Can we talk about me and my next move in Mumbai? Please?", I stated, point-by-point. "There's no next move in Mumbai; you're taking the next train back to Surat, that's it", mom plainly said and my jaw fell open. "No...no way...I am not coming back to Surat. There's no way I'm coming back to Surat!", I argued. "I do not want your opinions. I want you to follow my orders", mom argued back. "NO!", I firmly said. "You are coming back. I want you in my house within the next two days, and if you don't come back...then...forget about your mother. I know I always say the same dialogue, but this time, I swear on God, I mean my words", mom warned. "Mom please, give me one chance...last chance, please", when my adamancy didn't work, I begged in a whine. "I'll die of a heart-attack because of you. Dityaa, come back", mom was begging from the other end; we were in a mess, thank God the apartment was empty as Vaish, Chanch and Nash went out for a movie. "Mom, you know how passionate I am about Mumbai. This feels like home, I don't want to come back", I strived to convince her. "You don't have a job. How will you survive? Listen, Dityaa, Mumbai is a tough place to live in if you don't have a proper job. Moreover, you're alone and you're a girl; it's not safe. Come back. See, Surat is also very advanced; you can find your dream job here. Come back. You're not safe in Mumbai", mom explained her concerns. "Mommy, please, please, please!", I pleaded, throwing my head back, and she sighed, giving up on me. "I promise I'll find another job and I'll settle down at the soonest. You don't have to worry about me; Mumbai is safer than you think it is. There will be a way out, I'm pretty sure. Please!", I told her. "But, I agree only under one condition – you'll have to settle down in one month, and if nothing happens within a month, you should take the train back to Surat. Otherwise, I'll come to Mumbai and take you back home", mom warned, and although it was unrealistic and impractical, I agreed with her.

I didn't know how I'd settle down in a city like Mumbai within a gap of a month, but before my dream, nothing looked too big or too unrealistic. I was aware about the risk I took with my mom, but a bigger risk was simply abandoning my dreams and settling down for something smaller; I didn't want to do that at any cost. It wasn't the end and I believed, so strongly, that there was a long way to go. Chances were endless; I just had to keep looking and trying, without giving up or accepting defeat for Pops always said that, 'The day you decide to back off is the day your chances of shining bright ends'.

♥

Sitting down on the rugged carpet, with my legs stretched out, I surfed the Internet, looking for job opportunities and filled various forms online in a gap of three hours. My fingers were numb, shoulders were tight and muscles ached terribly, but I tirelessly applied for jobs, without taking a break...until my iPhone rang at 17.56 p.m.; it was an incoming call from Darshan. I had thoughts of ignoring his phone call because I was beyond sure that he'd yell at and lecture me for ruining things that morning, but eventually, I decided to answer the call because...I had a feeling that I dragged him into big-time trouble in the morning with my 'rotten attitude'. I received the call and held my phone against my ear, without uttering a word; on the other end, he stayed pin-drop silent, and I had a gut feeling that he boiled with anger, even though it was hard to picture an angry-young-man.

