Sorry to disappoint you all, but I'd like to leave now, and never come back.

I come after ten months, leave in another three months until god knows when. My birthday happens to be in a week's time. We, my family, had planned a holiday in Singapore. Nothing materialized. My sister made a reservation in a small hill-station hotel, somewhere beyond Nainital, for three days. My father tells me today that we should celebrate my birthday at some fancy hotel in Delhi, and go outside Delhi later. That's because he has some important work during the three days and has to be in Delhi. I'm speechless.

My father runs his own business. He has enough money to last him five lifetimes - maybe more.

My Mom is sitting there eating breakfast (before my Dad shared his busy schedule with me) and says "why are we all irritated with each other? why can't we talk openly and sort things out? when did we become like this?" "We've always been like this", I say to her. I can see that she doesn't see it.

She was referring to last night when we had gone to some new Mall's food court to have dinner, and I was exceptionally quiet. I did not feel like going at all. I was sleepy, tired and not in the mood. But I knew that if I refuse, they would just argue and force me to go anyways.

I was thinking, maybe I'm guilty of glorifying everything here too, just like everyone here had glorified me. But that's not true. Why do you think the only thing I missed about Delhi was driving around alone on the busy roads that I frequented? And that part is still as lovely as I remembered. The roads look significantly different with the new Bus lanes, and the diversions due to the metro construction, but driving around is still strangely magical. I see myself coming back again and again just to experience this high of being in control in this fast, fierce city where I grew up.