Idiots 1 & 2

It was around 3 PM, the doctor and had come by and gone once, Mrs Mehta.... she said she was in the "vicinity" 
Khanak realized the Gujrals must have requested her trip...
She slept a lot and ate little... her lower back was hurting too, Bai sat by her soothing her head...

"She wont tell us if she is being bothered" she whispered to Aada...
"Shhh" "If you rant by her bedside she can hear it all" he scolded

Ritu walked in... "Arey Aunty, aapko jaake khaana chahiye, Mystery to bus naatak kar rahi hai" giggling
Khanak woke upon hearing her friend's loud shrill voice....
She sat up... Ritu signalled her not to say anything

Aada and Bai left the room reluctantly...

Khanak got off the bed... and made a face
"Are you nauseous?" Ritu asked worried
"Only Always" Khanak injected some humor

"Now tell me what was the Foundation call all about?"

"Kaka needs new kidneys" Khanak said

"Ouch" said Ritu

"I know... must be hard"

"Why did you fight with your parents girl?"
"They knew about it a week ago and didnt tell me" Khanak complained...
"What if they had told you?" Ritu asked bluntly

"You are not getting a job are you?" she provoked...

"I am meeting Ram tomorrow" Khanak said softly

"You are doing everything to get yourself killed" Ritu said casually

"When he heard Aada and Bai invited me to Ahmedabad, he said, I can go if I return what I owe" Khanak said obviously hurt but pretending to be uncaring

"Jeeez, you guys dont camouflage your punches do you?" "Hum khush huye" Ritu said in a fake sarcastic voice

"I need a job, Kaka's illness or not"

"Just like he doesnt want to be a Dad?" Ritu asked softly

"THATS his problem, he doesnt HAVE TO BE ONE" "I told him" Khanak continued softly

"Did you ever ask him what he thought about having kids?"

"Sure! We dated for 3 years and met every day... there was nothing left to talk after the wedding" Khanak mocked herself

"You KNOW what I mean, dont butcher yourself Mystery" Ritu warned

"He chased me like Tom chases Jerry" Khanak said

Ritu laughed... "TOM CHASES JERRY?" She repeated it again and laughed hysterically

"You think we are not compatible?" Khanak switched to the serious

"In bed? OR "Outside of it?" "Please give me choices" Ritu mocked

"Not funny" Khanak fumed

"I mean biwi pregnant hai, he ties her up with his red silk tie and makes out?" Ritu asked awestruck

"You know what my problem is?" Khanak accused... "NOT HIM, YOUUUUU"

"Yeh tujhe ab pata chala?"

"I shud shut up and not tell you stuff any more"

"You should just wear a burqa at home, cuz everyone see the love bites all over...... my love" Ritu mocked

"Hmppppffff" Khanak fumed

"And Pradyun is an idiot, DESPITE seeing you that way, he HOPES" Ritu laughed rolling on the giant King size bed....

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Will you stop?" Khanak asked


Sonali sprinted in "Dee neeche pooja start honey waali, kahan ho aap.... WHERE IS JEEJU? "Walked right into Shaan's closet

"And Idiot number 2" Ritu whispered..

Next part tonite....

Sorry have been extremely busy, the last few days....
Promise to write tonite...

You as a whole

A reluctant father is not the best thing for my child" she said her voice cracking with emotion, the child was equally his..as it was hers.. but the way she claimed the unborn pea sized thing made him extremely jealous

"A runaway wife is not the best thing for a marriage" he spat back
His hands placed firmly on both sides of her head...

"I" she began ... stuttered and stopped.... as he swiftly yanked the scuncie off her high pony tail...

"Whaa" she shrieked...

"The scent of shampoo nauseates me" "I dont know if there is a scent free shampoo" she wailed... leaned back on the wall as her silky hair enveloped her cheeks softly like a black waterfall.......

"No such issues with aftershave I am hoping" he asked concerned...
Just as she looked up at him startled... she found his head bending towards her...

Thankfully... there was no issue......... but she was hurting from last nite's blow... so she held her arousal back

His lips carressed under her ear.... he loved her ears.... and she squirmed and kicked....

