Milind took two stairs at a time in his haste to reach home and let go of all his pent up feelings of the past weeks. He reached the front door and pressed the bell several times, eager to see his beloved wife. There was no response. He then banged at the door - still no response. He started getting alarmed. Why was Prachi not opening the door? Was she ill, has she fainted like she did on the Dahi Handi day? Panicking, he hurriedly searched for the duplicate key in his hip pocket and on finding it opened the door. He rushed in and found no one in either of the rooms. Has she gone to Manju's house? he wondered and was about to go to his neighbour's house when he noticed the notebook on the bed and the note under it flapping in the breeze. Pulling the note out, he read it curiously.
As he ran his eyes through the note, they widened in shock and despair. Dropping the note, he looked around and found his diary lying on the floor. Her sketches of him lay scattered around it. He knew then that due to his folly, he had lost the only woman he truly ever loved. He kept shunning her because he thought his love could not match up to hers, that he was not good enough for her. Now she has left him thinking that his heart is taken by another and hence he does not love her at all. Can he really blame her? When he himself could not see the truth staring at his face, the irrevocable truth that he loved her more than his own life, how could he expect her to understand him? The poor girl gave up her shyness and openly declared her feelings for him in public and how did he react? Like a coward, he ran away from the very same feelings he too had for her. She was desperately trying to save their relationship. She begged him to confide in her his worries, his confusion, his despair. It was he who was pig headed enough not to share his concerns with her. It was he who had thrust her in misery and disillusionment. He could not blame her for the conclusion she had arrived at after reading the diary. Anyone would have done the same, especially if they were subjected to the strange behaviour she was subjected to for three whole weeks. How pained she must have been to come to know of his past in this manner. He should have confided in her about his past love. He did not, because he felt it was a closed chapter; that it did not have a bearing on their present, but did it really not have a bearing? Was he not shying away from his feelings for her fearing that the past would repeat itself and his love for Prachi may weaken over time like his love for Ayesha did? Why could he not see the difference between the love he felt for Prachi and what he thought he felt for Ayesha? Why did it require some hard talking by Ayesha to disentangle his muddled thoughts and feelings? Why did he just not follow his heart which was crying out for Prachi all the time? His heart ached for the pain he had caused to the woman who had reposed complete faith in him.
He did not want to waste another minute. He needed to speak to her immediately; to explain to her how wrong he was in treating her with disdain; to tell her how much he loved her and wanted her back. Wiping his eyes which had brimmed over with tears, he took out his mobile and called Shah House. PL came on line and as soon as he identified himself, cheerfully enquired about how he was and how was Prachi. Shocked by her query he hurriedly mumbled that both of them were fine and assured her that he was merely making a courtesy call. As the whole implication of what that call meant sunk in, he felt that his entire world was caving in around him. Prachi was gone and he did not know where she was. He ran out of his house and not knowing where to look for her, he rushed to Ayesha's house. He banged at her door with all his force and called out her name. Ayesha who was getting ready to cook her dinner opened the door and seeing Milind she asked him teasingly, "So, did Prachi madam swoon after hearing her patidev's love confession?"
It is only then that she noticed that Milind's face was death pale. She looked at him with concern and asked him, "Milind, are you alright?"
"She's gone, Ayesha", he whispered. "She's gone, my Prachi has gone. She has left me." Holding the frame of the door, he slid down and broke down completely. He wept uncontrollably like a baby, "I can't live without her, Ayesha. I can't live without her."
"Let's go now," he said with a sense of urgency. "Let's go and get back Prachi from there."
"But Milind I do not know where Sneha lives."
Milind was crest fallen. Trying to find a solution to their problem, Ayesha suddenly snapped her fingers. "Wait, I know of a way to get her address. Prachi must have written down her phone number in the telephone book in Shah House. I'll get PL aunty to give the number to me."
Milind looked concerned. "Ayesha, if Ma comes to know that her daughter is missing she will be worried."
"Don't worry. I will not let her know that Prachi is missing. Just give me your cell," she said.
Milind passed on his cell to her. She dialled Shah House and asked for PL. When she got her on the line she told her that she needed Sneha's telephone number as she wanted to invite her for Prachi's surprise birthday party. As Prachi is not supposed to know about the party, she cannot ask her. So she was asking her mother instead. PL bought her flimsy story because Ayesha does come up with some of the weirdest of ideas to celebrate people's birthdays. She searched the number in the telephone book and gave it to her. Armed with the number, Ayesha immediately called up Sneha's house. Identifying herself as Prachi's best friend to Sneha, she asked her if Prachi was there. Sneha was initially reluctant to admit that she was, but Ayesha could make out from the hesitancy in her voice that she was lying. Ayesha then explained to her that there was a small misunderstanding between Milind and Prachi which her husband wanted to clear up with her. After a lot of pleading and cajoling, Sneha agreed to let Milind meet Prachi. Ayesha asked her not to let Prachi know that he was coming and Sneha agreed to keep it a secret. Ayesha then took down her address and handed it to Milind.
"Milind I think you need to meet Prachi alone. She must be too raw and hurting right now. If she sees us together, it will only aggravate matters. "
Milind agreed with her and bidding her goodnight, he set off on his bike to bring his beloved back home where she belongs.
Why has she been singled out for the choicest of treatment by destiny she wondered. All the men in her life seemed to have abandoned her when she needed them the most. Her childhood friend whom she trusted with the smallest of details of her life did not trust her enough to confide in her his love life, thereby letting her weave dreams around him which were shattered before they were realised. Her father who had always been her emotional anchor was not strong enough to bear the disappointment of her broken engagement and left her for the heavenly abode even before she could bid him a proper adieu. Her brother, her own flesh and blood, used her as a pawn for furthering his own ambitions. Her husband, from whom she never expected anything in the beginning, gave her a ray of hope through his actions, only to snatch it away before it fructified into something more meaningful. She felt cheated; she felt betrayed; she felt lost. Her life, which appeared to have achieved some purpose after she started bonding with Milind, seemed to suddenly turn rudderless again.
