FF:Destiny's Children (Pgs 1 to 5) Also ck Pg 84 - Page 3

One month later

Ayesha moved back to Mumbai and assumed charge of the Mumbai unit. Milind and Prachi were very happy for her. Ayesha did not share with them an important detail about who her new boss was, knowing that atleast one of them would not be happy to hear about it. In fact the first time she met him, even she was not looking forward to working for such a man, a man who was responsible for a lot of calamity in her best friend's life. But something about his melancholic look tugged at the more compassionate portions of her heart. Interacting with him she understood that he was not a bad or irresponsible person after all. He did not come across as a person who would deliberately mislead someone and mess with their lives. Then why was there so much confusion which resulted in the loss of a life? She was convinced that there has to be some valid answer to this. However, it was not in her nature pry into other people's lives. She was not his friend nor was she a relative to intrude into his privacy. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even otherwise, their relationship was strictly official, that of employer and employee. As long as he respects that she had no problem working for him. He was quite competent in his job and she realised there was a lot of potential to grow under his guidance. For now that was all that mattered.

*****

It was April 4 2007, Milind's birthday. Prachi woke up at the crack of dawn. As the sun's rays slowly encroached into the darkness, all other stars in the sky faded gradually. Prachi could not help but compare her husband to the sun. With his entry into her life everything else faded into insignificance, for he had become the epicentre of her life. His brightness warmed her and allowed her to grow into a strong, confident and independent woman. There was only one thing which she wanted to make her feel like a complete woman and that was to bear his fruit. The previous night her husband had given her the most wonderful piece of news. The preliminary numbers showed that his hotel has finally turned around and started posting profits. Along with the success in business she wanted them to succeed in expanding their family too. What better way than to make a beginning on his birthday? She glanced at her husband, at his distinct jaw line which was covered with stubble, his wavy and slightly longish hair lying spread out on the pillow, his long lashes lining up hemispherical eyelids, his cute pug nose, his thick black moustache and the well formed full lips below it. Although his body was covered in a thin white bed sheet, the ripples of his masculinity were still well defined through the sheet. She leaned in and gently kissed her husband's lovely kissable lips. He slowly opened his eyes and saw his wife's beautiful serene face lying inches away from his. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss fervently, not bothered about the morning mouth.

When he finally freed her, she whispered, "Happy birthday, my darling. Many happy returns of the day.'

"Thanks, my love." he whispered back.

"What do you want for your birthday?" she asked him, propping her right elbow on his chest and holding her face on her palm.

'There is only one thing that I want and that is you,' he said and holding her shoulders he turned her over on her back and looked over her from above. He proceeded to nuzzle her neck and nip at her ears. Prachi giggled and said that as he already has her, what more does he want. He slid his hand across her stomach and said he wanted a beautiful baby girl exactly like her mama. She smiled and said that was precisely her idea of a gift too but only her idea is to give him a baby boy who is a replica of his papa. He shrugged and said that they can have both their wishes fulfilled if she gives him a double bonanza.

"Twin?"she shrieked.

"Why not?" he asked, raising a brow quizzically.

"You may have to wait for nine months for your gift to be delivered," she warned.

"No problem, the wait will be worth it. So let's not waste anymore time in setting things in motion," he said hurriedly.

He sealed her lips with his and got busy in making sure he gets his gift soon enough. When they were done, Prachi looked at the clock and whispered it was time for giving Baba his morning tea. He reluctantly let her go. She quickly brushed her teeth, had a shower and rushed into the kitchen to prepare the morning tea before Baba wakes up and asks for it. Milind finished his morning routine too and went to take his Baba's blessings on his birthday. Baba was up and in his wheelchair, having his tea when his son came to him. He blest him and in a slurred and stilted voice said that he hoped to see him grow in his business and also give him a grandchild soon. Milind assured him that he has taken efforts on both fronts and hoped to succeed in both. He turned around and winked at his wife, who bent her head shyly. All three of them then had their breakfast together.

Milind and Prachi then left for the orphanage. The previous day, Prachi had got a list of names of the kids in the home and their ages. She then bought gifts for each child according to his/her age. She gave Milind the gift hampers so that he can distribute it to each child. Milind was amazed by her thoughtfulness and thanked her for it. He called each child by name and gave him/her the gift. When Chottu's turn came, he asked the little boy how was the wound on his knee. The boy shrugged his shoulders and said "Gaayab (disappeared)". Milind's eyes then searched for the small baby girl whom he had fed and changed nearly five months ago. As his eyes kept looking for her in one of the sister's arms, he felt a small hand tug at his trousers. Looking down he saw a cute little baby girl in pigtails holding on to his leg with one hand and trying to balance herself up. He swung her in his arms and asked her name. She looked at him unwaveringly with large round eyes. He immediately recognised those eyes.

"Guddi!" he exclaimed. "My, my my...you have grown up, haven't you !"

"Milind it is nearly five months since we last came. Five months is a long time is a baby's life. She changes a lot during this time. She must be eight months now, isn't it?" she enquired with Sister Clara.

"Yes, she is," said Sister Clara.

On returning home, Milind was about to get dressed for work when Prachi handed him a hanger. Removing the plastic sheath, he uncovered a well cut beige business suit and a snow white shirt. He smiled and changed into the new clothes. She then asked him to extend his left hand. When he did, she slid in a Rolex watch on his wrist. With her eyes, she silently asked him how did he like it. He brought his thumb and index finger together to form a perfect 'O', indicating he was happy with her choice. She then asked him to extend the other hand. Asking him to close his eyes, she slid a silver bracelet in it. The bracelet spelt her name in full. When he opened his eyes he was surprised to see it. Although he did not like jewellery of any sort, he was happy to wear a bracelet gifted by his wife, especially one with her name on it. He mouthed that he loved it. Just as he was about to leave, she asked him to wait and brought out a grey silk tie. She slung it around his neck and proceeded to knot it. Milind held her by her waist and looked intently at her as she concentrated on her task. He refused to let her go even after she had finished knotting his tie, asking her to first kiss him. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. Not being satisfied with it, he held her chin and locked his lips in hers in a deep kiss before finally leaving for work.

That night Prachi invited PL, Sukriti, Mala, Ganpat, their parents, Ayesha and Manju's family for dinner. Once Milind returned home, the cake was cut and Milind fed Prachi the first piece. He then fed every one and was in turn fed by them. He took the blessings of the elders. Prachi then sang a song for Milind who was again mesmerised by her voice. They all later sat down to have the sumptuous feast of all Milind's favourite dishes prepared by his beloved wife. After the guests had left and Baba had retired to bed, Milind pulled Prachi into their room to start from where they left off that morning. Later as they gradually drifted into sleep Prachi hoped that his gift was on the way.

"Arey Pagli. Why are you crying for this? If it didn't happen last time, we'll try again next month. Remember, the poem 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again'?"

The next month they tried again. Prachi psyched herself so much that she was too tensed and rigid. Milind did his best to relax her by joking around but nothing seemed to work on her. For the first time their union lacked the 'zing' that was always there.

XXXIV

On the same day that Milind and Prachi celebrated their anniversary, another couple was breaking up for good. That morning at the family court the two petitioners presented themselves for the final hearing. Dressed in a grey suit which reflected his mood, he looked weary and drained and just wanted the whole process to be over fast. While she too was equally impatient to get it over, she looked relatively more composed in the arm of her new live-in Kenyan boyfriend, with whom she had flown down to Mumbai to finalise the severing of marital ties. While their U.K. marriage was dissolved more than a year ago, the tedious divorce laws in India had prolonged the entire process by more than eighteen months since their separation even though they had sought a divorce under mutual consent. With both parties remaining firm on their decisions the court did not have much say and went ahead and issued the divorce which legally separated Mr. Neev Shergill and Ms.Annabel Hayes.

He reached his office late and slumped on his swivel chair, holding his throbbing head in his hands. He tried his best to concentrate on the work at hand but found it difficult to do so amidst all the thoughts that whirled in his head. He could not eat his lunch when it was served to him at the usual time and sent it away after picking at it for a few minutes. His headache was on the assent as the day progressed and by 3 o'clock he was unable to sit any longer. He buzzed in his secretary and asked her to cancel all the appointments for the day. Slinging his coat over his drooped shoulders, he made his way out of his office. He drove down to his house which was empty, as empty as his life. His father had taken sanyas and was in one of the ashrams in Kashi for the last one year. His mother had gone over to the U.S. to spend time with her sister for a few months. He has virtually been living a lonely life in the palatial house for the past four months, with only his loyal servant Nandu kaka for company. Nandu kaka had left for his village that morning to solemnise the marriage of his niece and was not due for another week.

He went to the bar cabinet and poured himself a glass of vodka. Soon he downed glass after glass, loosing count of the number of pegs he was having. The liquor scorched his throat; although he was desperately trying to numb his senses, bitter memories kept haunting him. He did not know how long he was sitting there nursing the drinks. Suddenly he heard the doorbell ring. Wondering who would call on him at this hour, he slowly stumbled to the door to open it. His blurry eyes took some time to focus on the object in front of him. It is only when the object opened its mouth and uttered his name did he recognise it.

"Mr.Shergill, I tried calling you on your cell but it was switched off. You had asked me to prepare a detailed report on our latest stocks of fashion garments and their price quotation along with the prevailing market prices, as our esteemed French clients will be coming over tomorrow to meet you to examine our samples and place their orders. I had come over to your office to submit the report but was told by your secretary that you had left for the day. As the report is important for negotiating the deal, I thought I'll drop it at your place before going home, Sir," she spoke rapidly and extended the report to him.

Beyond his name he did not catch on to anything that she had just said. Inviting her in, he asked her to take a seat on the plush sofa at the centre of the huge hall. Hesitatingly she took her seat and looked around the house before returning her gaze to him. He slowly staggered to the other end of the sofa. Turning around to look at her, he asked her if he can offer her anything. Seeing his intoxicated state, she politely declined and kept looking at her watch to indicate that she was getting late. He, however, did not take the cue as his mind was on a different plane altogether. He flopped on to the sofa, threw back his head and closed his eyes. Tears stung his eyes as he slowly opened them and looked at her again.

"Ms.Singhania, have you ever been in love?" he asked out of the blue.

She looked distinctly uncomfortable at the question and kept shifting in her seat.

Sensing her discomfiture, he asked her not to answer that question.

Nursing a drink in his hand, he looked intently at the liquor in the glass and said ruefully, "Today is the day my marriage which has been dead for over a year and a half has finally been buried. I should be celebrating, but strangely I feel a sense of defeat, a sense of failure, a sense of emptiness. Do you understand it?" he asked her, looking at her expectantly.

She remained silent, trying hard to mask her apprehension at being cornered alone in the house of her boss who was evidently very high on drinks. Although she was curious to know his past, especially since that past had changed the course of many lives, her fear overcame her curiosity. She was about to sprint out but sensing her attempt to move, he swiftly stretched forward and held her arm, pressing her back on the sofa.

At the mention of name of her best friend's father, she decided to stay back and hear his side of the story. She knew he would never reveal his personal life to anyone if he was in his senses. In his inebriated state, however, he loosened his tongue and rambled about his past. While she was aware of some of the incidents he narrated, most of it was news to her.

Neev's flashback

Neev had married a Briton, Annabel Hayes, his classmate at the London School of Economics. They had a long courtship period in London before they finally walked up the altar. He knew that his conservative parents would not approve of a videshi bahu (foreigner daughter-in-law). Hence he did not ask their consent before marrying her. He thought that he can convince them after he returned to India. Unfortunately the day they landed in Mumbai, he was told that he was getting engaged to his childhood friend Prachi, daughter of his father's best friend, Inder Shah, CEO of Shah Group of Hotels. Although he always had an excellent friendship with Prachi he could not picture her as anything but a good friend and certainly not as his wife. When the engagement broke, Inder suffered a massive heart attack and died. He had confronted his parents about how they could have made arrangements for his wedding without consulting him first and was told that there was some communication gap. His father could not come to terms with the loss of his friend and refused to speak to him for over a month. Finally he made peace with him but insisted that they conduct an Indian wedding for their satisfaction. The wedding which was conducted after a month was a small affair, restricted to the immediate family. His father had inducted him in his business and he slowly began to get acclimatised to the business environment. His education came in handy to make improvements and expand the business.

The problems in his marriage surfaced from the day his wife walked into his house as the bahu of the family. His mother could not adjust to her at all. Initially Annabel tried to impress her mother-in-law by learning to wear sarees and cook Indian dishes. She even learnt to follow the Indian rituals but Niharika would not let her anywhere near the kitchen or the puja room as she considered her an outcast. Neev tried his best to reason with his mother but failed. There was a fight everyday between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law which he had to solve as soon as he returned tired from work. Not being able to put up with this added stress any longer, he finally decided to move away from his parents and live separately with his wife. Although this caused a lot of heartburns in the beginning considering that he was their only son, his parents eventually agreed that it was for the best. Things started improving after some time. As Annabel was also equally qualified, he had taken her in an executive position in the company. Although on the surface Annabel seemed happy, she was actually deeply dissatisfied. The city's oppressive heat followed by the long wet monsoon made her miss her English weather. She could not adjust to the country, its people and their lifestyle. It is only then he realised that her problem was not only with his mother but everything that was Indian. They had arguments and fights practically every day till on the day of Diwali that year, they had a huge showdown at the end of which she just packed her bags and left for her country.

