OS Series - Vignettes - 9. Fruity matters - Page 2

Hello all!

Something light to make up for the heavy emotions of the previous OS. And to make your weekend extra-sweet!

Enjoy! ...And do leave your comments, please!

A friday evening at Shantivan, the young folk were gathered by the poolside, the one next to the living area, before dinner. Nani, Mamaji and Mami having gone to a relative's house, they were having a rocking time waiting for the elders to come home for dinner.

The last to reach home, Arnav had just settled down with his usual coffee while his wife folded up his jacket and tie. Anjali and Akash were busy pointing out the different constellations to Payal when NK walked in, busy fiddling with his phone.

"NK Bhai, enough. You're always hung up on some game or the other. Come now, sit by me. And tell me, which star that one is", Anjali said, patting the seat next to her.

"No, Di. I'm not playing any game, this time. A friend had said that she would call me today, so I'm just waiting for her call."

"Ooh...girl! Which is that friend, NK Bhai, who you will call you at this late hour? It must be half-past-twelve in Australia, right?" Akash asked, smirking.

Giggling, Anjali was about to say something when NK's phone rang.

"You're my Honeybunch, Sugarplum

Happily picking up the phone, he answered the call and walked away, drawling in his Australian accent, totally oblivious to the reactions around him. It wasn't often that you heard such a ringtone on a 26 year-old, self-professed hunk's phone!

Anjali was staring at his retreating back open-mouthed, Payal was unsuccessfully trying to stop her giggles, Akash was just banging away on the hand of his chair, trying to control his breath. He looked up suddenly to see what Arnav's reaction was and fell back against the back-rest, roaring with laughter. Arnav Singh Raizada looked exactly like what he would have if he had been told that AR Group's share price had just plummetted - total disbelief and utter horror.

"Haye...what a cute song! Why did he have to answer it so quickly? I wanted to hear the full song...", four heads whipped around to stare at Khushi.

"Cute!" Arnav sputtered. One look at his expression set off the other three again.

"Haan...why, why are you all laughing?"

"Khushi, you think it is normal for a grown man...argh, leave it. I should've known this would be your reaction. You and NK, I think you both are in a competition to decide who's crazier!" Arnav muttered.

"Haun...Aap..." Khushi had just started off again when Anjali jumped in, "Uff, enough, you two. Leaping at eachother's throats at evey chance. Hey bhagwan, what kind of love is this!"

Catching Arnav's smirk and Khushi's blush, Payal smiled, "Arre Di, haven't you heard? First fight, then make-up."

Khushi's response was a screech, "Jiji!"

NK walked in at that point and sat down, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Akash Bhai, this feeling that you get after you have a cozy chat with lakdi, its just amazing!"

"NK Bhai, it's not lakdi! Anyway, leave it...you'll never learn", muttered Akash.

Arnav was about to ask him about his taste in ringtones when his wife beat him to it. "Nanheji, which song was that? It was so cute! Can you play it please..."

"Not a problem, Khushiji, listen..."

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Khushi exclaimed, "So cute! Was that a kid singing?"

"Haan, Khushiji. It's a famous song. A singer's daughter was putting her doll to sleep humming this, and her parents recorded it", Anjali replied.

"Di, what's a sugarplum?", Payal asked. Answering his wife's question, Akash took her hand, giving it a squeeze, "It is a kind of candy, made of dried-fruits. Why, what did you think, some kind of extra-sweet plum ?"

"I actually thought so, Jeejaji. We keep sweet pet names for loved ones, right? So I thought this must be something like that."

"Achcha...so, you have a pet name for Chotte...what fruit is he named after?" Anjali giggled, winking at Arnav.

"Unbelievable!", he muttered in response.

NK. who had been watching the comments fly as if it were a tennis-match, suddenly exclaimed, "Hey! If we were to be called by fruit-names, what fruits would we be? Di, which fruit am I?"

"Typical!" Arnav thought. "If there had been a fruit spreading madness, you would've been that", he said.

"Nannav.. mere bhai..shut up. You're useless in interesting discussions like this, total waste! Di, tell me quick!"

"NK Bhai, you would definitely be an apple, handsome and sweet", Anjali smiled at him fondly.

"Aww, thank you Di, and you are a strawberry, a real sweet, heart!", NK said, giving her a quick hug.

Arnav couldn't believe his ears! Seriously, what had his family come to? Discussing fruits...unbelievable!

Turning to Payal, NK continued his fruit-related personality assessment, "Payal Bhabhi, you would've been grapes, small, cute and sweet."

Laughing at his wife who looked as if she'd swallowed a grape-seed, Akash asked, "And I?"

"You're a pineapple, Akash. A little prickly on the outside, but very sweet inside!" Anjali said, poking him on his shoulder.

"And I?" Khushi piped up from where she'd been sitting on the floor beside her Arnavji. It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that she had been quiet for so long, just because she had been enjoying him softly stroking her head. Wisely, no one had commented, not wanting to make Arnav leave in a huff.

"Jalebi!" everyone answered at once.

"No! Not a sweet. I want to know which fruit I would be", she insisted.

Unable to help himself, Arnav murmured, "You're a mixed fruit jam. Sweetness of every kind mixed in..."

"Aww...Nannav, mera Bhai has become such a romantic, right, Di?'

"Yup." Anjali smirked. "So Khushiji, what about your Arnavji?"

As if she'd been thinking about this for a while, pat came the reply, "He's definitely a coconut!"

"What the! I'm a coconut?! Khushi, I'm sitting here, complimenting you, and you've made me a coconut? You didn't get any other fruit? Coconut!"

Hanging on to his arms from where she was sitting, his wife yelled, "Arre, let me complete!'

"Really, you want to tell me why I'm a coconut? Okay, bolo."

"What's a coconut like? How hard do you have to try to get inside? Such a tough skin on the outside and if you manage to get inside, a lot of prickly husk. If you still persist, you reach the almost impenetrable shell. If you still don't give up and try harder, you finally reach the soft center and the sweetest juice."

Not realising that everyone around had gone silent, she continued, " Now tell me, aren't you like that? How hard did I have to try to reach you? And until I had seen what's inside, would I have realised that the actual person...", she trailed off, seeing the intense look on her husbands face as he reached to cup her face, unable to keep himself from toucing his wife, who was the only person in the whole world who had had the courage, patience and love to try and break the barriers that had been around him for years.

Suddenly remembering that his family was around, Arnav pulled his hand back. Looking down, he spotted his wife grinning up at him mischieviously.

Giving her a warning look, he cleared his throat and asked nonchalantly, "Di, if you're done with your fruity discussion, please find out when Nani will reach back. I'm really hungry!"

Anjali was about to retort with a jibe at her pretending-to-be-not-a-romantic brother when the air rang with a loud call, "Hello-hai-bye-bye! Where is everyone? Not hungry? Anjali..."

Grateful to his Mami's interruption for the first time in his life, Arnav smirked at his sister, "Shall we go?"

Getting up, NK replied, "Nannav, mere Bhai, don't worry, we'll catch you later! Right, Akash Bhai, we won't rest till we break open this coconut!"

Laughing at his reddening brother, Akash replied, "NK Bhai, this coconut has long been lying open at Khushiji's feet."

The last of what was heard of the gang heading back into the house was a muttered "Unbelievable!" from Arnav Singh Raizada and a giggle from his irrepressible wife.

The idea popped into my head when I heard the Honey-Bunny song and remembered that a few years ago, the Honey-bunch song had been the reigning ringtone, much to the discomfort of a lot of boys.

The earlier OSs can be found here :