Nupur sat on the desk her hands covering her face. Numerous phone books were strewn across the desk, as Nupur had in vain tried to find the number to Motilal Theatre to book tickets for the play. But her concentration had flown out of the window. To say she was distressed would be an understatement. The plethora of emotions she was experiencing at that moment was enough to drive anyone to insanity. But, she had to maintain her serenity in front of Sonali. She better not give anything away. Thankfully, just now Sonali had gone to get some groceries for their home, so she could deal with her inner demons peacefully.
Meanwhile, sneakily, Harshad sat on the chair right beside her, swinging his legs as he waited for his mother.
"Masi, when is Mom coming? I'm feeling tigered." Harsh yawned sleepily.
Nupur startled, arising from her reverie. She looked at the intruder. Just Harshad.
"She'll be coming soon, dear. And it's tired. Not tigered." Nupur explained patiently.
Just then, she heard the tinkle of the wind chime. Gunjan was standing, smiling serenly at her baby and beloved sister.
"Hello, Gunjan," Nupur greeted, switcing emotions from incredibly peeved to halfway sociable. She rose from her seat to hug Gunjan, who, guiltily she realized, she had not been keeping in touch with for a few days now.
"Di! How've you been, love?"
"I've been doing ok, just keeping busy with the school and all," Nupur said as she took the chair next to Harsh. "How's Samrat?" She avoided looking in Gunjan's direction, fearing she'll realize something's amiss.
"He's great. Just came back from work, so he's resting right now." Gunjan explained.
"Tell him I said hi," Nupur said. She stole a quick glance at Gunjan. Why does she have such an odd expression on her face? Does she know something? Nupur swiftly looked away.
"Mummy? Can Neev come over to our house on the weekend?" Harsh asked.
Gunjan looked at her son with his wide, honey-brown eyes staring at her in question. His heart-shaped face spoke of purity and kindness and his eyes spoke of the mischievousness that came with being the son of Samrat Khanna. "We'll discuss this at home darling. Why don't you go to Candy Heaven and pick out something, I'll have to talk to Masi about something. Now, be a good boy and hurry!"
Nupur watched as Harsh ran gleefully out of the door. Confused, she looked at her younger sister. What was so important that she had to send Harsh out? She gulped and closed her eyes. Please don't tell me she found out. But how could she? Mayank had left before she came in.
"I met Sonali," Gunjan said simply.
Nupur's eyes flew open. Sonali, of course. She had to go ramble about the 'hottie' didn't she? She sighed.
"So you know now. He's back. With…with his son. That's the boy Harsh was talking about. Neev." She bit her lip nervously.
"And how are you taking this news?" Gunjan asked in a low voice. She immediately took her sister's hand in her both of hers. Thanks Gunjan. No matter how subtle your actions are, they speak the loudest. Nupur gave Gunjan a I'm-fine look.
"Di, I want you to know that I'm always there for you. I always have and always will. Mayank coming back….this shouldn't bother you at all now. Yes, he moved on, had a child, and from what Sonali told me is an amazing father. I just want you to understand that please, give your mind a rest, as I'm sure you're definitely not right now. I can't even begin to fathom what you must be going through currently. Please, Di, my only advice to you is forget the past and maintain a strictly professional relationship with him. I know it'll be hard Di, but you have to try. After all these years you still haven't gotten over him – don't deny it Di. You haven't – but you need to. He has a son, who you're going to be teaching. Albeit, it's Mayank's son but I know you very well Di. You will never differentiate between your students. They're like your children. And I just found out from Sonali that you've already built an incredible rapport with Neev. I'm so proud of you Di. All of us, Samrat, Dia, Uday Bhaiyya are incalculably proud of you. Remember Di, never consider yourself alone in life." Gunjan muttered concernedly but assertively.
Nupur couldn't help the tears. She grabbed Gunjan and hugged her tightly. She had the most wonderful family and friends in the world, and here she was acting like an ungrateful idiot. So what if a nincompoop came back into her life? It didn't matter. With the unconditional support from her sister and friends, facing that monkey would prove no Herculean task. But one thing Gunjan said still irritated and, somehow scared her. I am over him. I am.
"Alright, now stop crying and making me emotional as well," Gunjan said pulling apart from Nupur. "So how old is Neev?"
Nupur wiped her tears and instantly began talking animatedly about Neev. "He's four, just like Harsh, and they were friends practically upon sight. Today was Neev's first day here and just instantly clicked and started talking and laughing."
Gunjan shrugged. "If Harsh likes the kid, then that's all that matters. But if he brings my son any grief, there'll be hell to pay." Gunjan laughed naughtily.
"Oh, goodness, no Gunjan. Neev is the sweetest child and despite the fact that he comes from a very disagreeable man, he really is so nice. I'm really glad he and Harsh are friends."
Gunjan smiled pensively. "Well, then, that's great."