Although he was very angry on that day and did not stop her from leaving, he later relented and tried to call her up. She refused to answer his calls. Frustrated that he could not reach her, he decided to meet her personally and left for London. There he had frantically searched for her as she had changed her residence. Finally he located her address and met her. He tried to reason with her. He begged her to resume life with him, promising to make any adjustment she wanted of him but she was firm in her decision not to return to him. She wanted a divorce and nothing less. It was only then that his eyes fell on a paper lying on the table. He picked it up and read it. It was the pregnancy report which confirmed that she was six weeks pregnant. He couldn't contain his happiness on knowing that he was going to be a father. He begged her twice as hard, asking her to get back with him in view of the life that is on the way. She laughed hysterically and asked him what life. She had just had an abortion the previous day as she did not want to carry his baby. He felt that a dagger was driven into his heart and twisted in. The day he came to know the existence of his baby he also was painfully made aware of its demise.

End of flashback

As Neev recounted this bit of his life, he smashed the glass of drink in his hand in anger and agony. The sharp pieces sliced his palm, making them bleed. The dripping liquor burnt his skin, making him wince in pain. Ayesha was alarmed seeing the deep gash and rushing to him, she removed her dupatta and tied it round his bleeding hand. As she tightened the knot around the makeshift bandage, he continued with his narration.

Flashback continued

Realising that his marriage was dead and that there was nothing to fight for, he agreed for the divorce. They filed for a divorce in the U.K.court on their anniversary day and obtained it in a couple of months. In India they could file the divorce petition only in October 2006, after the one year separation period. The case came up for hearing after the mandatory six-month waiting period. After the preliminary hearing, a date was set for the final hearing. That morning his marriage of two years, in which he had lived with his wife for barely six months, was finally dissolved.

End of flashback

After this marathon recounting he was breathless and stopped to look at her. She was still holding his wounded hand in hers as though to reassure him that everything will be alright. She met his eyes and her eyes mirrored the pain and agony in his, as she empathised with him. For the first time he noticed the depth and beauty of her eyes and the compassion in them. He always thought of her as an attractive woman but he had kept his senses on a tight leash as he did not want to complicate their relationship. Today though his guard was down on account of the alcohol and his emotionally vulnerable state. He ran his eyes down her body. Her kameez was figure clinging and without the dupatta, all her curves were accentuated. Following his gaze she realised where his eyes were and she quickly crossed her hands across her chest. He swallowed hard and returned his gaze to her face. He trained his eyes on her trembling lips and impulsively leaned forward and captured them in his. Before he could taste them, he felt a stinging blow on his cheek. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked at her in astonishment. As he held his cheek, she got up with a start and sprinted out of there. She opened the large teak front door and banging it shut, disappeared into the night.

"Ms.Singhania, I do not want to lose an able manager like you because of my foolish act yesterday."

"Foolish act, Mr.Shergill?You want to dismiss it off as a foolish act?" she asked angrily.

"I am sorry Ms.Singhania. That was a poor choice of words. My behaviour last night was unpardonable. I had no right to take liberties with my employee and my offence can be construed as sexual harassment but believe me, Ms.Singhania, I had no intention to behave in that manner. I am neither a womaniser nor a molester. My only excuse is that I was not in my senses but it will not happen again. I promise you that I will not violate the sacred line between an employer and an employee. Please reconsider your decision."

"Will you join me, Ms.Singhania?" he enquired before leading her out of his office.

(3)

The next morning Prachi went to meet Alaap at his office to confront him about the appalling way he was treating Sukriti. As she opened the door to his cabin she saw him with his back turned to her, talking to someone over the phone. "Yes, Mr.Bansal. Continue to keep a close watch on his activities and report to me whatever you come to know. The guy is bound to slip up sometime."

The name Bansal sounded familiar to Prachi but however much she racked her brains she could not recollect where and in what context she had heard it. Sensing the presence of someone in the room, Alaap cut off his conversation and turned around to see his sister. Recovering from the initial shock of seeing her, he smiled sardonically and asked her what had brought 'her highness' to his office, a spiteful reference to Inder calling Prachi his little princess. Prachi ignored his sarcasm and said that she has come to speak about Sukriti.

"Sukriti? Now what has that dumb wife of mine done this time? The last I heard she lost my baby," he said tapping his finger on his chin.

Prachi was fuming hearing this.

"How dare you, Alaap? A man who left his pregnant wife behind on some supposed business trip and did not even bother to attend the baby's funeral should not be pointing an accusing finger at the woman who bore his child and went through the agony of losing it," she admonished in a shrill tone.

Alaap rolled his eyes and smirked, "So you have come to pull me up for something that happened seven months back?"

"No, I have come to ask you why you are ignoring your wife's needs. I have come to ask you why you had not bothered to keep her happy even on your wedding anniversary."

"Wedding anniversary? When was that?" laughed Alaap mockingly.

"Well, if you must know, it was yesterday. Where were you, by the way?"

"Where else? I was here working my butt off for that dumb wife of mine you are defending. I think you are forgetting that I run a Rs.600 crore business. I am not a flash in the pan businessman like your husband who has only one pathetic hotel to run. I have a whole hotel chain to take care of. I can't be waiting on my cry baby wife hand and foot and shirk my responsibility here. By the way, why are you interested in how I treat my wife?"

"Because that 'dumb cry baby wife' as you call her is also my sister-in-law. By hurting her, you are hurting my husband who is her only brother and by hurting my husband you are hurting me." Her voice increased to a peak.

"Oh, so you are now taking up for the worthless Mishras and going against your own flesh and blood?"

"You don't talk about sibling love, Alaap. It is a sacrilege coming from your mouth."

"Meaning?" He looked at her quizzically, not understanding what she was trying to convey.

Prachi did not elaborate further but wagging her finger at him, she warned him that if ever her sister-in-law sheds a tear he will have hell to pay. She then stomped out of his office.

As the months went by Prachi's anxiety at not being able to conceive only grew, because all their efforts were not yielding the results they were expecting. Prachi's desperation heightened after the Godh Bharai ceremony they held for Mala. Seeing a glowing and pregnant Mala, Prachi was even more desperate to have a baby. When the focus shifted to making babies, somehow the spontaneity of their lovemaking was lost. Every month, the day Prachi knew she had not yet conceived, she went into depression, calling for all of Milind efforts to cheer her up without much success. It was tearing him apart to see her emotionally tortured state. Although he too wanted a baby very much, he couldn't bear to see his wife subjecting herself to so much mental and emotional stress for it.

He finally decided he had enough of it and decided to take her on a second honeymoon, this time to Mauritius. He timed the trip in August in the most fertile period of her cycle. He told her that they will focus only on expressing their love for each other and not think about making babies. "No more baby talk. If it has to happen, it will happen. Leave it to HIM", he said pointing heavenwards.

On reaching Mauritius they checked into the La Plantations hotel. During day time they went on sight-seeing tours around the beautiful island nation. In the south, they visited the Black River Gorges National Park which is the home of 150 plant species and 9 bird species which are unique to Mauritius; the Seven Coloured Earth at Chamarel, which presents an astonishing view of colourful sand dunes of earth formed by the erosion of volcanic ash; the Le Mornes peninsula where one gets a spectacular view of the turquoise sea and the surrounding land; the Rochester Falls, where water gushes over lava rocks; Gris-Gris where waves crash against cliffs and the white sands of the Flic en Flac beach. In the North they visited the beaches at Grand Bay, Pereybere and Balaclava. They indulged in adventure sports such as paragliding, wind and water surfing and scuba diving. They also went on board the Blue Safari submarine which explored the ocean bed filled with corals. The colourful marine life around them gave them the feeling of being one with nature.

Le MornesGris-Gris

Rochester FallsPereybereGrand Bay

It was Independence Day. The employees of Shergill Garment Export Pvt. Ltd had planned a picnic to Malshej Ghat, a hill station which is a three-hour drive from Mumbai and invited their boss to join them. Although Neev was initially reluctant to join in as he had withdrawn himself from all sorts of social engagements for some time now, he finally gave in under the condition that they treat him as one of their own and address him on first name basis as they were out of the confines of the office. Two buses were arranged for the trip and the families of the employees accompanied them. Neev and Ayesha were the only ones who were single.

Clad in a baby pink t-shirt and light blue faded denim jeans, Ayesha was the last to arrive. There was only one vacant seat next to Neev and after hesitating for a moment she sat on it, giving him an awkward smile. He gave her a disarming smile in return and she quickly looked away. Soon the music was turned on and many got up to dance on the aisle of the bus. Seeing Ayesha sitting put in her seat, Rekha, one of the supervisors and Ayesha's friend, pulled her up and asked her to join in. Ayesha reluctantly got up but soon lost herself in the music and danced uninhibitedly. Neev, who remained seated, was amused to see the prim and proper Ayesha let her hair down and clapped for her encouragingly. Suddenly the bus driver applied the brake when he encountered a speed breaker. The people who were standing on the aisle were thrown on either side and they frantically grabbed at the rods and seat backs. Ayesha, who was completely immersed in the dancing with her eyes closed, did not anticipate this abrupt interruption and was thrown off balance. She fell backward onto Neev's lap. Neev instinctively put his arm forward and held her shoulder to steady her as her eyes flew open and met his in shock. For a moment time stood still as they both deeply gazed into each other's eyes. Her beautiful brown and shapely eyes seemed like a bottomless ocean to him and he found himself sinking in them. His small but shiny eyes appeared to be both melancholic and mischievous at the same time, leaving her confused about how to react to them. The bus jerked back into motion, bringing them back to the present and they reluctantly broke their eye-lock. Ayesha realised that half her body was still sprawled on his lap and she tried to lift herself up. Neev released her shoulder to enable her to do so and soon she was back on her feet and took her seat, trying hard not to look at him. Neev blinked his eyes to clear his mind of her vision and turned his head towards the nearby window, watching the fast moving landscape as the bus headed to their destination.

The two buses finally reached Malshej Ghat (See picture). Getting off the bus, they looked around at the breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Nature was at its splendorous best. The wooded countryside was surrounded by lofty, mist covered, mint green carpeted hills, rich in flora and fauna. The numerous cascading waterfalls presented an enchanting view. The valleys were dotted with numerous glittering lakes. The place was home to a large flock of migratory birds coming from Siberia. Among them, the most eye-catching ones were the beautiful pink-legged flemingos.

Malshej Ghat

After frantically searching for her for about twenty minutes, he finally found her standing near one of the tiny waterfalls. She had stuck her face under the falls and let the water cascade down it, blowing at the droplets that found their way to her lips. While he was relieved to see her safe, he was annoyed that she had risked venturing into the woods alone. He ran up to her and holding her by the arm pulled her out of the falls and turned her around.

"What were you thinking, Ms.Singhania, getting yourself lost in the woods?" His raised voice reflected his anger as well as his concern.

Recovering from the initial shock of being hauled up unexpectedly, she calmly said, "Ayesha."

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"The name is Ayesha. I thought we were supposed to be informal outside the office."

"Are you crazy, Ayesha? Do you know how risky it is for a young woman to go out alone in these dense woods? Why did you go searching for me? Am I not old enough to find my way back?"

"Wait a minute. What are these accusations you are levelling against me? Firstly, I set out on a trek into the woods to explore the lovely natural surroundings. For your kind information, I had not gone searching for you, although I did hope to meet up with you at some point. Secondly, just as you are old enough to take care of yourself, so am I. After all I am a twenty-four old woman, not a baby. As to my being a woman, I have never let that deter me from doing things my way. I have trained in martial arts to protect myself when the need arises, so I am not as helpless as you assume me to be." She was panting by the time she finished her tirade.

He was stunned into silence for a few minutes and slowly regained his composure. "I'm sorry, Ayesha. I didn't mean to question your independence or your abilities. It is just that when I did not spot you for quite awhile I got worried."

He hung his head in shame and was about to leave when she held his hand and apologised for her outburst. Changing the topic she asked him if he liked to stick his face under the waterfalls. He shook his head and asked her to go ahead and enjoy herself. She gleefully rushed back and resumed her earlier posture, closing her eyes and shaking her head from side to side to let the water course through either side of her face. After watching her childish delight, he too felt tempted to mimic her. Tentatively stepping on the rocks, he went to the other side of the falls and extended his face gingerly into it. The chill water sprayed on his face, making him gasp sharply. Hearing the noise, she opened her eyes and saw his face not far from hers. Fluttering her eyelids to rid off the large droplets stuck to her lashes, she flashed him a wide smile. He smiled back, revealing his small rice-like teeth. Cupping her hand and collecting some water in them she splashed it on his face making him retaliate. She squealed when the water ran down the front of her t-shirt, drenching it. It is only then he realised that although he had aimed her face, the water had landed elsewhere and he hastened to apologise. Noticing that her wet dress clung to her body leaving little to imagination, he quickly turned his back to her, unzipped his wind-cheater and passed it on to her, asking her to change into it as she may fall sick in the damp clothes. She shyly took it from him and thanking him she ran to the nearby rock. Going behind it, she quickly stripped her wet t-shirt and slipped into the wind cheater, zipping it up. Slinging the wet t-shirt over her arm, she let him know that she had changed and enquired whether they can walk back to the bus as it was getting late. He nodded and they trudged their way back.

