Connected! ....... Chapter #3

Kshitij knew his parents too well to anticipate their actions and when, almost an hour after they had dropped Kshitij at the airport and returned back home, he was proved right. His mother went straight to the kitchen to down herself in her chores and his father went to his study where he'd pick up a book to distract himself. Both of them found an envelope addressed to "MOM" and "DAD" respectively.

His mother picked up the envelope that said MOM, teared it open and started reading.

"I won't be surprised if you were wondering if IOT was short for a domestic help that I had arranged for you, or a girlfriend who I had asked to take care of you when I wasn’t here. Sorry to disappoint you, Maa, but, it'll still be me doing that. Just that my reach now is global *wink*. Confused? Allow me to elaborate. Why don't you ease up on your knees and grab a chair?

I did some of my techie thing at home that you hate so much. For starters, the whole house now has temperature control, 21 degrees, all the time, just how you like it. If you still feel cold or hot, just say the words 'It's too cold' or 'it's too hot' and it will readjust. And just for the record, yes, I hated getting up every time to adjust it. The next time you want to order groceries, just tell the digital assistant on your phone. Yes, it's the same well-mannered female voice I taught you to play with. She can order vegetables for you and do a lot more, but sorry, I can't marry her. Your foot massager is now connected to your phone and I have set the programs in your phone for your routine massages, the directions to use them, I will share on Skype. That way, you'll still need me for something, right? *wink*. I've set a notification for you to take your medicines and also when you need to buy them again provided you keep having them as prescribed, which I know you will, won't you? *raised eyebrows*

I know it's not exactly having me there, but, this will at least keep you in my shell - if only virtually - till I come back. Another thing, you can now check if you've left the gas stove on from your phone from anywhere. You don't have to rush to the kitchen every time you suspect you've left it on. When I'm back, I know you'll have all this removed because you love bossing me around too much. To tell you the truth, I love being bossed around by you. Love you, Maa! Now, go to my room, there's a little surprise for you at the printer. I'm sure you'll like it".

She rushed to Kshitij's room, turned the lights on and headed straight to the printer, where she found a lone piece of paper lying. She picked it up and seeing what it was, she couldn't help her eyes welling up again.

His father found the envelope between the book that he was presently reading. He fumbled around the desk to find his reading glasses but eventually found them tucked in his own shirt. He tore open the envelope and started reading:

"Hey Dad, I know and you know that you're a tough a guy on the outside, but in the inside, you're nowhere close to it. I'm sure you understood when I mentioned IOT, but I'll give you the details now. Now that I won't be around for a while to drive you around, I've saved some of your most visited locations on the GPS in the car. Just scroll and select the place and hit the engine. Please please please use it because it took me 2 days to have that in place. I've setup your phone to track you daily morning walk and the status notification comes to me regularly. Yes, I'll haunt you until you lose another 6kgs. I've setup additional notifications for all your insurance policy renewals and domestic bills. You don't need to worry about them, I will, but you'll get notifications nonetheless. I've told mom too, but, even you should know, you'll get alerts for taking your medicines and when you need a re-fill, on your mobile. Most importantly, you can now check if any switch in the house is left on from your mobile and switch it on/off from your phone from anywhere. And that remote of yours that you keep losing so often, you won't need that. All from the phone. One thing I won’t be able to do is charge your mobile, that my dear father will need to be taken care of by you. Now, for the last thing, turn on your laptop, I have a surprise for you."

He leapt up and stretched to get the laptop from the far end of the table and switched it on. The superficial tough-guy cover melted instantaneously as soon as he saw the desktop wallpaper.

His mother had found the same picture in print that his father saw on his laptop. The similar 3 pairs of eyes glaring back. A certain sadness of being so far away for so long rendering as tears in the eyes of his mother. His father's vain attempt to still look stern, yet happy, but completely defied by his teary eyes and slight drooping face. Only Kshitij managed to hold on to the storm inside and brighten up the picture with his handsome smile.

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Kshitij gulped a couple of quick sips of water to ease the knot that refused to surrender and took a deep breath before he flicked open his phone. He found his father online on Skype, which, he guessed would've meant they had reached home and probably read their letters. He placed the video call.

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The speaker of the laptop started beeping. The similar Skype ringtone. He straightened himself and accepted the call. It was his son, no surprise. Kshitij noticed the red eyes and said, "Dude, not you! It's difficult to contain one. I can't manage two, please!", and his father too managed a chuckle.