When she left Milind's place that night she was still in a state of shock to register what had befallen her. All she knew was that she needed to get out of that place as soon as possible as she felt too suffocated. She did not want to go back to Shah House lest she worries her mother who already had her share of troubles, what with a son like Alaap. If she comes to know that her daughter's life was in shambles, she would have been too heartbroken. It is then that she remembered her childhood friend, Sneha. As she took the local train to Malad where she lived, the entire evening's events started slowly seeping in. Strangely she felt no anger or bitterness against either Milind or Ayesha, only a huge sense of disappointment at not being taken into confidence. She felt betrayed by their secrecy.
She did not blame them for loving each other. After all it is not a crime to love but why did they not tell her about it? Ayesha was her closest friend. She had been with her through her most trying and turbulent times and understood her like none other. Then why did she not tell her that she was in love with Milind when her marriage was fixed up with him? She would have definitely brought them together even it meant marrying any creep Alaap would have chosen for her in return for his marrying Sukriti. Ayesha had been through a lot of pain since childhood and deserved happiness and she would have ensured she got it. Moreover, she knew nothing of Milind back then and would not have missed him but now that she has fallen so hopelessly in love with him, leaving him was tearing her apart from within.
Her heart cried out in agony at losing the only man she loved romantically. When she lost Neev she felt more betrayed than hurt. The fact that she mistook friendship for love hit her only after she lost him because she did not feel the pangs of a ditched lover but that of a ditched friend. Losing Milind, though, was like losing her heart, for within the short time she had known him she had accepted him fully into her heart. He was her world. Losing him was like losing her breath, the reason why she felt suffocated and breathless at the sight of him with Ayesha but she had willed herself to give him up because at the end of it all his happiness meant more to her than her own.
Meanwhile in Sneha's apartment
Prachi had reached Sneha's house at around 8.30 p.m. While Sneha was elated to see her long time friend, she quickly realised that something was amiss seeing her friend's face. Despite Prachi's best efforts to hide her tears, the melancholy look in her eyes was unmistakable and Sneha's heart went out to her friend. She gently enquired if something was wrong but Prachi merely told her that she was having some marital problems and wanted to stay with her for a couple of days till she finds an alternate accommodation to move into. Seeing that she did not want to discuss her problems with her, Sneha did not prod her but told her she can stay with her as long as she wants. Moreover, her husband was away attending a Medical Conference in Geneva and will not be back till the weekend. After she showed her the guest room, Sneha offered to serve dinner but Prachi wanted go up to the terrace to get some fresh air. While waiting for her, Sneha had received the call from Ayesha. Although she was initially reluctant to admit Prachi's presence in her house, she also knew that unless the newly-weds communicate they cannot sort out any issues between themselves. As Milind's visit can help solve whatever problems they were having, she invited him over.
Milind was there at her doorstep at around 9.00 pm. Sneha was surprised that he had reached there so soon but then could understand his urgency from his eyes which constantly kept searching for his wife even while he was introducing himself to her. Sneha did not want to make him wait longer. So after the preliminary introduction she took him to the terrace and switching on the light, left the husband and wife alone to sort out their issues in private.
Disturbed from her troubled thoughts by the sudden brightness, Prachi turned towards the light and saw Milind standing at the entrance to the terrace. Her heart skipped a beat to see the person she was thinking of at that very moment. Soon the excitement of seeing the man she loved so dearly was clouded by the heart wrenching pain of having lost him and she turned her back to him. Milind was quick to notice the change in her expression and was equally pained at having caused it in the first place. He slowly walked up to her. She got up from the swing and went to the far corner of the terrace. Not wanting to intrude into her private space, Milind stood two feet away from her and poured his heart out.
"Prachi I know you are angry with me right now. You have every right to be. I have no right to be standing in front of you after all that I had subjected you through in the past weeks. You had been nothing but loving and caring not only towards me but also towards my family. If it had not been for you, my Baba would now not be on the road to recovery."
At the mention of Baba, Prachi turned around and raised her palm to stop him, "Milind, you need not feel obliged to me for what I had done for your Baba. I was a fool not to realise that your change in attitude towards me was because you felt grateful to me for taking care of your Baba and not because you had developed feelings for me. It was my mistake to have misunderstood you and built my dreams around you. Ever since I revealed my love, you were doing your best to push me away. Only I did not take the cue. I did not realise that you can't love me, now or ever."
Milind was shocked to hear this. Did she think that he merely felt gratitude towards her? "Prachi, who said I can't love you?" he asked her quietly.
"You did" she said, more as a statement rather than as an accusation. "I heard you tell Ayesha you can't love me. I can understand it Milind, you can't love me because you can't forget your love for Ayesha."
Milind was completely shaken by now. Prachi had heard him? Was she there when he confessed to Ayesha his problem? How much had she heard? Not much, from what she was saying now, he thought ruefully. He could well appreciate her pain. It was one thing to read his diary and quite another to also hear him admit to his ex-lover that he can't love his wife. How much she must have hurt hearing those thoughtless words. He wanted to hit himself for causing her so much anguish.
"Prachi, I am so sorry you heard those words but they did not mean what you think they do. I thought I can't love you enough, as much as you deserve. I thought my love was inadequate in front of your supreme love and sacrifice. It is not that I have not forgotten my love for Ayesha, Prachi, but that I have forgotten it and that too in one month. I was scared that if I can forget a ten-year love in a month, what sort of commitment I can bring to my love for you. I was scared that I may end up hurting you more by giving you hope. That is why I tried to push you away from me, Prachi, I tried to make you dislike me but I couldn't stop loving you, I couldn't give you up. You are my world, Prachi. Without you I am nothing," he said, his voice betraying his pain.
