||~~The Brewer's Girl~~||

👼Synergy👼

I walk into the hall and am surprised to see everything at its place. This means just two things. First, that there are guests coming and second, my princess is sleeping since she isn't out here decorating the empty spaces with her toys. And by toys I mean the kitchen utensils. My girl rarely is impressed by all the plastic toys or barbie dolls. She's always in the kitchen, taking out plates and bowls and loitering them around in the whole house.

I chuckle and shake my head, keeping the groceries I got on the kitchen counter.

Mom is humming merrily to herself and if I didn't know for whom she was cooking, I might have sat and enjoyed the sight. It made my day to see her so happy, she usually puts on a brave face but I know she misses dad. They had the type of love even I couldn't understand but all I know is it was deep, so much as, it was like my dad is living through my mom now. It took a lot of time for her to come around after dad was gone but when she did, she lived with double the energy for her. And for dad especially. I'm really proud of her. What I couldn't do, she did with a big smile and her energy and strength became my motivation. I try really hard to live happily but there's always a void right?

Sensing my presence, mom turns around and smiles at me warmly. Today is different. She is extra and I notice she's wearing a dress I have never seen her wear before. I raise my eyebrows at her but she just shrugs sheepishly.

"This is extremely unnecessary!" I comment.

"Your rudeness sure is! You just have to sit and eat" She nods towards the food. "I don't know what your problem is with them!"

I sigh and open the cupboard to take out a glass. "I don't know either," I wonder to myself as I fill the glass with water. Mom is back to humming, stirring something in the pot that smells like tomatoes, garlic and peppers. Staring at the rim of the glass, I'm drinking from, I can hear myself gulp the water down my throat.

I just don't want Aashna around me. She is the type of disaster who has already wrecked my life once and now it feels like I'm the target under her radar again. The danger is coming at me again and this time I am not going to let her walk all over me-I put the glass back on the kitchen table and it rings a background score to my determination- This time I have people to care for, to save them from the havoc she's going to create in our lives. Maybe I am thinking too much but I can tell there is definitely something on her mind.

"Have you had any luck with the lodger?" Mom asks me as I am about to walk out of the kitchen.

"Nobody that I liked." I frown to myself. We need a lodger badly because although the business downstairs is doing good, we need that extra money to pay the loans from an earlier time in my life.

"We need to find someone soon" Mom mirrors my expression for a slight second and then I sigh, "Don't worry,I'll do it." I nod at mom.

"I'll go look at our princess." saying so I walk towards mom's room. This room is more suitable and comfortable for my princess and she often has her afternoon nap in here. I don't let her sleep much in the day because then she keeps me awake all night, reading her bedtime stories on her command "More!"

Apparently that is her favorite word when it comes to food, stories or anything that she desires.

'Well no "more" sleep for you princess!' I click the knob open and enter the room. The air-conditioning gives me an instant relief from all the heat and the idea of snuggling with her on the bed for sometime is tempting but I have to get her ready for the dinner we are about to have with her "Aashu".

I make a face, frowning at my daughter's cute face. Why the hell is she so innocent? She should have better baby instincts to not trust the ones who might hurt her.