Sparkle in a Speck - Page 48

The actor being full of himself is not a surprise generally but this guy had seemed so grounded. But guess not.

This guy is only looking for one thing. He has no interest in her as a person at all. This is a no go.

She was gone and Indy was gone. Does he want her to win the contest? He could have had the upper hand now but didn't go for it.

The moment they are back in each other's vicinity, the fireworks go off again. Such is their chemistry.

Does he really know the date was a bust? Has he guessed somehow? Maybe he can read her enough.

Omission & Truth

He didn’t ask her how her groom hunting went. She didn’t want to tell him. What if he thought she wasn’t good looking enough hence got rejected by a TV actor

She scrolled through Nakul M’s page at night, he looked great and always posed in every pic. She wondered how her jodi would have looked

“Not real” came to mind immediately

“So what? She argued with herself, I can totally live like a wealthy suburban Mumbaikar

I don’t want to be in Pune forever, I want to travel I don’t want to worry about running out of money

She replaced her Polaroid pictures on the string with new ones, she also plugge din the dragon fly lights she had purchased while in Mumbai

Her room looked like some American teenager’s she thought to herself

“I either need to grow up, or loosen up” she muttered to herself

Ajji ambled into her room

“Tv people aren’t of good character” she sat on the bed, crouching, as she patted Punky’s hair

“I KNOW Ajji, I am not upset” she sat up giggling

“Young people these days are so easily heartbroken”

“Ajji stop watching so much local news, plus I am not a young person, I wll be 33 soon”

“YOU are young little girl” Ajji smiled

“You do know Aai would have never let you address me as baby right?”

“Well Aai is not here… so you are my baby”

“Ajji I feel I need to give this arranged marriage thinga pause”

“And do what? Yet another vacay?”

“No I am not saying that… I am saying I am not going to post any ads for myself not going to register anywhere” Punky felt a surge of self pity

She didn’t want to be single, she didn’t want to rotate from man to man, why was getting married so hard

“I will tell you something”

“No I have heard it”

“No you haven’t”

“Yes I have…. “Don’t tell the groom you have a Ajji and 2 siblings at home, when he is too far along in the relationship you can reveal the truth”

“I am not asking you to lie”

“You are asking me to omit”

“Its not a crime”

“Plus not everyone hates you guys, last year there was the two rishtas of families loving ALL of us, but the horoscopes didn’t match”

“You think that’s the truth?”

“You are suspicious and trying to be a detective” Punky giggled

“Are there male teachers?”

“Eww…. AJJEEE I don’t want to see any of my teachers that way”

“So what?”

“Plus I want to be rich, they are all neck deep in debt just like I am”

“Stop trying to give us to many luxuries bahuli/doll”

That’s great…” she laughed

“YOU go have a good time, when they grow up and make a living THEY WILL”

“WHO will take you out then?”

“Ive seen it all” Ajji rolled her eyes

“You are either going with me to my sasural or I am seeing you every day” Punky became emotional

Both women shed some tears and expressed how things might have been if the kids parents were around

Ajji turned the AC on and lay on the other side of Punky’s bed, there was two air conditioners at home, both ran all night between March and October, Ajji wouldn’t use it during the day unless it was May or June

“I will take up a job if we run out of money and cannot run the AC at night” Ajji declared

Punky laughed and laughed “I am thinking of getting two more, one for living room and one for the hall/kitchen”

“BAS… chalooo” Ajji yawned and closed her eyes

Indy texted her

“How should we reward the kid irrespective of how he scores?”

“Since you discovered he doesn’t hate you you want to capitalize on it?” she sent a smile

“Wouldn’t you?” he countered

“My bribes don’t work re” she complained

“Try it one me Pankaja”

“I will… when I have to get something out of you”

“I am bribe-able”

“Kya lete ho”

“Long showers, afternoon naps on weekends, going to a bar with good music”

“Aisa bribe tumhe kaun deta hai?”

“My vahini bribes me with permission to take longer showers or leave the house with kids so I can take naps”

“Wow… joint family huh?”

“You guys eat together?”

“Not much, my SIL and I get into fights”

“Brother se fight nei karte tum”

“Manas is a teddy bear”

“Suhasini is also” Punky argued

“You love her because she hates me”

“I can organically hate you… I don’t need her to devise a way”

He called her just so she can hear him laugh heartily

She got up and sprinted to the living room

“INDY” she warned

“Did you like the guy you went to meet?”

“No” she said coolly and truthfully suddenly becoming self confident

She doesn’t beat around the bush ❤️.

Good, it’s out in open.

She is not committed to anyone. Indy, try asking out again.

Nisha, agla kaab?

“Long showers, afternoon naps on weekends, going to a bar with good music”

“Aisa bribe tumhe kaun deta hai?”

After marriage you can give him these.

Or maybe his demands post that would be something else 😂.