"Hurry up Brajesh!" Dad shouted.
I had just finished giving my class 12
th
board exams and my father and mother were waiting for me outside the exam centre in the car. The driver had been given a fortnight's leave. Suitcases had been loaded onto the hastily assembled rack on top of the Bolero. I ran over and jumped into the empty backseat. Through the throng of schoolchildren, Dad carefully wheeled out of the exam centre.
"How was the paper beta?" he asked.
"Not as tough as I was expecting." I said happily. I was confident of getting more than 95%.
"Take rest beta, I will wake you up when we reach." my mother said.
I curled up on the seat as the AC was switched on. We were on our way to my Tauji's place for our mini vacation. My 18
th
birthday, a few weeks back, had been a low key affair, given the impending exams. So this was a well deserved break.
After a few hours I tumbled awake and opened the car doors. We were in the driveway of Tauji's house, a luxurious two storey building with a large garden and backyard which was bordered on all sides by ten feet high walls.
"So happy to see you, Smita Bhabhi." It was my Taiji, Sulochana. She hugged my mother tightly.
"How were the exams beta?" she asked, "We were praying for you."
"It went well taiji," I said as she pulled me into a hug, "I will probably score above 90%"
She beamed. "We are all so proud of you beta."
She directed the servants to untie our cases and carry the to the guest rooms. We went to our rooms and relaxed and freshened up. I was given a smaller room with a single bed while my parents were given the room next to my dadaji's room.
The rest of the extended family arrived by evening. There was Tauji, Ujwal Chauhan, my father's elder brother, who ran the family's trading company from the headquarters in Pune. He was 40 years old , a robust man who was quite sharp. Next was dadaji, my father's father, Lal Krishna Chauhan, a struct disciplinarian who was the unquestioned family patriarch. He was 59 years old but appeared atleast a decade younger. Dadiji was a sweet calm woman who, despite her conservative upbringing, was a degree holder and had helped managed the family business when it was in its infancy. At 56, Saraswathi dadiji was in excellent health and had a healthy zest for life. My cousin Anjali, who was 20 and studying MBBS had also joined us. The last to arrive was my Bua and my cousin. My cousin Debadutta was 19 years of age and had started engineering recently. His mother Sarmistha was 38 years of age and was a widow. Her husband had passed away more than a decade ago in a tragic car crash. She had been working in the family enterprise since then and was in charge of the furniture arm of the business.