Just then Harsh entered the office dejected. "I didn't find anything I liked there mummy. All the good sweets are sold out."
"Aww, I'm so sorry sweetheart. When Masi comes over, she's going to buy ALL the good sweets for her little Harshi-poo," Nupur grinned at her nephew, ruffling his messy hair.
Harsh scrunched up his nose in disgust. He hated being called that.
"Come on, Harshy-pie, it's time to go home now," Gunjan gestured for Harsh to hold her hand. "Say bye to Masi."
Harsh waved at Nupur and followed his mother out of the school.
Nupur sat back down at her desk feeling much better, a resilient smile on her face. It'll be alright Nupur. You can forget the past and move ahead just like he did. Now, where was I? Ah, yes, the number of Motilal Theatre.
________________________________________________________________________
Mayank watched as his son dipped his chip into maple syrup and then ate it. The stomachs of children were apparently made of steel.
"You enjoying your dinner, buddy?" Mayank asked.
Neev nodded happily. "It's yummy. I love when you make chips and chicken."
Mayank smiled. "I don't think it counts as making it if I just defrost it and then stick it in the oven for twenty minutes."
"You're a good cook, daddy," Neev said.
Mayank couldn't help but laugh. After the awful, shitty day he'd had, Neev could make it infinitely better. "Now, tell me, Neev, how was your first day at school?"
Neev's eyes lit up and he dropped the chip in his hand back to the plate as he began to tell his father all about his day.
"First, Miss Nu-pur said my name to the whole class so that they could all know my name and then we got to go to our centers…"
"Wait, what are centers?" Mayank asked.
"Centers are the centers, daddy," Neev said.
Ah, the annoyances of getting answers from a four year old.
"What do you do with the centers?"
"It's like you go and you do different things in the centers. There is blocks center and pretend house center and sandbox center and libarry center…"
"Library," Mayank corrected.
"Yes, and then there is dress-up center and story-time center," Neev said.
"Ok, I understand now. Which one did you choose?"
"I went and played in the sandbox center. That's how Harshad became my new best friend."
"How did you become best friends?" Mayank asked, taking a bite of his own meal.
"I was playing with the red shovel to dig the sand and then Harshad wanted to dig a hole too, so he asked me if I could share the shovel. He said please, daddy, and I remember you said that that is polite and that I should share, so I shared it with him," Neev rambled. "He told me that I maked a very nice hole."
"He said you made a very nice hole?" Mayank asked, covertly correcting his son's grammar.
"Uh huh, and then we made a very big hole together using the red shovel and our hands," Neev explained. "It was such a big hole, daddy, and we started laughing so hard because the hole was bigger than our heads!"
Neev started laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the whole entire world. "Bigger than our heads, daddy!"
Mayank laughed along with his son, whose laugh was infectious.
"I'm glad you had so much fun," Mayank said.
"I did, daddy. Miss Nu-pur is so nice to me. She said I'm very, very smart and nice."
Mayank tried not to show his surprise that she would have a nice thing to say about anyone related to him. But, Neev, is it necessary to bring up her name on the dinner table as well? It's not as if she isn't going to invade my dreams tonight. Nightmares. Not dreams. Nightmares, Mayank. "Well, you are very smart, Neev and very nice."
Neev smiled and went back to eating the acquired taste of fried potato and syrup. After a few minutes of silence, he looked at his father with a questioning look. "Daddy, what's a hottie?"
Mayank choked on the sip of water he was taking as his son asked the offending question. "What? Where did you hear that word?"
"Miss Sonali said it," Neev replied.
Mayank realized that the other teacher must have been drooling over the rugby player in front of his son. How lovely.
"Well, um, a hottie is a person that someone finds attractive," Mayank explained.
Neev stared at his father with a blank gaze. "What does that mean?"
Mayank rubbed his forehead. "Ok, when you get older, you're going to start thinking that girls are pretty…"
"Ew, yuck!" Neev grimaced.
Mayank chuckled at his son's innocence. Oh, the good old days when girls had cooties.
"So, when you think a girl is pretty, you would call her a hottie, and the same for when girls think boys are handsome," Mayank lamely explained.
"Oh," Neev said. "I think Miss Noopurr is pretty. So, is she a hottie?"
Mayank stared at his son. How the hell is he supposed to answer that question? Why Mayank, the answer is simple. She's not. Well, of course she not….is she? SHE'S NOT!
"You can only think someone is a hottie when you're a grown up."
Great job, Mayank. Wonderful parenting. This kid is on the fast-track to a Freudian complex.
"You're a growmup, daddy," Neev said. "Only growmups can know hotties? Is Miss Noopurr a hottie to you? Is Miss Sonali a hottie?"
Mayank wanted to cry. Just curl up in a ball and cry. When would the bloody questions stop? "Miss Nupur and Miss Sonali are teachers and teachers cannot be hotties."
