Chapter 33: They don’t like to be challenged
It was lunchtime when he reached home, and upon arrival, his mother asked him to have lunch, as any typical family would. Aric wanted to decline, but he knew it wasn’t possible since he lived in this family. Going hungry was not an option.
Even though he had just drunk a healthy drink on the other side. So reluctantly, he sat down for lunch with his father.
"What did you do with the grandparents?" His father asked as both of them sat at the dining table, under the overhead fan. It was August, and the summer was at its peak. Air conditioning wasn’t something they could afford as of yet. Even if they could, their parents refused to buy one since they loved living frugally, and luxury was not what they were brought up with.
"You know, I just had fun with them and moved around the village."
"Did you go to the riverbank?" His mother barked from the kitchen, busy arranging the food for the family to be brought to the dining table.
"No, you told me not to."
"Good. You shouldn’t. That river is filled with rapids, and you will drown," his mother said as she brought the food and served it at the table. She then went on to tell of how she heard someone from the far town drown in the same river. Aric didn’t want to add to this pointless conversation and was just busy eating.
As he was eating, his mother noticed a very odd thing.
"Aric, how come you can eat green chili raw? As far as I remember, you are always in fear of eating them raw," Avni asked. Aric, who had just torn a piece of green chili with his front teeth, stiffened. His habit of eating a green chili came from living on the university campus.