Strangers- Complete FF - Pages 136 to 139 - Page 97

Originally posted by: weeda

Well awesome fanfic and it was really good ending .. well i really enjoyed ur work and i hope u start a new fanfic

Strangers

Part 1

"Are you crazy? Why do you want to kill yourself? What was so unbearable that you would take such a drastic irretrievable step? Do you even understand the value of life? Do you know that death is not a solution to whatever problem you may be having?"

He did not know why he was furious with a complete stranger but he couldn't stop his tirade. He then dragged her to his coupe and pushed her on the seat opposite him. The train had pulled out of the tunnel and he could see her face now. Her oval angelic face was tear-stained. Her dark almond eyes looked fearfully at him as she tried hard to blink back the tears which threatened to brim over again. Her pink supple lips quivered in fear and anguish. He was about to apologise for his harsh behaviour when the ticket collector entered the compartment.

"Newly weds?" he asked genially. Before he could dispel the notion, the man continued "Congratulations." He then took the ticket that the woman held in her hand and ticking the two names on the ticket, he smiled at them and wished them a happy married life and left as suddenly as he came in.

He looked back at her again. She bent her head down, not wanting to meet his searing gaze. She suddenly got up and rushed out. Cursing under his breath, he immediately followed her, fearing that she was about to try jumping out again but instead of going to the door she went to the basin and bending her head, she puked in it. He stood behind her, not knowing what to do. After a few minutes she lifted her head and washed her mouth. She returned to her seat and slumped on it. He tried talking to her to find out what her problem was but she shut herself up, refusing to divulge anything about herself. He gave up after some time but kept a watchful eye on her to ensure that she does not indulge in another suicide attempt. He took out his breakfast and offered it to her but she shook her head in the negative. Shrugging his shoulders he went ahead and had his breakfast, wiping his hands in his hand kerchief as he did not want to leave her alone even for a minute.

Once they reached Pune, he got up and pulled his suitcase from under the seat and was about to leave when he noticed that the young woman was still seated, her head dropping to one side as she had dozed off. Shaking her awake he asked her where she had to go. She looked at him in confusion. He realised she had nowhere to go and was apprehensive that she might resortto suicide again if left to herself. Making up his mind in a split second, he caught hold of her wrist and pulled her up. Taking the airbag which lay next to her, he slung it on his shoulder, picked up his suitcase with the other hand and still holding her wrist he said that he was taking her with him to his house. She tried to protest but seeing his angry glare she bit back her words. He dragged her to the door where there were only a couple of other passengers ahead of them.

Getting off the train he made his way out of the station with the young woman in tow. His driver came running towards him and took the suitcase and airbag from him. He then turned to look at the young woman next to his master and looked quizzically at him. His master, however, was in no mood to answer his silent query. Proceeding to the car, he opened the back door for her and waited till she got in before going over to the other side to take his own seat next to her.

When they reached his palatial house, he got off his car and opened the door of the car for her to step out. He then escorted her to the front door and rang the bell. The door was opened by an old gentleman who enveloped him in his arms.

"Welcome home, beta", he said warmly and turning to his side he looked at the vision in red in shock.

"Who is this?" he asked.

Before his son could respond he continued, "So SHE is my bahu. How come you did not tell me you were bringing her home?"

Even as his son looked in shock, the old man took hold of the hand of the young woman and gladly led her into the house. "Come in beti, this is your house from today. How long I have been waiting for this day," he said in relief and contentment. He followed his father, wringing his hands, wondering what to say and how to explain.

Part 2

His father would not have taken more than a couple of steps when all of a sudden the woman swooned and crumbled to the floor. Both his father and he rushed to her side in alarm. He took her on his lap and tapped her cheeks but she did not regain consciousness.

"Ramu kaka, please get some water," he shouted out.

Ramu kaka rushed in with a glass of water and handed it to him. Taking it, he sprinkled some water on her face. She slowly fluttered her eyelids open and looked around. As he made her sip the water slowly, his father asked him to take her to his room. Absent mindedly he nodded his head and carried her to his room and laid her on his bed. She sprung up almost immediately, rushed to the bathroom and threw up yet again in the basin. By now his father was very concerned and asked him to call the doctor. He whipped out his cell and called their family doctor. Within twenty minutes the doctor was examining the young woman he brought home.

"How is my bahu, doctor?" asked his father, concern written all over his face.

"Congratulations, Mr.Mishra. You are going to become a grandfather."

The two men were taken aback hearing the news. Recovering first, Mr.Mishra hugged his son tight with tears of joy in his eyes.

"Milind, you are faster than I thought! I have been troubling you to give me a bahu for a long time and you not only brought home my bahu but are now giving me a grandchild as well! Not that I am complaining!"

From over his father's shoulder Milind stared at the young woman, who stared back at him petrified. For a minute his brain froze, refusing to act. When he could finally think again he realised there was no way out now. He had to continue the pretence for a little while longer till he can get to speak with her in private. He cannot break the truth to his father just yet. His thoughts flew back to how he got into this situation in the first place.

His father had been pestering him to get married ever since he went abroad to complete a course on advanced business administration after working in their family business concern for five years. However, he himself did not have much faith in the institution of marriage. In his twenty eight years of existence he had seen far too many unhappy or broken marriages among his friends and was unwilling to give up his cherished bachelorhood for it. So when his father gave him an ultimatum, saying that he was arranging his wedding as soon as he gets back to India, he lied that he was already married to one of his juniors in college. He told him that she will not be able to join him for another couple of years as she had to complete her studies. Although his father was annoyed with him at first, he accepted his lie, asking him to bring home his bahu as soon as she completes her studies.

Now you may wonder what he will do at the end of two years. Well, Milind was an impulsive guy who never thought through his acts. He has always lived his life dangerously. This was both a boon as well as a bane. While he could immediately circumvent the problem at hand with his spur of the moment decisions, he ended up creating a hundred other problems in its wake but he always managed to come out with equally ingenious quick fix solutions to them as and when he faced them. So he was confident of wriggling out of his self created problem when the time comes to face it. Little did he think that he will end up tying himself in tighter knots.

