Insecure
“Papa ki baat hui?” she soaped her hands in the airport rest room as she called her Ma in a soft voice
“Flight achhi rahi beta?”
“Hmm”
“Baat hui, he is a sane man, more sane than Naina even, he supports whatever decision Naina takes”
“What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know… jo kaha who bata rahi hoon” Anu was irritated
“Everyone is so vague on this. She says she doesn’t ever want to live with him but was completely OK in Papa meeting Satyenji”
“FIL hain tumhare”
“I said Jee at the end Ma” Veev’s turn to be upset
“We had to go meet no matter what Naina says”
“Why would Inder be quiet for so long and leak the pictures now?”
“Naina keh rahi hai usko Lohri mein jab bola tab who gussa ho gaya”
“Raanav and Naina chatted late at night I heard should I ask Raanav”
“Nahi bilqul nahi”
“Ma I will get to the apartment or whatever and call you”
“Nahi, tum zara apni life par dhyaan do”
“I am not doing charity I care” Viveka yelled
“Jaanti hoon, waha bhi mamla kuch sensitive hi hai Dad ne kaha”
“KYA?”
“Satyen ji told Papa he had to coerce you guys to take a vacation”
“Umm”
“Ek shaadi ka pata bhi nahi who shaayad tootegi, tumhari shaadi ka pata sabko hai please usko sambhalo”
“Now u are being dramatic”
“Raanav kaise hain baat karao”
“Haan ek second” she zipped up her vanity pouch and headed out
He was nowhere to be found, She hung up and started looking
no response to text or calls either she contemplated walking down to Customs and Immigration
after 15 or so minutes later she found him leaning on a glass wall his back to the tarmac with one foot up texting scrolling and talking on his phone
“Where did u go?”
“Just wandering” he gesticulated with his fingers
“I assumed you plotted to abandon me at London airport” she laughed joking about her insecurity
He was shocked she would think that
“Ma se baat karogey?”
He hung up on his call and grabbed her phone as she dialed
“I have to congratulate you for convincing her to go”
“With me you mean?” he laughed
“She wont tell you this but she would go anywhere with you” Anu spoke kindly
“I might actually test that out”
“You should”
“How are you?””
“I am well I am driving Dadu to his Doc appointment”
“Did u need anything from here”
“The palace would be good” Anu chuckled
“Got it” he handed the phone back to her
“Ma ghar chalkar baat karoongi”
He grabbed her hand when she tucked her phone in her flowing harem pants pocket
“Tum kis se baat kar rahe the?”
He smiled and responded after a pause “Dad”
“I sound like a wife I know”
He squeezed her hand
“Do u have to go to the University today?”
“Umm.. I am hoping”
“Oh”
“Are u tired?” he worried
“A bit but not too much”
“Its going to be frigid outside, did u pack a heavy jacket?”
“I doubt” she mumbled
They did not need parkas for Delhi winters
It February, Delhi was blazing hot during the day
A car waited for them of course
Thankfully no one bowed to her she realized
He turned and kissed her cheek slowly
“Kyon?”
“I always imagined I would do that” he growled in her ear
They looked into each others eyes and she lowered her gaze
“Tumne Ma ko poochha what do you want from London?” she asked with a smile
“I want this trip to be about us and for us, Viveka Mathur”
“Are you going to call me Viveka Mathur for ever?”
No don’t answer that she thought immediately
By using the word forever I am implying we will be with each other for ever
Don’t take it to mean as I am wanting that, or let me put it this way I want that but I don’t want to use some cheesy line to yank it out of you
“You like your Mathur lineage don’t you?” he muttered mischievously
“Dadi se baat ki tumne?” she asked curiously
“Not recently why?”
“Ma did not change her maiden name for a while, Dadi was very irritated. Shaayad Papa ko bhi bura laga”
She never really tattled on her father
“Ah”
“I think Ma has helped him learn to think differently, if Dadi had had her way Papa would be like her too”
“Its important for u right?” he turned to her
“Freedom?” she questioned
“Yeah”
“I think it comes from Ma… she wanted to give us some things we might have not gotten otherwise. Papa is semi progressive. I doubt Naina’s situation bothers Ma as much as it does Papa” she sighed and looked out
He didn’t answer
He didn’t want to go back to fighting about Naina
“I am not half as ambitious or successful as Ma” she said
“Why do you want to compare?” he was irritated
“It’s a fact right?”
“So do u also feel I am not half as successful as Dad?”
“Tumhari baat nahi ho rahi hai” she smiled
“That’s a yes?” he smiled
“You are more successful than I ever will be”
“All because IIT Kharagpur rejected your application?”
“Delhi School of Econ did too, so did BHU”
“What is BHU?”
“Benaras Hindu University, the fact that you don’t recognize it makes me feel better”
she chuckled
“What I feel matters to you then?”
“I need to learn when to shut up” her eyes twinkled “Its two months (since we married) hopefully in a few”
“I am just praying you wont” he spoke boldly
“Aur tum se har baat par haarti rahoon main?”
“I can live with that” he nodded
He was insecure about her, she was insecure about herself
Naina or no Naina this was something that they both need to work on
Cryptocurrency
Seher Hone Ko Hai
Tum Se Tum Tak
