Part 109 What else?

April 18^th 2011

Monday

7 PM ish…

Part 109

Kilokri- Clean Water Office

Sudha: Tum ghar kab tak aaoogi beta?

Radhika consults her watch… “Shaayad 9 tak Ma!”

Sudha NAU BAJE?

Radhika: Ma mujhe kal UP jaana hai, aapko maloom hai na. District Magistrate ke office se hamare khabroo ne bataya hai ki jo owners hain Durga Holdding waale who tannery ko saaf wagairah karawane ki soch rahe hain. Our best chances are UNTIL they open Ma, not AFTER!!

Sudha is frustrated “Radhu, kitna bolti ho beta”

Radhika smiles…

Sudha: Mujhe … main yeh bhool gayi ki mujhe kehne kyat ha, mere khyaal mein mujhe aur Papa dono ko apni job chhodkar tumhaare saath join kar lena chahiye!!

Radhika: REALLY MA?

Sudha: Ghar pahunchne ki koshish karo, Anu aa rahi hai, tumhe Emporio Mall lekar chalegi. We used to do our wedding saree shopping from Karol Bagh… now you guys want everything to be designer. Tumhare mother in law se baat hui?

Radhika: MERI mother in law? (preoccupied)

sUDHA: MERI to hamare saath hain, mera matlab DADI!, Ab tumhari ne phone kiya subah I told you at lunch…

Radhika’s heart races as thoughts of Raghav over power her…

“I haven’t” she says softly…

Sudha is silent….

Sudha: Ritwik ne bhi phone kiya usko Tuesday, April 26^th ki tickets mil rahi hain uske pehle ki nahi

Radhika is FURIOUS!She curses…

Sudha: That’s enough Radhu!

Radhika: Ask him not to be here…. Hes better off wahin par…

Sudha: Phone rakho aur mother in law se baat karo…

Sudha hangs up in a huff…

Radhika leans back rewinding last nite at the farm house…. How he picked her up… his laughter those eyes….

She took his glasses…. He “won” those back….

She had no idea what her mother in law’s number was…

She called home again…

Sudha: Tumhe email kiya maine number (prim)

Radhu: Oh!

Sudha: Abhi shaadi hui nahi to yeh haal hai tumhaara! Papa aur main Claridges ja rahe hain sab final karne ko… achha suno, Raghav ki Dadi ne to keh diya she is fine with you wearing red glass bangles… hamari Dadi ne finally ladna chhod diya… Tum kal Anu ke saath jaakar pasand kar aao… Chandni Chowk!

Radhika: KAL? Chandni CHOWK? Mujhe kal UP jaana hai!

Sudha: Kal nahi to parson

Radhika: maaa!!

Sudha: Ek baat karo beta, tum dono bhaag chalo… shaadi ka mahatva to hai nahi tumhe…

“I wish” says Radhika giggling…

Her Mom hangs up… she dials her mother in law’s number…

It rings she gets up from her chair… her heart pounding….. bites her lower lip to stop the tremor…

It rings 4 times… she breathes audibly reading to hang up just as a deep voice answers “Hi! Radhika!”

“TUM?” she jumps… stubbing her knee on a steel Godrej work table..

He smiles…

“Where is Aunty?”

“Mixing basil bread batter”

“Are you helping her cook?”

“I wont go that far!” he chuckles…

Pause….

Radhika feels happiness for some strange reason in her every pore…. His voice… the fact that he exists in her life thrills her

Raghav: Radhika?

Radhika: Jee?

He smiles

Raghav: The UP protocol..

Radhika: Ofcourse!

Raghav: I am going to hand it to Mom!

Radhika: nahiiii (husky)

Raghav: If you want to talk with me, you need to come over

Radhika: Why cant you?

Raghav: We cant make out at your office… (chuckling)

Radhika grips her phone…

She starts to speak  hears a faint “Here you go”

Mridula: Radhika? (JUST LIKE her son)

Radhika: Jee.. Aunty…

Mridula smiles

Mridula:I am making bread, do you want to come over?

Radhika: Abhi?

Mridula: Haan… atyant tvara (hurry up)

Radhika: I LOVE Marathi aunty!

Mridula: Raghav will teach you…

Radhika: Does he speak?

Mridula: Fluently…

Radhika stares at the window startled.…….. wonders what else she doesn’t know about….