His father walked up to the woman and sat on the bed. He gave her his blessings, even as she stared back at him in shock.

"Prachi beta, don't worry about anything. I know your parents are no more but we are there to take care of you. Aren't we, Milind?" he turned to face his son.

Milind nodded his head and gave a sheepish smile. Getting up from the bed, Mr.Mishra asked his son and his bahu to freshen up before they can have lunch together and left them to their privacy. As soon as they were alone, Milind walked up to her purposefully.

"Who are you?" he asked her bluntly.

She kept quiet and bent her head down. He took hold of her shoulders and shook her.

"Answer me dammit. Who are you and why did you attempt to take away your life? Is the baby the reason? Are you an unwed mother-to-be? Why are you dressed up like a bride? Did you run away from your wedding? Why?" He raised his voice in annoyance.

She continued to maintain her deafening silence, frustrating him further.

"Will you not answer me?" he yelled and lifted her chin roughly so that her eyes met his. He saw her tormented eyes brimming with tears. He knew then that his guesses were quite close to the mark. The woman was in more serious problems than he initially assumed her to be in. If he were to reveal the truth to his father, she will have to leave the house and in all probability she may end up trying to kill herself again and this time may even be successful in it. Maybe he can send her off to some social welfare organisation for destitute women but then what will become of the child? Would she be forced to abort it? Even if she brings it into this world, what will be the baby's status other than that of an illegitimate child? Although he barely knew the woman, somehow he was uncomfortable with both the possibilities. He did not want the baby to lose its life or be brought up as a b*****. He thought for a moment and in his typical style came up with another spur of the moment decision.

Sitting beside her he said in a gentler tone, "Look here. You do not have to answer any of my questions but can I atleast know your name?"

"Prachi," she whispered, looking intently at the pattern on the bedspread.

"No, not what my dad called you. What is YOUR name?"

She gave him a baffled look. "My name is Prachi. Prachi Shah."

He threw up his hands "I don't believe this. Talk of coincidences." She did not understand what he was saying. Actually when he lied about having married his junior in college, his father had wanted to know the name of the girl. Just then someone was calling out to a Prachi in the campus and he blurted it out into the phone, not realising then that the woman he will one day bring home will possess that very name. Not elaborating further he then told her that she will stay with him as his wife till the birth of her child. That way the baby can take his name as the father. Soon after that he will pick up a huge quarrel with her and she can leave the house in that pretext. He will ensure that the baby's future is secure by setting aside enough funds for his/her upbringing and education.

She looked at him incredulously as if he was crazy.

"I know what you are thinking. You are wondering what is there in this for me,is it not? Don't worry I am not expecting you to fulfil any wifely duties. Inside this room we are perfect strangers. I can assure you that I will not violate you in any manner whatsoever. My father was desperate to get me married. I am not the marrying kind but I lied that I am already married to get him off my back. He now thinks you are the girl I married. I do not want to disillusion him. If he continues to believe what he does now, I am safe for atleast a year. After you leave I can always cite that as an excuse to show how I am not cut out for marriage as I could not hold on to one good woman. That way I can continue to remain single. Hopefully the old man will not hound me after that."

She looked at him sceptically. He continued, "Well, I need to have a bath. Take your time mulling over my proposal. When I come out you will hopefully give me a positive response."

She sat on the bed rigidly and wondered what to do. The last 24 hours had been one hell of an emotional roller coaster for her. She did not have any way out of the horrible situation she has got herself into. Her baby has no father and will be branded for life if it did not have a father's name. While she was willing to live with the stigma of an unwed mother was she willing to subject her child to a life of illegitimacy? Is that not the reason why she tried to take away her life in the first place? But then in doing so she was also about to deprive her child of its right to live. Does she have that right? What was her alternative? Living with this complete stranger as his wife? What does she know of his character? Nothing. But something in his eyes told her that she can trust him. After all the guy is living with his father who seemed to be a kind soul. He cannot be all that bad. Moreover, if it had not been for him she would have been dead by now, a victim of her own foolish act.

Just then she heard the door open. He came out of the bathroom, a large towel wrapped around his waist, rubbing his hair vigorously with another towel.

"So, what have you decided?" he asked her nonchalantly.

Averting her gaze from his well muscled bare chest, she nodded her head and said that she will stay.

"Good," he said brusquely and threw a fresh towel at her and proceeded to slip into his pyjamas, turning away from her. "You can have your bath and change into something less flashy. I'll wait for you downstairs." With that he banged the door shut on his way out.

Part 3

Blissfully unaware of the palpable tension between the two young people sitting across him at the dining table, Mr.Mishra was his chatty self.

"So,Prachi beta, did you meet my sister, Pratibha in Virar? What did she say?"

Prachi turned to look at Milind wondering what to say.

"No Baba. Prachi wanted to meet her school friend who also lives in Mumbai. In fact her friend was getting married, the reason Prachi was clad in that grand ..." Searching for the right word to use for her outfit he finally settled for, "...costume."

He then continued, "After we landed in Mumbai, she directly went to her friend's house while I visited Bua. Moreover, I wanted to introduce her first to you Baba."

Baba looked pleased to hear this.

"You know Prachi, this rascal did not tell me that he was bringing you home. I had resigned myself to seeing you only after two years."

"I wanted to surprise you Baba. That's why I did not mention that I was bringing her along."

Suddenly struck by a thought Mr.Mishra asked her, "I hope that you are here for good and not on some holiday, are you? Even otherwise, I don't think you can get back to your studies any time soon now that the baby is on the way."

Before she could answer, Milind hastened to respond. "No, Baba. She is here for good. She could not bear to stay away from me for so long and she insisted in joining me."

"Milind, stop intervening and let my bahu speak for herself. I am yet to hear her voice," he gently chided his son.

Milind and Prachi exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Milind is right Baba. I couldn't bear to be apart from him for two long years," she said and as an afterthought she added in a low tone," I love him very much."

Hearing this Milind jerked his head in her direction and looked at her bowed head in surprise but she fixed her gaze on the food on her plate.

Baba chuckled happily, "So you love my son very much, do you? I am sure he loves you too. Afterall you two got married in tearing hurry without bothering to invite me and are now getting ready to welcome a new life to celebrate that love, aren't you?"