Prachi looked into his eyes and saw the truth in his words. She could see his desperate longing for her; his remorse for having hurt her and most of all his deep love for her.
By now Milind was reduced to tears. He started pleading with her "Prachi, please give me a second chance to prove my love, to wipe out the pain I've caused, to......" Before he could continue Prachi reached up and putting her arms around his neck, she dragged his face to her and sealed his lips with hers. Milind was too stunned by the suddenness of her act but he let himself drown in her kiss.
(5)
Moments later Prachi broke free realising what she had done quite impulsively to stop Milind from rambling away. She bent her head down, unable to meet his gaze. Lifting her chin up with his finger, Milind couldn't resist teasing her, "Now, THAT was unexpected." Prachi's blush deepened and she tried to move away. Milind dragged her back into his arms when Prachi suddenly realised there was something still not resolved yet. Pushing herself back, she looked into Milind's eyes and asked him with concern as to how Ayesha was taking all this. It is then that Milind realised he had not explained to her what had transpired between him and Ayesha in her house. He guided her to the swing and once they were seated, he narrated the entire chain of events of that evening starting from Ayesha waylaying him and questioning him about his behaviour towards Prachi to her making him see what he failed to see. He also told her what she had said about their own relationship and how it was bound to fail given their temperaments. Prachi looked a little sceptical but looking back, she found no instance when Ayesha displayed even a shadow of remorse at their relationship breaking up. Was she such a good actress or was it that love for Milind was as much a mirage to her as it was to him? One thing she knew from her own experience, the length of time of knowing a person is no guarantee that your love for that person would be deeper. She knew Neev since childhood and yet what she thought as love was not love after all. Milind and she agreed that it was their joint duty to ensure that Ayesha finds true love soon and decided to do their part in helping her do so. Milind then held her hand and said in a serious tone, "Prachi, there is something I want to tell you." Prachi looked at him curiously.
"I don't want you to get this wrong. Our marriage did not take place under the most ideal conditions. I married you for the sake of ensuring and preserving my sister's happiness. So atleast there was something in it for me from the start. It is a huge bonus that I ended up getting the most precious woman on the face of this earth. But this marriage has not been a fair deal to you. You did not get anything but hardship by marrying me. You had to give up a lot of comfort for my sake. In the initial weeks of marriage you also had to put up with my temper tantrums and taunts. I even came home drunk one day and took out on you my anger against your brother. In all your goodness you did not utter a word against any of it. On the contrary you not only took good care of me but also my baba. At the beginning of our marriage I mocked you as 'Your highness' but in truth you are my queen and I want to treat you as one. Although I want to give you everything, at present I am unable to. I want to make myself worthy of you before I make you mine."
"I have everything I want, Milind", assured Prachi. "I have you and there is nothing more that I need. It is not what a man has that counts but what he is. I could have never hoped to have got a better husband than you. I admire your righteousness, your independence, your love and care for your family, your sense of duty and diligence, your sense of humour, your principles, your... "
"Bas, bas, bas..Prachi. I am merely a human being, not a demi-god. Please don't put me on such a high pedestal. I know that you value human relationships more than any material things. That only goes to show the goodness of your heart but I do have some ambitions in life. I want to achieve them. I want to be my own man and not merely an employee. In pursuit of my dream I had not taken up a job for a long time but as I have to run a home, I took up this job at the hotel. Someday I want to own a hotel. I am working hard towards achieving that dream by learning all there is to know about running a hotel business. I hope to achieve my dream soon. So until then can we postpone consummating our relationship? Believe me there is nothing more that I want than making you mine and becoming yours but I want it to be the celebration of the fulfilment of my dream."
Prachi gazed at her husband with new found respect. Here is a man who was willing to reign in his desires in order to achieve his dream and provide her with comfort. As she remained silent, Milind got nervous and fidgeted around.
"If you are not agreeable Prachi, we can become husband and wife in every sense of the word as soon as possible. I don't want to impose my views on you and deprive you of your conjugal rights."
Prachi smiled and shook her head, "No, from today, your dreams are my dreams. I will wait till you fulfil yours. I am sure you are going to achieve your dream pretty soon because you have the drive needed to achieve it. Until then we will just be lovers who immensely enjoy each other's company but do not take the final step to physical intimacy."
Milind was so happy that his wife understood him. He hugged her again and kissed her forehead.
They went down to meet Sneha and tell her that their misunderstandings have been resolved. Sneha was very happy to hear that her friend was back with her husband. She insisted that they have dinner with her before they left for their home. During dinner Sneha light heartedly mentioned to Milind that Prachi had some strong crushes in school. Milind was curious to know more. Despite Prachi jabbing her friend at the ribs to stop her from revealing her secrets, Sneha went ahead and spilt the beans. Prachi seemed to have had crushes on fictional, historical and mythological characters. Among the fictional characters, her strongest crush was on Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Among the historical characters she had a crush on Martin Luther King. Her favourite mythological character was Karna from Mahabharat.
"Now, that is quite a variety you have up there", joked Milind.
Prachi punched his shoulder and screwed Sneha's ears for revealing her crushes to her husband.
(6)
(This is the first month anniversary update of the FF.)"Don't worry, no broken bones yet," Milind drawled languidly, slowly opening his eyes to gaze at the most exquisite vision before him.
"Sorry, didn't mean to hurt you", she apologised and rubbed his chin across his soft beard.
