Part 75

4:14 PM

Mangal Kunj

Malabar Hill

January 7^th 2012

Saturday

Pradyun Maasi and Ray were at Mausaji’s sister’s house. Madz went too, Mausaji’s cousin sister’s daughter was to be engaged.. No other Gujral was planning to attend such random events

Bhayya and Dad were still in Taiwan. Khushboo was at her hair/eye/nails appointment

Dadi helped Khanak and the help clear the lunch table while urging Khanak to take it easy and go upstairs to the rec room to be with her family

Sonali was half asleep but yet stayed awake…

HL brought a tray of various Indian mithai…. A bowl with stuff Aada brought nestled in the center (Dadi’s idea)

Dadi was classy and polite, never for a moment making the Mistrys feel out of place. She tried to lay out a totally veggie spread, delighting Aada…

Khanak knew it was all temporary, her husband would demand and expect some meat at dinner…

Speaking of husband, he hadn’t returned….

While HL took the tray to the rec room, she decided to change from a saree into a salwar suit, a mustard kurta with silver bell strings woven through the button holes, and aparrot green chudidar with sparkly sequins….

It was cotton and elegant…

Aada’s gift, unlike the Gujrals who shopped in terms of dozens, Aada had bought this outfit and a kurti… that’s all

Bai had sent home made pickle and papads.. Dadi had sent a embroidered Krishanji…Aada had askedGujral Dadi to hand it to her, at lunch

Aada: Hoga to aapka pota…

Dadi:Dono khush hain Mistryji, abhi inko tang nahi karoongi (smiling, protective of her grand bahu)

Aada: Hamare ghar ki ek beti hai (poor Hindi)

D:Jaanti hoon aapki laadli hai

A: Aap to iske saath jo hua who jaante hain (softly)

As Khanak had gone in to refill the juice jug…

D had placed a reassuring hand on Mistry’s

D:shhhhh! Ab koi baat nahi kijiye, its al in the past (spontaneously in English) us baat ko hue kitne saal ho gaye

A: Abhi bhi mujhe aur iski Bai ko sapna lagta hai… bura

D:Shaan aur iski shaadi honi thi (proud)

Fa: Aur ab iski kismet dekho, KITNA BADA ghar (hungrily chowing down food)

D squirms in discomfort “Khanak to priceless hai, kya nature hai”

D corrects herself “Bahut susheel hai”

A:Uski pehli saasu ma ne uski kabhi tareef nahi ki (choking)

D:Mistryji… shhhh please aap rona band Karen

Khanak reappeared

D:Look what your Dadi sent

K preoccupied… didn’t notice her Aada wipe away tears…

K:Jee?

D:She is pretty good beta!

K blushed gloriously looking at the baby Krishna…

D:I know where you get your sketching hobby from… nice… beta, isko mount karaake apne craft room mein lagwa lo

K:Jee

A: Aur haath mein pakadne ko ek kanhaiya bhi do (in Gujarati)

Khanak pretends not to hear but thinks“Oh gee Aada! I never thought of a baby”“I will tell my husband next time he makes love to me ” she mocks herself derisively..

Her heart hammers, as she visualizes her husband’s face… overcome with passion bending down on her…as he made love.. noticing her body quiver in pleasure……. that one lock of hair she would always tease…….. kissing his brow… ……

She took the pearl earrings off and wore emerald tear drops, removed the damp towels from the bed… felt the bed with her bare hands to sense if it was soaked… as she scolded him mentally…………

There was a knock on the door, it was HL… returning her cell phone… she thanked him and put it on the bedside table… walked over to the lounge area and shuddered in frustration……as she stacked away papers and gadgets… his photo stuff EVERYWHERE…….. “No its not!” she answered aloud… randomly

She had once told him during honeymoon how she found everything about his room immensely sexy, the casual disarray of things… his papers his gadgets, the photo obsession………

The room permanently contained a masculine, cologne scent……

The audio system played his faves unless she changed it……..

The furniture was expensive and classy… and masculine

“I am the only thing feminine” she  would complain

“I can bring another one if you feel lonely… but ONLY if you are lonely” he would offer graciously……..as he nipped her chest……

“Clever!” she muttered hoarsely fighting his seeking mouth

“No! just hungry” he would end the conversation…….

There was another knock…

It was Aada… she smiled happy……

He asked if she was busy… she scolded him for even thinking that………

She took him to show her roses… the jasmine vines, pointed to the new plants…

He told her her had two new marigold plants in the front aangan

She smiled… those were Dadi’s “pooja favorites”

They sat in the swing and talked…he worried about her wrist… she told him she twisted it trying to get out of the car…

He complimented her outfit “My Aada gave me” she told him

Her Aada kissed her forehead and inhaled…

Lil flecks of her sindoor smudged his nose tip

She gently rubbed it off as her husband walked in

Lemon yellow Lacoste tee and tan cargo shorts………. With his sandals on…

Her Aada jumped out of the swing in panic……. But the young man walked over to his wife and possessively claimed her.. without as much as touching her

A:Tum kab aaye beta?

S extending his hand, bending down his shoulders for a polite handshake……

Aada knew the routine, his son-in-law treated him like he was his boss, u only shake the hand of your boss and bend down respectfully, his son in law even addressed him as Sir occasionally…….. “must be the way in high class society” he had told Bai

S:Moment ago… Si… Uncle

His aftershave teased her nostril

S:Did you guys eat? (softly)

“Hmmm” she answered furious………… fighting the arousal

S:Rishi need a ride…

A looked on, as his daughter’s eyes sparkled… like she were angry

He worried… he didn’t want her to make her husband unhappy, Aada felt gratituous and obliged… “you don’t displease your savior” “He gave you a new life” “You should appreciate everything” he would often tell her.

Remarrying after widowhood was like winning the jackpot…… that too marrying a young, never before married, someone that“looks like a movie star” “is wealthy like Ambani”……… you’ve got to be insane to fight………

K:He didn’t buy you lunch in exchange?

He chuckled at the quick wit…..

But instead bent down and whispered in her ear “Guns drawn?”

Nipped the edge of her lobe his chin grazed her cheek… before lifting his head

She turned crimson…

S:Mere friend ko ghar chhodna tha (he cleared his throat, and waved his hand helplessly)

A: Koi baat nahi, hum aabhi aaye, ghanta hua hoga beta

K: 6 Aada (firmly)

A: Main thoda aaram karta hoon (fidgety)

K: Aap bhi araam keejiye, kitna thak gaye hongey (sweetly)

S’s eyes grew big at the contrived display of wifely concern…….

Shaan enquired about the travel… asked about Bai and Dadi… promised to take him to Ulwe in the evening…….

Aada fled like a deer stalked by a hunter…

“Aadaaa”, she called as she began to follow the senior…….. ignoring her husband stuck like like glue……

her husband yanked her hand…….

“ Daddy’s lil girl” he mocked

She didn’t stop, continued to walk with her hand in his grip………