Baba noticed that both Milind and Prachi turned red hearing him but thought that they were blushing in happiness.

"By the way, for someone who is a British citizen, you do not have even a trace of British accent," Baba wondered.

Prachi looked pleadingly at Milind to rescue her.

"Well, Baba. Not everyone develops an accent. Prachi had most of her schooling in New Delhi. She went to the U.K. only when she was about fourteen years old. I guess her Indian accent was pretty much established by then." Milind wondered how much more yarn he will have to spin but thankfully Baba seemed satisfied with that answer.

"Well, Milind although I am unhappy with you for secretly getting married in London without inviting me, seeing my beautiful and demure bahu, I can understand your haste. Now that the two of you are here, I want to celebrate your wedding in the Indian style."

Hearing this, Milind literally choked on his food and Prachi looked at him in alarm. Neither of them expected this. Milind felt like kicking himself. He should have anticipated this. His father is not going to be satisfied till he himself witnesses his son's wedding. What was he going to do? He had to think fast.

"Baba, what is the need for another wedding? Afterall we are already married."

"Yes, you are, but what about your old man? Does he not have the right to solemnise the wedding of his only son?"

Milind's brain was paralysed, unable to think of a good enough excuse to escape from the marriage trap his father was unknowingly laying for them. He did not say anything more, although he tried desperately to think of some way out. Prachi found it difficult to have her food and excused herself mid-way. She rushed back into Milind's room and threw herself on the bed face down, weeping bitterly into the pillow. Baba, who thought that his bahu was feeling queasy because of the pregnancy, did not suspect anything. He asked Milind to take care of his wife. Milind nodded his head and followed Prachi to his room.

Seeing Prachi's face buried in the pillow and hearing her violent sobs, Milind felt guilty.

"Prachi, I am sorry. I did not expect that my father will come up with this wedding plan. If you want, I'll go down and admit the truth to him and stop all this. It may postpone my problem for some time but I'm afraid it is not going to solve yours. I can only think of one way which will be beneficial to both of us; we'll go through with this wedding."

Prachi lifted her face up and looked at him in shock.

"Hear me out first. This need not change anything between us. Granted things have become a little more complicated but as long as you and I know that this entire marriage is a farce, we don't need to feel compelled to honour it. Neither of us need to fulfil the duties of a husband or a wife. After the wedding we will register it immediately so that we can file for divorce by mutual consent after a year. You may leave whenever you want to after the birth of your child without waiting for the divorce to be finalised. In any case you need not return to this house after you leave, irrespective of the legal status of our marriage at the time."

Although much of what he said did not make sense even to him, he spoke with great conviction that Prachi merely gave a dazed assent to a decision which was going to turn their lives topsy turvy.

That night after dinner, Milind marked his territory on the bed by lining up a string of pillows on the centre of the bed. He took the right side of the bed, indicating silently that Prachi was free to occupy the left side. She meekly lay on the edge of her side of the bed, trying to make her presence as unobtrusive as possible. As she was exhausted by the events of the last two days, she soon fell asleep. On the other side of the bed though, Milind tried hard to sleep but he was both physically and mentally uncomfortable to sleep peacefully. While the impending wedding was plaguing his mind, the inability to sprawl himself fully on the bed as he normally does, cramped his body. After lying awake for a long time he finally slipped into a disturbed and restless sleep.

*****

Next day being a Sunday, Milind went to meet Ali, his best friend since childhood. Ali worked as a software engineer in Milind's family business concern, Mishra Software Solutions. Ali married his own cousin Rehana immediately after he finished his engineering. In the six years of marriage he has sired four sons, Aamir, Aarif, Amaan and Ayaan and, to Milind's shock, the fifth was on the way.

After the usual greetings, Rehana went in to prepare tea for him.

"Ali, will you not give your wife any respite?" Milind chided him mockingly as soon as Rehana was out of earshot.

"Well, what can I do, Milind? Every time we have a fierce fight we make up passionately soon after. End result - a peace offering!" he spread his hands to indicate his helplessness.

"So the two of you are still fighting like cat and dog?" asked Milind in amusement. "I thought you would have mellowed down over the years."

"Milind, you know me. I have always been the reasonable one in this marriage. But what can I do with an unreasonable woman like her?"

Just then Rehana came in with the tea and overhearing him complaining about her, she sprung to her own defence.

"Milind bhaiyya, don't believe a word this man utters. He is always claiming to have so much work that he has no time for his wife or his sons. Tell me bhaiyya, is he the only one working in your office? I am sure the guy is just using work as an excuse to stay away from his family."

"Tell me woman, which man in his right senses would enjoy returning home to a nagging wife like you."

"Peace..... peace... peace," Milind intervened before the domestic bickering can snowball into a full blown fight.

"Ali, show some empathy for your pregnant wife and Rehana behan, give your husband dear a little margin. By the way I came here not to settle your battles but to invite you and your family to my wedding."

"What?" asked both of them in unison.

Ali rubbed his hands in glee saying, "Milind, so finally you are hooked, booked and are all ready to be cooked? Where is the guy who swore he will never get married for life and that he will never make the same mistakes we did? Has he fallen into the Mediterranean Sea enroute to Mumbai from London?"

Milind turning red with embarrassment, bowed his head down.

"Ali, see bhaiyya blushing! I think he is in love!!!" exclaimed Rehana.

"Nothing like that," Milind said brusquely.

"Who is the girl?" asked Ali curiously.

"Her name is Prachi Shah. We met at the university campus in London," Milind felt bad lying to his closest friend but he did not want anyone to know how he had met Prachi and why were they getting married. Her pregnancy is going to come out sooner or later and he did not want anyone to suspect the paternity of the child. He did not know why, but somehow he felt fiercely protective of that unborn baby.

"So it is a love marriage afterall! You liar!" Ali slapped him hard on the back.

Milind did not dispute him. All he said was that this marriage is not going to change anything for him, little realising that it is going to completely transform his life.

Three weeks later Milind and Prachi were tied together in the bond of matrimony in a simple ceremony attended by his baba, his bua and a few of his close friends. This was followed by a grand reception for which all the employees of his company were invited, apart from the folk who attended the wedding. This was the beginning of a tumultuous journey for the two 'strangers'.