Holding her head between his hands, he said. "No problems, honey. I am prepared to get hit by this pretty little head any number of times." He took her hands in his and continued, "Especially if I get massaged by these soft silky hands afterwards." He then lifted her palms up to his lips and gently kissed them.
Prachi dipped her head in shyness. Propping himself up on his elbow, he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "Do you know how beautiful you look when you blush?" he asked her. She gave him a shy smile, showing her dimples. "You are even more beautiful when you smile", he continued.
As they were finishing up their breakfast, Sneha's driver came with Prachi's suitcase. Taking the suitcase from him, she offered him tea and looked up to see the chawl kids. They had come to invite them for the stapana (installation) of the Ganesh idol. It is only then that they remembered it was Ganesh Chathurti that day. Prachi changed into her own clothes and they went down for the puja. The entire chawl had gathered there. A huge idol of Lord Ganesha was brought in and installed on the small stage erected for the purpose. As the people started disbursing after paying their obeisance to the God, Ayesha came up to greet them. While Milind reciprocated warmly, Prachi turned her face away from her, sulking. Ayesha held her hand and asked her what was the matter. Milind, sensing that the two girls needed to have a heart-to-heart talk, left them together and returned to his home. After he had left, Ayesha said quietly, "Prachi, I know you are angry with me."
"Why did you not tell me about Milind before we got married?"
"What good would it do?"
"I would have ensured that the two of you were united."
"What about Sukriti? Do you think that your brother would have married her if Milind had not married you and signed over the property to him?"
"I would have agreed to marry any guy Alaap would have chosen for me only if he marries Sukriti."
"You expect me to sit back and let my friend's life be ruined in this manner? Look Prachi, I was initially upset about losing Milind but when I realised I was losing him to you I was happy and relieved. I knew that Milind is one person I can trust my life with and you are as precious or maybe even more precious than my life, Prachi."
"Imagine, Prachi, what our lives would have been like if Milind and I had got together. We would have had a world war every day of the week. Both of us have a fiery temper, both of us are obstinate, both of us are too proud to give in easily. It would have been a recipe for disaster. Thankfully destiny intervened and averted a catastrophe by uniting Milind and you. Only you with your patience and care could have tamed the wild side of Milind and made him shine, Prachi. Only you could have brought out the best in him and you have. And Milind is so right for you, Prachi. You needed a strong, independent minded and loving man to guide you, to protect you, and to cherish you. Milind is just the man for you. He brings out the best in you." Ayesha spoke to her in all sincerity. Prachi felt a large burden of guilt lift off her shoulder.
Holding her hands, Prachi asked her what did she intend to do with her life?
"What is wrong with my life right now? What do I need to do? I have the most wonderful friends around me and a good job which gives me a decent salary. My mom's health is also improving. What more do I need?"
"But don't you need a life partner, Ayesha? How long do you intend to stay single?"
"What? Get married and give up all this freedom? Prachi, I don't think I am the marrying kind. I don't want to punish any guy for life. Let me enjoy my singledom."
Part XV
Nine days later
Prachi woke up in the morning to greet another day; only this was no ordinary day, but the day she was born. All her birthdays, except the last one when she was still mourning the loss of her father, were celebrated with great pomp and grandeur. Although Prachi herself did not attach too much importance to the day, she considered this particularly birthday special because it was her first birthday as Prachi Milind Mishra. She mouthed her full name and feeling really good about it, smiled at the sleeping form of her husband who had given her half of that name. She leant forward and traced his lips with her index finger, marvelling at their fullness and shapeliness. When she saw him stir, she quickly withdrew her finger. Milind opened his eyes and seeing his wife, smiled sweetly and wished her a good morning. She waited with baited breath for his birthday wish to follow, but it did not come. Hiding her disappointment she wished him back and went about her morning chores. While Milind had gone for his bath, his cell rang. Picking it up, Prachi realised it was PL calling to wish her on her birthday. She thanked her and said she will drop by later that morning to take her blessings. Just as she disconnected, Milind returned and enquired who was on the line. Prachi merely said that her mother had called and that she was going to meet her. Milind asked her to give her his regards and proceeded to get dressed. Soon he was screaming for his socks, his handkerchief and his watch. Prachi scurried and found the things he wanted. Taking them from her, he brusquely thanked her and got ready for work. As he was about to leave the house, Prachi hesitantly asked him if he was not forgetting something. At first he looked confused but then as realisation dawned, he smiled and leaned over to give her a light goodbye kiss on the cheek. He was gone before she could fully recover from the huge disappointment. 'He did not remember my birthday', she thought sadly.
She got dressed, and went to the temple before going to the Shah House. PL was glad to see her daughter. Prachi took her blessings and hugged her. PL kissed her daughter on the forehead and gifted her a set of diamond ear rings. Just then Sukriti had walked in and hugging her bhabhi, wished her a very happy birthday. She gifted her a beautiful Titan watch and said it was from both her husband and herself. She said Alaap wanted to wish her but had to leave early to attend an important business meeting. Prachi knew she was covering up for him but did not say anything. PL insisted that she stays back for lunch. Over lunch PL enquired how was Milind and asked what gift he had given her. Holding back her tears, Prachi conveyed his regards to her and said that he intended to surprise her that evening with his gift. PL expressed her satisfaction with her son-in-law.
