Nerd In Shining Armour

The Date

Baba laughed as I hugged him. It had been a month since I had last seen my dad. I sniffed as I let go of him.

Okay, fine. It was true. I was a total Daddy's girl. But you had to be, when your father was Aryan Deb. Phil Dunphy had nothing on this guy. I looked over his shoulder to see my mom smiling tearfully as she watched us both. I narrowed my eyes playfully at her.

"So this is the emergency you had to handle? Pick him up from the airport?" i asked her.

"Well we wanted it to be a surprise. We know how much you had been waiting for your father to come home." Mom said, smiling.

I grinned at her while I held my father's hand. I couldn't seeme to let go of him. I hadn't realised how much I had missed him until now.

My father had gone to India, his native country, to visit his family.My father came from a traditional Bengali family settled in the bustling city of Kolkata. Every year my whole family travelled to India to visit them. This year mom and I had to stay behind since Mom had contracted bronchitis a week before we were supposed to leave. Since the tickets had been non-refundable, my dad had decided to go on his own.

"How's Dida and Dadu?" I asked him, using the Bengali word for grandmother and grandfather.

"They are fine. A little sad that you and your mom couldn't visit but they hope you will before you go off to college." He said, lovingly.

"Ma sent me a home made conconction for my lungs to help me with my cough." Mom said with an adoring smile.

My father's family had been a little hesitant at first when they had found out that my dad wanted to marry my mother. They had always wanted him to marry a traditional Bengali woman. But the moment they had met mom, all their doubts had disappeared. Mom had taken to the Bengali traditions like a fish. Mom's family had lived beside an Indian family when she was young so she knew a little bit about our customs.

They had gotten married in India in the Bengali way and Mom had personally flown my father's family over to the States so that they could attend the church wedding that Mom and Dad had arranged for the benefit of my maternal grandparents. My parents visited my homeland every year after they got married. My mom was a huge favourite in my father's family and even I had to admit, she looked particularly smashing in a saree. She had started calling my paternal grandparents Ma and Baba as was the tradition.

My parents had encouraged me to learn Hindi, India's national language and Bengali, my father tongue along with English. My relatives in India always found it funny how easily I could switch from an Indian to an American accent.

I looked at my parents and smiled. Their love had grown over the years. They still behaved like teenagers sometimes which was sometimes gross but mostly sweet. And assuring too considering the ridiculous divorce rates in the States.

"Now, tell me about the boy I noticed in the car just now who dropped you off." My father asked sternly, switching from my best friend to a cop.

My mother frowned as she looked at dad. So apparently, only my father had seen Michael.

"That was Michael. He is new in our school and kinda shy so Grace and I decided to take him under our wing. I am also helping him get selected into the Einstein Club." I said, knowing the last statement would tip Michael's scale into the good boy category.

Mom and Dad looked relieved as they realised that Michael was a career oriented guy who could only be a good influence on me. Since I had crossed my sweet sixteen, my parents have been holding their breath for me to enter my teenage angst phase.