Luv Shuv In New York by N. M. Patel EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Authors: N. M. Patel
- Language: English
- Genre: Multicultural & Interracial Romance
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
Akira
Ahmedabad, India
Chaos was inevitable when my entire family decided to come. All fourteen
of them.
“Should we walk you to airport security?”
“That’s not necessary, Mummy.”
Everywhere around us, clusters of people were engrossed in their
farewells and welcomes. The sharp tones of worried mothers and tense
fathers, children screaming and running around, the sound of flights taking
off and landing—and my own family talking over each other—had my
heart pounding out of my chest.
“Are you sure you want to go to New York? You still have time to
change your mind.”
“Pappa, check-in is in five minutes. And yes, I’m sure I want to go to
New York.” And my answer to this question has remained unchanged for
the last nine months, since I began my application for a master’s degree in
architecture.
“Where is that brother of yours? How can he be late to see his little
sister off?” Mummy looked around the crowds as she dabbed at her face
with a handkerchief, pretending to wipe the humidity off her cheeks. Every
now and then, she swiped away a stray tear. She thought she hid it well, and
it was evident how much she was trying to keep it together.
She was going to make me cry. I wrapped my arms around her
shoulders and said, “Has Aakar ever been anywhere on time? Don’t worry,
Mummy. He should be arriving any minute now.”
The late evening rain had cooled the harsh concrete pavement of the
airport, and soft wind helped soothe the heavy emotions in the air. All of us
stood near the entrance of the airport at midnight, preparing to say the final
goodbyes.
Mummy’s firm grip on the arm I’d wrapped around her shoulder almost
brought me to my knees. She was trying so hard not to break down in front
of me. I placed a kiss on her hand and brushed away a tear that had slipped
down her cheek. I stayed silent. Words would be our undoing.
Was my dream of studying in New York worth leaving my family? Was
it a better option than staying with my family, practicing architecture in
India, and then marrying someone someday, hoping to God their family was
open-minded enough to let me work? That scenario racked a shudder
through my body.
As much as I loved my family, I was entirely dependent on them,
against my will. I wanted to live on my own—make decisions without
asking for permission from my family. Cook my own dinner. Pay for my
own shit. Create a life of my own. And at the end of the day, I wanted to
live a life I was proud of. And I wouldn’t achieve it until I moved out. I
needed to follow my passion.
So, when I got the letter of acceptance from Columbia University, I
knew I had to go.
I needed to do this for myself.
When I’d announced my wish to my family, riddled with guilt and
worry, Pappa had said, “It’s okay to follow your dreams, Akira. We’re here
for you.”
For More Read Download This Book
EPUB