FF: New York times Thread 5 Completed 10/03 - Page 2

Part 104: Imli thief

Meera stood at the counter, chopping the pungent tear-duct-teasing onions lazily at a speed that even the chopping board couldn't bear. For crying out loud, the woman had gone through chopping only two small pink onions in the last half hour.

"I understand all the separation frustration you are going through Meer, but you better finish that before I'm done with the atta" Geet said, carefully adding water from the jug to the tub of wheat flour. Meera sniveled at first and then quickly replaced it with a pouty expression while she worked up a wavering determination to finish the task at hand. She was counting time until Yash would make an appearance for Sunday morning breakfast. Though she hated staying away from the love of her life, the constant buzzing attention from the dramatic yet adorable family she had found with Geet and her in-laws compensated for all that she'd given up for four gruesome weeks.

Just then Naini made an entry into the kitchen with an added bounce to her step, a faint jingle trailing her. Geet looked up from the dunes of atta, her gaze narrowing ever so slightly under her brows as she stirred the flour into a mush. Abruptly abandoning the sticky, half kneaded dough, she hurried to wash her hands and grabbed the knife from Meera that put a look on her as if her space and alone time with those pearly pink onions were violated.

"Enough is enough...I have waited long enough for all this to come together" Naini turned, her brows puckered. She saw Geet work at the onion slices at a pace that would give a stiff fight to those electric knives which carved up a whole turkey in minutes, her ever-sweet-sounding mouth gritting out the words, while her face radiated a boiler's worth of a heated scowl.

"I even shed tears for a while" Geet added and Meera's mouth rounded to a big O.

"Are we still talking about the onions?" Meera sounded taken back at her out of context accusation.

"May be..." Geet answered, shoving the knife back in Meera's hands and moved towards the stove to check on the boiling vessel.

"A grouchy good morning to you too" Naini said, as she came back and sat behind the counter with a cup of coffee. She had no reason to suspect Geet had any basis to be directing her biting remarks at her beloved sister-in-law and her brows creased as she set forth to investigate further.

"Geet Bhabhi, should I warn Maan bhaiya from coming into the kitchen?" She broke into a guffaw as if she'd cracked the secret behind where all the anger was meant to be directed and winked at Meera.

Geet stiffened and straightened her bent form, however didn't turn around "Yeah, you should. Because, when I catch hold of that ear, I'm going to twist it until it looks like a red tomato"

"Ouch!" She winced, right on cue, as she spilled steaming coffee onto her lap and seemed busy wiping it off with a napkin when Daadima walked in from the kitchen pantry.

"Argh!" Naini's eyes shot up to a scene of Daadima turning Geet's ears, her sister-in-law hissing to an off-key tune.

"Daadima" Geet let out a cry for help, as she was being dragged to the same side of the counter where Naini was seated. Geet found Meera next to her when she escaped the clutches of her villainous Daadi. She must have missed Meera being tugged along too.

"Who moved my Imli?" Daadima asked almost taking a one eighty degree turn from Spencer Johnson's route, her voice spitting with anger over the changes at home. For someone as flexible as mother-in-laws come, she didn't think she had it her to not throw tantrums anymore.

Naini coughed, while Geet seemed confused, remembering that she'd personally filled the Imli jar only last week.

But, before a guilt looking Meera could profess to her crime, Daadima cut in again.

"I want to know what is going on in this house" Daadima swiped a pointy index finger at the three suspects, lined up neatly in a row behind the black granite counter "In the middle of the night, I hear someone hurling in the bathroom, all the Imli I had kept to make chutney is gone and you..." She was now staring at Meera directly "You are sneaking up on me aren't you?"

Meera's eyes scrunched up tight and she cringed at Daadima's words. How stupid? Did she really think she could get away with it when she was sharing a room with Daadima?

"Daadima...I had just gone for a walk?" Meera replied tentatively, while Geet cast an amused glance at her. Naini appeared terribly uncomfortable, fumbling with the handle of her cup as her eyes remained fixed at her trembling fingers.

"And I was only born yesterday" It didn't seem like Daadima was going to cool down any time soon.

Maan came swooping in from the hallway, his cellphone balanced on his shoulder and holding up his laptop at eye level. He stopped short as he sensed the tension that surged between the ladies of his household, although it didn't stop him long and went on to take the nearest seat in the living room to eaves drop, if in case the discussion proved worthy enough to get involved.