"Not aftershave... but you as a whole (nauseate me)" she whimpered feebly......
They struggled on the wall like two people jostling to get inside a rush hour Mumbai BEST bus.........

He didnt want to know anything about her pregnancy.... he hated the fact that she was going through something privately.... in which he had a HUGE part... yet was unable to be a part of

Dadi walked in on both.... she turned away hiding behind his back

Dadi started walking out of the room mortified

He hid her behind him and casually pulled his phone out his tousled hair a clear give away

"I want you hear for the pooja" Dadi just said it... found her struggling to soothe her dress and hair......

"I have three meetings in three corners of this monster city" Shaan barked

"If thats the case then I will send her to Bai's for the next 8 months......you can work in peace" Dadi spat back


His wife slid out of her hiding place...........embarrassed

"Aur tu! Quit playing along... he is a brat" Dadi waved her index finger.

Shaan was unmoved...
"Chalo neeche puttar Bai aur Aada tujhe pooch rahe hai..." Dadi was angry with her grandson... which happened rarely

"Hmmm" she said softly..

"Pradyun ko tune kaha kya?" Dadi muttered something as they walked along
Shaan went on the phone, watched her walk away.

Dadi uttered the next sentence aloud, outside Ritu's door so Shaan could hear it inside

"Agar yeh 3 baje pooja mein nahi aaya, to tu subah ki flight se Ahmedabad chali ja"

Khanak nodded... sadly
HL brought Khanak one of the landline receivers....
She answered, startled... it was the Trust in Pune... she didnt want Dadi to find out... and her husband... she was broke, unemployed and pregnant.... she didnt need any more handouts...

The best thing...

"And so you can run away" he said impassively, from the tone, a person would think he did not really care if she did, his eyes told her how angry he was...

She averted her gaze from being trapped by his....
Dadi's voice broke the flow of fire between the eyes...

Dadi:Yahan ho beta?
Khanak smiled...
Dadi:Did u throw up a lot?
Khanak: Umm... only three... 4 I think
Dadi:Lets go get something to eat
Shaan watched as his Dadi acted like he wasnt even there... it ticked him off

Shaan:And I would like bacon and eggs please! Thanks
Dadi:Aaj Satyanarayn Pooja hai, her parents are in town, please beta
Shaan didnt care " Dadi I have a meeting at 9 and then the whole trucker strike thing at Ulwe" he narrated his agenda...
Dadi:Has she ever told you how tired she is if your work crisis

Shaan:In fact she was just telling me (mocking)

Dadi:Aaj pooja mein nahi aaya to tujhe ghar bhej deti hoon
Khanak's heart skipped a beat, she didnt want to know his reaction...
Dadi:Tum dono aao neeche for breakfast... eggs is all I can do today, no bacon... you married a devout Gujarati and havent changed one bit

Shaan rolled his eyes
Dadi:Aur tu? Teri koi expectations nahi hai is se?

Khanak:Mmm...mmm (sadly)
Shaan gave her a "Do you really want a debate now?" look
Khanak gave a "I am just letting Dadi know nothing has changed" look back at him

Dadi walked away muttering...

"When you pay me back what you owe, you can leave Khanak" he said recklessly

"THAT should be a problem at all" Khanak said bravely

He stalked her until she leaned on the guest bedroom wall, soft tendrils escaping from her pony tail teasing her cheeks
"She would never accept defeat, battered, and bruised, she would continue to give him a fight" he realized as he looked down...

"As long as it would mean I can have my freedom when I pay you back"

"Is that a roundaabout way of telling me you will be gone?" he asked, both chatting as if they were discussing politics or the weather....

"A reluctant father is not the best thing for my child" she said her voice cracking with emotion, the child was equally his..as it was hers.. but the way she claimed the unborn pea sized thing made him extremely jealous

"A runaway wife is not the best thing for a marriage" he spat back
His hands placed firmly on both sides of her head...

And you run away

Khanak did not give him a second look she stared the muted screen and turned up the volume, so her husband could not chant the lines any more.

Ritu:GUJRAAAAAAAAAAL MY MAN! (squealing)

He nodded and grinned at her warmly... their friendship was unaffected thought Khanak

Ritu:Idhar aao, apni voti de naal tussi vaitho.

