Part LXXV
One month later
Geet was a little over 12 weeks pregnant. Maan had taken her to Dr.Preena the previous day and was told that everything was normal and the triplets were growing fine. With Geet's morning sickness waning after the first trimester she was able to eat well. She tried to evict Krishna kaka from the kitchen but Maan forbade her from cooking, insisting that she took as much rest as her body needed. Geet did not protest too much because she felt tired and drained most of the time as her body was working thrice as hard, nourishing her babies. Maan kept a hawk-like watch on what she ate and ensured she had a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals especially calcium and iron. His accomplices in monitoring what she eats and when she eats were Baba and Krishna kaka. He called her up at least five times a day to check whether she was feeling alright. In addition there were a never ending train of visitors. Rano and Anwesha dropped on her often. So did Manju who brought her different types of rice preparations every day like puliyodarai, lime rice, coconut rice, pudhina (mint) rice, coriander rice and tomato rice as pregnant women are supposed to be fond of them. Mrs.Malhotra also dropped in frequently with her special Punjabi dishes. Even Sameera managed to squeeze in the time and came to visit her with a tiffin box full of sprouted legumes. Geet relished all of them.
That evening Maan arrived earlier than usual to take her shopping for some clothes. He noticed that she struggled to fit into her fitted kameez the previous day when they were getting ready for the visit to the doctor. He would have taken her directly to the shop from the clinic but she looked very haggard and he did not want to overstrain her. Hence he decided to postpone the shopping for the next day. When he entered in, he noticed Geet fast asleep, stretched out on the sofa with one of the two pregnancy books he had bought for her, "Expecting Twins, Triplets, and More: A Doctor's Guide to a Healthy and Happy Multiple Pregnancy: by Rachel Franklin" spread on her growing tummy. Baba gave him the daily report about her activities and assured him that she had her lunch and evening tea on time and had dozed off only a few minutes back. Maan sat next to his wife and gazed tenderly at her sleeping face. Pushing back a tendril of hair which had fallen on her face, he got up and told Baba that he had some shopping to do. Although he wanted to take Geet along so that she could chose what she wants to buy, he did not have the heart to wake her up.
At the shop he bought half a dozen lose fitting cotton kurtas and then stepped into the lingerie store to buy some brassieres for his wife as he noticed that her bosom was expanding too but he did not know her size. He asked the sales girl to take out all the sizes in cotton to get a visual idea and rummaged through them till he found the one which he thought would fit her. He felt the fabric with his hands to ensure they were soft on the skin and explained to the salesgirl that his wife was pregnant and her skin was pretty sensitive and tender. As he stood there selecting the lingerie for his wife, he was oblivious to the many pairs of eyes that looked him up and down in curiosity. While the men smirked at him, the women looked at him enviously wishing they too had a caring husband like him. By the time he was satisfied with his purchase, the sales girl was sapped off all her energy. She thought that a few customers like him were enough to make her want to quit her job. Seeing her tired face, Maan felt guilty and apologising for putting her through all the trouble, he handed a hundred rupee note for all her patience. The girl smiled and thanked him, quickly changing her mind about him. A few customers like him were enough to make her job worth the while she thought. Picking up all the covers he returned back home.
Geet was up by now and was busy chatting with Baba. Handing her the covers, he gently kissed her forehead. She looked curiously inside the cover and was surprised to see his purchases. Thanking him for his thoughtfulness she went inside their room to keep them in the cupboard. Following her in, he asked her to try out the undergarment as he was not sure of the size. She went into the bathroom and tried them on, shouting out that they were a perfect fit. He smiled and asked her to step out so that he can make sure for himself. Geet shouted back that he didn't have to bother for she felt comfortable in them.
They later had their dinner with Baba. Maan forced her to drink a glass of milk. Geet made a face and said that she had already had two glasses that day but he would not take 'no' for an answer. Finally she gave up and drank it. Wiping her mouth off with his palm he fed her an apple. Geet knew there was no point protesting, so she meekly ate it. After Baba had retired to bed, Maan carried Geet to their room. He made her lean against him and rubbing her neck with one hand, he held a pregnancy book titled "What to expect when you are expecting" which chalked out the entire course of nine months pregnancy. There was a section on 'Twins and more' which he read aloud to her. Soon Geet's eyes turned droopy and she fell asleep. He gently stretched her on the bed and loosely hugging her, he watched over her till his eyes too felt heavy and shut automatically.