After lunch Prachi made her regular visit to the nursing home to see Baba. Placing his limp hand on her head she sought his blessings. Although he was not conscious, she felt he was blessing her from whatever mental state he was in. She returned home that evening and was soon surrounded by the chawl kids who dragged her down. They pulled her hands towards the community hall which was adjoining the chawl. The welfare society of the chawl had built it and, for a nominal charge, the residents of the chawl conducted their functions there. The hall was decorated with balloons and streamers. A large banner with a happy birthday message hung on one wall. A table at the centre had a huge chocolate cake on it. As Prachi entered in, she was greeted with loud clapping. Prachi looked around to see nearly the entire chawl gathered there. PL, Sukriti and Sneha were there too. Prachi was very happy to see them all. Ayesha asked her when Milind was expected to come and was told that he comes home very late these days. Ayesha then said that they may not be able to wait for him as the children had school the next day. So they started the party. After the birthday song was sung and the cake was cut, refreshments and snacks were served. The children then sang and danced for their Prachi didi. Prachi was asked to sing too and she obliged. They had a few games like the 'dumb charades' and 'passing the parcel'. The party finally got over close to 8 o'clock. The children carried to her house all the gifts their Prachi didi received and wishing her good night, they left.
Prachi sat down on the wooden sofa, looking at the gifts and pondering over the happenings of the day. She had received birthday wishes from everyone who knew her except from the one person whose wishes mattered the most to her. Her eyes grew moist as she struggled hard to overcome her disappointment. Realising she had not prepared anything for dinner, she hurried to the kitchen to start cooking. Just then she heard the front door bell ring. Expecting to see a tired and worn out Milind, she was surprised to see a refreshed and excited Milind at the door step. Before she could recover from the shock, he proceeded to blindfold her with a large handkerchief and ignoring her protests, he whisked her in his arms and carried her out, banging their door shut on the way. Prachi kept asking him where he was taking her to but he would not utter a word. She could feel him carrying her up many flights of stairs. Soon they reached their destination. Milind gently let her down and removed the blindfold. Prachi looked around in curiosity and realised that they were on the terrace of the chawl building. The walls of the terrace were lit up by small diyas. On the water tank of the chawl was stuck a large banner which proclaimed "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DARLING WIFE" in big red letters. On one side of the terrace was a table on the centre of which was a small black forest cake. The table was set for dinner for two. Prachi clasped her hands in glee, looking around at the arrangements her husband had made without her knowledge. She rushed to her husband and hugged him tight.
"You remembered Milind, you remembered my birthday?!" she exclaimed.
"When did I forget, to remember it?" he asked her amusedly.
"You did not wish me in the morning. I thought you had forgotten."
Milind then knelt before her and with his hand crossed against his heart recited these lines which he himself had composed:
"I wasn't there to greet you into this world
I wasn't there for most part of your life;
But I'm here with you now, and will always be
Till the very end, my beloved wife."
When he finished, he took her hands in his and kissed them.
Prachi was surprised to see the poet in him.
"I did not know you wrote poetry!" she exclaimed.
Getting up, he said, "I don't normally write poems, Prachi, but you are a great source of inspiration."
He then explained to her why he waited till now to wish her. "Your family and friends have known you longer than I have. So I wanted them to have the opportunity to wish you first. But I want to have you exclusively to myself after that so that I can celebrate the closing hours of your birthday with you. Although I am a late entrant into your life, I am the one who will be with you now and forever."
He continued, "I kept everyone informed about my plan. That is why no one bothered you with too many questions about my whereabouts. I had returned from work while you were at the hall. After freshening up, I had come up here to make these arrangements. As I had already bought the dinner, I asked them to keep you busy till dinner time so that you would not have time to prepare anything. So, Mrs. Prachi Milind Mishra, how do you like my surprise?"
Prachi punched his chest in mock anger and said she loved her surprise.
"Wait, there is more", he said.
He then went to the music player plugged to one corner of the terrace and switched it on. The song below sung by George Benson played on it.
If I had to live my life without you near me
The days would all be empty
The nights would seem so long
With you I see forever.. oh so clearly
I might have been in love before
But it never felt this strong
Our dreams are young and we both know
They'll take us where we want to go
Hold me now
Touch me now
I don't want to live without you
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love
Nothings gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through but
Nothings gonna change my love for you
If the road ahead is not so easy
Our love will lead the way for us
Like a guiding star
I'll be there for you
If you should need me
You don't have to change a thing
I love you just the way you are
So come with me and share the view
I'll help you see forever too
Hold me now
Touch me now
I don't want to live without you
Nothings gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love
Nothings gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through but
Nothings gonna change my love for you
Nothings gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love
Looking at Prachi's surprised expression, Milind explained that Ayesha had told him this was her all time favourite love song. So he wanted to play it for her. Moreover, the song conveyed exactly what was in his heart. Then, holding her hands in his, he gently dragged her to him. He slipped one hand to her waist and gently swayed to the music. Prachi immediately fell in line and put one hand on his shoulder. They held each other and danced through the song.
At the end of it, Milind kissed her forehead and led her to the table. He extended the knife to her and after she cut the cake, he fed her a piece. As she bit the piece, he leaned forward and bit the part that was sticking out of her mouth, brushing his lips against hers as he did so. A tingling sensation ran through her body and she bent down her head. He gave her small gift wrapped box. On opening it, Prachi found a cell phone inside. He told her that now he can call her through the day and whisper sweet nothings. Prachi blushed and gave him another hug.
They then had their dinner in silence looking deep into each other's eyes. The light from the diyas flickered, enhancing the romantic ambience. After dinner they sat on the mat Milind had spread out and chatted for hours. Prachi told him that this was the best birthday she ever had. As their eyelids grew heavy, they stretched themselves on the mat and fell asleep in each other's arms under the sky lit by the near full moon and the stars. The diyas burnt themselves out as the night wore on.
(2)
As the sun's rays hit her eyes, Prachi opened them to find Milind still fast asleep. Realising they were sprawled on the terrace where they could be spotted by anyone coming up, she quickly got up and tried to shake Milind awake. Milind merely smiled in his sleep but did not budge an inch. Finally getting frustrated, she went up to the tap which was in one corner of the terrace and collecting some water in her palms, she walked up to him and trickled it on his eyes. Milind got up with a start and seeing Prachi stand over him with her hands on her hips, grimaced at her.
