Crossed and New Paths
Tuesday, she had stayed with him the entire evening, called Mahavir asnd asked him to fix his favorite Indian meal, which was paranthas
when he was in the shower, Ranjan was on the phone when she went tocheck on him about dinner, he did a phone gesture, she checked texts
"Betaji I am not sure how long my call may go on" he said
"Thats fine Dad, I will eat upstairs"
They ate in the terrace, though it was wram and muggy, not at all like Paris nights... the swamp coolers helped though.
She told him about the event Amma had signed her up for, and about how the 12th topper in Amma's school defied odds to achieve what she did
"U sound excited" he said lazily
"Its like I wrote the exam all over again"
And she shuddered, and giggled
"I never want to go back to those times" she chuckled "all u ever saw when u met a class mate was the feeling "OMG! she looks tired she studied all night?"
"OMG! her eyes are puffy, she nailed it then"
"U are competitive" he muttered softly
"Appa would force me to quit and take a break and go to Malai Mandir with Amma, or sing for an hour. But I wud always be scared
I enrolled in CPA half way through first year of college. After that Boards didnt seem like a horror any more" she laughed heartily
Mahavir poured out more beer "Do u want a bite of idlis?" she asked
He nodded and she spooned it into his mouth "U can say it"
"I love it?" he said with a half smile
"No I meant.. its not like Akka's" II said
"Ek aur paneer paratha lekar aate hain hum" Mahavir scampered off
"Appa will let us hang in the terrace until late at night only during summer.
We would hold our breath literally wondering when that day would be. Akka would talk in those giant
cordless phones (chuckle) while I would try to listen in, it was never with a boy" II said bored
"U always look for trouble dont u?" he asked curiously
"Umm... hamesha nahi... bus only every day" she smiled
Mahavir came up, R&B only took half of the new one, II helped him clean up and took everything down, brought up ice cream as she checked if Ranjan ate
R&B didnt care for sweets like she did, she ate hers and some of his.
"Lets go to bed" she ordered
She showered and changed into her night clothes washed up, he was in bed eyes closed by then
"Toongade da" she begged
"(I am)Sleepy" he whispered
He smiled without opening his eyes, she slid over him bent down and kissed
He moved under her gently she smiled and rested on his chest "Ab neend nahi aa rahi?" she chuckled
she kissed him again, and his breathing turned steady... she lay on his chest, his arms wrapped around hers snugly.
Stayed up all night, unable to sleep getting visions of his teary face every time she closed her eyes, she woke startled
Falling asleep closer to 3 or 4 AM
Wednesday Ranjan was gone, early again. She went to Rohini first, did not know R&B worked from his home office the whole day
She found him in the terrace at night when she returned.
She told Akka briefly when she went to pick up the batter on Tuesday
Enough but not every detail
Akka had told only Amma. Amma had texted her multiple times Wed to make sure R&B was OK
"they dont know he cried and they are so worried, what if I tell him?" she wondered
"Everything will be fine, he has his company, u have a job, FIL has his own business, u can all stay out of each others path" Amma said rationally
"Hmm" agreed II
"Because the paths crossed, u are now married to him" Amma reminded her
"We have to go through whats been written for us kanna, some go through pain in youth, some in their old age, some like Periappa, all their life
Last night he had a seizure after a long time" Amma was somber
"WHY DIDNT U TELL ME MA?" II was worried
"Vandita sonna ongathula prachanai nu, onakku edukku inda kashtam vera kudukkanum nu sollale" (Vandu told me abt ur problems, did want to bother u)
"Amma thats OK, I could have come over" II pleaded
"Think about him kanna, he has no awareness, he has not enjoyed anything a regular person would, atleast his health could have been good, even that is not. His whole life he has been this way" Amma choked up
"Neeyum Appavum, u have lost so much ma" II said
"We have gained so much too kanna, we have you two, jobs, family, home, paavam avar" (Periappa) Amma lamented
Amma tried to put things in perspective for her
"If we hadnt cared for him, WHO would, Appa's brothers dont care, 20 years ago after Appa's parents died where would we have sent him, there were no nursing homes for mentally ill" Amma reminded
"I feel bad for my FIL ma, there is everyone, yet nobody for him"
"Mannikanum, ille marakkanum kanna rendum pannale na life kutti chavar" (one should forgive or forget or both otherwise life is destroyed) He didnt get either from ur husband"
She gently told Amma how he cried last night
"Chinna vayasu, he shouldnt be carrying around so much grief u know" (so young) Amma was extremely pained
II felt her throat and face hurt as she tried to hold back emotions "Hmm"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday 29th evening, she returned from work early, he wasnt home, when he returned at 6 ish
Manya was expected to return tonight.
He seemed to look and feel better, he read a book on the swing when she finished making her chai and took it up
"U have poker?" she asked
"Mihir's" "He wants us to go over, EVERYONE" (Ranjan and Sam's FIL)
"Manny aur Vik bhi?"
"And u" he said
"No... I will go to Sam's" she smiled
"U gave urself the day off?" she teased
He smiled, reaching for her, she sat by him he didnt want any chai, she drank hers
"Pretty much" he chuckled
He was quiet, she leaned on him and pressed her feet to kick the swing to go faster..
"I have three weeks to wind up" he said softly
AYYOYO. "Hmm" she nodded as if she understood
"I am thinking of (US) returning to Paris" he said DIRECT, UPFRONT, NO NONSENSE
She froze and paled, straightening up, held the swing still looked at him in shock😭
"Returning????" 😲she whispered hoarsely
FOOL!! U KNEW THIS DAY WOULD COME WHEN U BLINDLY AGREED TO MARRY HIM
AND IT CAME
U KNEW IT ALL AND YET YOU DIDNT
WHAT AN IDIOT YOU ARE II
"I dont owe? own ? Excelsior anymore" he said the same for the first time after a long time
In her panic and devastation she didnt hear clearly if he said owe? or own
YOU OWN ME
YOU OWE ME
SERIOUSLY!!
IS THIS HAPPENING?
IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?
"I cant work from the home office for the rest of my career" he said softly
"Aur main?' she asked trembling, smarting as he reached for her
Getting off the swing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amma put away press wala clothes in Appa and her Godrejs wordlessly, II had told him she was going to Sam's and had stopped by to tell Amma what just happened
"Amma I havent even been married three months" she said troubled
"Enakku puriyardu kanna" Amma said kindly (I understand u love)
"I was OK with him selling, not doing Excelsior work, but this?"
"How can I go to Paris?" she asked, unawares.
"Ennikki avan vandaano(the day he entered the house to ask for her hand in marriage)
I knew this day was coming" Appa thundered, walking in, picking up his veshti edge FURIOUSLY
"First Appana vendaam solluvaan apram velai pidikale, apram oora pidikale, apram pondaati pidikale apram maire aacha nu kalambittana?"
(First he doesnt like his Dad, then he doesnt like the job his Dad does, then he doesnt like Delhi, then he doesnt like his wife, then he leaves)
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