“Oh, look, another pet,” Misha sighed, shaking her head.
“Piya, meet the fortieth pet of our household.”
“Forty?!” Piya gasped, her eyes widening in absolute shock.
“Yep,” Misha continued, gesturing to her older sister.
“You see, my lovely sister here has a deep passion for ‘social service.’ She picks up every single stray animal she finds wandering the streets and drags it home. And just like that, we have officially hit forty pets.”
“Oh wow,” Piya laughed, completely amazed.
“But… who actually takes care of all of them?”
“Me, who else?” Misha’s mom chimed in dramatically, throwing her hands up.
“I am the designated maid of these animals, after all.”
“But Mom,” Misha teased with a sly grin, “the house staff takes care of them, right?”
“And who has to give the instructions to the house staff?!” her mom shot back in total frustration.
Realizing they were pushing their luck, Panchi quickly set the tiny puppy down on the floor.
Misha gave Panchi a secret look, and on cue, both sisters lunged forward, trapping their mother in a massive, affectionate bear hug.
“Because you are the absolute cutest mom ever!” they chimed together.
Defeated by their love, their mother finally broke into a bright smile, and the three of them burst into joyful laughter, playfully arguing with each other.
Standing a few steps back, Piya watched them.
A soft, wistful smile touched her lips as she took in the warmth, the noise, and the deep love radiating from the three women.
As she stood there, a quiet, bittersweet thought echoed in her heart:
“I wish I had a family like this.”
Noticing Piya’s quiet expression, Misha’s mom stepped closer.
“Piya, dear… are you crying?”
Piya quickly blinked, brushing a hand against her cheek.
“No, no, Aunty. It’s nothing… I just got some dust in my eye, that’s all.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Oh my goodness, look at the time,” her mom sighed, shaking her head at herself.
“I’ve kept you standing here this whole time without even offering you a seat, let alone asking if you wanted water or coffee!”
Just then, a servant stepped into the room.
“Ma’am, lunch is ready.”
“Oh… okay, you may go,” she nodded to the servant, then turned back to Piya with a warm smile.
“Piya, forget about the coffee. It’s time to eat, and you must be hungry after the day you’ve had. Come, join us for lunch.”
“No, no, Aunty, please, there’s no need,” Piya said politely, stepping back.
“I’m perfectly okay…”
“Oh, Piya, stop it,” Misha interrupted, grabbing her arm.
“There is absolutely no use arguing with my mom. You cannot win against her. Plus, you haven’t eaten anything properly today either. Stop being so formal, because I am absolutely starving! Let’s go.”
Soon, they were all seated around the large, inviting dining table.
Misha’s mom affectionately served a generous portion of food onto Piya’s plate.
“By the way, Piya,” her mom asked casually as she served the food, “who all are there in your family back home?”
The clinking of silverware stopped.
Piya froze slightly, her eyes dropping to her plate.
“Ah… actually, Aunty… I am an orphan,” Piya answered, her voice dropping to a sad, quiet whisper.
“My mother passed away when I was just a child.”
Piya lowered her head, staring at her lap, suddenly feeling the heavy weight of her loneliness.
Across the table, Misha, Panchi, and their mom exchanged soft, heartbreaking glances.
The chaotic energy of the house instantly melted into deep sympathy.
Without missing a beat, Misha’s mom walked over and gently placed a comforting hand on top of Piya’s head.
“I am just like a mother to you too, aren’t I?”
After finishing their lunch, Panchi excitedly took Piya by the hand.
“Let’s go, Piya! I have so many amazing outfits for tonight. Come to our room!”
She pulled Piya upstairs and swung the bedroom door open.
The room was gorgeous—painted in a lovely, warm shade of pink—but it looked like a small hurricane had passed through it, with clothes and accessories scattered over every available surface.
Panchi caught Piya’s stunned expression and quickly waved her hands in self-defense.
“No, no, no, don’t think this is my fault! It’s Misha’s favorite hobby to throw her clothes wherever she pleases.”
Panchi brushed the mess aside and opened her massive closet, revealing a stunning rack of party dresses.
“Anyway, forget all that! Look at these!”
Just then, Misha strolled into the room and threw herself flat onto the bed.
She rolled over, took one look at Panchi’s oversized glamorous gowns, and grinned mischievously.
“Panchi, please do “not” give her one of your dresses,” Misha scoffed.
“If she wears one, she’ll be completely lost inside it! We’ll have to send out a search party just to dig Piya out from under all that fabric.”
Panchi whirled around, slapping her hands onto her hips.
“Oh, shut up, Misha!”
“You shut up!” Misha shot right back, propping herself up on her elbows.
“You absolute elephant!” Misha said.
“Ha! Did you just call me an elephant?!”
“Yes I call you a elephant if you have a any doubt about yourself then look at yourself in mirror”
Misha gasped in mock outrage, grabbing the nearest throw pillow and aiming it straight at her sister’s head.