Chandan Ka Palna II - Page 20

Ganges...

"hamey call karen aap Lakshmi hugged her tearing up

"Ma do din ke liye ja rahin hain Suman gently patted Lakshmi's back

Teeku was baffled why she would be missed so much.

Harshu and Rishu had taken Chandu and the other kids for ice cream and toys. There was no indoor arcades or big parks like Nehru Park or Deer Park like in Delhi

The front lawns of the house was over a acre and that's where the kids hung out when home from school

Teeku had a long face at not being able to see Chandu

Harit had insisted he would drive but Sita Ram had instructed the driver to take them anyway

The family's Honda CR-V had been tricked up to protect it during long road trips the family members had to frequently undertake around UP

Teeku had never in her life worn a salwar kameez for any road trip

This was the first of many firsts

Harit was dressed in jeans and grey something

Hew aited for her to get in and shut the door and waved, the sun was beginning to set, it would take them a good 6 hours, Sita Ram had instructed the driver to take 76 and go slow. Moradabad, Rampur and Bijnor were on the way

Harit had delayed his return from work to almost 5 PM, much to Sita Ram's annoyance. He was home at 2, had lunch taken a nap and yet no sign of the son

Harit had received a good dressing down when he had shown up.

"Akele nahi hain aap, saath mein Avantika hai, kitni laparwahi Sita Ram had grit his teeth

"I am really sorry Harit cringed

"Ab aur deri na Karen, niklen please

"Bahar ja rahe hain do din ke liye kyon data rahe hain aise Lakshmi was hugely upset

"Bahu hai saath mein, chhoti hain Sita Ram was baffled

"Koi baat nahi she gripped her husband's wrist to stop him from talking

The driver set out finally. Avantika pulled her phone out and browsed for an hour as Harit took a nap

When he woke up she promptly told him "Kitna sotey hain aap

He laughed hysterically

"Pehli shikayat? he wondered

"Nahi doosri... pehli to yeh ki aapne hamey birthday par socks dee she mumbled

"Us baat ka faisla to ho chuka hai? Nahi? he mumbled back

She looked away, out of her window and smiled, thankful he wasn't able to see her flushed face

"Dupatta sar par kyon hai? he enquired

"Humne pin lagayi hai she told him off, as his eyes danced with amusement

"Quite a chore huh? he whispered as she yanked her pins out

"Your Mom said I need to do something about it, since it keeps sliding off and since I am the youngest I need to keep it on pretty much always

"Ouch he muttered

"U should wear a cap too she told him

He laughed again

"I am not funny she said

"To me you are he said yawning and leaning back

There was enough room between the two that Chandu could have sat in that spot

"Phir se soyenge? she asked

"Ijaazat hai? he grinned

She didn't respond, turning away miffed

An hour went by

He asked her in a gruff sleep drugged voice

"Did u check on Chandu?

The name alone lit up her face as she turned towards him, in the dusky interior her eyes sparkled like fireflies

"Call karen? she begged

He looked at his watch, and checked his map app

"Agar who roye to? he said not looking at her

"Umm..

"Bhabhi se pooch lein pehle he suggested

She did, Alka Bhabhi informed her that the kids were watching Chhota Bheem. He hadn't watched that while in Delhi, only Caillou and Arthur. The preschool he was in was in the business of raising pretentious kids and the parents/guardians were advised to have them watch English shows so they can speak the language fluently

"Who Chhota Bheem movie dekh rahe hain she said aloud

"It's a TV show he informed

She looked at him like she didn't believe him

"U are kidding, he hasn't watched it?

She shook her head

"Umm.. its good he said quietly

It irked her that her lil 5 year old was slowly adjusting to life in Bareilly. He was actually not throwing a hissy fit. Oh how could that be?

Does he not know I am not home? The morning parantha tantrum, the many tantrums of the past couple weeks, the common theme being he wanted to get his own way no matter what

"Khaana kahan khayengi? he asked breaking into her head

She looked out the window. The towns were small crowded and quaint.

"Aap? she asked not looking at him directly

"Suman Bhabhi ne khaana diya hai, agar aapko bahar khaane ka man na ho he said respectfully

She wondered if he was truly obedient or if he ever rebelled

"Yahan kahin kuch khaas nahi hai. She said

"Aap khaane waali banen, aapke liye intezaam kar dete hain he said casually

"Aap khaate hain dhabon mein? she asked looking at him

"Kya sochtin hain aap hamare baare mein? he taunted through almost closed eyes,

She turned red

"This doesn't seem like

"A place a boring lawyer would eat? he finished for her

"Umm.. she almost choked on her spit

"Avantika

"I have a name Teeku kahen she was impudent

"Hum keh chuke hain who naam kisi 5 saal ke bache ka hai he argued

"Hamare ghar ja rahe hain she argued

"No Avantika he said firmly

"I feel like I am really old

"How old he goaded

"Too old for you she mumbled

"I love older women he muttered, stealthily, feeling the back of her bare arm (down from the butterfly sleeves of her gorgeous peach tussar kurta) with his fingertips.

She jumped turning around to find his fingers parked right next to her ribs.

Their gaze met in the dark confines of the car.

"Your name is beautiful! he told her gruffly and watched as color crawled all over her face

"Do u know what it means? he whispered not letting go of her eyes, his finger tips millimeters away from her arm, she could almost feel the energy

" Umm.. um.. I think It's the name of the queen of Ujjain, Avantikapuri. Its also the name of Ganges she whispered hoarsely.

"Oh really? he grinned thoughtfully

"And u hate your name? he jeered

Not when you say it, she thought, there was a way in which it rolled off his tongue that was hugely unsettling. In that lawyer like swagger