He responded in Punjabi smiling....

Ritu: Arey apne miya ko bulayegi nahi?

Khanak acted as if she didnt hear that at first...

But after a quick change of expression, she turned to him and asked "Would you like to watch the movie?"

"No I am good" he said, his eyes not leaving her

They had instantaneously decided this war was going to be a private one

Ritu:Tell him what Pradyun did during his fave part (giggling)

Khanak: He knows (smiled, not reaching her eyes)

Shaan looked at Pradyun "I have seen every trick in his book" (not amused)

Pradyun:Ive acquired some JAAT ones u know, bro (winking)

Khanak: You mean Jath?

Ritu laughed out loud...... shaking her head

Sonali: Kya Jath Di?

Ritu:You should be in bed, arent you going to college soon?

Sonali looking at Shaan pleadingly "Jeeeeeeeju mujhe kyon nahi baithne de rahe?"

Shaan and Khanak were in an eyelock... just angry eyelock... he didnt care what happened to Sonali

Ritu:Sonu please, its past midnite, jeeju abhi aaye, di will go to bed too

Sonu:Jeeeju...

Stay up, if you want to" he said carelessly

Prad: Hey bro, you owe me that grudge match...

Shaan:I aint doing no grudge match he said

Khanak stared at her hands quietly...

Prad:Your husband is a sore loser.

"You are telling ME?" Khanak's inside screamed the response out in mute

Shaan hated being called out so accurately, "I need a nap before I clobber you" firmly

Prad squirmed...

Dadi: Sshhhhhhhhhhh Shaan, hes like your lil brother... dont get all vengeful on him, aur Khanak tumne apna choc milkshake piya. Your sickness slows down after 10 , YOU SHUD EAT"

Khanak squirmed.......

Pradyun "I can race you to a bottoms up on it" (smiling)

Shaan: Anddddddd we are back to pre-school, (swallowing the word idiot)

Dadi poured out two chilled creamy glasses out.....

Shaan left without saying a word....

She didnt follow him,she slept the nite with Ritu...

As belligerent and aroused he was yet he didnt go chasing after her

~~

Morning 11 AM ish

She stood in Ritu's closet as the girls giggled about something, Khanak felt better after throwing up two times in a  row.... her face glowing and pink... her eyes moist... with all the straining of retching

"What do you think Mystery, ofcourse it was physical"

"Pradyun said she called to pick up her things, mujhe laga tab they might be living together"

"Hes YOUR age mystery... hes NOT a virgin"

The girls giggled about Pradyun's raunchy sex life

Her husband walked in unnoticed...

“If the mountain wont come” Ritu mocked…

Khanak turned around startled…

He stood there, showered, in Dockers, and a red and olive green checked shirt, folded at the elbow……tan suede on his feet….

She looked gorgeous” he noted… in an orange khadi kurta and a pink and purple patterned salwar….. a high pony tail to keep hair out of her face when she retched…

She wore her bindi and mangalsootra… like she was going to a temple…

He stood by her, she gently put an inch in between

Khanak smiled like she loved Ritu teasing her…

“Agar abhi itni chinta mere Gujral, to jab yeh Ahd jaayegi parson to aapka kya hoga?”

Shaan DID NOT KNOW THAT

He clenched his jaw tight… and just shifted from foot to foot..

Ritu:Main ja rahi hoon nahaane, before that I will shut the suite door WINK WINK (she said giggling

He turned around slowly leaning on the closet door... arms across his shoulder

She didnt say anything just stacked Ritu's suits humming

"I dont think its a good idea" he said

"Its not an idea she said

"We know what happens when you leave for Ahd" taunt

"I am cared for and loved" she spat back softly, smugly

"AND YOU RUN AWAY" he bit out...

They stood inches apart.. hissing, inhaling each other's scent

Out of wedlock...

She shut down completely after that.... emotionally.
She didnt see him the remainder of the evening. Ritu, Sonali and her played scrabble, Sonu being the least scorer... she seemed to be getting more shallow by the day... Khanak didnt know if it was Mumbai or the affluence of Khanak's  sasural that caused her to be that way...


