It was a late afternoon on a Sunday., Shiv is busy painting the narrow wooden fence that separated the garden from the CH.
As soon as they started their life's new beginning at CH…Anandi as promised to Daddu., immediately got into the responsibility of taking care of the garden. Like a true gardener., committed to the work., she devoted all her leisure time tending to the small vegetation …though Shiv could not help her much in same owing greatly to the aspect of his lack of patience in that field…
However he noticed ., one fine day., while they were on their little stroll in the garden., the fence had become quite a bit withered with the paint fading at most places and it some how gave his fairly good esthetic eye, a sight that was pretty un balanced contrasted with the beauty of the blooming flowers which were so carefully tended by his wonderful wife.
So he decided to put in a bit of effort to make the picture perfect with a freshly painted fence.
And now., there he is., with a paint brush in his hand and cans of two bright hues at his feet., and a determination in his heart to finish the job by the dusk.
Anandi planted herself at a very short distance – replanting some potted plants.
A yellow butterfly drifted lazily through his peripheral vision, tiny and delicate and beautiful. It was hot outside and he allowed himself to be distracted by the visitor, stilling his motions as he watched it draw closer to the two of them, probably attracted by the smell of the liquid in the cans at his feet. Not wanting to spoil its beauty, he slowly lifted his free arm from where it rested at his side and brushed the tiny insect away with a sweep of his hand before it could land in the wet paint. His slight movement created just enough of a breeze to carry it away across the expanse beyond them, until in moments it was nothing more than a dot on the horizon.
"Aap ek jagah bhool gaye " - Anandi said, a smirk poorly hidden in her tone.
He started a bit at the sound of her voice, snapping his arm back into place and wondering if she had seen the butterfly as well (and if she would be proud of him for saving it from getting its pretty wings ruined with paint).
Thoughts swirled absently in his head as he squinted against the glare of the late afternoon sun beaming down on the white expanse before him, rubbing the perspiration off his forehead with the back of his forearm. The temperature was high but he relished the feeling of spring finally beginning.
The work was methodical and seemingly unending, but undeniably improved upon from the moment he made a start. And the company...well, that certainly could not get any better. Surveying the portion of the fence he had finished , he scanned the aging wooden planks for his slip-up.
She is indeed becoming good at pointing out his mistakes. He is getting better at accepting them.
"Sorry," he replied, turning his attention away from the fence and to his wife beside him, - "maine theek se dekha nahi hoga shayad – kaha..?"
The smirk she had been biting back at the corner of her mouth broke forth into a huge grin, and though her face was already flushed from the heat and exertion of re planting , somehow it lit up even more. A few tendrils of her hair came loose from a loose bun she tied at the nape of neck., to keep the hair out of the way in pursuing her job…and the skin on her exposed neck was acquiring a shade of pink from the Sun's un relenting rays.
In short, he thought she looked absolutely gorgeous. As he was realizing as of late, she rarely looked anything but.
It was beyond him how he is managing to remain controlled and measured to something so blatantly obvious . This thing is a mystery even to himself. However, he was determined to spend the rest of both their lives making up for it….once he gets to the point of holding her tightly in her arms.
She was still smiling at him, her eyes sparkling (even more so than usual) with mirth. He tried not to be drawn in by the shortening of the gap in between them as she leaned in closer towards him, and ended up compromising by allowing himself a peek of her tantalizingly beautiful features gluing his gaze directly on her face. She didn't seem to notice his darting eyes. Or if she did, she didn't mind.
She lifted a brush from the other can – replied - " Idhar" …and touched its tip directly on the end of his nose.
He blinked twice in rapid succession, then immediately wrinkled his nose as the unmistakable scent of wet paint filled his nostrils.
Anandi dissolved in giggles at the sight of Shiv staring cross-eyed at the end of his nose, a glob of white paint contrasting adorably (at least in her opinion) with his bronze skin. She had never thought herself the kind of person who partook in such silly girlish pastimes as giggling any more, but lately the infectious laughter had become quite a familiar sound on her lips, since-
Since - she is married to Shiv.
Since - She is getting to spend more time with him at his side.
Since – She started enjoying their joyous togetherness., without any expectations from him.
"What? Anandi !" He exclaimed, swiping at the splotch and succeeding only in smearing it across his face.
Her laughter grew more uproarious, and she dropped to her knees from the effort of trying to maintain her breathing whilst wracked by those giggles. But then she felt the patter of something cool hitting her shoulder, and in looking down found her arm speckled with white.
"Shiv!" She shrieked, whipping her head up to stare at him open-mouthed.
"Anandi ?" He said feigning innocence, one hand hidden none-too-discreetly behind his back.
She leapt to her feet, snatching one of the paintbrushes - "Aap mujhe nahi jaante – Collector saab!"
