Chapter 13

Chapter 12-

“Ek minute, ek minute” Khushiji said, slamming down her glass of kaalakhatta. “Chauda saal ke baad Arnavji jab apne chotey bhai se mile toh haal chaal poochne ke bajai unka marks card kholke baith gaye?”

Anjali exchanged a smirk with Akash and Payal.

“He’s very intelligent, Khushi” Chotey said, “Thoda hard work kiya toh use Harvard me scholarship mil saktha hai, I was just trying to guide…”

“Hey Devi Maiya” Khushiji said, hand to her forehead. “Hume toh apne bechare bache ke liye gabrahat ho rahi hai, pata chala paida hote hi iss laad governor ne Harvard ke tuition me daakhil kar diya”

Anjali bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud as her brother’s face filled with colour. 

They were seated at an exclusive table at Desi Bistro with Chotey at the head of the table and Khushiji to his left and Anjali to his right. Payalji sat next to her sister and across the table from Akash who was beside her. The sixth chair at the table, across from Chotey, was conspicuous in its vacancy. 

In another world, Shyamji might have sat there with a highchair next to him. When they were shown to the table a few minutes ago, Anjali’s vision of what might have been was so powerful that tears had pricked her eyelids and she regretted having agreed to come out. 

But she had persevered, not wanting to be the spoilsport. Her family had had precious little cause for celebration since her brothers had married, it had felt like one endless stream of heartbreak and sorrow. 

Soon enough, she was distracted from her reverie by Khushiji’s interrogation of Chotey about Dhruv. 

Drawing in a deep breath and taking a sip from her nimbu paani, Anjali turned to Akash and asked,

“Akash, aane se pehle tumne iss restaurant ke baare pata toh kar liya tha na?”

“Haan, Di. Bilkul” Akash said, his eyebrows furrowing together. “Kyun Di? Aapko acha nahi laga?”

“Tumne yahan ke khaane ke baare me check kiya?”

“Of course, hum yahan pehle bhi aa chuke hain” Akash said, “The food has always been great.”

“Acha, tumne chair bhi check kiya hoga na?”

“Chair kyun…?”

Akash trailed off as Chotey and Payalji both raised their drinks to hide their smiles and Anjali could no longer keep up her straight face.

Akash’s face turned red.

“Aapko kaise…” he asked, as the three of them gave up their pretence and burst into laughter. “Bhai! Aapne promise kiya tha ki aap kisiko nahi bataaenge!”

“I didn’t say anything,” Chotey said, holding up his hands, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

Akash turned to his wife, his face awash with betrayal.

“Akash, Di ne humse kaha ki agar hum unhe nahi bataaenge ki pichle saal kya hua woh aaj humaare saath nahi aaengi”

Akash turned to her, disbelief in his eyes and Anjali took the opportunity to pinch his now tomato-red cheek.

“Par hua kya tha?” Khushiji asked, looking around the table. “Hume toh iss baare me kuch nahi pata”

“No!” Akash cried in vain as Chotey and Payalji narrated the incident of Akash getting glued to Buaji’s chair.

Khushiji started laughing, accusing them both of keeping this from her.

“Tumne baat karne kaha diya, Khushi” Chotey said. “Aur fir Buaji aa gayin aur…”

Chotey trailed off and they shared a look that made Khushiji blush, an inside joke.

To her other side, Akash was shaking his head at his wife in mock anger as she tried to appease him by passing over a plate of the entree he loved. 

Raising her glass, Anjali proposed a toast,

“Humaare dono buddhu bhaiyaon aur unki pyaari biwion ke naam” she said, “Khushiji jo jaldi hume Buaji banane wali hain, Nandkishore, aur Payalji jo apni mehnat se itni tarakki har rahin hain”

Payalji’s jaw dropped. “Di, aapko kaise pata chala?”

Uh-oh. 

“Humaare jasoos har jagah faile hua hain, Payalji” Anjali said, quickly. 

She answered Chotey’s questioning look with one of her own. 

“Kyun, jasoosi karne ka theka sirf humaare bhaiyon ne leke rakha hai kya?”

Akash coughed on his drink. Anjali had known well that her brothers would not let the matter rest and Chotey’s appearance at the café this morning had made her more than a little suspicious.

“Aap ghabraiye mat Payalji” Anjali said, interrupting whatever excuse Chotey was about to make. “Hum ghar me kisise kuch nahi kahenge. Lekin haan, humaari bhi ek sharth hai, aapko humaare liye ek gote vali saree banani padegi, manzoor hai?

Payalji smiled and nodded. Holding up her glass, she said, “Di, aapke naam bhi. Aapne jis tarah bure waqt ka saamna sugadtha se kiya hai, who sach me kaabil-e-taarif hai”

This unexpected tribute from her unassuming sister-in-law brought tears to her eyes. 