Part 4

Prachi Milind Mishra soon settled into the role of a homemaker, trying hard to put her turbulent past behind her although she could not completely forget it. Frequently thoughts of the misery, pain, fear, betrayal and anguish that she had gone through assailed her senses and made her want to disappear from the face of this earth. But she knew she owed it to her child to keep herself well. The baby's existence was not its fault but hers. In a moment of weakness she had given in to the man she had loved and trusted, not realising then that the man was completely unworthy of that trust. She no longer felt anything for him except bitterness and hate but she cannot and will not punish her baby for her own folly.

Her father-in-law took extra special care of her, ordering Ramu kaka to keep providing her nutritious food at regular intervals. He even tried to banish her from the kitchen but she wouldn't let him do so, stepping in to help Ramu kaka with the meals. Baba reminded her so much of her own father that she frequently felt like burying her head on his lap and pouring out her woes to him but she knew she cannot to do so. Afterall she could not confide her deepest sorrows even to her own father when he was around. There was no point revisiting the past, especially when those memories were so excruciatingly painful. So she tried to look forward to the future, a future with her baby. But she could not do this without feeling huge pangs of guilt, for Baba ceaselessly talked about his grandchild. Was it right to let the old man dream about a baby who will leave him soon after its arrival? Obviously not. Her conscience pricked her when the magnitude of their hasty decision slowly sunk in.

While Baba was a simpleton, affable and easily readable, his son was an enigma. She knew he was hardworking and humane. She also knew patience was not his virtue and his impulsive streak seemed to have created more problems for them than he sought to solve. She knew he was a glib talker and can talk his way out of the problems but she was fast realising that talk alone would not suffice where human emotions were involved. She could see that he was awkward around her, not knowing how to behave. The day before, he had taken her for her monthly check up. Although he made it seem as though he was doing it to please his father she knew that he did care, if not for her atleast for the life within her. Only the other day, hit by a bout of nausea, she was rushing to the bathroom when she accidentally collided with him as he entered the room and threw up on him instead. While she felt thoroughly embarrassed and hurriedly tried to clean up the mess on him, he calmly put her at ease and washed her up first before cleaning himself, with not even a semblance of a grimace on his face. She was moved by his act and wondered how an impatient and rough man like him can be so gentle and understanding in some respects.

She knew he cherished his singledom very dearly so she never interfered in his affairs, trying her best to make her presence in their room as inconspicuous as possible. Noticing that his large frame was cramped for space in their bed, she shifted their 'lakshman rekha' as she referred to the chain of pillows between them further to her side so that he could stretch himself more comfortably. He had a tendency to work late into the night, glued to his lap top. Although he offered to switch off the light many a times, she assured him that she was not disturbed by it. The truth was she found it difficult to sleep with the lights on but she pretended to be in deep slumber till he finally turned off the lights and went to bed. Every night she silently wished his sleeping form good night, and pulled the comforter over him before going off to sleep. She made herself scarce when he went in for his bath, returning to their room only after he got dressed for she did not want him feeling embarrassed dressing in front of her. She knew that all these little things cannot compensate for his huge lose of freedom as a result of their marriage but she hoped she can someday return that freedom to him.

Her biggest drawback was her inability to take decisions on her own and to be swayed by the decisions taken by others. Was it not her acquiescence to the decision of the man she trusted that entangled her in the trouble she faced? She did not seem to have learnt from her mistakes, for now she has accepted the decision of this well meaning guy thereby compounding her problems for the future. What she will do when the time comes for her to leave Mishra Mansion she did not know. All she knew was that she cannot just pick up her baby and leave without any qualms. While she herself was indifferent about staying on in Mishra Mansion or leaving it after the birth of her child, she knew that her decision will affect the two men in the house in different ways. While Baba would be heartbroken if she leaves with his 'grandchild', his son will be unhappy if she stayed on. She did not want innocent people to pay for her mistakes but she knew she would end up doing just that.

Despite all her confusing and conflicting emotions surrounding the inmates of Mishra Mansion, she tried to remain cheerful and make the best of her time with the two men as long as she was with them. As the days went by, she established an easy camaraderie with Milind and a respectful yet loving daughterly relationship with his father.

Part 5

It was two months since Milind and Prachi were married. Milind was so absorbed in his work all day that he forgot that there was a party organised in his honour that evening to celebrate the successful completion of one of their toughest but also the most lucrative projects. At eight o'clock that night his staff entered his cabin and forcefully escorted him to the party venue. As drinks were being served, Ali had excused himself from the party but Milind had no such hang-ups. While he was not normally a party animal, once in a party he knew how to enjoy himself to the fullest. He hit the dance floor and jived to the fast numbers and swayed to the slower ones. All the attractive women cued up to him wanting to dance with the hottest man on the floor. He obliged and danced with a couple of them but soon lost interest and instead hit the bar. Although he was not a habitual drinker, he did enjoy the occasional drink. After he had consumed four pegs of vodka, he stopped himself, knowing he had reached his limit and went ahead to the buffet counter to have a scrumptious dinner. He chatted with the people around. It was midnight by the time he bid farewell to his staff and got into his BMW.

When he reached home it was nearly 12.30 a.m. After parking his car, he slung his coat over his shoulder and walked up to the front door. He was about to insert his duplicate key in when he found the door being opened. Looking up he saw Prachi standing before him. Shocked to see her still awake, he asked her what she was doing at this late hour. She did not answer him but walked up to the dining table, turned over one of the two plates on it and prepared to serve his dinner.

"I've already had my dinner," he said abruptly and turned to go up to his room when he noticed the second overturned plate.

"Have you had your dinner?" he asked apprehensively.

She shook her head in the negative.

Seeing this, something within him snapped and he strode up to her, caught her shoulders and shook her.

"Just what do you think of yourself? Are you playing the role of the ever dutiful wife waiting up for her wayward husband? Did I not tell you that this marriage is a farce? Then what is the need to do all this? What is the need to starve yourself and your baby for me?" His voice kept rising with every question he posed as he brought his face close to hers, his flaming eyes boring into hers. Catching a whiff of the alcohol in his breath she wrinkled her delicate nose slightly.

