Mangal Kunj
Malabar Hill
January 11th 2012
9:30 PM
Aada and Fa were done with dinner, she cleared the table,
her FIL and BIL were not home yet… her husband was not home either, Dadi wanted
to know where he was… “Mujhe kehkar nahi gaye” she answers somberly
D:Is everything OK beta?
Hmmm she answers characteristically
“Will he be home for dinner?”
“I don’t know” she said stopping in her tracks…
“Text kar le puttar. Ekdum laparwah hai yeh munda” she
scolds in Punjabi
“Dadiji beef stroganoff ready hai, shaayd waise nahi bana
jaise bhabhi banati hain”
Khanak turns around to check with Aada and Fa are listening…
“Phew” they are nowhere in the living area…
“I told him to hold off on it beta” Dadi reassures her
“Dad bhi daante hain unko, Aada ko beef ka pata nahi… Fa ko
to bilkul nahi”
“This is your new life. While I don’t approve of his eating
habits, I will also not approve of your withdrawl from him because of it” Dadi
tried not to sound stern
“He wont change” K complains… feebly
“And you wont either, and that’s what draws you to him like
glue”
“You sound like a movie script writer”
“Teri kahani to likhi maine hai… warna tu aati is ghar mein?
Usne apna haath tudwaya to aayi milne… uske baad tujhe khaane pe bulaya to
kitna dari hui thi”
Khanak holds an empty bowl that contained paneer gravy…
blushes staring into it
“Jaise tujhe Shaan kha jaayega”
Her heart raced wildly….
“Tu jitna chup rehti hai, utna who tere paas khichta hua
aata hai”
The home phone rings
“La mujhe yeh de, phone utha”
Not Khanak’s fave task… she had no clue about who what, how
many acquaintances there were… what kind of business dealings the senior Gujral
had… who came… who went… she was oblivious to it all…
“Main table saaf kar deti hoon Dadi”
“Nahi phone uthayen aap” stern
K walks towards it reluctantly…
Dadi shakes her head and cleans up the table with HL
“Tu khaayegi abhi?”
She wants to wait… but knows its foolish to… but yet wants
to…
“Umm… mm” she says
Her phone beeps on the dining table…
Dadi brings it, as she hangs up the home phone… some tax guy…
she notes it all down on one of the leather bound note books on the phone table…
“How iz u?”
How is hottie?”
Ritu asks
“Me iz good”
“Hottie is…”
“A lil cold”
Her phone rings… Khanak smiles
“Kaise kiya thanda miya ko?”
“I was kidding” Khanak unconvincingly.
“oh really?”
“I mentioned Sooraj”
Longish pause…
“Over what?”
“He wanted me to meet some wealth manager Ritz!” sad
“To achhi baat hai na friend?” caring
“Then slowly he will ask me to take his money. I cant do
that… no I cant… nahi” vehement
“Us se darti hai, ya uske paise se?”
“The closeness that it will bring” choking…
“Mystery… jaan…”
Khanak gently wipes tears off her cheeks…
“Now he is not home”
“And you miss him? YESSSSSS”
“Hes home usually after 10…”
“Aada chale gaye?”
“Nahi aaj chhoda Sonali ko”
“Bout TIME!” ritu exclaimed angrily…
“She is silly, she just wants things”
“She just wants your life”angry
Khanak knew that…
Dadi coaxed her to eat… she didn’t…
He showed up past 10:30… on the phone, let himself in…
nobody else was home either… Dad, Bhayya, Bhabhi or Mom…
Dadi was in bed…
She was sitting at the dining table reading…
He removed the phone from his ear in shock… “Are you awake?”
“It’s a good book” she said… her sharp sense of humor making
an appearance… as she tapped on the book
He walked up and sat by her…
Loved it..:) OMG!!!Shaan eats beef too..lol..:D And she cooked it??! Really shocking..Dadi and Khanak's conversation penned down so well as usual..And I liked how Dadi spoke about the past..Awww!!! How he stared at her when she came for lunch that day with Ritu...
ReplyDeleteNice Ritu called..:) Khanak shares with her almost everything unlike she with Shaan..Ritu is correct about Sonali..:x
Awww!!!Khanak waited for Shaan in the dinning table..Lovely!!!
