The drive to the school took fifteen minutes. The kids made it through the door as the second bell rang. Nithya dashed ahead of her brother while Nitin hugged his father and waved good bye to the doctor before he reluctantly went through the gate. Prashanth waved him off, urging him to hurry up.
“Do you drop them off every day, Mr. Kumar?”
He nodded in affirmation.
“Is it hard to see them go?” she asked, standing behind him.
“Well, it is hard to be away from my kids even for a minute. We are very close. It is hard on me because my daughter is at a stage where my very presence near her is embarrassing when she is with her friends. On the other hand, my son is still clingy. So, you see,” shrugged Prashanth, putting into gear and headed towards their town. “Either way, I am saddened.”
“Does Mrs. Kumar feel the same?” asked Vandana.
Prashanth pressed on the accelerator. Vandana instinctively gripped the handle on the door. After a few minutes, Prashanth slowed down seeing how erect she was sitting.
“Sorry, Dr. Mittur. I shouldn’t have sped like that. It’s just that…,” he trailed off.
“That is alright, Mr. Kumar. I am used to fast cars and rugged terrain like this,” said Vandana, sitting back relaxed.
“My wife passed away a few years ago, Dr. Mittur,” blurted Prashanth looking straight ahead with tear-filled eyes.
Vandana, shocked to hear the news, instinctively covered his hand with hers that was resting on the gear rod. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Kumar,” said Vandana, genuinely sensing the pain that this man must have endured. His hand gripped hard on the gear rod. His every muscle tensed. Seeing his children, seeing her in them must be really hard on him. She covered his hand with hers, gripping it gently for a few minutes. She pulled away as she realized she had her hand on him longer than necessary.
She felt blood rise to her cheeks. ‘What must he think of her acting like that?’ Embarrassed, she turned her face away from him, pretending to see the sights they were passing through.
“You must sometime tell me about your days in the Army, Dr. Mittur,” said Prashanth.
She looked to him, suddenly feeling her pulse increase rapidly. She held the door handle tightly as she stiffened. She noticed from the corner of her eyes that Prashanth was looking straight ahead and not at her. She composed herself quickly trying hard to shove those memories to the back of her mind as well as stop those threatening tears to slide down her cheek. She swallowed hard as the lump pushed its way up.
“Most certainly, Mr. Kumar,” she said, gracefully smiling.
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