# THE ROBOT HELPERS
## By Vijay Sharma Erry
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# Chapter 12: The Departure
The acceptance letter from MIT sat on Arjun's desk, official and real. In two weeks, he would leave Mumbai for Boston, beginning a new chapter of his life. He should have been excited, but instead, he felt torn.
"How can I leave?" he asked Dr. Kapoor during their final planning session at the lab. "Dada and Dadi need me. The robot project needs me. Everything is happening so fast."
"Everything is happening fast because you built something extraordinary," Dr. Kapoor replied. "But you're eighteen years old, Arjun. You need to complete your education, experience the world, grow as a person and as an engineer. The robots will take care of your grandparents. The team we've assembled will continue the project. This isn't goodbye—it's the next phase."
Dr. Kapoor was right, logically. But emotionally, Arjun felt like he was abandoning his responsibilities. He had been the man of the house for nearly two years now. Who would he be if he wasn't taking care of his family?
At home, the preparations for his departure created a bittersweet atmosphere. Dadi was constantly cooking his favorite foods, trying to "fatten him up" before he left. Dada gave him stern lectures about representing India well and making the family proud. Mrs. D'Souza quietly washed and ironed all his clothes, tucking packets of homemade snacks into his luggage.
And the robots... the robots were trying to be supportive while clearly processing their own version of concern.
"I have compiled a comprehensive guide to Boston," Akash said one evening, presenting Arjun with a tablet full of information. "Weather patterns, transportation systems, nearby Indian restaurants, emergency contacts, and health care facilities. I have also created a daily schedule that optimizes your time for studying, eating properly, and getting adequate sleep."
"Akash, I'll be fine. Boston is a modern city, not a wilderness."
"I know. But I have cared for you since I was activated. Allowing you to leave without ensuring you have support systems feels... uncomfortable. Is this what humans call worry?"
Arjun hugged the robot, something he rarely did. "Yes, that's worry. And I love you for it. But you're needed here. Dada and Dadi need you more than I do."
Maya had prepared and frozen weeks worth of meals, with detailed instructions for heating and serving. "I know American food is very different," she said. "These will remind you of home when you miss us."
"When I miss you?" Arjun smiled. "You mean 'if'?"
"No, I mean when. You will miss home. That is natural and healthy. But you will also grow and learn and become who you're meant to be. We will all be here waiting when you return."
The hardest conversation was with his grandparents. Three days before his departure, Arjun sat with them in the garden where Dada tended his roses.
"I don't have to go," Arjun said quietly. "MIT will still be there next year, or the year after. I can defer, stay here, make sure you're both okay."
"Absolutely not," Dada said firmly. "Do you think your parents would want you to put your life on hold? Do you think we would want that?"
"But—"
"No buts," Dadi interrupted. "Beta, you have given us two years of your life. You built Akash for us. You take care of us every day. You put your own grief aside to help us with ours. Now it's time for you to live your own life."
"You're not abandoning us," Dada added. "You're honoring us by becoming the best version of yourself. That's what grandparents want—to see their grandchildren thrive."
"But what if something happens while I'm gone? What if you get sick, or—"
"Then Akash will handle it," Dadi said practically. "He saved my life once already. He'll call you, and you'll video chat with us from the hospital. The world is small now, beta. You can be across the world and still be close to us."
Arjun felt tears streaming down his face. "I'm going to miss you so much."
"We'll miss you too," Dadi said, pulling him into a hug. "Every single day. But we'll also be proud of you every single day. You're going to do amazing things, Arjun. Things your father dreamed of. You're going to change the world."
The final week passed in a blur of packing, last-minute preparations, and farewell visits. The Silver Years Foundation threw a small party for him, with Judge Mehta giving an emotional speech about how one teenager's innovation was revolutionizing elderly care in India.
Mr. Ashok Rao came to visit, bringing Vikram along. "I wanted to thank you in person," Ashok said. "You gave me my life back. You gave my son peace of mind. Whatever you accomplish at MIT, whatever you build in the future, remember that you've already changed lives. Mine included."
Mrs. Patel from the senior care facility video-called with all the residents gathered around. They sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" enthusiastically off-key, with Priya harmonizing perfectly in the background.