The Next Day
It was the last night of the Navratri celebrations. Sameera put away the files and got ready to leave. It was 9.00 p.m. and if she hurries maybe she can participate in the dandiya ras organised in the chawl. She couldn't take part in the dances the previous eight nights because she was caught up in work. Dev made it a point to drop her every night at the chawl if she got delayed at work. That day too he dropped into her cabin, volunteering to drop her. She accepted the offer on the condition that he would take part in the dandiya ras. Dev tried to wriggle out of it stating that he did not know how to dance. Sameera assured him that she can teach him and that was not an excuse. After protesting for awhile Dev finally gave in.
Dev suggested that they have their dinner before they go to the chawl. Sameera nodded her head and they dropped in at a posh restaurant on the way. While having their dinner, Sameera asked him why he was reluctant to socialise. He said that by nature he is a recluse who prefers to keep his own company. Sameera refused to buy his explanation saying she knew that he used to be an outgoing, fun loving and carefree person who made people around him laugh with his wit. Dev looked at her in surprise and asked her how she knew that. Realising that she had inadvertently blurted out something she knew from being Geet's friend, she hastily recovered to attribute her knowledge of his personality to the long-time employees in his company who never stopped wondering about the transformation in their erstwhile master's son. She did not want Dev to know about her connection with Geet as yet, although why, she did not understand.
Dev seemed to accept her explanation, for he merely nodded and said that he was a different person before. He loved the company of people and dreaded spending life on his own. But life has dealt him a raw deal. After his marriage and love turned sour, he lost all hope of ever being happy again. He did not want to expose himself to hurt and shied away from people, preferring to keep his own company. She looked at him intently and asked him whether that had made him feel better. He did not answer her directly but said that it kept him from thinking about the past. She said that only cowards try to escape from reality. A brave man would want to confront it head on. She then said she generally does not like to talk about her personal life to people but she does not mind sharing it with him if it makes him realise how lucky he is.
She then told him how her parents were separated soon after she was born. Her mother gradually lost her mental balance. He maternal grandmother who took care of her died when she entered college and since then she has been taking care of herself and her mother. She worked part time to put herself through college and had taken up the job as a supervisor in the company which was eventually taken over by his.
"Now, going by my experiences, I can say that life has been cruel to me - that I was deprived of parental love early on in life and had to fend for myself at an age when most teenagers enjoy their lives to the fullest. That is seeing the glass as half empty. But then the glass is also half full. That is how I view life. I take things positively. I treat all the boulders that life has hurled on me as stepping stones to reach my goal of leading a fuller and fulfilling life. I never dwell on my past for I have no control over it. What I have in my hand is my present and depending on what I make of it, I can hopefully dictate my future. All the events that happened in my life have made me a stronger and more independent person. So I have no regrets." After she finished, she looked at him in embarrassment. "I am sorry, I must be boring you with this talk."
"No, no, Sameera. I am glad that we had this conversation. You have never ceased to amaze me and now I know where you get your strength from. I'll try to follow your attitude towards life and I must admit my life has not been half as harsh as yours. I had a wonderful childhood and I guess the experiences of one's childhood lay the foundation for one's character. Thanks for sharing your life's experiences to open my eyes to what I have rather than dwell on what I don't."
After they finished up, he settled the bill and directed her to his Mercedes. On reaching the chawl she invited him over to join in the dandiya dance. He smiled and parking his car, he joined the huge gathering at the courtyard in front of the chawl. Sameera gave him a pair of dandiya sticks and showed him how to use them. Dev tried hard to keep pace with the beats and hit her sticks with his. After missing a few times, suddenly the stick flew from his hand and hit Mrs.Veena Shukla, who was dancing nearby, hard on her back. She turned around angrily to see who was responsible for it. Dev bit his tongue and rushed to her to apologise but she did not give him an opportunity to do that. She gave him the choicest curses in typical tapori style. Dev had not heard many of the words before and looked at her in confusion. Sameera quickly stepped in and retorted back sharply.
"Veena aunty, mind your tongue. Don't you dare use such indecent words to address my boss. What did he do to deserve it? After all it was an accident and he was decent enough to apologise for it. The fact that you chose to ignore it and instead insult him in this manner shows your small mindedness."
Financial markets and global economy
Ishaani
52