Making way...
"I might just go back " Sam whispered to R&B
The day after the Nandu showdown
He grunted dragging Nivi off the street
"MIL will either ruin my relationship with my husband, or with my child" she said glumly
"Only if u let her" he said cynically
"Main aur kya karoon? Bolo? Nandu hates her... I am afraid aaj woh Vandu ke ghar gaya, kal gaadi lekar kahin aur chala gaya to?" Sam said with a pained expression
They had heard of one of Chachu's grandkids running away from home with a band of 5 boys, discovered Ranthambore a week later
Ranjan had shared the deeply troubling story with Sam ashamed to share it with II
"Hes not going to do that" R&B scoffed
"This is what teens in our circle do, they snort drugs in the basement, or go wreck a car or make a girl pregnant" Sam said bitterly
R&B didnt say anything
"Tan ka patience is wearing thin, har baat baat karte hain to bus ladte hain. Jab bhi unke Mom ki baat karti hoon to kehte hain "mujhe baqsho""
"U cant expect the guy to throw her under the bus" R&B said
"Hes throwing ME " Sam said
"U shud ask Manny if she can stop by for a few weeks" he said
"Phir to pakka divorce hoyega, she cant stand Mom, she will let Nandu do as he pleases" Sam groaned
"Can he stay with Vandita?" he asked abruptly, hoping to find a path out of this bind
Sam froze
Nivi began to cry when R&B yanked her grip off a rental bike
"Enough" he whispered
"I feel bad abandoning u" "Shes quite the handful" Sam sighed
"So? No Vandita?" R&B asked
Sam sighed in response
II
had done laundry, fixed dinner, made the beds after the girls' afternoon nap and checked her work email. His partners were inviting him for a game of poker, all of them in fact
A French nanny would care for the kids upstairs, most partners lived in duplex apartments.
II had refused to go
When R&B came up she was in the shower...
She stepped out as he leaned on the sink, watching her towel herself, she was very cautious, not disrobing
The akwardness was huge now. She balked at any kind of intimacy
It was not nagging him... not just yet
It had been two weeks since the event and she had a good follow up, she was doing great according to the Doc, no permanent damage of any sort he promised
She applied lotion without removing her towel
He hit a lamp on the side accidentally knocking the shade, it bobbed like a kathak dancer.
He wouldnt mind drowning his sorrows in sex. It was better than beer... or food... it was like a good book to him
Infact he wanted nothing more than making love to her, not even a book... umm... yeah
"Changed ur mind yet abt poker?" he asked softly
"Dono ... rakshasiyon ke waja se tumhari partnership tootegi" she smiled weakly
"They all have been around kids or have kids" he said arguing
"Hamare bache daaku hain" she said
"Go for a game II" he said politely
"U shud go play, win me money for a trinket" she smiled
"What do u want?" he asked adoringly
"Kuch bhi nahi... kuch bhi..." she teared up softly
She stood in front of him, he folded his arms across his chest and exhaled
Straightening away from the sink, his head bent in grief
She stood exactly like he did, and wept
"Lets atleast go eat out?" he asked
"Maine khaana bana diya, Thai noodles" she smiled sniffling
The girls screamed in the master bedroom rolling over and wrestling
"Just tell ur friends slash partners, they shud all come to India" she smiled somberly
He paused by the doorway and turned around and nodded, she left him standing as he made way for her to go separate the girls
She went to heat dinner
Ranjan returned from his walk
II fed the girls in the master bedroom while Sam served the men and ate
She came in half way through
"Chalo, khaaa lo" she begged
"Let me feed them, Ive been munching on biscotti, and macaroons and fruit and truffle" II smiled
"Ek baat poochhoon?" Sam began
II paused, her heart thudding
"Hmm" she nodded
"Nandu mere lautne taq Vandu ke ghar reh sakta hai kya?" she asked pleadingly