Love in the Crossfire

Arjun

I sat at the dinner table, picking at the rice on my plate. The smell of freshly cooked curry filled the air, a familiar scent that usually made my mouth water, but I wasn't hungry tonight. My thoughts were too tangled and heavy to allow room for anything else. Across from me, my father, Mohan, sat at the head of the table. His posture was as straight as ever, his face unreadable, and his eyes scanning the room like he was chairing a board meeting. It was a look I had grown up seeing, one that always made me feel like I was under a spotlight, exposed and vulnerable.

"Arjun, what's the progress on that... project of yours?" he asked, his tone heavy with skepticism, the pause before 'project' deliberate and cutting. I could already tell this conversation wasn't going to end well.

"It's not a project, Daddy," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady despite the knot tightening in my stomach. "It's a software company. We've launched two apps so far, and the response has been encouraging." I hoped he'd hear the pride in my voice, but his expression didn't change.

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Encouraging doesn't pay the bills, son. When are you going to get serious about your career?" He paused. "I hope you will not keep syphoning my finance through your software company." He chuckled.

"I am serious," I said, meeting his gaze even though it felt like staring into a storm. "This is what I want to do. I know the market. Being an engineer in computer science, I'm building something from scratch. Isn't that worth something to do with my qualification?"

He snorted a sharp, dismissive sound that cut through me like a knife. "Building what? A small venture that might not even survive the next year? Why waste your time and my finance? You could be working at a top firm by now, earning a real salary with your qualification." He paused. "Or join me in our company which has been making steady and good profits?"

My grip on the fork tightened until my knuckles turned white. "It's not a waste of time. I believe in what I'm doing," I said, my voice trembling slightly despite my efforts to stay calm.

"How about my second question?"

I thought and said, "I want to stand on my own. I want to try in the latest development – software." I looked into his eyes. "I have conducted an extensive study and believe it has high potential."

"Belief doesn't put food on the table," he said, shaking his head as though he couldn't fathom how I had come to this conclusion. "You're too idealistic, Arjun. You've always been. Life isn't about chasing dreams that don't pay off."

"And what is it about?" I asked, unable to hide the edge in my voice anymore. "Settling for a job just because it's stable? Following someone else's idea of success?"

His eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. "Watch your tone," he warned, his voice low but firm. The table seemed to grow quieter, the tension thick and suffocating.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside me. "Dad, I'm not you. I don't want to spend my life climbing corporate ladders. I want to create something of my own. Something meaningful."

"Meaningful?" He let out a bitter laugh, leaning forward slightly as if to drive his words deeper. "What's meaningful about some apps? Do you think that's going to change the world?"

"Maybe it won't change the world," I said, my voice firmer now, my resolve hardening with each passing second. "But it's changing my world. It's giving me purpose. Isn't that enough?"