With a sigh, I get to my feet and make my way to her room. Dadu prefers the comfort of her room to the large living spaces, and I can hardly blame her. My uncles are so loud, arguing over some cricket match, and my youngest cousins are running around in a frenzy. I pass my parents, who barely notice me, engrossed in conversation with one of my aunts about the upcoming election.

When I get to Dadu’s room, she’s sitting at the small table tucked beside her wardrobe, sipping a cup of chai. I sit down across from her, where there’s another cup prepared just the way I like it.

“So what’s wrong?” she asks.

We’re getting straight to the point then. I didn’t even realize she noticed I was off.

I slump in my seat. “I talked to my parents about college.”

Dadu’s face falls. “What? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“The night after you left.” I sip my chai to avoid answering the rest.

“And then...?”

I grimace, knowing I’ve backed myself into this corner. “I told them the truth.”

My grandma’s grip tightens on her mug. “Why don’t you start from the beginning? I thought you weren’t going to talk to them.”

“I wasn’t,” I say, keeping my gaze on my mug instead of my grandma. If I keep looking at her face, I’m going to start crying, and I’ve cried enough this week. “But they were in a good mood. I thought maybe...maybe they’d be accepting. Maybe they’d approve. I was being stupid.”

Dadu’s face hardens and she reaches across the table to squeeze my hand. “You’re not stupid, Myra. What did they say?”

I close my eyes and shake my head. “I can’t—” I cut myself off, forcing myself to breathe in and out. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. “They said I was being selfish and lazy. That I was only thinking of myself and that I would get nowhere in life.”

“Myra, sweetheart,” Dadu says hesitantly, but I shake my head. I need to get this all out in one go.

“They said they were extremely disappointed in me, and that I was ungrateful for everything they’ve given me—which isn’t true. I am grateful for everything they’ve done and sacrificed, but—I wanted this one thing. That’s all.” My throat closes and I can’t say any more.

When I open my eyes, the look on Dadu’s face is pained. “They said that to you?”

I nod, swallowing against the bile rising in the back of my throat. “I’m so scared,” I whisper quietly. “I don’t know what to do, Dadu.”