Looking forward and thanks for writing an awesome update..:)
Both the conversations (Khanak-Dadi, Khanak-Ritu) were amazing......she shares such a beautiful relationship with both of them!! absolutely loved the fact that Khanak had cooked "beef" for her husband.....its a big thing for a total vegetarian.....and was waiting for him for dinner.......yeh ladki toh gayi......pyaar mein poori paagal ho chuki hai......and these two are making us go crazy!! Thanks Aditee for writing such a lovely story!!
ReplyDeletehheeehehe loved dadi teasing to khanak she is superb :)
ReplyDeleterituuuuu ohh i missed her thanks for the phone conv
eekkss she is waiting for him for dinner
ohhh he sat by her lets c what happens btw i loved her answer to shan about book oooo uska dimag ghode ki tarah ki chakta hain :)
update soon :)))
Aditee,
ReplyDeletereally ur writing makes me go crazy like these 2. i love this couple always.some times it even brings tears in my eyes. both are adorable. update soon. thanks aditee for starting it again, something was misisng when u had stopped. love u
Ahh..! That was a treat again! ^_^
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Aditee, I'm not able to read and comment daily! Screw those exams! :( I miss being here!
I loved the update for so many reasons! <3
First, She hiding things from Aada! That shows a daughter, who dont want her dad to get worried! And a Wife, who doesn want people to have bad impressions about her husband, coz she alone knows, He's good! :)
And she tryin so bad to get adjusted with his lifestyle, that she've started cooking BEEF! A hard term to believe ofcourse! :P
And the money issue! Whenever this topic pops up, I cant help..but feel extremely sad for Shantanu! Coz till she takes a step in that particular matter, there will always be some sort of distance remaining! Both are bothered about the same, but just in two opp ways! When he wants to string every remaining gap b/w them, she never take's a step just coz of d fear of loosing him all over again! She should learn to trust! On him, on the crazy obsession they share! Sigh!
Last bit was utter cute! <3 'Good book'! Ofcourse! :P
Ghooshhh..I cant wait for the late night dinner! ;) Do it SOOOOOOOOON aditee! :D
Heyyy Shama :D
DeleteHope you’re exams are OVER soon :)
Her conversation with Ritu gives us different light to the money issue, as shes mentioned she fears the ‘closeness’ I find it that is one of the main issue which prevent her steps...she has the apprehension of losing him in so many ways, one obviously of the past! I think circumstances and HIM periodically will make her learn to enjoy without fear :)
P.S. Aditeeeee update sooooon and THANK YOU :D
Nah! All month long! :(
DeleteSigh! I hope that happens! She has to let go all the fears. Like you, I hpe he help her do that, coz only he can! :)
And I want them to talk about it once! just like they speak about stuffs, unknowingly..spontaneously!
Dadi is the jaan of Casa! She’s like the third wheel constantly pushing them to the right direction
ReplyDeleteI SO AGREE...if they change everything changes!
Khanak remark about the closeness is on the emotionally being evolved with him right? She has qualms about the attachment, somehow deep down she holds the fear if the marriage will sustain possibly that is the reason she is cautious showing she deeply cares/feels for him...I wish she lets go and come to term this is REAL not as she’s mentioned every time a ‘dream’!
I love your Khanak, you only see the emotional deep side of her with Ritu! BUT as dadi mentioned it’s her silences and poised nature that draws her to even a mere reader :) She needs a hug for the olive branch... both have definitely came a long way....one gives up its sleep just to be with another, the small things do make a difference :)
Just have to point this STORY makes me VERY HAPPY :D
Happy weekend :)
wow just love it
ReplyDeleteloved it aditee :)
ReplyDeleteKhanak COOKED BEEF! seriously?? :P
Dadi is just so correct about them :D
She waited for him, coz she was guilty?!
Loved the convo between her and ritu:)
Waiting for next..update soon :))))))
Daadi is too cute reminding her abt the past.. and she has started cooking his food!! hmm.. way to go Khanak.. hope they meet somewhere in the middle abt the money planner..
ReplyDeleteloved Ritu's open scoldings for Sonali...