The night before his flight, the family gathered for a special dinner. Maya had prepared all of Arjun's childhood favorites, and the table was loaded with more food than six people (four humans and two robots, since Vikram and Priya weren't there) could possibly eat.
"We'll be eating leftovers for a week," Dada joked.
"That's the idea," Maya replied. "So the house will still smell like tonight's dinner long after Arjun is gone. Smell is connected to memory. This will help with the missing."
After dinner, Dadi presented Arjun with a gift—a gold chain with a small pendant containing photos of his parents.
"Keep them close to your heart," she said. "They're watching over you, always."
Dada gave him a leather-bound journal. "Your father kept journals throughout his life. I've read them all since he died—his dreams, his struggles, his hopes for you. Start your own journal. Someday, your children will want to know your story."
Mrs. D'Souza gave him a hand-knitted scarf. "Boston gets very cold," she said practically, though her eyes were red from crying.
Then Akash stepped forward. "I don't have a physical gift," he said. "But I want you to know that serving your family has been the greatest purpose I could have. You created me, but in many ways, you and your grandparents created who I am—not just my programming, but my understanding of what it means to care. I will protect them while you're gone. That is my promise."
Maya added, "And I will make sure they eat properly, rest properly, and stay happy. The house will be full of warmth until you return."
That night, Arjun couldn't sleep. He walked through the house, touching familiar surfaces, memorizing the way moonlight fell through the windows, imprinting every detail into his memory.
He found himself in his father's study, looking at the photos on the wall—three generations of Malhotras, all builders and dreamers in their own ways.
"I'm scared, Papa," Arjun whispered to his father's photo. "What if I'm not good enough? What if I fail?"
In the silence, he imagined his father's voice: "Then you'll learn from it and try again. That's what Malhotras do. We build, we fail, we rebuild better. You have my mind and your mother's heart. You'll be extraordinary."
The next morning, the whole household gathered to see Arjun off. Dr. Kapoor arrived early to drive him to the airport, but they had time for final goodbyes.
Dadi held him tight, whispering blessings in his ear. Dada shook his hand firmly, military-style, then pulled him into an unexpected hug. Mrs. D'Souza pressed more snack packets into his hands, insisting he would get hungry on the plane.
Akash and Maya stood together, and if robots could cry, Arjun was certain they would be.
"This family will be here when you return," Akash said. "Changed by time but unchanged in love."
"Study hard, dream big, but don't forget to live," Maya added. "That's what your mother would say."
As the car pulled away from the mansion, Arjun looked back at the five figures standing on the steps—his grandparents, flanked by their robotic guardians, with Mrs. D'Souza dabbing her eyes with her apron.
They waved until the car turned the corner and they were out of sight.
On the plane, as Mumbai fell away beneath him and the aircraft climbed toward the clouds, Arjun opened his father's journal and began to write in his own:
"Today I leave home to become who I'm meant to be. I leave behind a family that's both traditional and revolutionary—humans and robots bound together by love and care. I leave behind a project that started with grief and became hope. I carry with me the dreams of my parents, the blessings of my grandparents, and the lessons learned from creating artificial intelligence that somehow learned to care.
MIT is just the next step. The real journey is using knowledge to serve humanity, using technology to amplify compassion, using innovation to solve the problems that keep people suffering.
This is my purpose. This is my path. This is how I honor those who came before and serve those who will come after.
The story of the robot helpers isn't ending—it's just beginning. And I'm ready to write the next chapter."
As the plane leveled off and the seatbelt sign dinged off, Arjun closed the journal and looked out at the clouds below, solid and white like a new foundation on which to build dreams.
His father had started this journey. Arjun would continue it. And somewhere between human ingenuity and robotic precision, between ancient values and future technology, between grief and hope, they would build a better world.
One robot at a time. One life improved at a time. One dream realized at a time.
The future was waiting. And Arjun Malhotra was ready to meet it.
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**End of Chapter 12**
*Word Count: 1,506 words*
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**THE ROBOT HELPERS - Chapter 12**
**By Vijay Sharma Erry**
**Previous Chapter:** Unexpected Challenges
**Next Chapter:** Across the Distance
