26. Ugly
‘I’m sorry Nishit you had to sit through three hours of waiting all for nothing.’
‘No worries,Mami. But you’ll have to go through it sooner or later. Why procrastinate?’
‘I know that. But....kya bataon, the moment I stepped in and saw the dentist with all those instruments. There was another patient going through the drill and it was literal kaleja muh ko aana. I fled.’
‘I hope the kaleja is back to where it is supposed to, then. We’re going to need it for the next appointment.’
‘I am not sure. I am feeling some discomfort in my mouth. Maybe adjustment issues.’
‘That must be your molar.’
‘Right!’
‘Seriously Mami, you need to get it extracted soon. Or else…’
‘Haan bhai haan. Now don’t start on tooth horror stories. Last two days I’ve gone through all of Stephen King's, Neil Gaiman’s adaptations of the dental world. Ab aur nahi…’
‘Do you want an Edgar Allan Poe version? On a cold December evening, a woman sitting and trying to alleviate her loss, coping up with the sorrows of the tooth gone too soon, and hears a knock on the door.’
‘I hope it’s a delivery from Oh Dough’
‘Hmm?’
‘The Sitaphal ice cream that she ordered. To cope up with the sorrows of the tooth gone too soon.’
‘No, the ice cream has already been delivered. It’s the tooth tapping at the door.’
‘I don’t think I am interested in the woman’s story at all.’
Nishit smiled maneuvering the vehicle on the road.
‘But really thank you, Nishit. I wouldn’t have been able to come alone. Inko toh kaam se hi fursat nahi. Aapse bhi bahut himmat kar puch payi. Ek friend aane wali thi, but last moment kaam aa gaya.’
‘Anytime Mami. Agli baar jab jana ho toh call ya text kar dijiyega.’
‘Thank you for making me feel family. Nahi toh 18 saal ho gaye and I still feel like an outsider.’ She did not get a reply so she changed the topic. ‘Kal Tejas aaye the. Unke aur Baba ke beech mein bahut bahas hui. Suna hai Sana kafi adamant hai Europe wedding ko lekar. Aur baba ka toh you know as it is he is upset with the whole arrangement. He always wanted Sana for you.’
‘He always wanted Agnihotri as a daughter in law. Kya fark padta hai kis se ho’
‘Aap ko fark nahi padta? Kafi close the aaplog?’
He shrugged. ‘I am close to so many. Sabki shaadi pe bura toh nahi mana sakta na’
‘Shaadi cancel tak ki baat ho rahi thi. Tejas ne bahut badtameezi ki. Unke Papa tak ka bp high ho gaya.’
‘Hmm’
‘District office?’ He asked to confirm the destination.
‘Han’
‘Phir baarish ho rahi hai. Shaam mein Makum ke liye bhi nikalna hai. Bataiye kya laun apke liye?’
‘Kya?’
‘Assam ja rahi hoon. Aapke liye kya laun?’
‘I’m no kid Mami.’
‘Han bhai janti hoon. Phir bhi. Mujhe accha lagta hai. Ab apne bacche toh hai nahi. Aap log hi hai jo hai’
‘Fine. Get me a tortoise’
‘Kya?’
‘I have always wanted to have a pet tortoise and have wanted to call it Aatmaram’
‘Aatmaram? Ye kaise shaukh pale hue hai aapne’
He shrugged and stopped the vehicle. ‘We’re here’
‘Haan. Umbrella hai kya? Main toh bheeg jaongi office ghuste ghuste’ Ragini looked behind their seats. There were two. She reached out for a bright multicolored one.
‘Not that ugly one. Take the other one,’ he said pointing to a dull black umbrella.
‘Ugly kyun? I like colors.Kaunsa koi bahar baith judge kar raha hai. Ye karoop chhate wali aurat ko office mein katayi aane nahi diya jayega’
‘Actually yes, the other day I was visiting your office and it said, loquacious women under ugly umbrellas are strictly prohibited.’
‘Koi baat nahi, under nahi, side by side rahenge. Ab toh yahi ugly umbrella ke sath main andar ja rahi hoon’
‘Kya hua Nishit aise kyun dekh rahein hai. Are you one of those fastidious ones?’
‘Aapko der nahi ho rahi?’
‘Ho rahi hai and I am taking this ugly umbrella. Bye’
‘It’s...it’s not mine. I’ve to return it.’
‘Oh amanat and all that. Chaliye tab good ol’ black le leti hoon’ Opening the car door, she said, ‘Nishit, don’t tell Rimjhim Di that you accompanied me. And here, for today’ she dropped a few eclairs on the dashboard.
‘Ye sab le kar ghumti hai aap. No wonder daant ukhadwane ki naubat aayi hui hai’
‘Bye,’ she said as he drove away to his destination.
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