Ritu wanted to know where Gujral was Khanak shrugged it off

Dadi joined them for half a game and teased Khanak about having the sharpest Gujral brain.

Khanak smiled feebly at Dadi's attmept to reinforce the Gujral name on her. Didnt tell her how numb her heart was in contrast...
Pradyun had broken up with his girlfriend and was generally moping.. Bai and Aada wondered if he should be getting married now.. as he was expected to graduate in December
"They find their own Bai" Khanak said firmly but softly in Gujarati
"He seems to like you a lot" Bai muttered

"Dont say that aloud within my husband's ear shot" Khanak muttered

Aada: Are you throwing up less now? (smiling)
Khanak smiled softly.... reminded of the glorious joy within her

She could live the rest of her life with it...

It would be an understatement to say you guys share a contentious relationship" Rittu commented furiously

Khanak hadnt shared anything about the evening...
"Its his choice Ritz, if he doesnt want the child I shouldnt be saddling him with it"

"Did u go to the ultrasound with you today?" she asked

"Nope... I went with Babi and Adaa" Khanak responded carelessly

"Its like you are having a baby out of wedlock" Ritu muttered

"Could be" Khanak said softly......

The family gathered around in the rec room playing pool, cards and watching TV shows... Khanak sat in a corner with Ritu on one side and Pardyun on the other... they fast forwarded to the funniest parts of the Monty Python movies and giggled like silly teenagers... Sonali insinuated herself into the group and tried to make sense of it all

Shaan had given her lessons for a "fee" ofcourse during honeymoon on many such iconic cult classics

She pretended not to care and "failed" and he would make her "redo" the tests.

He was "tough"

A warm glow suffused all over....as she reminisced
They muted the TV and quoted the lines.......

"Bring out your dead" Khanak giggled when the Dead collector appeared.. in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Sonali furiously read the back jacket for cues...
Prad shook his head visibly amused

"I feel better" Prad voiced the line of the dead man

"No you are not, you will be stone dead in a moment" Shantanu Gujral quoted the next line in a completely expressionless voice

His wife turned red, but didnt look at him... but he noted the closeness the physical closeness his arch nemesis and her shared on the couch

.....

She vaguely remembered some of her clothes coming off.... she begged him to undo her tie multiple times... since he was not talking he didnt respond....
the crushed pink tissue lay half hanging from the bed........ as it swayed every time the split air conditioner's vent lifted its wings...
He was fully clothed....and when he finally relented and loosened the grip of the tie... she turned away...unenthusiastic....they rolled on the bed... back and forth as she tried to free herself and he tried to hold her....

She lay there soaked in passion... trembling... gritting her teeth in an attempt to hold back her screams of thrill....bruised and sore....her arms going up to circle his neck... she clutched the longish silky mane.... purring with satisfaction at the length.......

His belt was gone... his shirt half undone...

He carried the scent of some cologne and HIM... the scent that sent her heart racing when she happened to enter the elevator at Ajmera Corp office... she wud be in some far corner, he would stare shamelessly... they would have fought and and wouldnt be talking... his phone would beep or ring, or Nivedita or Nachiket would be arguing heatedly..... about delays or extensions...

He would just hold her gaze until they reached the floor where the meeting was... she would wait for him to get off first, he would wait for HER....

"Shaantanu" she would murmur after all would exit... "I dont want to fight" she would hiss
He would lean back arms across his chest the elevator would close up again and slide down or up... they would inadvertently creep closer to each other and just glare...

He would angrily punch the key back again and it would slide up to the said floor

They would get off... she would walk in the opp direction taking the windy way to the conference room, her female friends would compliment her kalamkari kurta or her chunky jhumkas... she would feel it gently...

He would hold the conf room door open until she entered........ their arms would graze by the door......the craving to touch would become intolerable......she had never felt raw hunger for any man before......

His phone rang...bringing her back to the delicious torment he was inflicting now...

He bit her ear lobe hard.... and waited for it to stop........... and then abruptly slid off and grabbed it on its last ring....

"Gujral" he barked, saying the first words in an hour
As their eyes met

"Yep I can talk" he said cruelly... listening carefully

She lay there stunned.......