Part 84

9:48 pm

Mangal Kunj

She walked in tired and sleepy, the house was full, Maasi Pradyun, Ray, Aada, Fa, Sonali, visiting family added to the chaos, men were drinking, Aada and Fa were speaking with Bhayya, not many noticed her entry, her husband and Dadi did at first…

She gently removed her brace from her wrist… decided to take her stuff upstairs, HL grabbed her lunch bag and her laptop bag…

He husband walked towards her drink in hand….

S:Did you get you phone?

K:I texted u! (shock)(

D:I was kidding.. (he smiled)

S:What took you so long?

K:Dadi said you were going to be home late

He sipped, slowly staring…. His eyes told her what was going through his mind…

K:Did you ask Shiv? ? Shiv to contact me?

“Hmmm” he acknowledged lazily letting his eyes carress her

K:Well.. I… mujhe…

He waited…

K:I.. I don’t know him… I don’t…

S:You don’t have to… marry him

She met his eyes, startled…

K:Not funny

S smiled… took a step forward

K:You are drinking…

Pradyun:I thought I will have to come ambush you at work

S stepped back and continued to stare

K:Why didn’t you?

P:Kanak I leave at 5 AM… Mom and Ray at 3 AM

K:Ray?

Ray turned around squealing, ran to give her a hug, knocked S’s glass over sloshing his SOR, as it splattered over Khanak…HL grabbed the glass, and went off to get a towel

Aada noticed it… “Oh great! Now he knows my husband bathes me in alchahol

A:Beta…

K:Aada aap kab aaye? (in Gujarati)

Pradyun:THAT! THAT’S how fluent I want to be

Sonali: Mujhe Punjabi seekhni hai…

Ray:Lets make a deal, we both can teach each other? (laughing)

Sonali doesn’t have a clue what she just said… with the British accent and all

Sunil hugs Khanak as she tries to sit  “Isne ne to sharaab mein nehla diya, jaakar change kar lo beta”

Shaan hands her a towel, after wiping his hands with it, and grabs the next drink, Aada watches him with concern….

Pradyun sits by her…

K:You spilled it… (pointedly at her husband, without taking the towel “you wipe it for me”)

“HERE?” his eyes asked… “I can do it Khanak, but I don’t need a towel, I will use my l…”

She looked away…

Pradyun bristled at that unspoken yet obviously intimate exchange between the couple….

P:I am back for Holi!

K:Holi is so much better in Delhi

Sonali:Dee Dilli chalen Holi ke liye

Pradyun ignored Sonali completely…

K: Is baar Saturday ko hai

Dadi:Lo jee aa gayi meri soni kudi.

Madz: She doesn’t talk yet has the most people surrounding her! (mocking)

She let Shaan place the towel on the arm rest… she wasn’t going to sponge off the liqor from her dress…the tiny battles occurred and prevailed through the family chatter….

K:Haath dhoya nahi (softly, as Dadi offered her a plate over flowing with snack)

She returned in a moment to find Sonali seated in her chair, Fa and Aada stood talking in Gujarati…..

The liqor stain smeared golden across her belly….

A: Naha lo beta (trying not to be disdainful)

“I will Aada after my husband wipes it off” she told herself… but said “Hmmm” Sunil was chating animatedly with Fa

A:Does he drink so much routinely (in Gujarati, in a whisper)

K’s eyes sought her husband…he was deep in convo with Bhayya

“I don’t know Aada” she said in Gujarati… just staring at him…

“All I know is when I see him… I feel strange, he doesn’t even have to touch me” her insides churned in arousal…

A:Kaki said you left your dupatta there, she sent it with me…

K:Hmmm,(taking the plate from HL)

She nibbled…

A: Kitna maas hai beta (worried)

K:I don’t eat any (reassuring)

A: Tum… tumhe… banaane ko kehte hain? (hesitant)

K:Never!

Just as her husband’s eyes met her across the room…as both their minds conjured up an image of him kissing her belly while she was fully clothed….. he would do it… she would make him……

Dadi: Mistryji aapka khaana sucha banwaya maine, dining table par hai…

Aada smiles in gratitude

D:Is ghar mein sabko maas ke bina din shuru nahi hota, I am sorry..

A: That’s OK (disappointed)

D:I always scold Shaan (proudly)

 “and he never listens” forms in her mind…

D:He keeps her happy (proud)

A:Good! Good!

D:Us Punjabis love our meat, alchohol…

Sunil:”And our woman”… K blushes furiously, as her father in law captures her husband’s obsession succinctly…

Shaan enquires about Aada’s train schedule…

Dadi: Do you want to change beta? (concerened)

K:Nahii (firmly)

Her husband registers that vehemence in the tone, and closes the gap between them…., he realized that she will not give in to Shiv’s recommendation without a big show down…he was unwilling to take no for an answer, if she was going to be reckless, it had to be under his “supervision”

He knew he was fighting an uphill battle, her will power and self respect was stronger than he ever imagined…. She could fight single handedly… and keep going with lil or no support…..

Amogh leaps from Maria’s arms….

Khanak sets her plate on the coffee table and grabs him

Her husband begins eating from it……

They hug and coo…..

Pradyun takes pictures… Sonali plays hide and seek with the baby…

Amogh looks at Shaan cooing “Ki”, Shaan looks at him like “I know what you want but shes mine”

S:Get a grip! Bud… I can see shes here (dryly, without making any attempts to grab the lil guy)

K:You ignore him beta, he loves his Scotch too much to hold you… mean Kaka!

Amogh lunged for his Scotch… “get your own” smirked Shaan grinning….

“Apple juice” said Khanak to Maria…she nods

“This tastes awful bebu… yuck… we don’t want this, apple --jooos”(softly, pointing/placing her left hand on her husband's drink, he gently made room for her fingers on the glass's real estate, building a fortress with his thumb ........tight)

They stood holding hands around his glass......

Sonali: Dee aapne SCOTCH peya hai?

Shaan ignores that……Dadi knows what her bahu meant…

Khanak: Sonali are you packed

S:Dee main Friday ko jaaoon? Ya MONDAY, pakka?

K:Nope! Sorry!

Maria:Bhabhi main iska khaana laaoon aap pakdogey?

K:Hmmm

A: She loves babies…

D: Kitna zyaada? Ghar rehti hai to bus isi ke saath…

Pradyun: He adores you kanak

K:I think so too…(squeezes him to her chest, shutting her eyes dreamily)

P: Lucky guy! (mutters under his breath)

S:Suck up! (aloud)

(Only Shantanu and Khanak knew whether the reference was towards the baby or Pradyun)