"Prachi... why did you break my beautiful dream? We were dancing to Kuch kuch hota hai like Shah Rukh and Kajol and you broke it before the song got over," he complained.
"Milind, if you don't wake up immediately, bahut kuch honae walla hai. We are in the middle of the terrace, not in our bedroom. Do you want us to become public spectacle?"
It is only then that Milind realised where they were. He hurriedly got up and rolled up the mat. Prachi ran to the water tank and tore up the banner on it. She then helped Milind to fold up the table and the chairs after putting away the plates and the dishes in the plastic cover which lay against the wall. As they carried their stuff down the stairs, they were met by Manju who was coming up with a bucket full of washed clothes which had to be dried in the clothes lines strung on the terrace. Seeing them with their paraphernalia she couldn't help pulling their legs.
"So Milind, how was the night under the sky?"she asked with a naughty smile.
Both Milind and Prachi turned a deep red and rushed down without a response.
"Hey, you forgot the diyas!" she called out and burst out laughing.
"I'll take them down later Manju Akka," Prachi shouted back.
Back home, Prachi spun like a top to ensure that her husband was not late for work. Finally, when Milind was ready to leave, he turned around and holding her head between his hands, he gave her a big smacking kiss on her lips and thanked her aloud for being such a wonderful wife. Prachi eyes widened in astonishment but soon her lips widened too in a disarming smile. Milind seeing it, held his hand to his chest to fake a heart-attack, making her giggle. He then promised to be back early for it was Ganesh Visarjan that day.
That evening, all the chawl residents gathered in front of the Ganesh idol. A puja was performed, as was done in the past nine days; only this was more elaborate as it was the final puja before bidding goodbye to Lord Ganesha. The women then sang the artis (songs of praise) and the procession with idol left the chawl with great fanfare. The chawl kids danced in front of the motorcade. The men and women followed it singing and clapping. En route they were joined by several other processions and they all headed towards the sea. The noise was deafening as loud speakers were blaring chants and songs. After walking for nearly two hours they finally reached Girgaum Chowpathy where there were hundreds of Ganesh idols waiting to be immersed. Milind and his chawl friends lifted the idol from the lorry and walked up to the beach. The women stood back as the men went into the waters to immerse the idol. Devotees bid their farewell to their favourite diety, promising to welcome him back into their homes the following year.
After the visarjan, Milind returned back to where the rest of the chawl crowd were standing and looked around for Prachi but could not find her. He asked Manju, Ayesha and the other ladies around but no one seemed to know where she had gone. Milind panicked and kept calling her name but it was difficult to be heard over and above the loud noise surrounding the place. Asking the rest of the chawl crowd to proceed home, Milind ran up and down the beach looking for Prachi. It was difficult to make his way through the thronging crowd. He pushed his way through the mass of people, frantically searching for his wife. As the minutes ticked by and he had still not found her, he broke into cold sweat. 'Where are you Prachi, tum kahaan ho?' he screamed. He then collapsed in a heap and started sobbing his heart out.
Suddenly he heard a group of people yelling that some lady who had been dragged by the waves had just been brought in by the fishermen. He immediately rushed to the spot and was shocked to the core to see an unconscious and wet Prachi being lowered on to the beach by two men. He jumped to her side and pulling her on to his lap, kept repeatedly tapping her cheeks. Seeing no reaction, he thumped her chest. She brought out some of the water she had swallowed but she was not breathing. He titled her head back, opened her mouth wide and, holding her nose, he gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Soon she sputtered more water and started breathing. As she slowly opened her eyes, he heaved a sigh of relief and quickly carried her to the nearest taxi. On reaching the chawl, he hurriedly paid the taxi walla and rushed to their house with Prachi in his arms. Manju and Ayesha were waiting outside looking worried. Seeing Prachi with him they were relieved and quickly opened the door. Although both of them wanted to know what had happened they realised this was not the right time to ask. Once inside, he hurriedly started removing the wet clothes from her body after pulling up the bedsheet to cover her up. Ayesha took out a dry nightie from the cupboard and handed it to Milind who deftly dressed his wife within a matter of seconds. Manju rubbed Prachi's feet vigourously to bring in some warmth. Milind then took a towel and rubbed dry Prachi's hair. In the meantime Ayesha made some hot black tea and asked Prachi to slowly sip it. After they made sure Prachi was fine, the two ladies left them.
Milind sat beside her on the bed and looked at Prachi wearily. Prachi's eyes filled up in tears and she said in a small voice.
"I am sorry, Milind". He did not respond. Instead he just stretched himself next to her and turned his back to her. He tried to sleep but visions of seeing her in that unconscious state kept flashing in his mind. What if she had drowned? How did she get to the sea? The women were all standing at a safe distance from the sea. Why did she go close to it? He knew this was not the right time to ask her these questions. She was still in a state of shock. He decided he will wait till the next day to find out more about that traumatic night.
Next morning, both Milind and Prachi woke up at about the same time. Before Milind could ask her anything, Prachi gave him an account of what had happened the previous night. As the men went into the sea to immerse the idols, Prachi stood by watching the colourful idols being taken in. As she had never witnessed a live visarjan before, she got excited and inadvertently strayed from her group in order to take a good look at the idols. She had unknowingly gone closer to the sea and was soon pushed by the pressing crowd from behind. Before she realised she had fallen into the sea and a wave dragged her in. Luckily some men standing close by shouted for help and had alerted the nearby fishermen who went in and dragged her out before she drowned. Milind was livid with anger.
"What was the need to leave Ayesha, Manju and the rest of the women? Did you think of my plight if something had happened to you? Do you know how terrified I was when I realised that you were missing and couldn't be located?" he yelled.