He noticed her gesture and straightened himself up, letting go of her shoulders.

"Your duty is towards the life growing in there..." He dragged each word out, pointing to her stomach. ".. Not towards this full grown man who can take care of his own needs," he pointed to himself.

He then pushed her on the chair and went about filling her plate with the food on the table. Thrusting the plate in front of her he roughly said, "Now eat your dinner quietly and go to bed." With that he turned around and climbed up the stairs to their room, leaving a stupefied Prachi to stare at his retreating back. Entering their room, he slumped on the bed, feeling drained. He promptly went off to sleep as soon as his head touched his pillow.

Back at the dining table Prachi soon recovered to finish her dinner and she cleared up the table. When she went up to their room she noticed that he was sleeping in the clothes he wore to work. He had not even removed his shoes. Tut tuting, she hit her forehead and bent down to remove his shoes. She tried removing his socks but seeing him getting disturbed she left them on. After she brushed her teeth she stretched her tired body in her corner of the bed, forgetting to lay the 'Lakshan Rekha' between them. She barely managed to sleep for a couple of hours when she was rudely awakened by a large arm which fell heavily across her face. Opening her eyes she saw Milind's large palm covering half her nose and her lips. She gently lifted his hand and turning around she saw that Milind was still fast asleep. She laid his arm by his side and got up to line the pillows between them. She did not want to be accused of violating the norms of their sacred farce marriage when he wakes up.

The next morning Milind squeezed open one eye with great difficulty and tried to check out the time on the timepiece by his bedside. When he saw that it was already 8.30 a.m. both his eyes flew open and he got up with a start, cursing under his breath. Just then Prachi came in with his morning tea. Looking at her with irritation he asked, "Why did you not wake me up?"

"I thought I was not supposed to perform any wifely duties," she replied matter-of-factly and laying the tea tray on the side table she left the room before he could find a suitable retort.

Milind quickly got up from his bed and spun like a top to get ready for work. Fifteen minutes later he was on his way out when Baba stopped him.

"Milind, come for breakfast," he commanded.

"Baba, I'm getting late for work," muttered Milind trying to get away.

"And whose fault is that?" asked Baba, raising his voice in anger.

Milind knew that Baba was in one of his foul moods and decided that it was better that he does not rub him on the wrong side. He meekly walked up to the dining table and sat opposite him.

"Prachi beta, you too sit down and have your breakfast," he said in a kinder voice to Prachi.

Prachi nodded her head and sat beside Milind.

"Where were you last night?" asked Baba like a drill master.

"My staff had arranged a party, Baba. I attended it," Milind replied in a low tone.

"Should you not inform your wife that you will be late? The poor girl was waiting up for you all night."

"I'm sorry Baba," said Milind apologetically.

"By the way, what is wrong with your cell? Prachi tried reaching you but was not able to."

"I had switched it off Baba."

"Very good," Baba said sarcastically. "You don't call your wife to inform her and on top of that you switch off your cell so that she too can't call you up. Remember that your bachelor days are over. You need to act like a responsible husband and a father-to-be."

Milind turned his head and glared at Prachi.

"What are you glaring at her for?" bellowed Baba.

Prachi who was shifting uncomfortably in her seat all this while couldn't bear the dressing down being meted out to her husband any longer.

"Baba, Milind did inform me yesterday morning that he would be late. It is I who had forgotten it. Last night after he came home he served me dinner before going to bed, Baba. He takes very good care of me."

Baba's eyes softened hearing his bahu's words. "You do love him very much, don't you? You'll not let anyone admonish your husband. I am sorry I tend to forget that now he is your husband more than he is my son."

"It is not that, Baba," she tried to protest.

"Don't worry. It is as it should be." Turning to his son he said in a more benevolent tone, "Don't repeat last night again."

Milind merely nodded his head and got up to leave.

As he walked up to his car, Prachi ran up behind him.

"Milind, I am sorry for what happened inside," she said, a worried expression on her face.

Milind did not respond immediately but got into his car. Looking up at her he said, "We have an appointment with your doctor this evening. Be ready. I'll come to pick you up at 5.00 p.m."

With that he sped away, leaving Prachi standing on the drive way with her mouth gaping wide.

Part 6

As promised Milind was home by 5 o'clock to take his wife to the doctor. Prachi was ready waiting for him. Before joining him, she gave Baba his BP medicine and later bent down to receive his blessings as she normally did in every visit to the doctor. Baba blessed her with his whole heart and asked Milind to drive carefully. Milind nodded his head and escorted his wife to the car.

At the doctor's clinic they waited for a few minutes before they were called in.

"Good evening, Mrs. Mishra. How are you feeling?" Dr.Medha asked Prachi genially.

"Quite well, doctor," replied Prachi.

Dr.Medha examined Prachi's file. "So you are eighteen weeks pregnant now. Do you still have morning sickness?"

"No, doctor. I am free from it for the past two weeks."

"That's good. Have you had two litres of water?"

"Yes, doctor."

"Good. Are you excited to catch the first glimpse of your baby?" Dr.Medha's gaze swept both of them.

They nodded their heads in unison. Milind felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension as he turned his head to catch the enthusiasm in his wife's face. While he could understand her feelings as the mother of the child, he did not understand his own. Why did he feel so strongly for this unknown, unborn baby? Before he could think further, Dr.Medha asked Prachi to loosen her clothes and she lifted her kurta. Seeing Milind turn his head away from the protruding stomach of his wife, Dr.Medha teased him. "Really, Mr.Mishra. You don't need to act prudish around your own wife! You have surely seen her in far less." Milind gave her a sheepish grin and felt compelled to look at Prachi's stomach only to avoid any suspicions the doctor may have regarding their relationship. He gulped at the sight of the gently rising mound of her fair and smooth stomach with the slightly enlarged navel at the centre of it. The doctor rubbed some gel on Prachi's stomach and ran the instrument across it, gently prodding to get the signals.

"There you are! Can you see that?" asked Dr.Medha, pointing to the monitor. Milind was relieved to be able to turn his attention away from Prachi's stomach.

