Page 26 of 12 Years: My Messed-up Love Story

Six years later …

Payal, Kabir and I sat in the office of Rachel McDougal, the admissions officer at Dubai World School, Emirates Hills. Reading glasses perched on her nose, she went through the forms we had submitted for Kabir’s admission.

‘All right, I have all the documents in place here. Hopefully, Kabir can join us soon.’

‘Thank you, ma’am,’ I said.

‘Your son is three years old?’

Rachel said.

‘I’m almost four,’

Kabir said.

‘That’s nice,’

Rachel said.

‘You’re going to be a big boy soon.’

‘Yes, my birthday is in two months,’

Kabir said.

‘Mr and Mrs Khurana, you have a confident child,’

Rachel said.

‘Thank you,’

Payal said.

‘He gets that from his mother,’ I said.

Payal and I smiled at each other.

Rachel noticed us looking at each other and seemed amused. She turned to Kabir.

‘Kabir, what do you like to do? Sing? Dance? Play sports?’ she said.

‘I like to tell jokes,’

Kabir said.

‘What?’

Rachel looked a little amused and surprised.

‘Would you like to hear a joke?’

Kabir said.

‘Sure,’

Rachel said and smiled.

‘Why did the math book look so sad?’

Kabir said.

‘Why?’

Rachel said, in a curious tone.

‘Because it had so many problems,’

Kabir said with a cheeky grin.

Everyone laughed.

‘One more?’

Kabir said.

‘All right,’

Rachel said.

‘What did the ocean say to the beach?’

‘What?’

Rachel said.

‘Nothing, it just waved.’

Rachel burst out laughing.

‘You’re very funny, Kabir,’ she said.

‘That, he gets from his dad,’

said Payal, squeezing my hand.