"Security check done?", asked his father.

"Yes, I'm in the lounge, thought I'd check on you. Where's mom?"

"Let me check".

"Check in my room", Kshitij said  with a coy smile.

His father called out for his mother and both of them sat in front of the laptop. Kshitij noticed both of them holding the envelopes and his mother holding a paper, which must be the print of the picture, and said, "I see you've both read it, right?"

Both nodded a yes.

"So you know how blessed you are to have a son like me", he joked and all three of them shared a laugh.

"How did you manage to have all this setup?", asked the father.

"Do you really think that you got that 3-day stay at Jaipur because you filled out a survey in the mall?" Kshitij said mocking them.

Kshitij's parents had received a courier one morning informing them that they had been picked out in a lucky draw after they had filled out a survey in a mall. When his father told him about it, he did his best to create a scene by telling them to not trust and asked him to give the details and he'd call the hotel personally to check if the reservations were authentic and if the travel tickets were real. Of course they were. Kshitij had made all the arrangements himself for a couple of reasons. One, his parents hadn't been on a vacation in a long time and the 3-day trip would allow him to rig the house. He took one of his friends along, obviously a geek himself. The two nerds worked round the clock for three days and electrified the house upside down. They managed to sneak out before his parents returned.

"That was you?", asked his father and his mother found her jaw drop a little.

"Yes. Well, not all me, I had Raman help me, but, yeah, largely me."

"At least tell us how to get it all working", said his mother.

"One by one, Maa, one by one. I don’t want you to get too comfortable without me. Okay, I've got to go now. I'll text you ASAP. Love you"

"Bye, take care", both of them said waving their hands at the screen.

............ To Be Continued

Connected! ....... Chapter #2

The security and immigration took about 45 minutes and Kshitij was now sitting at the lounge, waiting for the boarding call. His sense of humor was the best quality of his simple, hardworking persona, or so he was repeatedly told. He was the life of conversations, smiles were a given when Kshitij was in the room. Even the people he mocked didn't mind his mocking. He was the kind of person who was perceived as somebody who never had an off day. All was always well with Kshitij Mehra. Not today though. His brave front contracted the moment he had the time to reflect what was happening. He was sitting in the darker corner of the lounge. The cheerful conversations, the laughs eluded him. The ever so jolly Kshitij was in a trance which had a strangling hold over him. His mind was blank and he felt an urge to untie the knot in the throat that had kept him from talking properly or seeing eye-to-eye with anyone. Slowly the lips started to quiver and the knot gave way to a trickle that found its way from the eyes to his cheeks where he managed to wipe it off. It shouldn't be this big a deal, he tried to convince himself, but couldn't stop another trickle tracing the previous one. He took a deep breath and tried to not cry and in line with that attempt started to check out foreigners around him, but, not with the zeal he would've liked to.

Moments later and a dozen of deep breaths later, he started to breathe easier and relaxed his back and made himself comfortable on the couch. He couldn't help but let his mind wander to the time his manager initially broke the news to him.

He was working on designing a query. The update queries always gives you the jitters, no matter how many times you've done it before. Always! With his nose dug into the two monitors in front of him, he received an IM ping. He ignored, changed his online status to "busy" and after a momentary lapse in concentration, got back to staring the screens again. Eyes on the screen and hands on the laptop, he received a follow up message. Oh damn it! He thought. Opening the IM window, he found it was his manager. This better be good.

"Hi."

"Need to speak. Can you come in to my cabin?"

Were the two messages his manager left him. A very evident fact about Kshitij's inherent nature was the fact that he was aware. He had always been. He was aware of when he was being bullied in school, he was aware that his parents were making sacrifices for getting him through college. He made metal notes every time he noticed something. Not to payback or to avenge, but, just to be grateful. He didn't forget and after watching Game of Thrones, he figured he was a Lannister. He would always pay his debts. Professionally, he was well aware that he was exceptional at his work. He knew when he was being taken advantage of. Seven years in and he understood the price tag that he carried although was less, but, he didn't mind. He knew his manager valued him even if he didn't say that out loud. At times, he threw unreasonable tantrums and got his way. He was also aware of the line he mustn't cross with his whims.

Reaching the cabin, he knocked and opened the door. He was gestured to sit.