Initially he could not make head or tail of what was on the screen. The doctor patiently explained the picture to them.

"See that large oval shaped figure? That is the baby's head. See those elongated thin shapes facing up? They are the hands and the legs of your baby. There now, can you see the baby twitching its toes?"

Milind was excited to see the movement of the baby and went up to the screen, tracing the baby's form on it.

"Wow, that is amazing!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in wonderment and he looked down at Prachi's face which mirrored his expressions. He impulsively held her hand and squeezed it, inviting her smile.

After a few minutes, Dr.Medha assured them that everything is normal with the baby. She informed them that although she can make out the gender of the baby, she is forbidden by law from revealing it to them. They reassured her that they themselves preferred to wait till the birth of the baby to know whether it is a boy or a girl. The doctor gave them the pictures and a CD of the sonography. Thanking her, they left the clinic.

After they got into the car, Milind turned the car in the direction opposite to that of their home, much to Prachi's surprise.

"Are we not going back home?" she asked him.

"No," he responded but refused to divulge anything further till they reached their destination. He parked the car in front of a mandir and opened the door for her. Taking the hand of a confused Prachi, he led her to the entrance of the temple. By way of answering her questioning look he said that he felt like offering prayers there. Although she was surprised by his sudden piety she nodded her head and walked into the temple with him. After a few minutes of silent prayer they returned to their car.

"Prachi, have you visited this city before?" he asked her.

"No." she replied.

"Well, you have lived here in Pune for nearly three months now and have not seen any place of interest, have you?"

She shook her head in the negative.

"I am sorry I did not take you anywhere. I'll try and make up for it today."

He then drove down to the Empress Garden, a large botanical garden in Pune.

Inside the garden was a large lotus pond with the statue of Queen Victoria at the centre. They circled the pond and strolled up the sprawling lawns and finally sat on one of the benches on the side of the path way. Prachi closed her eyes and threw back her head, enjoying the gentle evening breeze which caressed her skin. Taking this opportunity, Milind studied her face more closely in the fading evening light. While he was always aware of her beauty he did not pay much attention to it before. That day though, sitting amidst tranquil natural surroundings, he felt a magnetic pull towards her and realised just how breathtakingly beautiful she was. His eyes scanned the angelic oval face, the broad forehead, the sharp nose, the neatly arched brows, the large lids which covered beautiful, lustrous almond shaped eyes and which were rimmed by long curly lashes, the soft pink lips, the blemish free chubby cheeks and the delicate chin. He suddenly had an urge to caress the smooth silky skin of her face. As if to answer his wish a tree ant fell on her face just then. He immediately flitted it away and in the process his fingers grazed her soft cheek. Startled by his sudden touch, she opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise. He explained that he had just got rid of an ant on her face. She smiled a thank you, revealing deep dimples which made his heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly looked away, wondering about the new sensations she seemed to be evoking in him.

As it was getting dark, he led her back to the car and called home to inform Baba that they will be eating out that day. Prachi looked at him in amazement, wondering what had come over her husband, why was he so extra caring that day. If he was aware of her wonderment, he did not show it. He took her next to a garment shop and asked her to select some loose fitting clothes as she was growing big for her dresses. As she could not make up her mind about what to buy, he himself chose a dozen dresses for her. He asked her if she needed anything more. She nodded and looked towards the lingerie counter, turning red with embarrassment. Understanding her wish to be left in private, he asked her to buy whatever she wants and told her that he will wait for her at the billing counter.

After a few minutes they headed towards the most posh restaurant in the city. He asked her to place her order and was pleased to note her healthy appetite. Over dinner, Milind haltingly broached the subject of her mysterious past. "Prachi, where are you from?" he asked.

Prachi was shocked by his sudden interest in her past. She remained silent for a couple of minutes.

"You needn't tell me anything if you don't want to," he assured her.

"Surat," she said after some hesitation.

"Do you have parents?"

She shook her head in the negative.

"Brothers? Sisters?"

She did not answer him indicating that she did not want to discuss this topic further. Although he wanted to know more about her, he decided not to press on. Instead he changed the topic and asked her what she did that day. She seemed relieved that he did not pursue the earlier line of questioning and gave him a detailed account of her day. He smiled at her exuberance. She asked him about his day. He shrugged and said it was pretty much the same - boring. She smiled at that. She finally asked him what was plaguing her mind the whole evening.

"Milind, why have you taken me on this elaborate outing?" she asked curiously.

"To make up for last night," he replied and looking deeply into her eyes he said a simple yet heartfelt sorry.

"I'm sorry too," she said solemnly.

"What for?" he asked puzzled as he settled the bill.

"For not waking you up this morning," she smiled as they came out of the restaurant.

Shaking his head, he flashed her his most charming smile, gladdening her heart.

By the time they reached home it was 10 o'clock. Feeling exhausted, Prachi promptly went to sleep but Milind remained awake for a long time after that. He wondered about the new feelings he seemed to be developing for the woman who lay across him in bed. Were they always there or have they suddenly cropped up? What is it that made him want to protect her and her unborn baby? Why did he take the huge step of getting married to a complete stranger, willingly giving up on the bachelorhood he so cherished? Granted that he tried to cover up for a lie he had uttered to his father about a non-existent wife inorder to avoid acquiring a real one. But has he not done exactly what he set out to avoid? Has he not acquired a real wife and that too one who is carrying another man's child? He apparently married her to give her baby an identity apart from trying to cover up his lie. But what does he know about this woman? He knew nothing about her, save her name. Today he tried finding more about her past but she clamped up. Still he did not seem to mind. It did not bother him that he knew next to nothing about her. She could well be a gold digger and the entire suicide attempt could be part of an elaborate plan to trap him. Yet, he knew in his heart that she could not do such a thing, she could not dupe him. What made him trust her so unconditionally? Was it her eyes and the sincerity he saw in them?