"Daadima, I might have eaten some Imli, but I swear I didn't finish the entire dabba" Meera tried to sound convincing. Daadima rolled her eyes as she gave a loud sigh. When was she going to give up on vicariously feeling like a second trimester soon-to-be mother?

"I'm taking you to the doctor" Geet blinked as Daadima directed her statement at Meera and Naini began to feel relaxed from the fact that she wasn't the stray dot in Daadima's radar, as she'd assumed.

"If you don't stop thinking you are pregnant or if you don't keep your hands off the Imli" Daadima threatened, ignoring Maan's presence in the vicinity. Meera cringed and shot a sideward glance towards the living room. She breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded reluctantly in agreement once she found him focused only to the graphs dancing up his laptop screen.

As Geet witnessed the exchange, she couldn't see any grounds that befitted deserving the ear twist that she'd gotten a few minutes ago. And then it came to her...she grimaced as the idea of Daadima's mistaken theory of one of them being pregnant dangerously toyed with her mind. Daadima had mentioned throwing up, which she hadn't done last night and neither had she finished off the Imli. She was certain, there wasn't a chance in the world Meera was even remotely nurturing another life and Naini didn't seem like a good candidate to be deemed pregnant when she'd only gotten back with her husband recently after Rishabh's move to NY, which was too short a window to get the woman hurling. That is when old images of Daadima walking in on them at Rishabh's place and other instances of vague inquiries about her health came back to her. Well now, Daadima didn't think she was pregnant, was she? Babaji!, her mind screamed and she turned to get her husband for backup.

"And where are you going Geet beta?" Her voice didn't lose the sharp edge, despite the obvious teasing, "I'm not done with you. You are coming with me" She said and started moving towards her bedroom with a firm grip on Geet's wrist. She twisted her head around in vain to catch Maan's attention while she let herself be hauled by Daadima. To her luck, the silence that prevailed in the kitchen caught Maan's focus and his head shot up just in time to see his wife and Daadima disappear into her room. It spelt trouble written all over it.

Back in the room, Daadima settled in her chair, while Geet seated herself on her bed. The elder didn't hesitate or waste any time before jumping right into the questions that had long troubled her, "So when where you planning on telling me you weren't pregnant?"

Geet'd somewhat prepared herself to be subjected to a different sort of examining and the query she heard from Daadima puzzled her. It didn't make sense in her head that Daadima knew it all along and still had punished her.

"But Daadima'" She started, but Daadima didn't let her finish.

"You can't mislead an old lady like that beta, you know" Daadima's features finally softened and Geet quickly got up to kneel next to her, crimping her fingers on Daadima's arm rest.

"No Daadima'I didn't know that you felt'" Once again, she was interrupted.

"And I asked you so many times about your health..."

Geet nodded vehemently, her eyes fighting the fear that she'd somehow hurt her favorite Daadima, while her pouty lips claimed to prove her innocence.

"Kasam se Daadima..." This time around as Geet spoke, Daadima seemed suddenly attentive "It didn't occur to me until a few seconds ago that...you thought..." She paused, twisting her fingers and then faced Daadima "Maan did tell me when we were at Catalina, but it never occurred to me to clarify. Sorry Daadima"

"But when did you find out Daadima?" She asked, hurriedly not wanting to lose her opportunity to speak. The elder lady gave her a wizened smile and spoke, smoothing her daughter-in-law's hair. "Of course I had done a small miscalculation at my end initially, but I had figured it out long ago and you didn't seem to give up the pretense either"

"No...no pretense Daadima" Her voice lowered "I'm just obtuse I guess" She was indeed disappointed that she hadn't paid attention another time...just like she hadn't read Dev.

"I'm sure your husband knew it the entire time beta...He's too smart to dismiss my asking about your health as mere coincidence" Daadima pointed out.

"Perhaps...but we never spoke about it again" She looked sullen.

"Then" Daadima drawled as she got up and approached the door in tip-toe "I guess I was twisting the wrong ear"

"Argh! Daadima" Maan yelped as Daadima yanked him in by his ear. Geet giggled. "Sorry Daadima" Maan, hugged Daadima and the pair shifted to sit on the bed.

"I can't believe you made up all those reasons to make me come out with the truth" Geet was still unsure as she continued "You really scared Meera there"

"I didn't make up anything and neither were those meant for you" Daadima explained.

Not having been present during the initial confrontation, Maan was about to ask more on the background of that statement, when Geet panicked.