"I am sorry Milind. I did not mean to scare you," she said meekly, eyes brimming with tears.
"But, you did, didn't you?"He ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "When will you learn to be more responsible?" He got up abruptly and went about his morning routine, ignoring her for the rest of the morning.
She tried serving him his tea and breakfast but he refused both saying he did not feel hungry. After he was ready for work, he mumbled a goodbye under his breath and not bothering to look back at her, he left home.
Prachi was heartbroken. She sat down and wept bitterly. There is nothing more she wanted from life than his happiness but she had ended up making him miserable. She did not know how long she was crying when she heard her cell ring. Picking it up she heard Milind's voice.
"Prachi?"
She had trouble responding immediately as she could not find her voice.
"PRACHI?" his voice raised up in anxiety. "Are you alright?"
She whimpered that she was. After hours of crying she couldn't stop hiccupping.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Prachi. It's just that you are so precious to me, I just can't bear to lose you. Do you realise your value to me, Prachi? You are my life. Seeing you unconscious and breathless last night, my breath stopped. Please don't do this again. Please don't scare me again, Prachi. I cannot take it."
"I'm sorry, Milind it will not happen again."
"And please, Prachi. Please stop crying. Your tears pierce my heart. You know since morning I could not concentrate on my work, remembering your tear-stained face."
Prachi wiped her eyes and told him she has stopped crying.
"Have you had anything for breakfast?" he asked.
"No. How can I eat knowing you have not?" she asked him.
"Ok, baba. I am going down to the canteen right now and I'll have something. Will you promise me that you will eat something?"
"Yes, I will."
"I'm sorry, darling. I'll be late from work. You'll take good care of yourself till then, won't you? Remember, by taking care of yourself you are actually taking care of me."
"Don't worry, Milind. I will."
Before he disconnected he blew her a kiss bringing a smile to her face.
Three weeks later
The Sens were getting ready to leave the chawl that Saturday. The chawl residents had arranged a small farewell function for them the previous night. Milind, as the chawl welfare society's President, gave a speech recounting the contribution of the Sens to the chawl's well being in the past fifteen years. Arnab, their son was like his younger brother he said. Having gone through a similar situation, he could well understand his frustration at not getting a job of his liking and his decision to wait till he gets one, although his parents were unhappy that he was unemployed. His patience had paid off since he has landed himself a good job in Oman and was all set to leave the next day. Mr. Argya Sen and Mrs.Anindita Sen had wanted to get back to their ancestral house in Kolkatta, as their only son was leaving. They were taking the train the next evening. Mrs. Sen then came up to give her little speech. She had tears in her eyes as she thanked each one of them for being such wonderful neighbours and helping them out whenever needed. When she had first come to Mumbai she did not know a soul in the city but now she is leaving the city with the knowledge that she has atleast nineteen families whom she can call as her relatives. She said that she was taking with her sweet memories of chawl life in Mumbai. On the next day, a truck came in to cart the Sens' furniture and other household effects to Kolkatta. The Sens finally bid a tearful goodbye that evening to all the residents.
That Sunday Prachi got up at 7.00 a.m. to find Milind fresh from a bath, pouring through the Sunday Times. He had already prepared the tea and was sipping a hot cup.
"Good Morning Milind, how come you are up so early on a Sunday morning?" she asked him in surprise.
"Good Morning, Prachi. Thought I will give you a break from the kitchen for the day," Milind replied nonchalantly. "Breakfast is ready.We'll have it together once you're ready."
Prachi thanked him and went to finish her morning routine before joining him for breakfast. Just as they were finishing up, Ayesha came by asking if Prachi could accompany her to shop for some material for her garment company. They have received an order from a very finicky European customer who is particular about the texture and colours of the garments they will be exporting to them in a month's time. As Prachi has a good taste in clothes, she wanted her advice to pick the right fabric for the garments. Prachi looked at Milind for approval, a small part of her hoping that he will not agree for she really looked forward to spending all Sundays with him. Surprisingly, Milind was only too happy to accede to Ayesha's request. Prachi got ready and left with Ayesha. They spent nearly three hours shopping and placed the necessary orders for the fabric to be delivered directly to the factory the next day. When they returned back, Prachi bid Ayesha goodbye and went to her own house. Finding the door locked, she presumed Milind had gone to meet his friends. She tried to open it with her duplicate key but the door would not open. Just as she raised her puzzled head, she saw Milind behind her whispering into her ear,"Is the door not opening, darling?"
"Yes, Milind. What is wrong with the key?" she asked.
"Nothing is wrong with it. Only it is not meant for this lock." He said, increasing her confusion.
"If it is not meant for this lock, which lock is it meant for? I had used it to open this lock so many times."
"Are you sure it is this lock or a lock which looks like this one?" he queried back.
By now Prachi was getting fed up with his riddles. "Give me your key, Milind," she said and snatched the key in his hand.
She tried opening the lock with that key but it didn't work either. She finally threw up her hands and said she gave up.
"Come on, darling. What if the keys are not opening this lock. Let's try opening some other lock", he said in a mischievous tone.
Prachi looked at him like he has lost his mind. "Are you crazy? Do you now want to try breaking into someone's house?"
"Darling, if our keys open the lock of some house, it is not called breaking in, but entering in," he stated in a matter of fact tone.
Even as she shook her head in frustration, he went ahead and tried unlocking the two locked doors on their floor and shaking his head he asked her to follow him to the floor below. Prachi was getting irritated by now.
"Milind, what are you up to? Did you change the locks when I was away?"
"Patience, darling. Lets discover the door that opens to our keys." He said and without waiting for her he went ahead to try out the key on the one door which was locked on that floor.
