Blood Ties

-Na Ki Prasad

‘Oh! Mathi! School is now closed. Now tell me where we’d go this time? Which place you like? Park.... beach.....circus?’ Vasanth asked with all eagerness.

Mathi remained silent.

‘OK. We’ll go to Ooty…….Kodaikanal……… or some other hill station in the summer vacation. Come on! Say something!’

‘OK. You don’t like these places. We’ll go to America...Japan...or any foreign country. I’m your daddy! Your daddy will take you where you like! I just want you must enjoy the vacation!’

After listening to so much of daddy.......

‘Daddy! We’ll not go anywhere! We’ll go to Old Age Home to see grandpa and grandma. They’ll be happy to see us.’

Vasanth felt a pang with a guilty conscience.