Was the bura waqt over then? Why did she still need to avert her gaze from the table on the other side where a little baby girl played in her father's arms?

There is a limbo, Payalji, she wanted to say, before the beginning at the end. A place of bitterness that tried to hold you forever by convincing you that you were not worthy of happiness. 

Almost in answer, Khushiji spoke,

"Bilkul sahi kaha, Jiji. Di, aapko zindagi ke saari khushiyon pe pura haq hai aur who aapko zaroor milengi. Aap bas aise hi muskurathe rahiye”

She looked around as they raised their glasses to her and said, “Di”

At that moment, she was happy and she wished there was a way to hold on to it. She didn't know if Chotey and Khushiji had had the opportuity to talk about her earlier interference but a new plan was brewing in her mind. She had to convince them to come to the surprise party she was planning for Akash and Payal's first wedding anniversary.

Anjali was wiping the corner of her eyes with the tissue Chotey handed her when she heard a loud, excited voice.

“Angel Aunty, Angel Aunty!”

She spun in her seat to see Pari bounding across the restaurant towards her. She was dressed in a lovely lace frock of deep red with a matching headband, her dark hair flying about her face. 

“Pari!” Anjali exclaimed, “How are you?”

Pari said she was fine, showed off her cast and had produced a felt pen for Anjali to sign it with by the time her father caught up to her, followed by, Anjali presumed, her grandparents.

Pari continued, undisturbed by the presence and growing confusion of the others, about an upcoming fancy dress competition at school and how she really wanted to be a ballerina, but her cast wouldn’t come off until then and could Anjali do some hocus-pocus, please. 

Amanji looked surprised and embarrassed to see them. 

“Sorry ASR” he said, “I didn’t know ki aap log yahan aa rahe hai”

“Akash ne booking kiya tha” Chotey said, taken aback by the little girl’s familiarity. “Di, aap inhe kaise jaanthi hain?”

Anjali vaguely explained that she had been with Aman and Pari at the hospital when Pari had her arm cast. In a lie by omission, she made it sound like she had run into them at the hospital instead of telling him that she had given them a ride there. 

Predictably, Chotey immediately wanted to know why she had gone to the hospital.

“Routine checkup tha, Chotey” Anjali said, firmly.

Aman introduced his mother and his laws to everyone. They thanked Anjali for her help, dismissing her claims that she had done nothing out of the ordinary. But when Khushiji invited them to join then, Amanji politely declined. 

“I’ll take your leave, please enjoy your dinner” he said, leading his family away. Their table was on the other side of the room. 

Pari lingered, she was staring at Chotey in fascination.

“Aap ASR ho?” she asked, eventually. She stood close to Anjali, facing him.

Chotey nodded.

“Par aap toh khaana kha rahe hain”

She stood on her tiptoes and inspected his plate as Chotey stared at her, nonplussed.

When Amanji settled the elders in at their table and came back to collect her, she said,

“Papa, dekho na, ASR khaana kha rahe hain”

His face colouring, Aman tried to hustle her away, but she was not so easily dissuaded.

“Aapne toh kaha tha ki who bachon ko khaate hain”

“What the!”

“Haan, jab bhi hum apna khaana theek se nahi khaathe ya fir time pe so nahi jaathe” Pari said, tucking back strands of hair behind her ear. “Tab Papa kehthe hain ki jaldi karo varna ASR tumhe kha lenge”

There was a momentary hush of morbid silence before a giggle escaped Khushiji’s lips.

Chotey turned to her, and she tried in vain to hold back the raucous peal of laughter that burst forth. Akash and Payal studiously avoided Chotey’s eyes, glancing at each other for moral support.

Anjali, unable to contain her own laughter, glanced between Chotey and Amanji, both of whom had flushed crimson with embarrassment.

“Kya keh rahi ho, Pari?” Amanji said, reaching for her arm. “Maine aisa kab bola? Kuch bhi bolti rehti hai”

His pained chuckle fooled no one, least of all Chotey, who had raised an eyebrow and was staring between father and daughter.

“Ab chalo” Amanji said, attempting to drag her away.

But she didn’t want to go. Now that she had gathered that ASR wasn’t going to eat her after all, she wanted to stay. She begged Amanji for five minutes time so she could get everyone at the table to sign her cast.

Amanji hesitated but when Chotey nodded, he let out a sigh and said, “Only five minutes Pari, varna…”

“ASR tumhe kha lega” Chotey said unexpectedly and made a grab for her.

Pari let out a loud squeal of laughter before throwing herself into Anjali’s arms.