And what about her baby? Why did he feel so strongly about it? What was the connection between this baby and him? Yesterday he blasted Prachi for not eating her dinner on time and depriving her baby of nourishment. Today when he saw the ultrasound picture of her baby he felt elated as though he was seeing his own baby. He even went to the mandir to offer prayer for its well being. Why was he so interested in the welfare of that baby, a baby that wasn't even his? Was it only the baby he was interested in or was he also interested in its mother? If he was interested in both, was he interested in the mother because of the baby or in the baby because of the mother?

In the past he was against the whole institution of marriage not only because he saw many unhappy and broken marriages around him but also because he did not want a woman in his life. Not that he was against women. Afterall his mother was also a woman. He respected them, even felt attracted to them. But he felt that women spelt trouble, trouble he can well do without. Afterall has he not lived 20 years out of his 28 years of existence on this earth without a woman in his life? He has turned out pretty well. So what was the need for a woman in it now? He had despised marriages because they created a dependency on woman.

Does he still feel the same way about marriages now? What about his marriage, in particular? What was he expecting from it? He kept saying that this marriage was a farce, that they can break it up anytime they want. But does he really want to break it up? When the time comes for her to leave can he really give her up? Can he give up the baby? Does he even want to? He had no choice here. He had afterall promised to let her go. So unless she wants to stay, he is really helpless. Does she want to stay?

She did show a lot of concern for him. All the little things she does for him have not gone unnoticed. She made sure his things were in place although she never made it obvious she was doing these things for him. He knew that she slept after he did. He never covered himself up while sleeping but still every morning he found the comforter pulled over him. So he knew she was the one who covered him up in his sleep. Today she stepped in to defend him against his father's tirade. She was always careful not to hurt his feelings. But she could be doing all these things out of a sense of gratitude. So how can he be sure she had any feelings for him beyond gratitude? Strangely the dependency that he feared earlier is what he now seems to be willingly accepting, even needing. So has he changed? All these chaotic questions, the answers to which he did not have, kept swimming in his head, giving him a severe headache.

He got up and rummaged through his medicine cabinet to locate an aspirin. Having found one, he popped it in, sloshing it down with a glass of water and drifted into a disturbed sleep.

Part 7

Ever since the day of their outing Milind kept inventing ways to spend more time with Prachi. Unless he had some urgent work in the office, he returned home well on time and immediately sought her company. He wanted to talk to her, laugh with her, find out about her day and share with her every detail of his life. He did not care what he was doing as long as he was around her. He secretly bribed Ramu kaka to leave whenever he is around and invaded her kitchen, volunteering to assist her in cooking. He used Baba's order to him to be a more responsible husband and father-to-be as an excuse to shut up any protests made by Prachi. It is another matter that most of the time he ended goofing things up and creating additional work for her because he was more absorbed in her than the task at hand. An unsuspecting Prachi always quietly cleaned up after him. He sought her views on things like what clothes he should wear every day, what furnishings he should choose for his office renovation, even innocuous things like what layouts he should use for his power point presentations at board meetings. Anything that would get Prachi close to him made him happy. He eagerly anticipated the arrival of the baby whom he had started considering as theirs. He bought pregnancy books and sat by her side every night reading them aloud to her.

He enjoyed the new feelings which he was developing for her as it made him feel more alive and happy. He did not know whether in giving to and encouraging these feelings he may end up getting more hurt when she eventually leaves but subconsciously he was hoping that she would stay. He was hoping that she will feel equally drawn to him as he was to her and will never want to leave when the time comes to do so. Although he did not openly confess his feelings to her, in his own way he was trying to make Prachi see him for what he is and understand him better.

Milind's changed behaviour was a pleasant surprise to Prachi but she thought that he was merely obeying Baba's orders, not realising that her husband has fallen hopelessly in love with her. Her own feelings for Milind were increasing by the day but with it came a sense of guilt. Thoughts of her past which had begun to fade returned with greater force to haunt her. As a result she ended up subconsciously suppressing her attraction towards her benefactor as she felt unworthy of him.

One night she had a bad nightmare of her past as a manifestation of the inner turmoil she was going through. She kept muttering loudly in her sleep, tossing and turning from side to side. Milind woke up with a start hearing her cries and was alarmed to see tears streaming down her cheeks. He bent his head close to her lips to hear what she was saying but could not decipher anything. Unable to bear the emotional stress she was in, he shook her awake and tried to calm her down. When she saw his face, she covered hers with her hands and wept uncontrollably. Milind was torn, seeing the pain she was in and he took her in his arms, thrusting her face in his chest. Soon his pyjama top was soaked in her tears as she clung to him. He tried to soothe her with kind words and patted her head till she fell asleep again.

The next morning he reopened the topic of her past, knowing that the previous day's nightmare was linked to it.

"Prachi, can I say something?" he asked tentatively.

Seeing her nod her head he continued, "Please don't torment yourself like this by suppressing everything. In doing so you are not only harming yourself but also the unborn baby you are carrying. Last night you had a bad nightmare and it could become a recurrent phenomenon unless you come clean with whatever it is you are holding back. You do consider me as your friend, don't you?"

Prachi nodded her head in acquiescence.

"Then please unburden the secrets you hold close to your chest. Talking to someone will help relieve your stress. Whatever you say to me will be in the strictest of confidence. I'll not judge you or think less of you. Please, Prachi, don't torture yourself any longer. I can't bear to see you like this."

The genuine concern and reassurance in his voice compelled her to open up and finally bare her heart to him.

She haltingly recounted her entire life history to him.

Prachi's narration

She was the only child of Prem Latha and Inder Shah. Born out of wed-lock she grew up being teased and ridiculed for not knowing her father's name. She was branded an 'illegitimate' child although she never understood the term till date. What was illegitimate about a child? Is it the fault of the child for being born into this world? If anything, it is the parents of the child who are illegitimate for violating social norms but society attached the stigma to the innocent child. While she did not understand the full implication of the term then, she felt hurt that she was the butt of people's jokes. Soon after her eighth birthday her mother succumbed to tuberculosis and for a few months she was in an orphanage till she was 'adopted' by Inder Shah and Amrita Shah.

