FARI
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'Pooja you really have to get more details from Mrs Shetty! This alone isn't enough to prove that the property belonged to them before Mr Ranganath tried to occupy it!' I said analysing the file Pooja a fellow lawyer working in my firm Via Legal Associates where I work and manage 15 other fellow lawyers. We have a subset of criminal, civil and family lawyers who handle various problems and issues.

I was looking into the files and documents when I got a call and without even looking into it I picked it up only to hear a screeching loud woman yelling at me

'Eyyyyy Farenne Felina D'Souza where the heck are you and who do you think you are? I keep calling you and you disconnect my calls. Dare you drop the call this time else I swear Mi tula Maarun Thaken! (I will kill you) And if you continue working like this with that stupid set of lawyers Boss lady I swear Mi tya sarvana thar marena!!! (I will kill them all)' and I distanced the phone a little from this pregnant Godzilla and said...

'I think you must eat Mukku!!!' ever since she's carrying that Demon's baby in her stomach she's acting half like him. She's always hungry and always horney rest of the time she's always angry! Gosh!!! My Mukku turned dangerous after getting pregnant!!! And now that she's a whole 5 months pregnant she keeps threatening half the Mangalore city if we don't listen to what she says!!! Pregnancy is creepy! Damn!!!

'Eyyyy Murkha Mulgi...Your uncle has called me like 7 times in an hour...Riya that poor kid is on her way to pick you. I'm warning you! You better dress up nicely!' she yelled

I rolled my eyes...Why can't people understand I don't want to marry! Damn my family and now even my best friend wants me to meet these guys!!!

'Mukku I don't want to marry! Why are you guys forcing?' I asked and she said again

'Look Fari! We are not asking you to marry him right away... atleast meet him and then it's fine if you reject!'

She knows I can't keep doing it. I remember last time I rejected the proposal Aunt Nivea made a big scene and she made me feel yet another time how unwanted I am and I hate that feeling. I know my parents are no more but Dzouzas are my family. My father's brothers and their children are my life. I love them all. I know they don't like me as much as I do but then every family...let's say every joint family has their own issues.

'Fari...please baby...just meet him! Look... if Aunt Maria and Aunt Vincent were alive today even they would want you to atleast give it a try! It's fine if you don't like the guy!' Mukta told me and the mention of my parents brought tears in my eyes and I removed my glasses and rubbed my damp eyes. Pooja kept a hand on my shoulder and excused herself. I smiled.

'Mukku...but I don't want to marry'

'I know you don't! But if you don't go home you know Aunt Nivea and Aunt Blandina both will create a huge ruckus and you don't want everything to start all over again. Please go home with Riya..'

'I don't understand why do they want me to marry when I don't want to!!!'

'You know the reason Fari...your grandmother wants you to settle down! And anyways I want you to leave that Dsouza household. I hate the way your aunts and uncles treat you! Bloody cindrella's step sisters!!!' she yelled and I chuckled.

'Mukku you know they are not that bad!!!'

'I know they are worse! Once you agree to marry the property will finally be divided equally and they will get your father's hard earned property and money!!! I hate this but then I don't care because I want you to have someone who loves you the way Om loves me!' she said and I smiled.

'Look Mukku! You were lucky to have found Omkar but that doesn't mean everyone is lucky in love. I don't want to repeat the mistake I did with Swebert!!!' I said firmly

'Swebert was a dog! He was never the right man for you! But you still tolerated him, hiding it all from me just for the sake of your stupid aunts until we finally got to know what a greedy man he is!'

The mention of Swebert made me feel disgusted. One man whom I had begun to trust if not love and he broke my trust badly.

'Atleast meet the guy Fari! Even Om enquired about Daryl's household. He is a great guy. Atleast meet him!' Mukku said and I simply leaned back onto my business chair and closed my eyes.

How much I miss my parents. How I wish if that accident wouldn't have happened then things would have been so different today. I was 12! And it's so traumatizing. It's been 15 years to that accident and I still have it fresh in my mind. I may have started this law firm Via Associates on their name, bought a bungalow on their name as well but the feeling of having no one to whom I could speak to hurted until Mukku shifted to Mangalore.

I know I can always speak to Riya my youngest cousin honestly even being the youngest of all she was the most understanding one. Although Nisha and Suman were elder to her and just 5 years younger to me they never tried to understand or shall I say accepted me. Nisha was rude to me and Suman never cared. If Nisha kept taunting me... Suman didn't bother to listen. He didn't care! Riya was the youngest of all. She is 7 years younger to me and is like a baby to me but she truly loved me a lot.