"Listen, if you called me up to lecture me about today, I'd suggest you to hang up, Darshan. My mom roasted me, inside out, and I don't have the power to endure anymore lectures about how to behave in public and how I should learn to hold my tongue. My dad has told me to stand up against what's wrong and voice out my opinions fearlessly, and I live by my father's words", I blabbered, and Darshan reverted back with silence. "Or wait, did you call me up because you think we shouldn't be friends anymore? Is the 'goodbye, never call me up, again' call?", I guessed and he stuck to his famous silence; I could only hear him breathe, calmly and audibly. "You can yell at me if you want to...but don't stay silent...it's spooky", I slowly said. "Darshan, say something, yaar!", I insisted, when the silence got on my nerves. "What do I say about you? You're such a crack-case, do you know that? Don't you have a filter? Think before saying something, Dityaa; you need to filter your thoughts, and think twice about what you're going to say before you let your voice out. Being the company owner's son, I still haven't raised my voice against Mr. Joshua. Dityaa, whether you're right or wrong, there's a certain level of respect you have to maintain towards some people. Not everyone's going to say what you want to hear and you're not going to agree with everyone and that's okay, but you cannot stand against everyone who doesn't agree with you. Sometimes, you'll have to let go, or adjust, or pick silence; all of which you should have done today because Mr. Joshua is many levels higher than you", Darshan lectured. "But he's not anymore; I'm fired", I said in a low voice, studying my nails. "I give up on you", Darshan sighed and the way he sounded did perfect justice to his words. "Was I...that wrong? Everyone's targeting me", I said, guiltily. "No, Dityaa. You're not wrong. You weren't wrong today; whatever you said was spot on and it was something I'd agree to, but not everything needs to be told to the world. Sometimes, you'll have to choose silence because of the circumstance and the situation. Your silence doesn't always mean that you're wrong; sometimes your silence means that you're wise enough to know when you should speak and when you shouldn't. Okay?", Darshan's voice drastically softened into something comforting and calming; it warmed my heart. "You're not wrong, Dityaa...you're just too honest for the egoistic ones; you're beyond what normal people can handle", Darshan lightly said and for the first time in hours, I actually smiled. "Were you crying, or something?", Darshan asked. "In your dreams!", I rolled my eyes. "I was looking up the Internet for job offers", I informed. "You really don't have plans of coming back? I can talk to Mr. Joshua if you're willing to return", Darshan offered. "Oh, someone's going to miss me?", I teased, biting my lower lip. "You definitely were the best part at work", Darshan complimented. "And I know I always will be", I shrugged. "I love the overconfidence", Darshan chuckled. "Do I talk to Mr. Joshua, then?", Darshan reminded. "No, Darshan; I don't think I want to come back for various reasons. First of all, Mr. Joshua is going to target you every time I do something wrong—", I stated a point and Darshan cross spoke. "That's not even an issue!", he convincingly said. "---and secondly, I don't want to come back; nothing's going to be the same anymore. I know I'll never find a way to treat or look at Mr. Joshua the same way again; there's going to be bitterness between us, and I cannot pretend to keep things normal when it's not. I'll be holding my breath and that's disturbing. Thanks for the offer, though, Darshan, but I'd suggest you to fill in the slot", I explained and Darshan was patient enough to listen to everything. "What's next, though?", Darshan questioned. "I don't know. I'll probably have to beg for a living now", I joked. "Dityaa, I'm serious", Darshan gravely said. "No, you're Darshan", I mimicked the seriousness in his voice and he exhaled, while I giggled. "How am I supposed to know what's next? I have started applying for jobs; let's see what happens", I shrugged. "How will you manage?", like my mom, Darshan worriedly asked and I wondered if our parents ever swapped kids, or something. "I'll manage, Darshan. I'm definitely not going to be jobless for the rest of my life; it's a matter of time and I know I'll get through this", I coolly spoke. "Do you need cash, or something? I don't mind helping you out financially...or in any way, in that matter. I can recommend you to some of dad's friends", Darshan was kind enough to offer. "Darshan, it's alright, trust me!", I stressed on my words. "I'll find a way. There will be a way. Now don't take me otherwise, but if you recommend me to someone, and if I do something wrong at work, they're going to question you. You've had enough of that with Mr. Joshua and I honestly do not want to burden you anymore. I'm cool and everything is sorted, okay? Don't stress about this, chill out, Rock-star!", I comforted him with a smile. "I honestly wish I had ten percent of that calmness in me", Darshan admitted. "I told you, kid – practice makes man perfect", I said in a posh accent. "Yes, teacher", Darshan sincerely answered back and we laughed, before falling silent for a while.

As I repeatedly tapped on the F5 key on the keyboard, Darshan cleared his throat loudly, making me pause. "You have managed to free yourself from Mr. Joshua...this calls for a party, right?", Darshan was hesitant. "Why don't you get to the point and state that you want to hang-out with me because you love my company and you think I'm amazing?!", I deliberately boasted. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! That's too much of assumptions!", Darshan exclaimed mockingly. "They say that the truth sets people on fire", I smirked. "Oh Please, my ass is on fire!", Darshan flatly said. "Did you just say that? Did you just...like, Oh my God! I cannot believe you said that", I gasped, sounding utterly surprised. "What's the big deal about it?", Darshan was confused. "The big deal is you – The Darshan Raval – said it. I mean, that's not how you speak; you're always full of decency, niceness and respectful words. Suddenly, your ass is on fire. Wow!", like a madwoman, I blabbered and Darshan hysterically laughed. "I told you, we're from the same mental asylum...", Darshan reminded and I smiled stupidly. "I remember. Same mental asylum and the same ward", I played along. "But your mental disorder was a hundred folds worse than mine...that's why you're still crazy", Darshan casually said. "It's far better than being normal, trust me", I sighed. "Then, drive me crazy...on the long drive I'm about to take you on. Would you mind tagging along?", Darshan smoothly changed the topic and I swear, my heart began banging hard against my chest, I felt my rib-cage would burst open. It was hard to process and digest his words, which popped up out of nowhere, and snatched my words away from me; I was silent for a long, long while – I didn't know what to say. "Damn, Darshan Raval!", I exclaimed and he laughed; I could picture him hanging his head low with a beautifully wide grin stretched on his face. "That was smooth; there's no way I'm rejecting!", I told him. "I'll see you in an hour, then?", Darshan said. "One hour means one hour; no delays!", I strictly said. "Yes, Madam", Darshan said back. "I'll stand near the supermarket next to my building, come there. Don't drive to my building; you have no idea about how nosy and stupid my neighbours are", I instructed. "Yes, Madam; anything else?", he said his usual dialogue. "Be on time", I reminded. "Yes, Madam; what else?", he was getting on my nerves. "Darshan, shut up!", I said in annoyance. "See, you're affecting my normalness", Darshan told. "Then, stay away from me; big deal", I shrugged my shoulders. "I'll be there in an hour", Darshan stated and I smiled...I smiled differently; a spark definitely did ignite that moment.