Tied & untied
“Its like I have my life back” Viveka said quietly sitting down with a stack of journals on her lap
“I heard he gifted you a nice case”
Viveka nodded shyly
A day before Lohri he had surprised her with a giant desk and chair and what looked like a real high end wood bookcase with glass doors, with a lock and key with a keyring that had a a pair of silver eye glasses
“Its in his music room, I am sorting through this pile to arrange it over there”
“He is very thoughtful” Smrita claimed a piece of her son just as he seemed like he was being swallowed into this intellectual girl’s world
“I agree”
“How are you feeling?”
“I am fine now”
“Is this the first time you took this pill?”
Boy! This is awkward… Viveka thought to herself
“Yes… umm”
Smrita wanted to probe more, she felt wicked doing it
“Sometimes your body does not even know a thing called birth control so it has to figure stuff out” she probed more
“I generally don’t like medications” Viveka silkily avoided the topic
“We both were thinking different things” Smrita kept at it
“Who?”
“Dad was thinking it’s a baby, I was worried I mean… you both are just starting out right?”
“Dad thought I am pregnant?”
“I mean you cant blame him, married and nauseous right? Hes a simpleton” Smrita spoke with amusement
“He is a kind funny man” Viveka found herself defending Satyen
“Oh yeah, I know” Smrita reminded her who he belonged to
“We sat on the floor and ate khichri and papad in the evening” Viveka laughed
“Oh?” Smrita had a look of how dare he do these person affection displaying activities with this girl
“He reminds me everytime how both houses are the same” Viveka smiled fondly
“Well hes always been like that” “In the initial years, he would make sure the help made the exact achar and namkeen my Mum made”
Viveka did not know of Smrita’s antecedents she just knew she dropped out of college to marry Satyen
She must really love him she realized
She would never do that herself for any man
She doubted Ranav would make such demands either
“Are your parents from Delhi?”
“Hmm… they are no longer alive, shaadi mein aate nahi to” Smrita smiled
“Oh I am so sorry”
“I was talking to your Dadi a lot, my Mum was feisty like that, my brother? Uve met my brother, Viren, he says I am like my Mum”
“How nice” (Dadi is a wicked witch! She thought)
“Yeah I am like her though I think she might be a hundred years older than me” Smrita quickly put the distance in age between them
I mean how can a 78 year old Dadi and a 55 year old Smrita be of the same generation
“I asked her if I can call her dadi she became very happy”
“Nice” Viveka nodded
“I couldn’t do birth control, and Parashar men are restless, (self consciously lowering her gaze) why do u think I had Raanav anD Rakshit so close together?
Viveka’s jaw dropped at that condor
“I just got my tubes tied after that” she began to laugh in her signature tinkling of wine glasses way
“Ah! Um”
“Its totally your choice I mean… these days I know young people have their own idea of freedom and happiness” she nodded
“I agree thanks”
“I would totally not interfere”
“Thanks”
“Dad will not either… I know he sounds silly when he says he wants to be surrounded by grandkids” Smrita tried to appear “cool”
“I get it… my grandparents are the same way”
SEE… you just said GRANDPARENTS, it should not be a requirement of the 2020s, it used to be a requirement in 1980s, or 1990s, so ancient”
“That’s OK he loves kids, or must love them”
“Choose your life beta, if you want to live free then go for it” she squeezed a confused Viveka’s hands
She had subtly conveyed her message that she did not expect ANY grandkids from this union
Smrita prayed the message was received as well
Raanav walked out rubbing his head with a towel and had to pull it down to see his Mum and Viveka chatting
“Are you OK?”
“Of course she is” Smrita hugged Viveka’s shoulders
Viveka turned red, Raanav’s lips twitched with amusement
“I was telling her about Parashar men” Smrita goaded her son
“Oh yeah? What about them?” he bend down and picked up a glossy econ magazine from the table flipping through it
“I was teaching her to be strong and independent and cower to pressure”
“Ha” he turned to look at his wife
“Shut up shut up don’t say anything” her eyes begged him
“I didn’t know she needed any kind of support”
“Gawd! You cannot be quiet can you?” Viveka’s gaze accused
“Umm.. I know she is smart, but I am wise”
“You are admitting wisdom?” he laughed (u actually said u are old?)
“I have to tell you to ignore Parashar men when they are obnoxious” Smrita got up in a huff
“Are they here?” he urged his mother to leave
“they are, but family is important” Smrita has to score her points right?
She bend down to kiss Viveka, “See u out in a few”
When she left Raanav sat by her
“Why do u have to mock her?”
“I wasn’t actually”
“U were” she got up
“What did she say?”
“I should choose… I don’t have to have kids if I don’t want to, I can get my tubes tied right away” Viveka spoke with enormous calmness
:”Well you WONT” he barked
“
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