And the bullshit award goes to Mayank Sharma.
"Why?" Neev asked.
"Because they work with children," Mayank said. Where in the hell was he coming up with these lies?
Neev looked confused. Mayank felt confused… and nauseous… and tired.
"Are you a hottie, daddy?" Neev asked.
Mayank nearly laughed, but stopped himself to prevent hurting his son's feelings. "All Sharmas are hotties, Neev. It's common knowledge."
"I'm a Sharma! I'm a hottie, too, daddy!" Neev said happily. "And Dadi!"
This was officially the strangest conversation Mayank had ever had with another human being. And he had dated she-zilla for two years. "Sure, Neev. That's right. Now, I think it's time for you to pick out your pyjamas and then get ready for your bath."
Neev glumly nodded, knowing that it was almost bedtime, but his hopes rose almost immediately when he remembered that there was still bath-time and story-time. His daddy was the best daddy of all!
After having tucked Neev into bed, Mayank collapsed on the couch in the living room of their brand new flat, located smack-dab in between Worli and the Nariman Point, where he worked. It was a small, upscale ommunity that catered to young, posh couples and older wealthier couples. Not much of a family community, but the place was nice and it was close to Neev's school, Mayank's work and not too far from his mother's house.
He rested his head against the arm rest of the leather couch and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He was still half-wet from giving Neev his bath. The kid couldn't sit still for a moment the minute he hit the tub.
His thoughts drifted to the awful day he'd had. If he couldn't figure out how to improve the building he was working on, then he would have to hand over the assignment to Ravi or someone on the HR team to finish up. He had never had to do that before, but this new hotel was proving to be a difficult project.
But work was the minor issue of the day. His head started to ache from going over what had transpired at Neev's school. God almighty, Nupur was a nuisance. Why did she always have to fight with him? At least now, both of them could have played along, acting indifferent towards each other? But no, she had to go and taunt me. As usual. Well, he showed her too. But what did he gain? Standing in the godforsaken rain, soaking wet, listening to her storm out on him?
The stupid hag had the nerve to come and apologize after her verbal diarrhea of everything he was insecure of? Not that he would admit that on pain of death, but she didn't have to be so blunt about it all. He couldn't even begin to imagine how horrible he would have felt if Neev had heard that smashing description of his father.
Forget her; forget her and her stupid opinion of him. She could rot in hell for all he cared. So what if she was nice to his son and complimented him and didn't treat him poorly because she hated the man who sired him? So what if her cheeks went slightly pink when she became enraged and her eyes grew dark with loathing in a dreadfully attractive way whenever she looked at him? So freakin' what?
She was a pain-in-the-neck, end of story and there was no need to think about her outside of being his son's teacher. She was plain and boring and awfully sharp-tongued. Nothing about her was attractive… but then again, why was he still so drawn to her? Why was still he so aware of those incredibly big brown eyes and full, pink lips he had caressed eons ago? Why did he feel as though there was someone else inside him who wanted to tear apart the image of the reserved, acrid man and just grab her and kiss her senseless… no, none of that.
He would be the bigger person and act civilly towards her whenever Neev was around. There, that settled it.
Nupur finished putting away the new yellow summer dress Sonali had bought for her while shopping for 'groceries', insisting that yellow was trs chic and very fashionable for the season.
As she got ready for bed, she couldn't help but feel at complete peace with the world. Sonali had made her laugh and feel much more relaxed during their walk back home. She had even forgotten about the evil man who had made an unwanted entrance into her life.
Just when things were going smoothly, Sonali switched on the radio.
"Oh my God! I loooooove this song! Have you heard it, Nupur? Nupur? Uf, anyway it's called Pehli Baar Mohabbat from that new movie Kaminey!" Sonali squealed.
Nupur was placing her new dress on her table, writing a mental note to remember to iron it tomorrow. She chuckled at her roommate's naivety. But then, her smile hung in mid-air. Her ears strained as they grasped the lyrics of the song. Abruptly, she felt her life flash before her eyes as she recalled several scenes – when she first met him, the project, the talent show, the Jungle, the academic meet, the night at the terrace, the world's best coffee, the play, the confession, the rain, the eyelocks, the falling-into-his-welcoming-arms….She immediately covered her ears and closed her eyes tight shut. Stop Nupur! A silly song cannot weaken your resolve. Stop thinking about him. Stop it. There's no need to dwell on him. Tomorrow's a new day. A new beginning. For god's sake heed Gunjan's advice and forget the bloody past.
She climbed into bed and switched off the light chanting the mantra "forget the past" but not before her imagination betrayed her and she got a glimpse of the moment when he had told her that she was the only girl in his life. Silent tears rampaged down her cheeks as she cried herself to sleep.
Writers Corner: Books, Stories & Poems
Anupamaa
330