When they got back to their group, everyone looked at them curiously. Ayesha wearing Neev's wind cheater raised a few eye-brows. Neev explained that as she had got wet in the waterfall he had loaned her his wind-cheater. Rekha gave a crooked smile and winked at Ayesha who looked at her crossly. Rekha's husband, Anand, slapped Neev on the shoulders and said everything starts quite innocently. Neev felt uncomfortable that he was in a way responsible for Ayesha getting teased this way. He muttered an apology to Ayesha as they were getting back into the bus. Ayesha rubbished it off saying she was not perturbed by what people say or think as she is sure of herself. Neev admired the girl's confidence, straightforwardness and courage. The journey back was more quiet as everyone was very tired after the long day. Before returning to the city, they stopped on the way for tea at one of the roadside stalls. By the time they entered the city limits, it was 9 o'clock. The buses dropped people en route and Ayesha got off outside her chawl, waving goodbye to the people still left in the bus. Neev was the last to get dropped off at his residence.

The next three weeks were very hectic for both of them, particularly for Prachi who had to wrap up her new album. The first album had hardly taken three weeks to wrap up mainly because she was the solo singer and all the spade work was already done for it, not to mention the Democles sword of the wrath of the sheikh hanging over their heads, waiting to fall on them had they not finished it on time for Noor's birthday. This one though has been dragging for over three months now. The album featured several duets with Kunal Mehra which was also more time consuming since the guy always delayed the recording either by turning up late or singing in an unsynchronized manner, making her repeat every song atleast a dozen times. Since the guy was the son of the producer of the album, nothing much could be done.

Prachi returned home late from work every other night and was perennially exhausted and irritable. Her face wore a perpetual look of worry and anxiety, morning as well as night. She shunned Milind's advances in bed, citing fatigue as the reason. Although Milind was disappointed, he did not say anything for he was not one to impose himself on his wife.

En route to the studio, they maintained a stoic silence. Prachi looked highly disturbed by her own behaviour. She started to whimper and Milind turned to her in alarm. Stopping the car by the side of the road, he asked her what was the problem. When she continued to sniff, he lifted her face and looked into her brimming eyes. She pushed his hand away and brusquely asked him to reach her to the studio soon. Having no choice, he restarted the car and drove to the studio. As soon as she reached the studio, she got off, rubbed her eyes dry and headed towards the entrance door. On the way, she was met by Kunal Mehra who greeted her with a broad smile and lightly placed his hand on her back as he led her in. From his car Milind noticed the tall, fair, suave and clean shaven man touching his wife and felt a jab of jealousy. Suppressing it, he left for his hotel as he had an important meeting to attend that day.

That night, when he returned late from work, Baba had already retired to bed. He had his dinner with Prachi in silence, preoccupied in some thought. Prachi too remained quiet although her face was lined with worry and she looked like she wanted to say something a couple of times. After they went to bed and the lights were switched off, Prachi finally summed up the courage to tell Milind what was troubling her mind the entire day.

"Milind!" she whispered.

"Mmmm," he grunted.

"I want to tell you something," she said hesitatingly and amidst sobs she recounted what had transpired that day.

Prachi's recollection

The producers of her new album wanted her to shoot for a music video which will feature one of the duets songs from the album. Although the song will mainly feature two hot new models, Mrinalini and Druv, she will have to make an appearance with her co-singer for about two minutes of the song, wearing a western outfit. She tried hard to wriggle out of wearing one, saying that she was not comfortable in such clothes, but the producers cited clauses in her contract which stipulated that she needs to abide by whatever conditions they place. Prachi was shocked that she had got herself into such a mess due to her failure to read the fine print of the contract. Left with no choice, she settled for the least revealing of the dresses they asked her to choose from. It was a maroon sleeveless dress which fell just above her knees. Feeling very self conscious in it, she tentatively walked to the recording theatre where her co-singer was waiting for her. Seeing her, he whistled appreciatively, causing her cheeks to flame up in embarrassment. She just wanted the whole thing to be over fast and asked them to go ahead with the shoot. The director asked them to face each other and look deeply into each other's eyes while singing into the mikes they were holding in their hands. Prachi did as she was told although she felt weird looking into Kunal's eyes. Just as she completed the song, Kunal leaned over and placing his hands on her waist, he kissed her cheek. Initially shocked by his act, she recovered soon to give him a tight slap across his cheek. The director called for a cut of the scene and tried to appease her but she ran out of the studio in tears. The producers tried to call her up many times during the day but she refused to answer their calls.

End of recollection

Wiping her tears, she said in a remorseful tone, "I'm sorry Milind, I wore that short dress, knowing that you hate such dresses. I am also sorry for not anticipating Kunal's kiss and moving away before he got an opportunity to kiss me. I have finished recording all my songs for this album but I don't wish to continue my singing career. It is a big bad world out there, Milind. I don't think I fit in there."

She expected him to say something...anything but he remained silent. She was willing to bear the brunt of his fury but his non-responsive state got her worried.

"Milind!" she called.

After a pause she heard the rhythmic snoring of her husband. It is only then she realised that he had slept right through her entire monologue and had not heard a single word of it. Resolving to try again the next morning, she tried to sleep but the day's events left her deeply disturbed.

(2)

The next morning Prachi got a call on her cell while Milind was having his bath. It was the director of the music video. Although she did not want to attend it, she knew he would be pestering her through the day. She decided to give him a piece of her mind and picking the cell up she told him in no uncertain terms that she will proceed against the company for sexual harassment. He begged her not to make a big issue of what happened yesterday. He assured her that the shot of Kunal kissing her was not part of the act and was, therefore, cut and will not be used in the video. He also told her that he had spoken to Kunal's father, the producer of the album and he too admonished his son for taking such liberties with her. He then congratulated her on the excellent performance and hoped to work with her again. Just then Milind came out of his shower and enquired who was on the line. Prachi cut the line and told him it was the director of the music video who called up to congratulate her for her performance the previous day. At the mention of the album his face darkened and he brusquely enquired about her co-singer.

"Kunal?' she asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, Kunal. How is he?" He asked sceptically.

"He.. He is .." she stuttered, wondering how to tell him about what happened the previous day.

"I do not like him." He said abruptly.

Prachi looked at him surprised, wondering about his sudden animosity towards him. Milind looked positively miffed as he continued, "I hated it when he touched your back yesterday in the pretext of escorting you inside. Shameless fellow, touching another man's wife. Warn him to keep his hands to himself if he wanted to stay alive."

Prachi was alarmed at Milind's extreme reaction to another man's light touch on her back. If he comes to know the guy actually had the impudence to kiss her, he will go berserk. She knew that narrating the previous day's incident would only precipitate the situation and Milind may land in jail for assault and battery. She did not want that at any cost. Moreover, the director had assured her that the shot was removed from the video. As to her short dress, she will tell him about it when he was in a better mood. Hopefully he does not throw a tantrum over it. Right now she has to assure him that everything was fine.

"Milind, Kunal is just my co-singer and he knows I am a married woman. He will not take liberties with me. In any case my recording for the album and the music video is over."

Milind merely nodded and went to have his breakfast. While serving his breakfast, Prachi kept checking his expressions and realised he was still in a foul mood. She hoped that he cools down soon. After breakfast, he lightly brushed her cheek in a good bye kiss and hurried out.

At the hotel, he got busy with his work and had put Kunal temporarily out of his mind. Around noon, Mr.Bansal came to see him. The guy had been shifted from housekeeping to entertainment three months back. Apart from overseeing the music and cultural events they put up every evening for their guests, his responsibility also included selecting the music videos which were to be played in the large screen high definition television kept in the lobby.

"Sir, I have got a great music video to be played in our lobby area. It is still to be released. The producer has agreed to allow us to show a preview to our guests for his own sales promotion. Actually it is from your wife's latest album and features your wife too. Would you like to watch it, Sir?"

Although Milind was very busy, he agreed to take a look since he was interested to see his wife's performance.

As Mr.Bansal inserted the DVD into the player, he cunningly smiled. Finally he will get his reward from Alaap for he is about to unleash a catastrophe in his brother-in-law's life. He had got the DVD from the cameraman who had shot the video. The man was his distant cousin. When he found out that he was working for the company which had signed up his boss's wife, he had asked him to give him a copy of the video that had Prachi's song. When he got the first cut, he never dreamt that he will get such a bonanza. His cousin was clever. He had edited out the shot where Prachi slaps the guy. He also had taken unusual close-ups of Prachi's and Kunal's faces which highlighted their deep gazing. Mr.Bansal was sure that with a little prompting from him, Milind will see what he wanted him to see.

The song started off pretty innocently with the two models jiving and swaying to the music. As the song came towards the conclusion, Milind stiffened to see Prachi and Kunal on the screen. His ears turned red when he saw Prachi in the short sleeveless dress. Seeing his reaction, Mr.Bansal decided to fuel his anger by exclaiming how lovely his wife looked in western clothes and how shapely her legs and arms were. Milind turned and gave him a stare which would have scorched him. Pretending not to notice, he continued about how handsome Kunal looked and what a great pair they made on screen. He could literally hear Milind grit his teeth. Not wanting to be thrashed, the man hurriedly apologised and said that he did not look as great with Prachi as his boss did with her. Milind turned his attention back to the video and was shocked to see his wife deeply gazing into her co-singer's eyes and the guy returning it with lust clearly written on them. His temper which was already on the rise, hit the roof when he saw the man lean in and kiss HIS wife on her cheek. He got up with a start and rushed to the DVD player. Stopping the DVD and ejecting it, he broke it in two with his knee and threw it aside. Still blazing in anger, he left the place. Mr.Bansal smirked to see his plan work so effectively.

Milind got into his car and stepped on the accelerator, heading towards his home to confront his wife. His mind was filled with the image of Kunal kissing his wife. It was pretty obvious that the man had the hots for his wife. Did she reciprocate his feelings? She did gaze deeply into his eyes, although it could be a part of the act. And why was she wearing that short dress when she knew that he detested such clothes? Does she not care for his feelings anymore? She was behaving pretty oddly of late, snapping at him and answering him rudely. It has been quite a while since they had been intimate. Could it be that she has fallen out of love? Only three weeks back she had shown him how much she loved him by eating the half baked cake he made and they had that memorable shower together. But since then she has not let him near her. Was it only work fatigue or was she just fed up of him? He had to admit that the man was like a Greek god. Maybe she found him more attractive. He could not believe that his Prachi would do this to him. No, he knew his Prachi. She loves him and him alone. The woman had put up with so much inconvenience for him. She was his support. She is not one to be swayed by external looks. He has enough confidence in her love for him. After all did he not take those flirtatious comments by the students during their honeymoon casually because of the certainty of her love? No, he must have misunderstood everything. But then if she was not a willing participant then why did she not tell him about the kiss? He had asked her pointedly how was Kunal and she had taken up for him. Why would she do that unless she cares for him? How far does that care go? Has she fallen for the guy? His thoughts were all muddled and his head felt like it will explode if he does not get answers to all his questions. Just then his cell rang. It was a call from PL. Stopping the car by the side of the road, he answered it. PL told him that Prachi was at their place and asked him to drop in that evening to pick her up. He told her that he was on his way and before she could respond, he cut the call and started his car. Swerving it around, he headed to Shah House, impatient to get there and settle his confusion once and for all with his wife.

He walked out of the room and down the stairs, still reeling from the shock that his Prachi has stopped loving him. Seeing his crestfallen look, PL got alarmed and asked him what was wrong.

"My kiss caused so much revulsion in her that she puked," he almost whispered to himself, not realising that he had just blurted out to his mother-in-law about private moments spent with his wife.

PL looked at him in confusion. What has gotten into him? she thought. Were they having some misunderstanding?

"How can she stop loving you when she has been in seventh heaven ever since she came to know that she is carrying the symbol of your love?"

"Symbol of my love?" It was his turn to look confused. PL nodded her head in happiness.

It then slowly dawned on him. "You mean...she is pregnant with my child? I am going to be a father?" he asked happily.

"Yes, and Prachi is going to be a mother and I am going to be a grandmother, your Baba, a grand father and your sister, an aunt." She said excitedly and held his hands tightly in hers. Then by way of explanation she said, "Prachi threw up because of morning sickness. She is crazily in love with you. I am sure she enjoys your kisses too!" she winked.

By then Prachi had come out of the room after washing up. "Milind, where did you go?" she called out to him, looking for him worriedly. She has to explain everything to him before he blew the fuse she thought. She then caught sight of him standing with her mother. He looked up at her and climbing the stairs two at a time, was by her side in a jiffy. He lifted her by her waist and twirled her around. Prachi screamed to be put down. PL looked at them in happiness. Sukriti who had gone shopping had returned just then to witness the spectacle.

"Bhaiya, careful. Bhabhi is still very delicate at this stage," she said, laughing at his excitement.

