Destination San Fran : Career meets Love

Chapter 1 - Will I get it?

Pia’s P.O.V

It has been three days, I have been desperately waiting for a positive reply from an internship opportunity which could be life changing. I am so fidgety that I am checking my phone every 5 minutes for the email. 

“The mail is not going to come any faster if you keep doing that!”, my sister Diya snapped at me.  

She was right. I had to do something but the anxiety of the email and how am I going to convince my parents to let me go to San Francisco for the internship kept me at the edge.

“What if mom and dad say, No ?”, I ask. My sister just smirks and says, “ First get the internship. We will figure the permissions later.” and she walks off. Just look at the nerves. My very own sister is underestimating me… damn it, now even I am having doubts.

Just then my best friend Sapna calls. “Hey Saps” I say in a dejected voice. She had also applied for the internship with me. She asks me “What’s wrong? why do you sound so low?”

“Umm, just the internship, no email from them. I think I have lost this opportunity.” I say in a low voice.

“What???” she screams over the phone. “They haven’t mailed you your feedback? You lucky much. You are still in the running then.” Completely confused, I ask her what she meant. She says, “ That means you might still be able to get the internship because all the people who were out of the race were informed so, including me.” she says the last part in a slow voice.

 “Ohh Saps, sorry…” I say not knowing what else to say to my best friend when she gives me news which gives me hope at the same time delivers the news about her failure.

She cheers up as says, “ are you silly? You mad girl. If you make it, you will share all the learnings and experiences with me, won’t you?”

“Yeah, I will. If not you who else? You know I can only give a censored version to my family. For you my love will be the real, uncut, uncensored version!”We both giggle and plan to meet tomorrow. I am always in better spirits when I speak to my best friend.

I have a couple of notifications on my phone. I open them. One indicates I have a new mail. I open the inbox and there… right there is the mail that I am dreading to open. The mail which has my fate sealed in it. I have worked exceptionally hard on the model advertising campaign we had to submit on the basis of which we would be selected for the internship. This mail will make or break my career in advertising. I am still staring the phone when my sister enters our room again. She asks me, “ Why are you staring at the phone as if your eyelids are glued and you can’t blink?” 

“They mailed.”

“And?”

“I dont know”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I haven’t opened the mail yet”

“Why not? You have officially lost your mind. Just open the mail and get over and done with it.”

“I...I.. can’t. You check the mail.”

“Right. Give me your phone. Atleast you will stop staring at the phone like a dumb girl.”

“You are being mean. Can’t you sympathise with your little sister?”

“No. Not if my little sister is not little any more. Just cut the crap. Let me check the email.”

 My sister takes the phone from my hand and opens the email. She reads it and re reads it. She looks at the phone and then to me. She does this a total of three times and now its my turn to call her a moron. “What are you doing? Now I must say you most definitely look like a moron.” I laugh nervously. “What does the mail state? Come on, tell me…”. I cox her. She says, “ You got it.” Big eyes, stunned expression, she is looking at me expectantly for my reaction and all I can do is laugh…. laugh hard and roll on the floor… “You are such a bad actress Diya. You could have just said I did not get it.” I was laughing and crying at the same time… all the pent up stress was released through my tears and laughter. It was almost cathartic.

My sister jolts me in sitting position and says again. “ You are not listening to me. I said You. Are. Selected.” She says slowly as if speaking to a child.

 Before I start to celebrate my achievement, I have a big hurdle in front of me. We sisters were the most pampered children and we did everything as a family. We were really close to our parents. After staying together in a house, we all had our own personalities but we existed cohesively. Dad was chilled out, excited more to say, when I told him I have applied for this internship. But mom threw a fit. She started her rant about how her little daughter will manage to stay alone in an unknown country? How will I cook and take care of my laundry? Typically over protective mom. Dad I know would be ecstatic but,

how do I convince my mom to let me go?

***

A/N - In India, most of the times, children reside with their parents until they are married.

This is the first time I am writing, hope you all are finding this story interesting enough to hold on to it.

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