Part 101

Part 101Mumbai

Around 8 PM

They both remained silent as he drove…. She looked out her window, he flipped channels on his Sirius not bothering to lower the volume when he hit death metal channels… she did not express any irritation… her things were in the back seat. He had picked it up from Ritwik’s house while she said her goodbye to Mr Pai

Vrunda and Vithal had persuaded them to stay for dinner… “a meal without meat is close to starvation for my husband” she thought but said “ I will come back later Aunty… I promise” Khanak reassured….

“I wanted to stay she whispered.

“You always do” he responded unemotional…

“Tchhh”

He completely ignored that……..

Vithal showed her husband his new laptop, Shaan commented on speed etc…

Ritwik wanted to see the Toureg’s keys, the keyless remote fascinated him he wanted to know if he could unlock it, Shaan nodded…. He showed Shaan the remote control car Khanak had bought for him, Shaan taught him how to maneuver it… not to score any points with Khanak or anything…. He really didn’t care to make an opinion about kids….

The car smelled like him….it was cluttered with gadgets and papers… she didn’t ride it much unless they had to be someplace together….

There was no religious symbols anywhere….

His phone buzzed and beeped… he looked but didn’t answer… except one…

He spoke bluntly…. He expressed concern didn’t say much… Khanak knew it was about Esteem.. her husband’s Machiavellian plans……….. winning was of supreme importance…….

“Nachiket” he said sharply handing the phone to her

She gave him a “I don’t want to talk” look

“I told him you did” he said muscle clenching his jaw

She took it

“Are you mad at me?” Nachiket asked

“Not you” she said bluntly

Nachiket laughed heartily “He is smitten with that sense of humor”

“Only the humor?” she asked dourly

Nachiket laughed again

“Smack Gujral if he acts like a jerk”

“Jee” she said quietly

“Havent seen you in a while where are you?”

“I am on the Marine Drive Medina Project”

“Al-Taibi brothers?”

“Jee”

“You don’t sound happy Khanak”

Khanak was quiet… her tears were coming back…..

“Call me sometime we can do lunch, or  I will wring Gujral’s neck for you”

“Plan B Sounds good”

she said, as Nachiket laughed hysterically….

Her husband leaned and closed his hand over her phone held one…

She let go of the phone, he held it longer than necessary… taking it back eventually

“Rahat is back on site in the morning, the other guys will be there as well, may be you and I should meet at 3?”

“You should go now!” she said loudly a lil shrill

“Shaan chuckled at something Nachiket said

“She is generally pissed”

“No” he said

Listened

“I’ll try”

“Oh I insist, you must go now, I can take a cab” she was LIVID……

He drove quietly, but breaking speed laws…….

Screeched into the parking lot…….. the guard jumped out of his skin…..

Got out and opened her door, she took forever to gather her dupatta, and her kurta folds……. Checked her bangles and got down slowly

He slammed the door after her, and walked to the elevator….

“Mere bags?’ she said

“HL will bring it”

“Not if you are going to work at midnite” she stomped her feet

He walked into the elevator, gave her a long stinging look and let the doors slide shut as she waited by the locked car

When she went up a 15 mins later waited… adamantly by the car…, when HL didn’t show up, she found HL cleaning the dinner table

“Aapko chabi di?”

“Nahi” he said confused

“Where did he go Dadi?’ she asked a visibly tickled septuagenarian

“Ooopar gaya hai nahaane”

She went up doing three steps at a time as Dadi smiled openly “these two will drive each other insane” she said………. Khanak, looked up every drawer, every nook where the keys could be, stormed into the bathroom…”shantanu chaabi kahan hai?” she yelled…..

He was finishing up on his SHAVE!

“ Don’t BOTHER…. You are wasting your time” she said pointing to his after-shave glistening jaw…

He gave her a sullen look turned to the shower cubicle and slammed the nozzle…

The 8 or so jets shot in every direction, icy and piercing……soaking her.. and him and the bath mats…