Milind turned red and put her down carefully. They then sat down to have their lunch together. In between Prachi made several trips to the bathroom to throw up and everytime Milind followed her to support her forehead in his large palm and wash her mouth afterwards. PL and Sukriti looked at each other and smiled.

The next morning Milind received a call at his office from his lawyer. He informed him that the producer of the music company swore that the video they were planning to release did not have any kissing scene. They had not finished the editing of the video in full but were willing to send the first cut of the DVD for his examination. If he found anything objectionable they were willing to remove the clipping from the song. The lawyer also told him that the contract with Prachi was only for singing and did not include shooting for the video. So they can in fact insist that the company delete the entire bit featuring Prachi and if the company does not agree, they can obtain a court injunction to stay the release of the video. Milind consulted Prachi on the matter and she asked him to insist that her part in the video be deleted as she did not feel comfortable about it. Milind asked his lawyer to issue a notice to the company to remove all shots featuring his wife. After a couple of hours his lawyer got back to inform him that the company agreed to delete the objectionable parts and reshoot that portion of the song with the same two models. Prachi's voice will be used only for the playback.

Having sorted this sticky issue, Milind still felt something was amiss. He wondered how Mr.Bansal had a complete video which had the kissing scene when the company had not even finished processing the video. He called in Mr.Bansal and asked him who had given him the video. Mr.Bansal lied that he got it from the company. Milind threatened to hand him over to the police if he did not speak up the truth since he knew that the company had not yet completed the video. Mr.Bansal got scared and admitted that he had got it from his cousin who works as a cameraman in that company and who had shot the video. He had done the editing and improvisation himself with the rushes he had and gave him the completed video. Milind asked him why did his cousin go to such lengths to give him the video but Mr.Bansal did not give an answer to that. He knew that if he drags Alaap's name into this, Alaap will finish him off. Milind asked for his cousin's address. Getting it from him, he called up the local goon and asked him to pay the guy a visit and get all copies of the video, if there are any. He also asked the goon to issue him a warning that if he ever tried to sell the video, he will not have a single unbroken bone in his body. He then turned his attention to Mr.Bansal and told him in no uncertain terms that he has to voluntarily resign from the hotel if he wanted to save his hide. Mr.Bansal trembled at the sight of his rage and came back in less than an hour to put in his papers.

That evening he discussed the day's happenings with his wife. The minute he mentioned about Mr.Bansal, Prachi's ears pricked up. She remembered that he was the man she had overheard speak ill of Milind when she visited his office several months ago. She also remembered overhearing Alaap talk to a Mr.Bansal the day she went to meet him at his office to haul him up for his treatment of Sukriti. Could it be the same man? There was a strong possibility of it, but would Alaap stoop to such an extent to bring down Milind? The video would have sullied her reputation as well. Would he have done it to his own sister? Then she remembered the deal he had made with Milind to usurp her father's wealth. She knew she cannot put it past him. He seemed to be the most selfish creature she ever came across. If he did this to his own sibling what more he would do to his wife who he never really loved? She feared for Sukriti's well being in the company of such an unscrupulous man. She did not want to confide her doubts and apprehensions with Milind. She knew Milind may not take these things lying down and a war may be unleashed between the two families. She decided instead to speak to Sukriti and advice her to get out of this bad marriage before it consumes her. Nothing good can come out of this marriage which has gone beyond redemption. Now what is important is Sukriti's happiness. Her mother was right in suggesting that Sukriti break up with Alaap. She too felt that this would be the best option. They could always find a decent guy for her. Even if they don't, Sukriti would be much happier without a husband like him.

The following morning she went to meet Sukriti at Shah House and taking her aside she told her whatever she knew about Alaap. She told her how he seems to have planted somebody in Milind's hotel to bring down her brother. She warned her that the longer she stayed with him, the more havoc he was going to create in all their lives for it was clear he did not love her. Just then Sukriti caught sight of Alaap standing outside the room. The guy had hid himself to overhear their conversation. Sukriti pretended not to have seen him and shouted at Prachi for daring to suggest dissolving her marriage.

"What sort of woman are you, bhabhi to suggest to her own sister-in-law to divorce her husband? Don't you know that woman's place is by her husband, no matter how he treats her? Have we not been taught to be patient and caring towards our husbands? Have you not put up with my hot headed brother? Why are you now asking me to leave my husband?"

Prachi tried to explain to her, "Sukriti, you know very well you cannot compare your brother with mine. Your brother may be hot headed but he is a good man."

Sukriti looked at her angrily, "And mine is not? Look here bhabhi. I respect you and hold you in high regard. That does not mean I will believe all the lies you spew about my husband."

Prachi was shocked to hear Sukriti speak in this manner.

In order to convince Sukriti about Alaap's true nature she told her about the deal he made with Milind to get her share of her father's wealth.

"A man who can sell his own sister can do anything, Sukriti."

Sukriti was shocked to hear this side of the story but she quickly recovered and asked Prachi how long she knew about this. Prachi admitted that she was aware of this for quite some time.

"Then why did you not tell me earlier?" asked Sukriti.

"I thought he would treat you well, Sukriti, but we saw how he has been behaving with you. He was not even present for your delivery or your son's funeral."

"All this is old news, bhabhi. As I see things as they stand, your immediate provocation to come here and ask me to divorce Alaap is to protect your own marriage and your husband," she said spitefully.

"He is also your brother, Sukriti," Prachi said in a pained voice.

Sukriti tried hard to sound as heartless as possible, "So what? After marriage a woman's loyalty is to her husband and his family, not her parental home. Just as you are loyal to your husband, I am loyal to mine. Alaap works hard to support me. He may be a little indifferent at times but he makes up in others. He buys me gifts and takes me out. I will not leave him at any cost. If you have nothing else to talk about other than this divorce talk, can you please leave?"

Prachi was hurt by Sukriti's harsh words and her eyes reflected her pain. Sukriti turned away from her to hide her own tears and prevent herself from cracking up. After a few seconds of silence, Prachi left the place with a heavy heart.

Alaap who had heard all this had moved away with a crooked smile before his sister caught him standing outside the room.

After Prachi left, Sukriti threw herself on the bed face down and cried her heart out. "I am sorry bhabhi," she wept into the pillow. "I had to be harsh with you to achieve the larger objective of my husband's downfall."

XXXVIII

One week later

It was the ear piercing and naming ceremony of Mala's daughter. Milind wanted to make it a grand event. So he booked the banquet hall at his hotel and laid out an elaborate feast. He called all his friends from the chawl apart from his wife's family and the baby's parents and grandparents. Ayesha, who was out of town on official tour when Mala's baby was born, also attended the function. When she came to know of Prachi's pregnancy, she hugged her tight in happiness.

The function began with the ear piercing ceremony. The baby was made to lie on Milind's lap as he was her maternal uncle, and her tiny earlobes were pierced. Hearing the baby wail at the sharp pain this caused, Milind's heart went out to her. He asked Prachi why they were subjecting the tiny baby to such torture. She assured him that she will soon be alright. She was right, for soon the baby stopped crying and looked around her curiously at the thronging people. As Ganpat was a Maharashtrian, in their community both the grandparents of the child keep passing the baby to each other, uttering names of Lord Krishna before naming the baby. As Mala did not have a mother, PL decided to take her place as the maternal grandmother. Ganpat's mother first held the baby and passed her to PL, uttering one of Lord Krishna's many names. She, in turn, passed her back to her, uttering another name for the Lord. This went on for the next ten minutes. Finally Mala bent down over her daughter and uttered her name, Bhavya, into her ear before announcing it to everyone assembled. The guests then lined up to give gifts both to the mother and the baby. The baby dozed off mid-way through the ceremony. As Mala was also looking tired, staying up half the night to nurse her baby, Milind offered her one of the hotel room to rest and feed her baby as and when she wakes up.

After the ceremony, Ganpat escorted his wife to the room. Milind arranged for food to be served in their room. Sukriti who was dying to speak to Prachi took her aside and apologised to her for her rude behaviour. She assured her that she knew what she was doing and will ensure Alaap pays for his sins. She requested her not to ask her just how she was planning to do it. Prachi asked her to be careful as her brother can be ruthless.

The guests in the meantime went to serve themselves the buffet lunch. Seeing the food, Prachi rushed to the washroom to puke. Realising that his wife will not be able to sit amidst the smell of food, Milind took her to one of the hotel rooms. He arranged for curd rice and pickle (the only food she ate for the past two weeks) to be served in their room and fed her the food, eating the same himself. Later he stretched her on the bed and sat by her side, massaging her forehead till she fell asleep. His guests looked out for the hosts and the parents of the baby and not finding either, they took leave from the PL and Sukriti. PL then called Milind to inform him that they too were making a move and asked him to come home for dinner that night with his Baba.

Milind watched over his sleeping wife lovingly. A couple of hours later Milind gently woke Prachi up, reminding her of the appointment they had in less than an hour with their gynaecologist, Dr.Preena. Her doctor was to perform an ultrasound test. Normally such a test is done during 16-18 weeks of pregnancy. Her doctor, however, wanted to perform one on her even though she was only 8 weeks pregnant, after examining her and hearing her complaints of excessive morning sickness and fatigue. Both Milind and Prachi were a little apprehensive about what they will find, although they were excited to catch the first glimpse of their baby.

On reaching the clinic, they were directed to the doctor's consulting room. As it was still early to have an abdominal sonography, the doctor inserted the instrument into her to get a clear picture of her womb. What she saw on the screen had her transfixed. Moving the instrument around, she tried to confirm again what she had seen. Milind got alarmed seeing her startled look and repeatedly asked her if everything was alright with the baby. She did not look at him but concentrated on her task for a few minutes. By now Milind was sweating profusely, wondering what was wrong. Prachi too started panicking and begged the doctor to tell them what the problem was.

Finally turning around, Dr.Preena smiled and said, "Mrs.Mishra, you are carrying not one.....not two.....but three babies."

Hearing this, Prachi got up with a start and Milind slumped on the bed as they both gaped at the doctor. Dr.Preena then explained to them although normally only one egg is released by the woman in a month, sometimes two eggs are released and both get fertilised to form two embryos which will later develop into foetuses. Within a couple of days of fertilisation, one of them then splits to form a third embryo. Multiple pregnancies are not a common event, that too under natural conditions, but Prachi seems to be among the select women that nature decides to bless with more than one kid.

She then asked Prachi if she had a family history of multiple births. Prachi remembered her mother telling her a long time ago that she had a fraternal twin sibling (who would have been Prachi's aunt) who died at birth. Dr.Preena then explained to them that fraternal twins (formed by the fertilisation of two eggs or zygotes) are common among older women. Heredity factors or infertility treatment can also result in these twins. In Prachi's case it seemed to be a heredity factor. Milind enquired about the safety of his wife. Dr.Preena assured him that since the three embryos were developing with the help of three separate placentas, their chances of survival were bright although Prachi will have to come for frequent medical check-ups so that the progress of the foetuses can be monitored.

After getting over the initial shock, Milind gladly hugged the doctor and turned around to kiss his wife's forehead. Prachi took longer to get out of her shock. Milind whispered that everything will be fine and slowly escorted her out of the clinic. They picked up Baba from their house and left for the Shah House. Prachi was unusually quiet throughout the journey. They had not yet broken the news to Baba as they wanted to do so when both their families were together. On reaching Shah House they were welcomed in by PL and Sukriti. They all then sat down together in the hall. PL asked Milind how did the test go. Milind looked at his wife to see if she wanted to convey the news to them but she remained silent.

He then lovingly placed his palm on her abdomen and looking around at everyone he proudly announced, "My love has multiplied in there!" They all looked at him in confusion wondering what he meant. Sukriti was the first one to understand. "Bhaiya and bhabhi are having twins!" she exclaimed.

"Not twins Sukriti, triplets", corrected Milind.

"Triplets?! I will be aunty three times over," she exclaimed and jumped up to embrace Prachi. PL and Baba blessed Prachi and wished her well. Suddenly Prachi got up and rushed out of the room. She went up to her room and fell on the bed weeping loudly. Milind was alarmed seeing her strange behaviour and quickly followed her. Kneeling on the floor by her side, he lifted her tear-stained face. "What is it, Prachi? Why are you crying?" he asked in confusion.

"Milind, I am scared. I can't do this, Milind. I can't carry three babies for nine months."

"Prachi, my poor darling. You think you are in this alone? Don't worry, I will be with you every step of the way. Together we will bring our beautiful babies into this world. Although I cannot carry your burden now, I will assume their full responsibility from the moment they come into this world. You needn't lift your little finger. You sit back like a queen and relax while I take care of all their needs. I will change their nappies, I will put them to sleep, I will sing to them, I will ..."

Prachi smiled through her tears and said, "There is one thing you cannot do."

Milind swore that there is nothing he can't do.

"You'll even breastfeed them?" asked Prachi, putting on an innocent face.

Milind scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "Except that, I'll do everything else. I'll bring them to you only to fill their hungry little tummies. The rest of the time I'll look after them."

"If you are after them 24 hours of the day, who will feed their mother and their grandpa?" By now she was enjoying teasing him.

"I'll shift all of you to the hotel so that I can keep a close watch on my babies and also discharge my duties at work," he said confidently.

