Page 19 of Right Where I Belong

“Actually, you need to thank Aisha and Rithwik, and Diya,” Sabrina said.

Leaving her, he thanked Diya first before he threw himself at Aisha. “Thanks, Aish. Can we go see Uncle Rohan’s stud farm?”

Aisha smiled. “Yes.”

Sabrina knew how much her son loved animals, and a visit to Rithwik’s twin’s stud farm had been on his wish list for far too long.

“And the Burj Khalifa in Dubai? And the Buckingham Palace in London?” Ahaan jumped up and down in excitement.

Aisha laughed. “Yes.”

“And Windsor Castle?”

“Yes, my love,” Aisha replied. “Whatever you want. Now go start packing; we’ll come along shortly to help you.”

“What about you, Mom?” he asked carefully. “Are you coming with us?”

She smiled. “While you’re with Aisha and Rithwik, I’m going to go study in Singapore for a while.”

His eyes widened, and she filled him in about her Singapore plan. All too soon, his own excitement took over, and he ran toward his room. Suddenly, he halted and turned to her again.

“What about Maya?” he asked Sabrina. “We cannot leave her alone here… with Ma.”

Aisha went to him. “Don’t worry. We can take Maya with us.”

“We can?!” he asked, his eyes wide. “On the flight?”

“It’s Uncle Rithwik’s private jet, honey. Besides, Arnav and Raisa will love having her. When we leave for Dubai, we can drop her at the stud farm in Delhi. Uncle Rohan will look after her while we are in Dubai and London. And on our return, we will bring her back with us.”

His face broke into a huge smile. “Oh, thank you! That sounds perfect.”

Ahaan ran inside his room. Sabrina dropped into a chair, as the reality of her situation finally hit her. She put both her hands on her face. “Oh God. What have I agreed to? How am I going to handle Ma?”

Her friends chuckled, and she glared at them.

“She’syourmother-in-law, soyoudeal with her,” Aisha giggled.”

“And she’syourmother,” Sabrina countered.

“Thankfully, I don’t have to live with her,” Aisha shuddered. “I did my part very cleverly. I planned this knowing she goes for her religious singing thing every Saturday. By the time she returns, we will be on the flight to Delhi.”

“She’s going to throw a fit,” Sabrina lamented. “Ugh! She’s going to be so mad at me.”

“Too bad,” Aisha said. “My mother is very independent when she wants to be. She goes to every possible kitty party, gossips with all her friends, and yet, she doesn’t lift a hand at home. She’s chosen to put all her responsibility on you. Now she’ll learn to survive for a bit on her own. It will hopefully make her a happier person as well. Just stand up to her.”

“Like that has ever been easy,” Sabrina scoffed.

Aisha placed a hand on Sabrina’s arm. “Honestly, I don’t know how you deal with her. She’s my mom, and I find her so difficult. But you are so gentle with her, always. Talk to her. She likes you more than she likes me.”

“Plus, I will be here in Mumbai for the next six weeks,” Diya added. “Viraj is going to work from his Mumbai office, and we can spend time with all our friends here. So, I’ll be here for her. Besides, out of the three of us, I’m her favorite.”

“Yeah, right!” Aisha rolled her eyes. “The only person my mother ever liked was my brother.” She looked at Sabrina. “Make it work, Sabrina. Don’t let my mother’s insecurities ruin your chance to do something so monumental and life-changing for yourself.”

Sabrina stared at her friends, tears burning her eyes. “You both have thought of everything. Thank you for doing this for me.”

“You’re most welcome,” Diya said. “And one more thing…” Diya paused to push a hold-all bag from the floor toward her.

“What’s this?” Sabrina asked. She hadn’t even seen Diya bring it in.