Lacey

Lacey wasnt a real name. But everyone really close to Priyanka Singhbal called her that. She didnt particularly like or dislike the name. She just accepted it like she cooly accepted most things in life without thinking much about them.

Her life had been good, all her seventeen years. Her grandma loved her and pampered her like a princess taking care of all her needs. Her father was kind n gentle and never uttered a harsh word. Her mother – the socialite, the page three woman, effluent in the Delhi social cirlce, managing director of her husbands business which she ran all by her self – was proud of her and often said “my little girl is going to make it big in life”.

She had a lot of friends- gals and guys. The most handsome guy in their junior college- Aman Rathod- was her boyfriend. He was madly in love with her. She was lovely herself and caught everybody’s attention wherever she went. Her mother’s friends often said she was a hundred times prettier than her own mother. Life was good. She was happy and content. What she might want to do with her life was a question she had never given a thought to.

This seemingly perfect life of her’s turned topsy turvy one June afternoon as she lay on her bed leafing through a magazine and talking to her boyfriend over the phone.

She was giggling over some mindless joke Aman had cracked when she jumped with a start hearing her fathers voice – loud. Her father never raised his voice. If he was shouting load enough for his voice to reach her bedroom – well something was definitely wrong. Grossly wrong.
Panic struck in her heart for a moment. She cut the call without even knowing it. her mind went black – what cud have possibly gone wrong? her father never ever ever raised his voice. Her 1st reaction was to run to her grandma but she was afraid to leave the room.
He seemed very angry – no outraged.
It definitely had nothing to do with her- she was sure. She hadnt done anything that she shudnt. What might be the matter then she wondered not wanting to know it at all. She wanted to flee. She wanted to rewind back to a few minuttes back where she was happily chatting with her boyfriend.
Little did she realise that she would be wishing for time to rewind back to that moment for a long time to come.
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Priyanka was celebrating her 6th birthday in Goa. Her parents originally belonged to Goa. Her Aunt Shonu attya was waiting on her hand and foot. Priyanka loved being pampered and so she loved Shonu attya dearly who pampered her only second to her father and the grandmother. She treated her like a princess everytime Priyanka visited her in Goa. Sili and Abhit dada were calling her to play with the conffetti.
Saili was her age. Abhijit was older to them by 2 years. They were Shonu attya’s children. As a kid Priyanka cudnt pronounce their names , so she called them sili and abhit dada . She didnt bother to change that even after she mastered clear speech. They called her Pri.