Prachi started laughing and hugged him. "You are chooooo chweeeeeet, my darling hubby." She pinched both his cheeks.

"Then you'll have these babies?" Milind asked her, looking at her with expectant eyes.

"How can I deny you the pleasure of your precious babies? I'll have them, dear."

"I promise you that you will not regret trusting your husband," he assured her and walked her down to the dining table. PL, Baba and Sukriti were already at the table waiting for them. PL asked her daughter whether she was alright. She nodded her head and quietly ate the food her husband fed her, looking at him with love-filled eyes.

"Bhabhi, this is Saket Saxena. He was Alaap's classmate in college and is now working for him as his legal adviser."

Between them Sukriti and Saket narrated the whole chain of events since her meeting with him early that year. Saket did his masters in law from the Harvard Law School after post graduation here in India. After working for a legal firm in the U.S. for a couple of years he had returned to India in January that year. One day Sukriti ran into him at the bank quite by chance. Since his face looked familiar, she asked him if she knew him. He then told her that they had met on a couple of occasions during some inter-collegiate events. It is then that she recollected who he was. They had coffee together and caught up with old times. He told her that he had come to attend a job interview for the post of legal adviser at the Shah Group of Hotels. Hearing the name, she was surprised and informed him that her husband, Alaap, was the CEO of the Group. It was Saket's turn to be surprised. She asked him if he wanted her to put in a word to her husband but he declined saying that he would prefer to get the job in his own merit. He enquired when she had got married and how many children she had. At the mention of children, she could not control her tears since that day was the second-month death anniversary of her son. Seeing her emotionally disturbed state, he did not press on.

"Alaap, I heard that Bansal has been ousted by your brother-in-law, Milind and he is looking out for a replacement. I think we should plant our guy there so that he can continue to do what Bansal did till now."

"I must applaud you Alaap," he continued. "When it comes to business, all relations need to be forgotten. So what if the guy is your brother-in-law? If there is an opportunity to bring down a rival, one should capitalise on it. I know someone who is just right for the job. He has the experience of working in the hotel industry. He is energetic and smart. Milind should not have a problem recruiting him. I will ensure that he does not suspect anything and trace him back to us. The guy I have in mind is also a good snooper. He will hunt out information about Milind's financial dealings. Equipped with this knowledge we should be able to bring him down."

Over the months Alaap had grown to trust Saket's judgement. Although he had not discussed with him his hatred for Milind, now that it is out he was relieved that Saket supported him on his mission to bring Milind down. He agreed to have the guy Saket was suggesting as their informer at Garodia Hotels. Saket pounced on the opportunity and had sent one of his old friends, Vikram, to attend the interview at Milind's hotel. As expected, Vikram had got the job. Now they planned to make Vikram pass on false information to Alaap, who in turn will end up taking wrong decisions based on it.

"Don't worry, Mrs.Mishra. We will ensure that your husband's name or reputation will not be harmed by our deeds. We will also ensure that Alaap does not come to know of our plans. As to Sukriti's safety, I will stand guarantee for it. If everything goes well we should be able to get the man down on his knees in less than a year."

Prachi did not know how to react to all this. She knew Milind will not agree to any of this if he came to know of it. The guy absolutely abhorred dishonesty and what Sukriti and Saket planned to do was nothing short of it. She tried telling this to Saket.

"Mrs.Mishra, if we do not operate as deviously as Alaap does, he would plant his own man there and keep creating problems for Milind. If Milind comes to know that Alaap was behind all this, all hell will break lose. After a lot of thought we have come to the conclusion that this was the best course of action, both to protect Milind and also punish Alaap. You have to remove a thorn with a thorn, Mrs.Mishra. We are dealing with a poisonous thorn, so we need to use another poisonous thorn to deal with it."

Sukriti agreed with him and said that now was not the time to tell Milind anything about the plan. When the time was right she herself will tell him everything and explain to him the circumstances under which they decided to take this route.

Prachi still looked confused but something about Saket evoked a sense of trust and confidence in him. She noticed a deep care in his eyes for Sukriti. She knew he will not take any chances with her safety. So she decided to play along with them by maintaining her silence. She hoped her judgement about Saket is not proved wrong. On her way back home she dropped into a mandir and prayed for Sukriti's well being and success in her plan.

The next day was Prachi's birthday. When Prachi opened her eyes that morning she saw her husband intently gaze at her face with great love. He leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips and wished her a happy birthday saying that he did not want to be accused of forgetting her birthday like last year. She smiled and said she will not accuse him for she knew that he will never forget anything that is associated with her. Just then she looked up to see a large picture of herself as a new born baby in PL's arms right at the centre of the wall before them. She turned around and saw that the entire room was adorned with framed pictures taken on each of her preceding twenty three birthdays. There was one taken of her on the chawl terrace during Milind's surprise party the previous year.

"Milind, where did you get all these pictures from?" she asked in surprise.

Milind smiled and said, "Except for the last one which I had clicked on my cell phone and hence it is not very clear, the rest were given to me by your mama. I got it from her last week and had them all framed."

"Milind, you never cease to amaze me!" she exclaimed and hugged him.

Milind then took her on a guided tour of each of the photograph, telling her what he liked about her in each one of them.

"But my favourite one is this," he said stopping in front of the picture of her as a newborn.

"Do you know why?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"Because you are in minimal clothes, in just your nappy! I wouldn't have minded it if you weren't wearing even that." he said naughtily and ran away before she could hit his shoulder.

Assuring her that the reason he loved that picture was because it was the first picture of his beautiful wife and secondly, it gave him an idea how his babies will look like if they take after their mom, which he hoped they would. He then asked her to finish her morning routine fast because they needed to go to some places. As she stepped into the bathroom he asked her loudly whether she needed help bathing. She replied that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. When she stepped back into the room she found a beautiful magenta georgette saree with matching blouse and skirt lying on the bed. Milind was not in the room. Smiling she slipped into the skirt and just about managed to fit into the blouse although it was a bit tight in the front. She had tucked in one end of the saree and was about to wrap it around her when Milind walked in with a tray with two cups of tea. The minute he saw his wife had not yet draped the saree, he hurriedly left the tray on the side table and jumped to her side. He insisted that he should be allowed the honour of dressing her up, atleast on her birthday. She smiled and pulling the pallu over her shoulder and pinning it up so as to ensure that it does not fall down like it did the last time he tried draping a saree on her, she let him take the pleats of the saree. He knelt in front of her and expertly folded the pleats. He was about to tuck in the saree when he caught sight of the gently rising mound of her stomach. He bent forward and placed three kisses on it. Prachi shivered at the sensation and caught his head between her hands in an effort to stop him. He looked up and said that he was not kissing her but his three beautiful babies inside and kissed her stomach again. He then gently tucked the pleats in and got up. He removed a jewel case from the cupboard and took out a delicate slim floral patterned diamond necklace. Seeing her widened eyes, he smiled and asked her to turn around. Slipping it around her neck, he tightened the clasp. He leant forward and kissed the nape of her neck sending another wave of shiver down her body. He then led her to the bed and offered her the tea.

Later they went to baba's room to seek his blessings. While blessing her, baba exclaimed at how time flew by. It was not long ago that she was a baby on his lap and now she is a mother-to-be, whose babies will soon be sitting on his lap. She smiled shyly as Milind wheeled him to the dining table where breakfast prepared by Krishna kaka was awaiting them. Ever since Prachi started having morning sickness he had been managing the cooking, apart from taking care of baba.

After their breakfast Milind drove her to a mandir and offered prayers for her and his three unborn babies. Later he drove her to Shah House, dropping her off before leaving for work. As he turned to leave, he asked her what she wanted when he returned that evening.

"Milind, you have already gifted me so many things. I do not want anything more than your love."

"Darling, you know that you always have it. All the gifts I got you so far were according to my wish. What is it that you wish for?"

She then hesitatingly told him that she had a craving for small gooseberries (see picture).

"Small gooseberries? They will be extremely sour," he made a face.

"That is why I want them," she said. "My tongue is itching to eat sour things."

"OK. If that is what you want, that is what you'll have."

He pecked her cheek and took leave of his mother-in-law and Sukriti.

At the hotel he sent one of his employees to get the small gooseberries but the man returned after an hour saying that he could not find them anywhere in the market. He decided to search for them himself. After thronging all the markets in the area he still could not find them. That evening he was returning to Shah House deeply dejected that he could not get the only gift his wife wanted from him on her birthday. While waiting for a signal, he noticed a gooseberry tree by the side of the road. Once the signal turned green he veered his car closer to the tree and stopping the car next to it he got out hurriedly. He looked up at the tree. The gooseberries were hanging at a height. He tried stretching his hands but he could not reach them. Finally he decided to climb the tree and pick them himself. He removed his shoes and quickly climbed the tree. Spreading his large handkerchief over his palm, he picked the gooseberries from the branches with the other hand and filled his handkerchief with them. He then tied a tight knot around them and slowly tried to get down. Just as he was nearing the bottom of the tree his grip around the tree slipped and he fell to the ground with a thud, spraining his right ankle in the process. Cursing himself, he picked up the precious bundle of gooseberries in one hand and his shoes on the other and hopped to the car. Sliding in, he started the car and drove home. His ankle had swollen up by the time he reached Shah House and was throbbing with pain. Unmindful of his pain, he eagerly got off the car and headed to the front door, ringing the bell continuously to get Prachi's attention.

As soon as Prachi opened the door he offered her the bundled handkerchief and asked her to open it. Prachi opened the bundle excitedly and the minute she saw the gooseberries, her eyes widened in happiness. She kissed his cheek and hurried to the kitchen to wash them. Seeing her childish excitement Milind felt contented and slowly hopped into the house. PL and Sukriti alarmed to see his soiled clothes and pronounced limp. Sukriti rushed to his side and holding his hand she led him to the sofa. Both of them then enquired what had happened and why was he limping. Prachi who was returning from the kitchen after having washed the gooseberries and transferring them to a stainless steel bowl, overheard them and rushed to him. Leaving the bowl on the teepoy, she sat in front of him and lifting his foot, she examined his ankle which had swollen like a bun by now. In the meantime PL brought the first aid kit. Taking it from her, Prachi removed the bottle of Iodex from it and applied it on the injured area.

"Milind, how did you get it?" Prachi asked him.

Milind was reluctant to tell her what had happened. After she kept prodding for quite awhile he finally told her how he had slipped down the gooseberry tree after picking the berries.

All the three women were amazed at the extent Milind would go to fulfil his wife's wishes. Prachi's eyes filled with tears which fell on his foot. Milind was alarmed to see them and lifting her up, he made her sit by his side. Wiping the tears, he said that she should not cry on her birthday. He took all this trouble to bring a smile on her face and not a tear. By crying she defeated the very purpose of his gift. She smiled half heartedly. He then took one gooseberry from the bowl and tried feeding it to her. She shook her head and said that she did not want the gooseberries which were responsible for her husband's pain. Milind told her that he will be more pained if she does not eat them. She then reluctantly ate them as he fed them one by one. Sukriti and PL who were watching the entire interaction between the two, looked at each other and smiled. PL said a silent prayer that no evil eye be cast on the happiness of her children for she considered Milind as her own son.

Ayesha's days were quite full during the past month or so. She returned after a week's official tour to Delhi to a whole pile of work which had accumulated in her absence. Although she never rested a minute while at work, the load was nowhere near over. Between her weekend trips to Bangalore to keep a watch over her mother and her late sittings at the office, she hardly got the time to visit her friends or socialise. She was dying to spend more time with Prachi, especially now that she is in the family way. She wanted to cook her favourite dishes and feed them to her but alas, she never could find the time do to it. But Ayesha considered work as worship. Once she was in office, she pushed aside all other thoughts and concentrated on the task at hand. That day, she was clearing all the old bills when her eyes caught a receipt for one of the consignments that was sent during her absence. She had been handling the order before she had to urgently leave for Delhi to meet one of their long standing clients and thrash out some pending issues with them. Before leaving she had entrusted the job of sending the consignment to the U.S. to her assistant manager, Mr.Jaswal. Going by the receipt date it appeared that the guy has sent the consignment five days late and as a result they suffered an exchange loss of Rs.10 lakh as the rupee had appreciated against the US dollar in the meantime. Had he sent the consignment on time they could have prevented the loss. It did not help that they had not taken a forward cover. Ayesha called in Mr.Jaswal and gave him the firing of his life.

Mr.Jaswal shifted from one leg to the other uneasily. "Ms.Singhania, I...I.... ..," he stammered out, unable to get the words out on seeing the blazing anger in her eyes.

"Mr.Jaswal, I do not have the whole day to wait for your explanation. Has the cat caught your tongue?"

"Ye...es, I ... I mean nno....., I am.... sorry...I....could ...not send it on the scheduled date because ....my....my mother...had suddenly taken ill and I....I.... had to take...her to the hospital."

"OK, if you could not send it on that day, why did you not send it the next day or the next. Why did you wait for five days before sending it?"

"Ms.Singhania, I... I ....could not leave my mother back..alone in the hospital. I had to stay with her."

"Do you have no one who could to take care of her? What about your wife, Mr.Jaswal?"

