As the train pulled into the station, a rush of adrenaline hit Abhinaya. She was one step closer to reuniting with her father.
Abhinaya was 2 years old when her parents divorced. Her mother, Priya, remarried quickly, and for most of her childhood, her step father Prakash passed off as her real father. About three years ago, her step father had revealed the secret to her. Nothing changed between them. After all, he had raised her as his own, and she loved him dearly.
But as any child would react, she was curious to know her real father, and his story. Her mother refused to discuss him, and did not badmouth him either.
But on her 20th birthday, she asked her stepfather for a present. She wanted him to help her find her real father. Without her mother knowing. Prakash obliged, unable to find a legitimate reason to refuse her.
After some digging, he was able to trace her father, Arjun. Arjun owned a farmhouse in the Araku valley, a picturesque hillstation nearby the coastal town of Visakhapatnam. During Abhinaya's winter vacation, Prakash put her on a plane to Visakhapatnam. Priya was told that Abhinaya was spending the holidays at a friend's.
The route from Visakhapatnam to Araku is quite scenic, especially by train. The route covers a portion of the Eastern Ghats, a range of mountains in East India. The tracks pass through a series of tunnels, lush green fields and forests. Araku, being a hill station, is chilly all year round, and is particularly cold in December. Abhinaya was prepared, draped in a jacket, shawl and beanie. Unfamiliar with the local language Telugu, she used her Hindi skills to hail a cab, who knew the location of her father's farmhouse.
As the cab pulled up to the gate, nerves struck Abhinaya. She had never known this man. And so far, he had never attempted to contact her. Was it a mistake? How would he react?
It was about 5pm when she reached. Although it wasn't dark yet, the sun was already setting. As these thoughts swirled around in her head, the cabbie dropped her and her luggage off and pulled away. The farmhouse seemed moderately large, at least from the walls of the plot. Abhinaya couldn't see far past the gate, there seemed to be a steep slope leading to the interior of the plot, with a bushes and trees around the path. The gate was locked but there was a bell. With a slightly trembling hand, she rang it.
A few moments passed, and a middle aged woman walked up to the gate, with a water can in hand.
"Who are you?", she asked in Telugu.
"My name is Abinaya. I'm here to see Arjun", Abhinaya replied in Hindi.
"Sirrrrr! There's a young woman here looking for you!", the woman bellowed in Telugu and walked away.
Abhinaya waited at the gate, and in a short while, a man walked down the slope, upto the gate.
"That's him," Abhinaya thought to herself.
He seemed to be about 5 feet 8 inches. He was of a fair complexion, similar to herself. He had dark brown eyes, with a thick nose. His cheeks and jaw carried a light stubble. He looked in good shape, he took care of himself. He was not jacked, but toned. He still had all his hair, although she could make out a few greys, which gave him a slight salt and pepper look. All in all, he seemed extremely attractive to Abhinaya.
"Yes? How can I help you?", he asked in his mildly deep voice.
"My name is Abhinaya, and I'm your daughter," she replied.
Arjun looked at her, puzzled.
"I recall being married once, almost two decades ago. But I distinctly remember having a son. And I've been careful not to father any more since," he replied, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Well, I'm him. Or rather, her, now."
Abhinaya was scared. It was one thing to meet a long lost father, but she wasn't sure how he'd react to this particular piece of information.
It immediately dawned on Arjun, what Abhinaya meant.
"Oh," he said. "I suppose we have some things to catch up on."
He unlocked the gate, and walked out towards her. Abhinaya stood frozen.
Arjun picked up her suitcase, and said, "Follow me. There's a bit of climb and it drizzled earlier, so watch out, you might slip."
Arjun and Abhinaya trekked up the slope. As they went up, the land started flattening, and Abhinaya got a view of the entire farm.
On the far end, there were lines of hydroponics. From afar, she could make out cherry tomatoes, jalapeños and other vegetables. To her far left, was a large rock formation, which seemed to her like a cliff. Two mildly plump cats were curled up on the rock, next to each other. One was brown, another orange. Both seemed to be fast asleep, not noticing the people nearby.
On her right, was a house. It was a small, single storied house, with a terrace on top. Next to the house, there was a Merc SUV parked. The house had a porch, with lawn chairs and a table placed around, haphazardly.
The house door was open, and Arjun walked straight in, with Abhinaya behind him.
There was a small hall, which led to two bedrooms, and another pathway to a kitchen. Arjun walked into one of the rooms, with her suitcase.
"You can use this room. I'll have Ramu bring you some a thick blanket and fresh sheets. There's a bathroom attached, if you want to freshen up."
Arjun left the room, and called out to Ramu, who Abhinaya understood was the woman from earlier.
"Who is this, sir?," Ramu asked her boss in Telugu.
"This is Abhinaya, my daughter. She'll stay here for a while," Arjun replied back in the same language.
Abhinaya did not understand what they spoke. The woman smiled at Abhinaya, promptly brought a blanket and sheets into her room, and went back out to continue her chores.
"I'm making some green tea, would you like some?", Arjun asked Abhinaya.
"Yes please", she replied.
Arjun walked into the kitchen. Abhinaya heard the clattering of pots and the boiling of water. She went to her room, and changed into some casual wear, as Arjun made their tea.
As she came out, Arjun handed her a mug, piping hot.
"Would you like some honey in that? It's fresh, and made here by the tribals."
Abhinaya nodded. As Arjun put in a spoon of honey in her tea, he took a better look at his daughter.
She had short, black hair, cut into bangs. Her face was round, and she was quite slender. She had his plump nose, but seemed to look more like her mother otherwise.
He smiled at her and said, "You're pretty. How old are you now?"
Abhinaya blushed.
"I just turned 20 a couple of months ago," she replied.
"Where do you study?"
"UCLA. I study computer science. I'm in my third year."
"Wow. You must be smart. I was in the States for a year a long while ago. I pursued an MS in Analytics at CU Boulder. Are you back in India for the winter?"
"Yes, I have a couple of weeks until our next semester begins."
"How long are you here for?"
"To be honest, I didn't book a return ticket yet."
Arjun smiled.
