Finding & Gloating
Viveka returned to a Ma who felt much better, the doctor had suggested ECG and other heart stress tests since her dizzy spells were becoming more frequent
Naina was “in charge” of mother now
She took care of Ma’s needs and went to bat for Ma telling Papa Ma needed a full time cook
Akash had suggested it many times along the years
Anu had dismissed it saying “If the girls are going to be career women they need to know how to fill their bellies first”
The girls were usually in charge of dinner
The last 1.5 or so those rules had some how dissolved and Ma was cooking more frequently, the cooks the family had employed over time had just not come up to speed with the intense demands and the flurry of frequent relatives and guests and friends
Viveka was busy with her PhD applications, Naina was designing 3 houses at one point, one was a floor of a large kothi in Maharani Bagh
Ma had two additional new hires on her team who were eventually rotated out to other teams so she had two people to pick up some of her slack
Diya was taking two extra electives
Karuna was dealing with a broken right elbow after the Metro door almost closed on her arm, she pulled back and it had struck a steel handle bar
Naina had interviewed 4 girls and was on her 5th
Papa was impressed with how Naina had handled the whole thing
Naina had a strict beauty regimen for her hair her skin her cuticles and down to her cracked heels
She did it all while taking care of Ma
Papa was overjoyed to see Viveka, Ma’s reaction was muted or Viveka felt it was
“When are you getting your test results?”
Viveka made Ma Papa’s bed with new clean sheets
“In a week
“U need to slow down and do fewer hours”
We have a maid for everything other than cooking, who bhi chhod doon?” Ma laughed
“I did not say that”
“U are married Naina is busy Diya has to prepare for finals so does Karuna, Diya fall mein Bangalore ja rahi hai,”
“Diya does eat a lot” Viveka laughed
“Mazaak nahi”
“Naina is OK?” Viveka tried to act like she was stretching out the creases
“Oh yeah… she has been by my side.. every minute of the day
“That’s nice”
Viveka felt a pang of irritation
SHE was the one that was”there for everyone” “Did everything”
She was the oldest
Naina was supposed to be this flaky self absorbed falling in and out of love person
“Kitchen bhi rearrange kar diya dekha”
“DID U SEE” “Its like I have a new kitchen”
Naina had created a butler’s pantry of sort in the annexe of kitchen that served as a empty “Chalo yaha Dadi ke puraane solid rosewood and teakwood almirahs mein saara ghar ka garbage bhar dete hain”
She had moved stuff around, bought a nice table and put all the appliances over there. Showcased the nice wood almirahs in the living room, taking the doors off one to make it open, and arranging curios in it, and attached the freed up doors on both sides of the front door
“she is so talented” Viveka sighed
“Papa keh rahe hain she should start her own firm”
“I agree” Viveka sat on the bed and tied her hair
Raanav had talked her into getting short hair
She looked lovely but no one at home had noticed except Papa
Ma looked up from her laptop
She had taken the rest of the week off
Today was Wednesday
She made really great breakfast too” Viveka mumbled
She had taken Viveka’s banana bread recipe and had tricked it up
And she had made a oatmeal crumble of some sort
“Its like I have my old Naina back” Ma nodded with joy
Viveka went to find Papa, he was researching cars
“Kya hua?” she sat down
“I am thinking I can get Ma another Corolla or something with a driver
“laayiye” “Let me look” she leaned on him as father and daughter talked about torgue emissions and combustion and axles for the next two hours
She slept on the divan
Naina had fixed lunch when she sat up at 6, her and Ma were off to see a “garden oasis” of sort Naina’s horticulturalist friend Kopal had created in a home near Sujan Singh Park
“Metro mein gaye dono? Viveka asked Diya
“I don’t think so, Naina Di was going to take Ma to some spa after”
“RAAT KO?” Viveka was curious
“I DON’T KNOW Di” Diya rolled her eyes and went back on her phone
Viveka went to find Papa, he wasn’t home either… Naina had rearranged Diya Karu’s room as well
Diya explained breathlessly where/how everything was so easy to find now
Viveka loved Naina
But I mean C’mon
Naina caused ruckus not too long ago, does no one remember now?
Naina is so selfish too
She checked her phone
There was a call from Raanav
Her heart skipped a beat
Its like within the confines of the Rohini house he did not exist… in her mind or thought… or body
“My hair is so short I cant even tie it” she growled as soon as he answered
“Good evening?”
“Hmm”
“Hmm what?”
“Nothing”
“how is your Mum?”
“Good I guess… she is not home”
“Where is she? Did she go on a biz trip?” he was surprised
“Umm.. no… I would have told you 18 hours ago when I landed” she laughed
“then?”
“she went out with Naina”
“Greatt!” he sounded happy
“She had many dizzy spells… why would Ma go out in the Feb wind?”
“Umm.. she felt OK maybe?” (His tine was of why are u complaining to me?”)
“Naina is so opinionated she doesn’t listen to anyone”
“Um..”
“I find that She has changed the house” “Moved everything around”
“Ah” (his tone was of bewilderment)
Viveka realized she need not have returned….
Her husband was not detecting her despair
Or he was but was not encouraging that thought
“Umm.. did u have a good day?”
“I am in Norway”
“Kab gaye?”
“6 hours ago”
“Hmm”
“Vi?”
“Kuch nahi…. Is Inder still upset?”
Her petty mind wanted him to have caused trouble
“Do u really want me to answer that?”
“Umm.. OK fine”
“I have ur other earring”
He had “caused” yet another earring to be lost in bed
“U have a fetish dude…”
He laughed
“I should not even bother I should show up with nothing and that would save u the trouble of finding and gloating”
“That sounds amazing” he laughed under his breath
Imagining a n-de Viveka
His voice his tone and his mere verbal ero---cism sent her heart soaring
She sighed deeply
Maybe hes OK… Parashar kid is mine… yeah
yeah he still cares for me... see he is someone that still seeks me out
she decided childishly feeling unreasonable jealousy clawing at her insides
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