"My wife absolutely detests my mother. They are constantly at each other's throats even on ordinary days. I couldn't leave her in my wife's care knowing her animosity towards my mother. She wouldn't hesitate to throttle her in her incapacitated state."

"It will not happen again, Ms.Singhania."

"Good. You may go now," she waved him off as she turned her attention to the next item of work.

As Mr.Jaswal went to the door, Neev moved hurriedly away from his place behind it and returned to his cabin, engrossed in deep thought.

That afternoon, he called Ayesha in to get a briefing about the business. Ayesha entered with a file in her hand where she had given the detailed report about the month's activities. Taking the file from her hands, he asked her to sit. While going through it he asked her about the consignment to the U.S.

"Ms.Singhania, why have we suffered a loss of Rs.10 lakh in this deal?"

"But Ms.Singhania, the entire transaction seems to have taken place during your absence. Then why are you blaming yourself?"

"I may not have been physically present, Sir, but it was my duty to have followed up on this task and ensured it was completed on time. I failed to do it. It will not happen again."

"Ms.Singhania. I overheard you admonishing Mr.Jaswal. My, my, my. Should have seen how hot and red with anger your face had become. I think I could have toasted a bread on your cheeks. Must say that you do look quite attractive when you are angry, Ms.Singhania."

"I'm sorry, I came to your cabin to get this month's business report but ended up inadvertently listening to you blasting your assistant manager for dereliction of duty. Did not feel like entering in after that and risk getting my head chewed off as well. Thought I'll wait till you cooled down. That's why I called you now but looks like your anger has still not cooled down."

"Mr.Shergill I scolded the man for not sending the consignment on time as he should have done. It is my right as his boss to expect him to fulfil my instructions. At the same time I also have a duty as a manager to ensure that the work was completed. If I had called up and checked up whether the consignment had left, I would have realised that it had not. I could have then made alternate arrangements to see to it that it did. I assumed that the work would be done and that is my fault. It was a costly mistake because we have lost Rs.10 lakh as a result of it."

"But I was his boss, so I have to assume responsibility for his omissions and commissions as well," she tried to justify herself.

"If that is the case, I am your boss, so I will have to assume responsibility for this loss. Had I taken a forward cover, we could have avoided the exchange loss. By failing to anticipate the rupee appreciation, I was not smart enough, especially considering that I had studied Economics. So stop the self flagellation."

Mr.Jaswal entered in with folded hands. "Thank you, Sir. I came to know just now from the accounts department that all my mother's medical expenses have been settled by the company. I am sorry I had caused a loss to your company and yet you have been gracious enough to overlook that and help me."

"Mr.Jaswal, what I did was the duty of an employer. I hope you will discharge your duties as an employee by concentrating on your work as Ms.Singhania had told you to do."

"Yes, Sir," said Jaswal gratefully and left the place.

It was Ayesha's turn to be confused by his behaviour. One minute he was making fun of her for yelling at her assistant manager and later taking up for him. Yet now he himself was tacitly supporting her firm stand with her subordinate but at the same time he was compassionate enough to foot all the medical bills of an employee who had caused loss to his company. Looking at her confused expression, he raised an eyebrow enquiringly.

He smiled and nodded his head, "Yes, Ms.Duty First, you may go now."

Although she felt like retorting back to that mocking comment, she let it pass. Inspite of herself she started liking the guy. He seemed to be jovial, smart and most of all a compassionate human being. As he watched her retreating back, his eyes softened with an emotion he did not understand or want to accept as yet. He kept twirling the hemispherical paper weight upside down on the large desk as his thoughts were deeply immersed in this mysterious girl who evoked feelings in him he tried best to forget.

That evening Milind arrived earlier than usual to take her shopping for some clothes. He noticed that she struggled to fit into her fitted kameez the previous day when they were getting ready for the visit to the doctor. He would have taken her directly to the shop from the clinic but she looked very haggard and he did not want to overstrain her. Hence he decided to postpone the shopping for the next day. When he entered in, he noticed Prachi fast asleep, stretched out on the sofa with one of the two pregnancy books he had bought for her, "Expecting Twins, Triplets, and More: A Doctor's Guide to a Healthy and Happy Multiple Pregnancy: by Rachel Franklin" spread on her growing tummy. Baba gave him the daily report about her activities and assured him that she had her lunch and evening tea on time and had dozed off only a few minutes back. Milind sat next to his wife and gazed tenderly at her sleeping face. Pushing back a tendril of hair which had fallen on her face, he got up and told his baba that he had some shopping to do. Although he wanted to take Prachi along so that she could chose what she wants to buy, he did not have the heart to wake her up.

At the shop he bought half a dozen lose fitting cotton kurtas and then stepped into the lingerie store to buy some brassieres for his wife as he noticed that her bosom was expanding too but he did not know her size. He asked the sales girl to take out all the sizes in cotton to get a visual idea and rummaged through them till he found the one which he thought would fit her. He felt the fabric with his hands to ensure they were soft on the skin and explained to the salesgirl that his wife was pregnant and her skin was pretty sensitive and tender. As he stood there selecting the lingerie for his wife, he was oblivious to the many pairs of eyes that looked him up and down in curiosity. While the men smirked at him, the women looked at him enviously wishing they too had a caring husband like him. By the time he was satisfied with his purchase, the sales girl was sapped off all her energy. She thought that a few customers like him were enough to make her want to quit her job. Seeing her tired face, Milind felt guilty and apologising for putting her through all the trouble, he handed a hundred rupee note for all her patience. The girl smiled and thanked him, quickly changing her mind about him. A few customers like him were enough to make her job worth the while she thought. Picking all the covers he returned back home.

They later had their dinner with Baba. Milind forced her to drink a glass of milk. Prachi made a face and said that she had already had two glasses that day but he would not take 'no' for an answer. Finally she gave up and drank it. Wiping her mouth off with his palm he fed her an apple. Prachi knew there was no point protesting, so she meekly ate it. After Baba had retired to bed, Milind carried Prachi to their room. He made her lean against him and rubbing her neck with one hand, he held a pregnancy book titled "What to expect when you are expecting" which chalked out the entire course of nine months pregnancy. There was a section on 'Twins and more' which he read aloud to her. Soon Prachi's eyes turned droopy and she fell asleep. He gently stretched her on the bed and loosely hugging her, he watched over her till his eyes too felt heavy and rested for the day.

(2)

It was the last night of the Navratri celebrations. Ayesha put away the files and got ready to leave. It was 9.00 p.m. and if she hurries maybe she can participate in the dandiya ras organised in the chawl. She couldn't take part in the dances the previous eight nights because she was caught up in work. Neev made it a point to drop her every night at the chawl if she got delayed at work. That day too he dropped into her cabin, volunteering to drop her. She accepted the offer on the condition that he would take part in the dandiya ras. Neev tried to wriggle out of it stating that he did not know how to dance. Ayesha assured him that she can teach him and that was not an excuse. After protesting for awhile Neev finally gave in.

Neev suggested that they have their dinner before they go to the chawl. Ayesha nodded her head and they dropped in at a posh restaurant on the way. While having their dinner, Ayesha asked him why he was reluctant to socialise. He said that by nature he is a recluse who prefers to keep his own company. Ayesha refused to buy his explanation saying she knew that he used to be an outgoing, fun loving and carefree person who made people around him laugh with his wit. Neev looked at her in surprise and asked her how she knew that. Realising that she had inadvertently blurted out something she knew from being Prachi's friend, she hastily recovered to attribute her knowledge of his personality to the long-time employees in his company who never stopped wondering about the transformation in their erstwhile master's son. She did not want Neev to know about her connection with Prachi as yet, although why, she did not understand. Neev seemed to accept her explanation, for he merely nodded and said that he was a different person before. He loved the company of people and dreaded spending life on his own. But life has dealt him a raw deal. After his marriage and love turned sour, he lost all hope of ever being happy again. He did not want to expose himself to hurt and shied away from people, preferring to keep his own company. She looked at him intently and asked him whether that had made him feel better. He did not answer her directly but said that it kept him from thinking about the past. She said that only cowards try to escape from reality. A brave man would want to confront it head on. She then said she generally does not like to talk about her personal life to people but she does not mind sharing it with him if it makes him realise how lucky he is.

She then told him how her parents were separated soon after she was born. Her mother gradually lost her mental balance. He maternal grandmother who took care of her died when she entered college and since then she has been taking care of herself and her mother. She worked part time to put herself through college and had taken up the job as a supervisor in the company which was eventually taken over by his.

"Now, going by my experiences, I can say that life has been cruel to me - that I was deprived of parental love early on in life and had to fend for myself at an age when most teenagers enjoy their lives to the fullest. That is seeing the glass as half empty. But then the glass is also half full. That is how I view life. I take things positively. I treat all the boulders that life has hurled on me as stepping stones to reach my goal of leading a fuller and fulfilling life. I never dwell on my past for I have no control over it. What I have in my hand is my present and depending on what I make of it, I can hopefully dictate my future. All the events that happened in my life have made me a stronger and more independent person. So I have no regrets." After she finished, she looked at him in embarrassment. "I am sorry, I must be boring you with this talk."

"No, no, Ayesha. I am glad that we had this conversation. You have never ceased to amaze me and now I know where you get your strength. I'll try to follow your attitude towards life and I must admit my life has not been half as harsh as yours. I had a wonderful childhood and I guess the experiences of one's childhood lay the foundation for one's character. Thanks for sharing your life's experiences to open my eyes to what I have rather than dwell on what I don't."

After they finished up, he settled the bill and directed her to his Mercedes. On reaching the chawl she invited him over to join in the dandiya dance. He smiled and parking his car, he joined the huge gathering at the courtyard in front of the chawl. Ayesha gave him a pair of dandiya sticks and showed him how to use them. Neev tried hard to keep pace with the beats and hit her sticks with his. After missing a few times, suddenly the stick flew from his hand and hit Mrs.Veena Shukla, who was dancing nearby, hard on her back. She turned around angrily to see who was responsible for it. Neev bit his tongue and rushed to her to apologise but she did not give him an opportunity to do that. She gave him the choicest curses in typical tapori style. Neev had not heard many of the words before and looked at her in confusion. Ayesha quickly stepped in and retorted back sharply.

"Veena aunty, mind your tongue. Don't you dare use such indecent words to address my boss. What did he do to deserve it? After all it was an accident and he was decent enough to apologise for it. The fact that you chose to ignore it and instead insult him in this manner shows your small mindedness."

She then held Neev's hand in hers and dragged him away from there before Mrs.Shukla could continue her tirade. Neev was shaken by the entire episode. He asked Ayesha not to antagonise the people she lived amongst for his sake. Apologising for the inconvenience his presence had caused, he expressed his wish to leave. Ayesha tried to stop him but he assured her that he will come some other day and definitely partake in the functions held in the chawl. He said that he was exhausted and was looking forward to hitting the bed as early as possible. Ayesha reluctantly bade him goodbye. Not wanting to continue dancing, she returned back to her house and went to bed, going over the day's happenings in her mind and wondering what life had in store for her.

XLIII

One month later

Prachi had gained substantial weight in the past month and her figure had become more rounded. Sitting in front of the dressing table and looking at herself in the mirror that morning, Prachi felt miserable and depressed. She started weeping bitterly. Milind who had just then come in with her morning tea was alarmed to see her tears and leaving the tea cup on the side table, he rushed to find out what was wrong.

"Sweetheart, what is wrong. Are you in pain?"

Closing her face with her palms she shook her head, still whimpering.

Kneeling beside her, he slowly pried open her palms and looked at her tear-stained face. Lifting her chin so that she was forced to meet his gaze, he quizzically raised his eyebrows.

"Milind, I am ugly," she wailed. "Just look at me. I am so fat and clumsy."

"Says who?" asked Milind, pretending to look around for the culprit who would dare to call his wife ugly.

She pointed to the mirror. "It can never lie, Milind. I can see myself in there and what I see is disgusting."

"Disgusting? How can you call yourself disgusting, baby? You are beautiful and glowing," he said in a reassuring tone.

"You are saying that only to please me. I know you do not find me attractive anymore. We have not been intimate in a long while," she said mournfully.

Milind was stunned to realise that she was missing their intimacy.

"Darling, we have not been intimate, not because I do not find you attractive but because you have been perennially exhausted," he tried to explain.

She had to admit that what he said was true. She was the one who pushed him away initially and after the news of the pregnancy he has kept away from her as she was plagued by morning sickness and fatigue. But of late she wanted his attention, she wanted him to look at her as a lover, not as just the mother-to-be of his babies. While he was very caring and attentive, he no longer looked at her with the deep longing like before. Seeing her image in the mirror she wasn't surprised by the change in his behaviour. She did not know how to regain his attention.

"Milind, you no longer look at me with passion and hunger. You do not want me anymore," she whined, pouting her lips.

"You really think that I do not want you, baby? You can never stop looking attractive to me. You are carrying my babies, darling. Do you know how you beautiful you look now? You look good enough to eat. It is with great difficulty that I keep my passion bridled up. " Leaning forward he gently nipped at her neck. He stood up and went behind her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he slowly raised her up. He kicked the stool on which she was seated and stood very close behind her. Placing his sinewy arms across her stomach and pressing her to him, he bent down to her ear and asked her to feel his want, his desire. She closed her eyes and threw back her head against his neck.