Prachi followed him and stood behind him as he loudly said,"Open Sesame", inserting the key into the lock. The lock opened and, unlatching the door, he swung it open. Prachi looked on in astonishment.
It is only then that it dawned on Prachi that they were in the apartment vacated by the Sens. In her apprehension over Milind's house breaking activities she had not noticed the door number of the apartment. Milind informed her that he had rented the place and in her absence had enlisted his friends and the kids of the chawl to help move their things into the new apartment. While Milind's friends helped him move the large furniture items, the children helped with the small household articles. They set up the place before she could return so that they can give her a surprise. He had inter-changed the locks in the house, the reason why their keys did not open the old house.
"But Milind, the rent for this place must be more. How will we manage it?" she asked him. Milind assured her that he had got a raise in his salary so the additional one thousand rupees they may have to shell out for the place is taken care of.
Prachi was overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness and she gave him a tight hug, prompting Milind to say that the hug was worth all his efforts. Just then they heard the door bell ring. On opening the door, Prachi saw Ayesha and Anju's family at the door step. They had brought food and informed her that they were planning to have their lunch with them in the new house. Prachi spread the mat and they all sat down to have the food. Anu and Adi were fighting to sit on Milind's lap. Prachi asked Anu to sit on hers. The boy was initially reluctant but when she offered him a chocolate which she found in the fridge, he promptly went to her. They then had a lively conversation over lunch. Prachi came to know from Ayesha that Milind had taken up two jobs to make enough money to pay the deposit money for the apartment. The dahi handi prize money was also meant for this purpose. When Prachi realised the extent to which her husband had gone, slogging every day and risking his life, all for providing her some additional comforts, her eyes filled up in tears and she held his hand and thanked him profusely. Milind wiped her eyes and told her he was merely doing the duty of a husband and she was worth every effort he took. Manju was very happy to see the deep love these two had for each other. Looking at her husband she asked him to learn a thing or two from Milind. Venkat retorted back that she too could learn to be more patient and giving like Prachi. Ayesha intervened and asked them not to keep bickering amongst themselves for they too are an adorable couple considering that they have managed to put up with each other for seven long years of marriage. That made both Manju and Venkat happy.
"But Venkat Anna, be careful of the seven-year itch", she said winking at Venkat.
As expected Prachi was surprised to see his gift, only not as pleasantly as he hoped she would be. She was more appalled than elated but quickly recovered to thank him. Although he was a little disappointed by her confusing expressions, he asked her to wear it immediately, for he was eager to see how she looked in it. Very reluctantly she took the plastic cover to their bedroom to change into the saree while he waited in the hall. It is only then that it struck him that he had never seen his wife in a saree other than on their wedding day. He wondered why she never wore sarees after that day although he felt she looked really good in it. Did she not like sarees? He kept waiting for her to come out but even after half an hour, there was no sign of her. He called out to her asking what the problem was. Prachi assured him that everything was alright. Finally, she came out hesitatingly, taking small steps as her movement was restricted by the saree which was tightly wrapped around her. Behind her, half the saree was hanging out like a train. Milind looked at her from foot to head and his mouth gaped. Prachi went red with embarrassment.
"So, THIS was your problem? You do not know how to drape a saree?"
She shook her head in the negative.
"Is that why you never wear one?"
She nodded. She explained that on her wedding day, her mother had draped the saree for her.
Back in their bedroom, sitting on their bed, Prachi was trying to get a grip of herself. Never has she been more aware of her husband than she was a few minutes back. If he had not pushed her away, she did not think she could have stopped what would have inevitably followed. It was not that there was anything wrong if something really happened between them. Afterall they are married and it was an essential part of any normal married life but since they had mutually taken a decision to wait, she was sure they would have regretted it later. That was something she could not accept. She wanted their union to be cherished always. She was prepared to wait as long as it takes for Milind to make a name for himself for she was sure he will succeed in his goal.
Milind returned home after a few minutes. Prachi had changed back into her salwar kameez. They had their dinner in uneasy silence, each trying to avoid looking at the other but nevertheless doing so when the other was not looking. After dinner Milind got busy with some paper work. Prachi put away the dishes and sat with her sketches. Try as she may, she could not draw anything as her mind kept going back to the saree fiasco. She finally gave up and went to bed. Milind joined her much later but turned his back to her. An invisible wedge seemed to be driven between them although their hearts were filled with love for each other.
The next evening arrangements for Sukriti's Godh Bharai was made in the community hall in which Prachi's birthday was celebrated. With Manju's help, Prachi drapped the saree Milind had bought for her. Seeing her in it, Milind could hardly keep his eyes off her. The women of the chawl had assembled in the hall and adorned Sukriti with glass bangles, blessed her and filled her lap with gifts. PL blessed her daughter-in-law and gave her ruby jewellery set. Prachi gave her the saree Milind had bought for her. Milind brought in a plate full of food items Sukriti loves and fed her with his own hands. There was a lot of singing and dancing. Prachi also sang for her sister-in-law, enthralling everyone, particularly her husband, with her talent. Although Milind tried his best to remain aloof, he felt continuously drawn to her. Just then his cell rang. After attending the call, he told Prachi that he had to leave for some urgent work and asked her to take care of the rest of the function. Although Prachi wondered what engagement he would have at that time of the night, she nodded and went around playing the perfect host. After the dinner, the women indulged in a fair amount of teasing and fun. They started guessing the sex of the baby by the size and shape of Sukriti's the pregnant belly. Most were convinced she was carrying a boy going by the pointed, conical shape of her stomach. Sukriti blushed at all the attention she was getting. Prachi was glad to see Sukriti's happy face and hoped that the arrival of the baby will strengthen the bond between her brother and his wife. All she wanted was for him to take good care of his wife and child even if he did not care for his sister.
