Summer Trip: Children Book 3: Decision Series, #3

By Anand Prakash

Summer Trip

Our decisions define us and our life is full of them.

In this short story, Ramesh's family planned a visit to Lata's parents. They didn't have enough money for bus fare. When the family travelled without bus tickets for all of them, Bannu found himself caught in the web of sacrifices.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anand Prakash
• Release date: Sep 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393303787

Anand Prakash

Anand Prakash is researcher by profession and writer by passion. In his fiction and poetry, he writes about relationships and their meanings. He has finished a collection of short stories and a book of poetry on relationships. Some of his experimental fictions have appeared in z-composition, Crack the Spine, Fictitious magazine, the Delinquent issue 20, Miser magazine issue VII. His writing can be found at http://authoranandprakash.com/ Email him at [e-mail] for comments about the story and questions on writing process. He looks forward to hear back from you.

Book preview

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

A Favor From The Reader

A Note From The Author

Dedication

My Father

for his sacrifices and being a role model

Acknowledgments

I will forever be thankful to everyone who supported my writing habit (friends, family, and Kofenya among all Caffeine places).

Thanks to extremely talented artist friend Shreyas Vernekar for wonderful cover. Follow him on Instagram: shreyasver.5

Chapter I

Lata didn't want to take a summer trip to her parents’ house. Incentive of going home alone or taking her children to her parents wasn't on her list of priority. All the time, she was worried about how she could meet ever-growing expenditures. For the trip, she needed money to buy gifts for his brother, brother's wives, and their kids. The journey was an altogether different cost. Most of her husband Ramesh’s earnings went to daily home expenditures, school fees, electricity, and water charges. If something survived, which itself was a miracle, it would be taken up by some illness, unexpected guests, festival purchases etc. Whatever money she earned by selling the milk, ghee, cow-dung cake, sewing the clothes, working as a maid, would be their only savings. The savings were for her children.

Ramesh often chided her for her frugal nature. You have to put some trust in Lord Shiva. Our children are His blessings. He will definitely take care of us.

Do you mean to say that we should not save a single rupee and let the poverty decide the future of our children?

She didn't want to touch the ‘saving,’ unless it was absolute necessity.  She thought for a week. She decided