He lifted her chin with one hand and whispered in a husky voice, " Open your eyes, honey. See yourself as I see you."

When she opened her eyes, he ran a finger from the top of her forehead down the bridge of her nose, her supple lips and her neck. He stopped here and bending his head forwards, he traced the path of his finger with his lips, capturing her lips upside down. Slowly releasing her lips, he slipped the straps of her night gown and pushed down the gown till it lay circled around her feet. He gently caressed her body, running his hands across her arms and bringing them forward to sculpt her curves, first tentatively, to make sure they are no longer as tender and sensitive as they were before and then boldly, when they rose to his touch. He continuously whispered in her ears how beautiful she was and nipped her shoulders. When his hands reached her stomach, he caressed the mound reverently and said how proud he was that she was making him a father three times over. Her eyes looked drugged as she let herself be carried away by the sensations he was evoking.

He bent forward, lifted her in his arms and took her to their bed. Laying her gently on it, he stretched himself by her side and bent to kiss her chubby cheeks and suck at them before returning to her lips. By now she was breathing heavily and caught his shoulders, sliding her hands over his back and digging her fingers into his muscles. When he knew she was ready to welcome him, he supported his entire weight on his arms so that he did not press against her stomach, and slowly slid himself in. She closed her eyes when she felt him and moaned in pleasure. He was extremely tender in showing her the extent of his want, keeping a close watch on her face and preparing to withdraw himself if she shows signs of even the slightest discomfort, but she seemed to enjoy the trip he was taking her in. She held the back of his head in her hands and ran her fingers through his mane as she was hit by waves and waves of pleasure. At the end of it, he fell back to her side and buried his face in her neck and kissed her softly. He moved a little lower and kissed her bosom tenderly and returned to her lips again. When his plump lips finally let go of her soft ones, she whispered that she loved him very much and he whispered back, not as much as he loved her. He slung his arm protectively over her stomach as their erratic breaths slowly returned to normal.

Prachi looked more cheerful when they finally sat down together for breakfast. After waiting for his son and daughter-in-law to join him for quite awhile, Baba figured out that they may be spending some quality time with each other. So he went ahead and had his breakfast without them. When they had come for breakfast he was reading the morning newspaper and pretended he was not aware of anything. Both of them looked guiltily at each other and quickly finished their breakfast. Milind then told his baba that he was taking Prachi for a sonography test that morning and they both received his blessings before they left.

At the clinic, Dr.Preena was waiting for them. Since Prachi's abdomen was large enough to do an abdominal scan, she was made to drink lot of water so that the bladder will move down to enable a clear view of the womb. Milind held Prachi's hand and interlaced his fingers in hers as they both eagerly waited to see the picture of their babies in the monitor. What they saw made them hold their breaths in amazement (See picture).

The doctor pointed to the heads, bodies and limbs of the foetuses who were moving around in their respective amniotic sacs. Milind and Prachi looked at each other with tears of joy. Milind could not stop thanking Prachi for her beautiful gifts. He kissed her all over her face. The doctor looked at the couple indulgently and smiled. In her heart she said a silent prayer that this cute couple will always be as happy as they were at that moment.

(2)

(Note: Whatever plan I have hatched for Alaap is purely fictional. Don't have any idea whether any of it is practical in real life)

Alaap received a phone call from Vikram, his spy at the Garodia Hotels that morning. Vikram informed him that Milind had submitted a tender for obtaining the lease of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation's (MTDC) hotel at Alibaug, a tourist centre. As the State Government was strapped for resources it had decided to disinvest its stake in commercial undertakings. Leasing out its hotels at tourist centres is one such effort. Alaap called in Saket to consult him on the matter. Saket was secretly happy that his plan was slowly taking shape. He told him that Milind seemed to be quite intelligent and sharp in identifying a potential goose that would lay golden eggs. The MTDC hotel at Alibaug was currently making losses but with the right handling it can easily be turned around. As Alibaug is a frequently visited tourist spot, especially by the Mumbaikers, one can get back more than what one invests in a very short time. Alaap called his financial adviser, Mr.Pradeep Malhotra in. He too felt that the MTDC hotel was a good investment.

Alaap called back Vikram and asked him to find out how much Milind had quoted in his tender for the deal. Vikram told him that it would be difficult as he was not in the finance department but he will snoop around for information. A couple of days later Vikram called Alaap and told him that he managed to find out that Milind had quoted an astronomical Rs.50 crore for the lease. Alaap nearly fell off his chair hearing the amount. Fifty crores for a lease to a hotel in obscure Alibaug? Is the guy crazy? It is not even an outright purchase but only a lease. He buzzed in both Saket and Pradeep and told them about Milind's stupidity. They gave each other a knowing look but did not tell him anything.

"What is it Saket? What is it Pradeep?" he looked from one to the other, puzzled by their strange silence. "Is there something that I should know?"

Saket cleared his throat and said that the investment is worth that much. Milind is a very shrewd business. He has worked out a number which will not only ensure he gets the tender but he will recover much more than that very soon. He had got some insider information that a Hollywood company was planning to undertake a shooting in Alibaug in three months time. They will require the accommodation at Alibaug for atleast three months from then. The MTDC hotel was the best in the locality. So Milind can recover a substantial portion of his investment by charging them high rates which they should not have problems paying. The coverage his hotel will get once Hollywood actors stay there will be good for further promoting the hotel and soon there will be a stream of income from it which should enable him to settle the loan. Milind seems to be aware of the Hollywood company's plans going by the rate he had quoted for the lease.

Alaap turned to Pradeep who nodded his head solemnly in agreement with what Saket had said.

"Then that settles it. We are applying for the lease and we'll quote Rs.50.1 crore for the lease," he said with finality.

"But Alaap, we will need the board's approval for it. The board will take its time approving it. They may even reject it since not everybody understands the potential of this deal. You will have to convince them of it. The last day for submitting the tender is tomorrow. Half the board members are on Diwali vacation. So it would be difficult to convene an emergency board meeting to obtain their approval at such short notice."

"Find a way to get around this problem then," he pleaded with them. "I want that hotel really bad. I want to thwart that Milind's idea of making money," he said, biting the last words.

"Well, there is a way out," said Saket, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You can take a loan in your individual capacity for the amount and take the lease in your name. That way the company will not be involved in the deal. Since the business deal is good, you will get to enjoy all the profits once you reap them."

"But I need the finances urgently. Will I be able to get a loan for Rs.50 crore at such short notice?" asked Alaap sceptically.

"I have a way out for that too! I know a friend of mine from my Harvard days. He is with a leading investment bank in the U.S. and is loaded with cash. He is looking out for a productive investment of the money. You can obtain loan from him and repay him once the hotel starts yielding you the results."

"Saket! You are a saviour. What will I do without you," exclaimed Alaap appreciatively and slapped his back. "Go ahead and make the arrangements with him. Also submit our tender immediately. We are getting this hotel at any cost."

"Done!" assured Saket and the two of them took leave of him. Outside Alaap's cabin both of them shook their hands and winked at each other. The bait has been flung into the river and the fish has bitten it. Now they have to wait till it is irrevocably trapped before drawing in the line.

(3)

Ayesha walked up and down her cabin pensively, worry lines marring her beautiful face. She has to move out of her chawl house the next day and she had no place to go. The altercation with Mrs.Shukla over Neev's accidental hitting with dandiya stick had serious repercussions. The woman who had managed to become the secretary of the chawl association was infuriated by Ayesha's public admonition and decided to get her evicted from the chawl. She influenced the other members of the association by citing Ayesha's returning home late at night on a daily basis as the reason. The members agreed that it did not look nice that an unmarried young woman was reaching home at unearthly hours and that too being dropped by a young man who they heard was a divorcee. Since their chawl's reputation was at stake, they wanted her to either come at a decent hour or leave the chawl within a month. Manju, Venkat, Ganpat, Mala and Mrs.Vandana Kapoor were the only ones supporting Ayesha, with the rest of the chawl residents pitching themselves against her. As Ayesha knew that she cannot avoid the late sittings, given the nature of her job, she decided to move out of the chawl. However, only when she went house hunting did she realise the difficulties of a single woman finding a decent accommodation for a reasonable rent. Her working hours, her gender and her marital status, all went against her. She will be literally on the streets from the next day. She could move in with one of her friends for a short while but she was not sure when she will find an accommodation. While a working women's hostel could have been an alternative, these hostels were even more strict on the time issue. She took that day's newspaper and looked at the classifieds, circling off the paying guest accommodations. Half a dozen calls later, she was still where she started - nowhere.

Just then Neev knocked at her door and walked in. Seeing her worried look he asked her what was the matter. Although she was reluctant to unburden her problems, his repeated prodding made her finally brief him about her plight. He looked thoughtful for a moment and asked with a poker face, "Ms.Singhania, why don't you move into my house?"

Her eyes widened in shock and she went red with anger. Before she could open her mouth to retort, he raised his hand and said, "Hear me out first. I have a palatial house where only Nandu kaka, my man-servant and I live. You can easily occupy one of my guest rooms. I will ensure that the room is as far away from mine as possible. Food is not a problem as Nandu kaka will have to cook only for one extra person. Your conveyance would also be taken care of since you can come to work and leave with me. In any case I have been taking care of your one-way transportation till now since I was dropping you practically every night. It will also be less of a hassle for me now because I don't need to go to the opposite side of the town to drop you before getting back home."

"I don't want anybody's charity," said Ayesha categorically.

"Who talked of charity, Ms.Singhania?" he asked amusedly. "You will be paying me rent, mess charges and conveyance charges. You will in effect be a superior paying guest in my house, for a normal paying guest accommodation may not come with the additional frills of food and conveyance. How much rent do you pay now for your accommodation?"

"Rs. 2,000."

"Well, you can pay me Rs.1,000, since I am offering you only part of my house instead of a whole flat."

"What about the food and the conveyance?" she asked.

"OK, you can pay me another Rs.1,000 for that. You will not have to spend more than what you are currently spending on your rent. In fact you can save quite a bit on the establishment cost. In addition you will also get my intellectual company," he winked.

"But I have lots of things in my flat such as furniture and other household articles. Where will I keep them?"

"Don't worry, Ms.Singhania, my house is big enough to accommodate all your things. You can store them all in another guest room for you will not be requiring them as long as you are staying in my house. Once you find a place of your own, you can take them all with you."

She still looked sceptical.

"What is it, Ms.Singhania? Do you not trust me? Do you think that I will take advantage of you? Are you still keeping in mind my atrocious behaviour the last time you visited my residence?"

"No. I know you are a decent man. Moreover, if you behave improperly, I can always tackle you the way I did on the previous occasion."

Neev rubbed his cheek reminiscently and smiled saying, "Yes, I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. Then what is holding you back?"

"It will only be a temporary arrangement until I find a suitable accommodation," she warned.

"Ofcourse it will only be a temporary arrangement," he agreed. "You are free to leave the minute you find some place for yourself. So do we have a deal?" he stretched his hand.

She gave it a serious thought. She did not have much of an alternative but accept his offer if she did not want to land on the streets. It was not as though she would be living with him. In a way she would be, considering that she would be in the same house as him, but not really 'living' with him. She would only be his paying guest. The guy has been nothing less than a gentleman except for that one slip up. So she did not have much fear on that count. As to what others would think of her, that really did not matter as she always lived life in her own terms. Finally making up her mind, she shook his outstretched hand.

XLIV

Two weeks later

After Milind had left for work, Ayesha called Prachi up that morning to inform her that she was shifting out of the chawl. Prachi was shocked by this sudden development and insisted that she comes to see her off although Ayesha tried to prevent her from do so, keeping in mind her condition. Prachi had then slowly ambled her way to the nearby chawl. Ayesha's things were already loaded in a truck and Manju, Venkat and Ganpat were standing with Ayesha. Seeing Prachi, they rushed to her and asked her how she was feeling. Assuring them that she was OK, she tried to find out why Ayesha was leaving the chawl all of a sudden. Ganpat said that they can discuss all this at his house and invited her over. The rest of them followed her. Prachi first went to see Mala and Bhavya. Mala had just fed Bhavya and was burping her. Prachi was excited to see her two and a half month old niece and asked Mala to give her the baby. Seating herself comfortably on a chair, she received her in her arms and holding her against her burgeoning tummy she cooed to her. Bhavya looked at her curiously with large black eyes and gave her a toothless grin, prompting Prachi to smile back at her. After playing with her for a few minutes, she laid her in the waiting arms of Ganpat. She looked around at her family and friends and repeated the question. Manju then told her that Mrs.Shukla was behind Ayesha's eviction from the chawl, citing Ayesha's late night returns as the reason. Prachi failed to understand what that woman had against people close to her. She then asked Ayesha where she was moving. Ayesha informed her that she was going stay as a paying guest in her boss's residence without elaborating who her boss was. Prachi nodded her head distractedly, for her mind was still on Mrs.Shukla and her vindictiveness. Mala had in the meantime brought in orange juice for Prachi and tea for the rest of them. Thanking her, Prachi quickly sipped the juice and took leave of them, saying that she had some unfinished business.