"You don't mean...Daadima...the puking..." Her eyes blinked with realization. She got to her feet too quickly and she thought the abrupt movement made her head oozy. It was sheer joy that made her light headed, she realized and her face portrayed a difficult combination of anger and happiness. Earlier, amidst the tensing situation, she'd missed that Naini had acted a bit different when she'd come back from Catalina. Nevertheless the significance of the changes in her sister-in-law wasn't lost on her now.

"Naini?" Geet sounded contemplative and Daadima nodded with a snort. Maan's eyes widened and it didn't taking him long to put the 'puking' and his wife's betrayed exclamation of his sister's name together. He wanted to run and hug his baby sister that instant, but the setting in which he'd hear the news, didn't allow him to. He was going to be an uncle soon and just like that the resolve to teach her a lesson faded one shade lighter. He managed a fake indignation in the pure spirits to support his wife.

"That girl thinks she can tie a blindfold across everyone's eyes'" Daadima touched Maan's hands, resting on the bed and met his eyes.

"I wonder why she wouldn't get back with Rishabh when she wants to carry his child" Daadima shook her head, closing her eyes and appeared resigned over the matter.

Maan and Geet exchanged glances and gave bemused smiles at each other. For once, their Daadima hadn't been observant after all. Seconds later, Geet concluded she'd to hand it in to her sister-in-law who had fooled the master strategist of their family. Naini had always made certain to have her family members find her home alone both times she'd left with Rishabh. The flirting on the poker weekend were indeed for trained eyes and she'd made sure to come out only after Daadima had left for an afternoon nap. No wonder, even Daadima had a hard time controlling her as a teenager. It also strangely comforted her that she wasn't as blind as she imagined she was.

"Daadima there is something we want to tell you..." Maan said and started narrating the events from the previous night, with the unnecessary details withheld. As he drew closer to an end, Geet watched Daadima's shoulders slump as a lightness descended upon her and her face brighten with a matronly elation.

"Really?" Daadima asked still disbelieving the information Maan'd given her and tears filled her eyes "Naini has accepted Rishabh?'Finally my family is whole" Her tears turned into sobs as she added "Babaji! Thanks to you"

Maan held Daadima to soothe her, but gave up as he reckoned that it was only natural for her to feel emotional after having her years of yearning fulfilled.

"But we are not letting this go" Geet stomped her way to sit next to Daadima and sounded as determined to exact vengeance as a five year old. "Haina Maan?"

Maan laughed and shook his head "Your daughter-in-law wants her nanad's ears twisted. God help her"

The trio eventually compromised to go easy on Naini and Rishabh, albeit not too easy to entirely drop the opportunity - to tease them - altogether. Some dues had to be paid and the couple had their share they owed their loving family that desperately longed for the moment to hug and scream and celebrate the joyous occasion.

When they were done coming up with a plan to go about their attack, they heard movement in the hallway and Geet got up first to check the noise that drifted from the kitchen. She peeped and opening the door open to a crack, gestured the rest of them to follow her. To their not-so-much surprise, as they hid by the hallway turn, they found Naini stealthily scurrying to move the refrigerator contents. A white Corningware dish was recovered by her and it waged a tough fight against it being opened and then moments later, her index finger dipped into it making a wide swirl and thrust a brown something mixture into her mouth. She smacked her lips at what Geet guessed was tamarind chutney.

Geet tipped her head back to find Daadi's chin resting on her head and in turn Maan's on Daadima. She couldn't help a silent giggle as she they stole furtive glances of her struggling to decide if she should go with another mouthful. When they saw Naini finally give in and lick her finger after the second dollop with a sated smile, Geet lifted her hand to give her a mock-whack.

"Shh!" Daadima hushed her "So did you figure where all the Imli had gone?" She asked in a whisper and the three of them scattered before their Imli thief could catch a whiff of the news that she'd indeed been caught in the act.

I barely managed writing an update the same day as I opened a new thread. I doubt I can edit now. Will come back later. Hope you all like it. THANKS to all those who have been commenting and supporting me all through this journey.

Yay.first one to post...
Wonderful update
Now the fun begins...
Cant wait for next part

Wow!! Hasini...

aww.. that was so cute!!! loved the update!!

a very nice update...keep it up...do continue soon..😊

Congrats on the 5th thread, Hasini!!! 🥳

Coming to the update, it was super-fun! So Naini-Abhi's secret ain't a secret anymore...they know it all and I can't wait for all the 3 imps to put their plan into action. Glad Dadi's misunderstanding regarding Maan and Geet got cleared...but not before getting their ears twisted...LOL! All in all, a wonderful update! Do continue soon.

CNGRATZ On thread 5 darling!!!