"Collector Saab ?" - He mocked, rolling his eyes.
"Jee Haan – Collector saab!" She flicked the brush sharply, sending out a spattering of droplets towards him.
He flinched as they made contact, pulling his own paintbrush from behind his back and brandishing it like a weapon. "Aap bhi nahi jaanthi., aap kis se panga le rahi hain Sarpanchji !"
She cocked an eyebrow. "Sarpanch ji ?"
"Jee Haan – Sarpanch ji !"
"Mein bhi kuch kam nahi – Collector Saab !"
And with that she launched herself at him, hurtling across the short spans of yard separating them with a squeal that was hardly intimidating. He caught her easily but allowed himself to be knocked over backwards, resting his head in the grass as she planted herself on top of his stomach.
Needless to say, he had himself freed in a matter of seconds, and Anandi quickly found herself pressed against the ground with only a paintbrush to protect herself. Not that she minded much though.
The sun was bright against Shiv's back, silhouetting him beautifully against the wide-open sky and she was rather enjoying the view. She squirmed halfheartedly against the burden of his weight on top of her, but would have found herself devastated if he actually removed it. Her chest heaved at the combined efforts of their wrestling and the heavy late afternoon air, and breathing in deeply her lungs were filled with warm earth and warm Shiv, which mixed delightfully with the lovely warmth building from somewhere near her heart and spreading its way through her veins to her fingers and toes.
She was quite sure she could stay exactly like this forever, and never find a reason to move a single inch.
And wondered for a fleeting instance., if he will lean down to kiss her.
But he wasn't kissing her, and she wondered why not. Instead he was holding up her hands, studying them intently as they lay dwarfed by comparison against his own palms. He dropped her right hand, tracing the bones and tendons in her left hand with his fingers….with a smile on his face.
She furrowed her brow in confusion, but couldn't help but to return his smile. His sweet, sincere…and was it, slightly scared, smile?
He was still staring intently at her hand, but she couldn't bring herself to tear her gaze away from his face, his wonderful , paint-smeared face. Her heart was racing for some reason her highly logical brain failed to distinguish, but she found the feeling, though odd, not unpleasant. Especially with the things he was saying.
Anandi….mein tumhare pyaar mein paagal hoon – Deewana jaisa pyaar kartha hoon – Tumhe yeh baath ka andaaja hain shayad – Hai naa..?"
She nodded silently, biting back the questions on her tongue to let him continue.
"Aur mein tab tak intezaar karoonga….jab tak., tum us mukaam pe pahunchoge…jidhar mein khada hoon…tumhare pyaar mein…..Maine yeh baath pehle bhi tumse kahaa tha…ek aur baar keh raha hoon..
Aur jab jab mauka miltha rahega…tab tab kehta rahoonga…"
He loosened his grip on her hands as he said this., and Anandi took this opportunity to free her right hand and take it up …placing her index finger on his lips…in a small jesture to stop whatever he is wanting say further.
"Mujhe aap se yeh baath kehna hai….Zaroori hai…maloom hain…mein yeh baar baar nahi kah sakthi…aur jis tarah mujhe aapse kehna chahiye…aise nahi keh sakthi…
Par mein soch bhi nahi sakthi., aapke bina., mein yeh zindagi kaise jee pathi…Mujhe aapke saath ka bina…zindagi ki kalpana karne ki himmath hi nahi raha…Aap ne mujhe itne rang dikhaaye…maine kabhi iska andaaja hi nahi kiya…ki meri yeh duniya itne saare rangon se bhari …aur itna khoobsurat hai…
Aapke yeh rang mere poore dil pe chaa gaaye …Shiv !"
When her eyes finally met his, she was taken aback to see they were wet, though it was with an equal shock that she noticed her own cheeks were as well.
" Anandi !...tumne abhi jo kaha…kya woh baath tumhare dil se kaha..?"
" Nahi…! Yeh jo baath maine kahi hai…sirf Dil se nahi…balki Dil aur Dimaag se…!"
It was then that he kissed her.
Finally.
A sweet innocent kiss., a mere brushing of lips., but which held a promise for a life time…and a hope for more passionate moments ., in the near future that is all theirs…
"Anandi – patha hai…tum sach much paagal ho !" – he teased as he slowly got up and gave her a hand to lift herself from the ground to come and stand facing him.
"Haan…Hoon ! – aapke pyaar mein !" - She said with a contented sigh, snuggling up to his chest as he rested his chin on the top of her head.
Aur yeh baath mein aapne aapko zaroor yaad dilvavungi – Mere saari zindagi…har ek din., hare ek subah… jab aapke baahon mein - meri neend khulti hain…!"
And she did.
😆
Book Talk
Cricket