She hurried to Mrs.Shukla's residence and rang her bell. Mrs.Shukla was surprised to find a very pregnant Prachi at her doorstep. She invited her in but Prachi was in no mood for small talk. She came directly to the point.

"Mrs.Shukla. Just what is your problem with me?"

"Problem with you? Why should I have a problem with you?"

"You are always creating problems for all those people who are close to me. First you carried tales about my husband and now you have been instrumental in getting my friend out of the chawl. Who are you going to target next?"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. I will not stand by and let you hurl all types of accusations at me. First of all, as far as your friend is concerned I have nothing against her personally but people here were unhappy with her returning home late every night."

"Why should they care? It is her life. She will lead it as she chooses to do. "

"Yes, it is her life and she is free to do whatever she wants with it but not as long as she lives in this chawl. Here we abide by certain rules, certain discipline and she has violated those."

Prachi realised that there was no point arguing with her. So she turned to leave but Mrs.Shukla stopped her.

"Wait, I am not finished yet. As far as your husband is concerned, that man is responsible for my daughter's death. How can I forget or forgive that so easily?"

Prachi was shocked hearing this, "I never thought you can get any lower than you already have, Mrs.Shukla. But you proved me wrong just now. What other lies are you going to utter?" she asked angrily, her eyes flaming up.

"I am uttering no lie. It is your husband who has been hiding the ugly truth from you. If you don't believe me, come with me." She dragged a reluctant Prachi into one of the rooms inside. There was a huge picture of a young girl's photograph on one of the walls. The girl had a remarkable resemblance to Mrs.Shukla. Prachi looked at the photograph and then at Mrs.Shukla in turn.

"Yes, that is my daughter. That is my angel whose life your husband had sniffed off."

"Stop it, Mrs.Shukla," yelled Prachi. By now she was besides herself with anger. "Stop making empty allegations without any proof."

"You want proof? Here is the proof," she said and thrust a diary into her hands. "Read it, read my daughter's sad tale. Go, go home and read it in peace. You will understand the pain of a mother. You will then know why this Veena hates that Milind so much."

Prachi slowly staggered out of her house with the diary, too shocked to say anything.

Returning home, she sat with the diary and read it through. From the diary entries she came to know that Ramola Shukla, Mrs.Shukla's daughter had an obsessive crush on Milind. She was his classmate in college and followed him everywhere. Milind seemed unaware of the girl's crush on him as she never worked up the coverage to tell it to him. Finally the day she decided to bear her heart to him she overheard him confess his love to some other girl. Heartbroken, Ramola took her own life by drinking poison. She was barely nineteen years old when she died. For some strange reason Mrs.Shukla seemed to blame Milind for her death. Ramola did not name the girl he was in love with in the diary. That would explain why Mrs.Shukla did not appear to hold a grudge against Ayesha although she seemed not to like Ayesha's gutsy personality. However, she hated Milind with all her heart but could not do anything to him as he was very popular in the chawl. She did not give up though and tried to put him down on every occasion she got and deprive him of happiness that she felt he did not deserve.

Prachi went back to the chawl that evening to return the diary back to Mrs.Shukla. She made no bones about what she thought of the woman.

"Mrs.Shukla, I think you need psychiatric help. The sooner you get it the better for all of us." With that she just turned around and left without waiting for Mrs.Shukla's response.

That night Milind returned home with a dejected look on his face. Prachi who was going to tell him about Ayesha leaving the chawl, noticed his troubled expression and decided to speak to him later when he was calmer. She asked him whether something was troubling him. Milind tried to shrug it off saying that everything was alright but Prachi knew that something was wrong. She did not want to press on in front of Baba but later when they were alone in their room, she tried again to find out the source of her husband's unhappiness. After a lot of prodding he finally told her that he did not get the lease for the Alibaug hotel. Prachi knew he had high hopes of acquiring that hotel and had worked out a strategy for its revival. With the expansion of his family he was looking forward to expanding his business too. She asked him who had acquired the lease. He said that Alaap had got it, although he did not know for how much as it was a secret tender and not an open tender. Hearing Alaap's name, Prachi wondered whether all this was part of Saket's plan but she was confused because Saket had assured her that he will not hurt Milind's interests in any way. Then how come he has deprived him of his contract? At first she thought of telling Milind about Sukriti's and Saket's plan to bring down Alaap but later decided to check with Saket as to what really happened before revealing anything to Milind. Moreover, Milind was as it is feeling very low. She did not want him to be more emotionally stressed at this juncture.

She tried cheering him up by giving him a bottle of Franch oil and asking him to rub it on her burgeoning stomach. She said that her mother had told her the oil will help reduce stretch marks. Milind's face immediately brightened at the prospect of feeling up his babies. He took the bottle from her hands and lifting her nighty above her stomach, he gently rubbed the oil over it. Prachi closed her eyes and gave a contented moan. Suddenly she felt one of the babies kick her on the right side. She opened her eyes in a flash and asked Milind if he felt anything. Milind who was busy rubbing her left side when she had felt it did not know what she was talking about.

"Felt what?" asked Milind in confusion.

"Felt the baby kick."

"The baby kicked?" asked Milind in excitement and knelt in front of her stomach, staring at it intently.

Prachi felt it again, this time on the left side. She quickly took his hand and placed it on the place where she had felt it. But the movement stopped. Milind was disappointed that he could not feel anything.

Cupping his palms on her stomach, he called out to his kids,"Hey, Petal, Ice and Ribby. Where are you guys hiding?"

"Petal, Ice and Ribby?" she asked him with a puzzled expression on her face..

"Yeah, Petal, Ice Cube and Ribbon, my three adorable babies named after the manner in which they were conceived. You remember how they were conceived, don't you?"

Prachi went red recollecting the sensuous nights which brought them into existence.

"You are going to give them these absurd names?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, they will be my nicknames for them. Actually I thought of Feather and Breath too, if there were two more in there," he said pointing at her tummy.

Prachi punched his chest and laughed.

"Ouch," shouted Milind pretending to be hurt. He got up, and holding her shoulders, he pushed her gently back on the bed. He then lay beside her and put his arm around her tummy hopeful of catching some movement of his kids. As they continued to chat about the babies, Milind felt the kick this time.

He promptly got up and shouted excitedly, "Prachi I felt it this time, I felt one of them kick."

Prachi smiled at him indulgently. He bent down and kissed her stomach but soon jerked his head back, his face twisted in a grimace.

"Yuck", he said and rubbing his lips vigorously, he rushed to wash off the oil from them. Prachi burst out laughing at him, inviting a mock stare of anger from him.

"Why did she not tell me anything?" he asked her, annoyed with his childhood friend for not confiding in him.

"She said something about not wanting to trouble us when we ourselves had our hands full preparing for the babies' arrival."

"So now she feels she can handle everything on her own? Where has she moved into?" He was still fuming.

"Milind calm down. She is fine. She said she was moving in as a paying guest at her boss's residence."

"Boss? A man or a woman?" he asked sceptically.

"I don't know. I guess a man." Only then it hit Prachi that Ayesha has moved in with a man.

Looking at her worried expression, Milind hastened to calm her, not wanting her to panic.

"Don't worry. Ayesha is fire. She will not let any man take advantage of her. Anyway why did she not come here instead?"

"Beats me. I should have paid more attention to what she was telling me instead of getting worked up about other things."

"What other things?" asked Milind her curiously.

"Never mind about it." Prachi tried to shrug it off and said she was feeling sleepy. Milind kissed her goodnight and closed his eyes but both of them were unable to sleep for a long time as they worried over Ayesha's well-being in her boss's house.

XLIV(3)

That morning Ayesha received a call from Milind asking her to meet him for lunch at a restaurant near her office. Ayesha informed Neev about her luncheon appointment with an old friend. Neev wondered whether it was a male or a female friend but was too polite to ask. He couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy, although he tried to shrug off the feeling.

"Just what do you think of yourself, leaving the chawl without so much as a word?" he asked angrily.

"I did inform your wife that I was moving," she said calmly. "I tried your number too but it was constantly engaged."

"Yes, you informed Prachi on the day you left. I am sure you were aware that you had to leave much before that, were you not? Why did you not tell me you were being evicted from the chawl? I would have spoken to the members and asked them not to throw you out."

"Milind, you no longer live in the chawl, so under what authority would you be allowed to interfere in the chawl's dealings? Moreover, the condition that I return back by 9.30 p.m. every night was something I could not follow, given my erratic working hours. So I decided to leave the place instead of vitiating the situation further. I searched for an accommodation but could not find one, try as I may. Finally I decided to move into my boss's residence as a paying guest till I find an alternate place to stay."

"Could you not have asked me to look out for a place for you? Would I not have done that much for you?"

"What difference would that have made? Milind, it is very difficult finding a place if one is a single working woman with unpredictable working hours."

"You could have stayed with us till you found a place."

"Don't you have your hands already full taking care of your business and Prachi? Why would I want to trouble you further?"

"You call this trouble?" he raised his voice in indignation and realising that they were in a public place, he lowered it down.

In a voice which betrayed his hurt he said, "I am disappointed in you, Ayesha. I thought we were friends. What are friends for if they are not there to help each other out in times of need?"

"You call me your friend, Milind. Then don't you know me by now? Don't you know how much I detest asking for help or receiving it? Don't you know that I value my independence a lot and would not wish to compromise on it unless I had no other choice? I would have come to you if the worst case scenario was to be left on the streets but my boss offered me a paying guest accommodation. Under the circumstances that was my only acceptable option. "

"So you would rather stay as a paying guest with a boss you barely know than stay with a friend you know since childhood?"

"Milind, I would have only cramped up your apartment had I moved in with you. And I do not know how long it will take for me to find an alternate accommodation. What if I could not find something for months on end?"

"I could have put you up in one of my hotel rooms."

"And my furniture and other household articles?"

"I would have found a place for those too."

"And how much would I have to pay you?"

"Pay me? Are you crazy? I will not accept any money from you," he said with finality.

"That is precisely the point. You will not allow me to pay and I will not agree to be a free rider, even if the person is my friend. So where does that leave us? With my boss, I have a strict business deal. I pay for my boarding and lodging. So I don't feel indebted to anybody."

Milind continued to sulk. Ayesha placed her hand on his and gently pressed it.

"Look, Milind. I know that you mean well. You are highly protective of the people you love and care about. I appreciate that but I don't need your protection. We are very similar in that way. We both value our independence too much to give it up. We like to be in control of the situation rather than let the situation take control of us. That is why we would have been total misfits if we had got together, as both of us would have tried to dominate and take control. It is good that destiny intervened and brought Prachi to you. The two of you fit like a glove. God bless you both and the three little ones you are expecting. As far as I am concerned, let me make my own choices, let me lead my life as I think best. I am not saying that my choices are always right but if they go wrong, I will have only myself to blame and no one else. I am too rigid to bend now, Milind. If you value our friendship I think you will respect my wishes."

"What?" Milind sputtered out his food and looked at her incredulously.

Ayesha nodded her head solemnly and said, "You heard me right."

"You mean you have moved in with Neev? Are you out of your mind? What did his family have to say to that? What about his gori wife?" he asked in a high pitched voice, inviting a kick on his shin from Ayesha to remind him where they were. He looked around and seeing a few heads turned in their direction, he lowered his head.

Ayesha then gave him a short life history of Neev, ending it with his divorce.

"You have moved in with a divorcee, then?" Milind persisted, clearly annoyed with his friend's choice of residence.

"Stop saying that I have 'moved in' with Neev. You make it sound like I have gotten into some illicit relationship with him. I have merely moved into one of the many rooms in his house - a room which is farthest from his, if I may add," she said, her lips twisting in a smile.

"What will Prachi say if she comes to know with whom her dear friend is staying?" he asked. "The woman would not even look in his direction when we briefly saw him at the airport on our return from Bangalore."

Ayesha looked at him apprehensively. "Milind promise me that you will not tell anything to Prachi just yet. I myself will break the news to her soon enough. Before that I want Neev and Prachi to meet and have a heart-to-heart talk. I am sure if she hears him out she will forgive him."

"So why are you so keen to bring about a rapprochement between the two childhood friends? Have you by any chance fallen for the guy?" he asked jocularly.

Ayesha's cheeks flamed up but she quickly masked it and pretended to be cross with him. She hit his hand and said in a sharp tone that there was nothing between Neev and her. All she wanted to do is to help clear all misunderstandings between Neev and Prachi so that they can renew their bond of friendship. Having such a wonderful relationship with her own childhood friend she wanted the same for Prachi too. Milind smiled at that and pressed her hand in acknowledgement. After they finished their lunch, he settled their bill and she took leave of him saying she needed to get back to her work.

"So, is this Neev a hard task master?" he asked curiously.

"No, he is not. He is quite a sensible, sensitive and generous master," she retorted.

"So there is something brewing between the two of you," exclaimed Milind. "I have not heard you praise anyone so much."

Ayesha hit his shoulders hard as she hurried out of there before he could catch sight of the deep flush spreading across her face. Milind smiled at her retreating back but then sobered almost immediately, wondering how Prachi will take the news of Ayesha working for Neev and living in his house.