My uncles were puppets operated by my aunts. I had given upon them the very first time when my aunts wanted me to sell the Dsouza bungalow the very first minute I said yes to Swebert and when I objected they clearly said how I was a burden to them. How they did a favour by taking care of my father's business which however underwent a loss later because of my uncle's wrong decisions and aunties greedy nature but they termed me unlucky and dotted me to be the cause of their 'bad luck'.

My father left crores worth business whom my uncles destroyed completely and now they run only a small portion of restaurants which my father once owned which is also undergoing losses and now they want the Dsouza Bungalow to be sold and divided. The house and the land is almost 50 crore worth but for me it's my father's dream. My parents bought this home and I didn't want to ever sell it. But my father's will gives them a right to sell the property only when I get married. The reason why I don't ever want to get married.

I know Daryl is a gem of a man. The Crasta household is well known to us. Daryl was a childhood friend and a classmate. Their family shifted to Dubai when Daryl was ten and now they were back to Mangalore and Daryl kind of liked me. I liked him too but marriage is huge. I didn't want to mess up with such a huge decision.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and I opened my eyes to see Riya standing infront of me.

'You are such a stubborn one FD!!!' she looked tired and sad.

I smiled. She was 21 but behaves like 42 at times!!! My sweet little baby.

'Riyaaaa' I whined and she simply dragged me up holding my hands saying

'Why FD? Just meet him na!!! What's wrong in atleast meeting him!'

I laughed out.

'I already know him Riya... there's nothing to you know 'Meet him' but you know once I meet him Aunt Nivea and Aunt Blandina will force me to say a yes!!!'

She held my hand saying
'I promise you! No one will force you! I will talk to Mumma and Aunt Blandy!!! Please FD!!! Daryl is a gem!' she said and I smiled.

There is no way I could say no to this cutie. So I finally went home.

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'I am glad you agreed to give this a chance!!!' Daryl said and I closed my eyes. I could feel that intense gaze. He was an extremely handsome well groomed good looking man. He was 5.11, dark and handsome. His well built good looking body and that charming smile. No one could say no to Daryl. He was a creative man.

He had established his brand the 'Crastas' which was a interior decorative company. And that's also what I always wanted. Because I was a criminal lawyer myself I didn't want someone who was anywhere near or dear to my field. It would be nice not listening to crime, blood or stuff like that when I'm home. Daryl was everything a girl would want but my past with Swebert kept pushing me from saying a yes to him although I knew Daryl.

'You know I can wait right Fari!' he said and I looked at him.

'I don't want you to Daryl! I don't know if I'll ever say a yes! I'm too tarnished to step into this marriage fiasco again!' i said and he held me by my shoulders. His hands were warm. Taking a step closer he said

'I know it's not easy for you! Swebert was the worst thing that happened to you but not every man is Swebert! Please Fari...think about it please and remember I will always wait for you!' Daryl said with a smile. I smiled back.

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'Why the hell does she need TIME to take a decision? I mean come on Daryl is a childhood friend of hers. We know Crastas for decades. Mr and Mrs Crasta love her and that Daryl boy also looks smitten but she being she has to still keep singing the same old 'I need time!'...I mean what the heck does she have to decide?!!' Aunt Nivea yelled

'Exactly! I think she doesn't ever want to marry! Hence these reasons! She is turning 28 in next few months and even then she has these terms and conditions.
Bai (girl) this is getting on our nerves now! If you think by this you can stop the property sale let me tell you the Dsouza bungalow belongs to all of us. Your dad may have bought it but we all nurtured it. Your uncles worked their ass off to run the home when you were going to your school and college' Aunt Blandina spat at once

'Exactly and if you think by simply dodging the topic of marriage I'm not letting that happen. Earlier it was just the money and property. Now it is Riya! And I want my daughter's happiness too!' Aunt Nivea said and I was confused. I looked at Riya who was trying to stop her mother.

'Suman has a girlfriend, Nisha is engaged even Riya is in love now but it's only you who is single. You know the Dsouza household has a tradition that we follow. You are the eldest and must be married of first but see our children's fate that a snake like you has sat on their happy fate and is screwing it up! You are a such an unlucky hag! How I wish along with your parents you...'

'Niveaaaaa!!!' Uncle Rakesh yelled and I didn't even know when my eyes filled with tears.

So much hatred???

And for me they were always Family!!!
My family!!!

But they didn't consider me theirs. They never have and probably they never will. I didn't know about Riya being in love with someone and I never objected anyone from marrying before me. I didn't ever wanted my cousins lives to stop because of my experiences but I was always blamed for what was written in my fate.

I burst out into tears when I felt a pair of arms hugging me. Riya pulled me into her chest and I cried my heart out.

The feeling of being lonely inspite of having such a big family is unexplainable.

Painful!!! Helpless!!!