"Rohit, this better be good. I was in middle of something really important.", he said.

"You still realize I'm you manager, right?", Rohit said with a grin. "You're supposed to get on your toes when I ask you to", he continued trying to remind Kshitij of his authority.

"Yes I remember. I also know that if that query I was working on goes wrong, you'll be the first one to kick my ass and your own will be on fire. So while I try to save both our asses, do you care to tell me what's it about?"

Rohit leaned in, resting his hands on the table and said, "very well you smart ass. Getting straight to the point, I've got an approval to send you onsite initially for 2 years. The extension beyond that will be subject to approvals and requirements from the client. Start packing my boy." He leaned back in his chair and folded his legs for a dramatic effect as if he just announced a life changing decision.

Kshitij, with a smug grin on his face, almost imitated his manager. Leaned back in his own chair and folded his legs with his hands resting on the arm rest of the chair. That bossy look could intimidate anyone. Rohit for a brief moment too got caught up.

"What? You're still not happy? You know you're tougher to please than my wife and she is a fan of jewelry if you know what I mean.", Rohit said.

"Well, you're 2 years late in announcing the news, but, I'll take that", he finally managed a genuine hearty smile.

Rohit returned the smile, stood up and stretched his hand towards his smartest, most valuable team asset. Kshitij too stood up and shook his hand.

"Unlike most of the times I've said it before. You, my friend, have earned it. Keep it up."

"Thanks, Rohit. Appreciate it."

Rohit gave a proud nod and said, "I'll let you get back to saving our asses again."

"Yeah, right.", Kshitij said with a chuckle now. He was still smiling when he walked out of Rohit's cabin and stopped smiling only after he'd reached his cubicle and unlocked his computer. He'd need to break this news to his parents now. He decided he'd do it as soon as this damned update was complete.

Connected! ........ Chapter #1

Kshitij dragged his trolley bag to the entry gates of the airport. Damn, it was heavy, not just because of the knitted woolens his mother had stuffed in, but primarily because of the eatables it contained. He was going on-site for 2 years. Two long years, and his mother, it looked like, was determined to not have him starved.

"Maa, it's not a jungle where they're sending me. It's New York city. They even have Indian food easily available. Will you seriously make me carry all this?", he had argued in vain.

He looked back and saw his parents follow him slowly. His mother, walked with her lost puffy eyes and his father apparently surveying and observing and absorbing everything. Kshitij looked at them with a knot in his throat. He had been working in a different city for 7 years now, but, this was different. He couldn’t come back every 3-4 months, “Work from Home” wouldn’t mean eating those Aloo Parantha’s dripping with oil and a lot more. He wouldn’t cry. He shouldn’t. It was for the best his father had convinced him. “And its only 2 years, as long as you don’t hook up with a blonde or a read-head for a green card”, his father had said, in an attempt to lighten his mood and they both shared a laugh. Mustering all the courage he had, he cleared his throat and called out to them, "Mom, dad, quick. It's almost time. Dad, you can start your goodbyes. Mom will do a couple of more rounds of shedding tears before she finds her voice back", he said playfully teasing her mom. He received a weak slap on his shoulder from his mother as she wiped a trickle from below her eyes and a wry smile from his father.

He embraced his mother the moment he felt she was about to burst into tears again, but, that didn't help the cause. She burst out. "Mom, that's my new shirt!" he said in her ear, teasing her again and tightened his embrace. "I promise I'll try my best to not bring a firang daughter-in-law for you, but, I can't promise none of them will fall for me", he joked and she finally managed a chuckle. He pulled of the embrace and wiped her tears.

He turned to his father who gave him a proud nod and stretched his arms in a gesture to hug him and then whispered in his ear, "Get me the finest scotch there is", and patted his back. Kshitij after pulling out of the embrace beamed at his father and winked.

"Alright then. Enough crying. Let's take the customary selfie. You know they don’t allow people to board planes without an Airport selfie nowadays", he said, but his mom and dad were oblivious to the context. He dug into his pocket, and clicked.

"We're so used to having you around. How will we manage everything?", his mother finally managed to speak.

"IOT", Kshitij replied.

"IOT?", both his parents said in unison.

"Yes. I'll explain later. I'll call you after the security check, alright?", both of them nodded.

He touched their feet before leaving and then dragged his bag to the other side of the Airport entrance.