Inder was a renowned diamond merchant in Surat and Prachi ended up living in a palatial house, a vast transformation from the humble dwellings she had lived in before that. Although Inder doted on her and treated her as a princess, Amrita and their ten-year old son Alaap, absolutely hated her and made her life miserable. They physically abused her in Inder's absence and threatened her with dire consequences if she dared to complain about their deeds to Inder. When she was around twelve years old Inder died of a massive heart attack. It is only after his death that Prachi came to know that Inder was her real father and the reason she was ill-treated by her step-mother and half brother was because Inder had loved her mother more than he ever loved Amrita whom he had married only for money. Amrita had fallen in love with the handsome diamond cutter who worked in her father's diamond factory. Mr.Shiv Shankar Mehta who bought everything that his daughter desired managed to buy Inder too.

Inder abandoned his lover Prem Latha and married Amrita but he was never happy in the marriage. Amrita's constant nagging had led him to seek the solace of Prem Latha and Prachi was a result of their union. Amrita found out about their relationship and threatened to complain to her father if Inder did not give up Prem Latha. Fearing the old man's wrath Inder stopped visiting Prem Latha but was financially supporting her and their daughter. When he came to know of Prem Latha's death, he hunted out his daughter in the orphanage and forced Amrita to accept her. As her father was dead by then, Amrita could not use him to threaten Inder but she saw to it that Prachi paid dearly for the mistakes of her father.

The torture meted out to Prachi redoubled after her father's death as both mother and brother were emboldened by the absence of any support for her. When she was fourteen her brother even tried to force her into an incestuous relationship with him. Hearing her wails, the servant in the house called up an NGO who got Alaap locked up in a juvenile delinquents home for a year. This had only infuriated Amrita further who, holding her responsible for her son's plight, found novel ways to torment her, including starving her and making her slave as a servant. It was during this difficult phase of her life that she developed friendship with Neev, her classmate in school. She could confide all her problems in him and he always managed to cheer her up. Their friendship turned to love as they grew older. He was the only person she could trust.

In the meantime, Alaap who had been released, took over his father's business. Between them the mother and son had ruined the business and they were riddled in debt. As they were on the verge of filing for bankruptcy, they were suddenly given a solution out of their problem. One of the leading diamond merchants of the town, Mr.Dalal, had taken a fancy to Prachi when he spotted her in one of the lavish parties hosted by Amrita. The man was a widower more than twice her age and had three children, all of whom were older than her. He offered to help Amrita out of her financial problems if she gave Prachi's hand in marriage. The avaracious lady readily agreed and fixed up her marriage to the old man in a week's time.

The day Prachi came to know of the wedding arrangement, she was hit by another bombshell- she was carrying Neev's child. Neev, who had taken up a job in a stock broking firm in Mumbai after his studies, had come on vacation a month and a half before. One emotionally stressful night, in a moment of weakness she had given in to his demands for physical intimacy. Soon after she realised the magnitude of what they had done and she wallowed in guilt having done the very same thing her mother had done - sleep with a man without wedding him. Neev assured her that they will get married as soon as he gets established in his job and left the next day. Now that she was faced with the prospect of a wedding to a much older man and her pregnancy with another man, she was in a quandary. She panicked and called up Neev in Mumbai who promised to rescue her. He asked her to run away on the wedding day and take a train to Mumbai. He was to meet her at VT station and together they were to come to Pune where he had said that they will get married in the presence of his only living relative, an uncle. He had also said that he will take up a job with his uncle and stay back in Pune as Amrita and company may hunt him down in Mumbai, being aware of his whereabouts. He had sent her two tickets - one from Surat to Mumbai and the other, from Mumbai to Pune.

As planned, Prachi absconded on her wedding day and took the train to Mumbai. While waiting for Neev, she spotted Mr.Dalal's men and fearing of getting caught she took the nearest train and got off at Kalyan station. She tried calling Neev to inform him that she was waiting for him at Kalyan station but was not getting through to him. So she sent him an SMS. When the train they were to board to Pune pulled into Kalyan station she decided to board it in the hope of finding Neev there. It was only after she boarded that she received an SMS from Neev asking her to forget him. He cannot marry her as he was engaged to marry his boss's daughter. She tried to speak to him but he had switched off his cell. For a long while she stood frozen at the entrance of the train. Finally the full import of her precarious condition hit her. It was as if history was repeating itself. The man she had loved had ditched her for money and she was saddled with his child in her womb, much like her mother. Having gone through the ignominy of being branded an illegitimate child herself, she did not want the same for her baby. Her guilt and fear pushed her over the edge and throwing away the cell, she prepared to jump to her death when she felt someone pull her in.

The rest of her story Milind was aware of.

Part 8

Milind tried to reduce if not erase from Prachi's mind, the memories of her painful past in the days following her confession by trying to cheer her up and taking extra good care of her. He masked his own anguish, for he did not want her to think he sympathised with her. He knew that it would hurt her more as she definitely did not want people's sympathy. He knew she deserved to be loved and cherished all her life and he was more than willing to give all the love she had missed out on since childhood. One part of him desperately wanted to confess his love to her but the other more dominant part restrained him as he feared that she may misconstrue it. He knew that she had been betrayed or hurt by every single person in her life. So she might find it difficult to accept that someone can love her as she is, without any expectation from her. He did not want her to think that his love for her was born out of sympathy or that he had any ulterior motive of taking advantage of her plight. If she did, then she may leave him even before the birth of the child and all the efforts he had taken to provide her with a home and her baby an identity will come to nought. So suppressing his instinctive nature of speaking his mind, he decided to wait till the birth of the baby before baring his heart to her. He made sure though that there were innumerable signs which conveyed his deep feelings for her.

Prachi was unaware of Milind's covert display of his love for her and continued to think that his actions were governed by the need to adhere to Baba's strict orders to take good care of his bahu and grand child. She tried to keep a lid on her own feelings for him but even without her knowledge the attraction to her handsome husband kept ever increasing. They enjoyed the time spent with each other and there was an unspoken bond between them that was growing stronger by the day.

Prachi was six and a half months pregnant and was growing in size. She soon gave up wearing salwar suits and stuck to wearing sarees. That morning Milind had taken Prachi to the hospital, for her doctor had asked them to come there instead of the clinic to run some routine tests. Although initially they were wary as to what they may find, the doctor assured them that everything was fine. As they were on their way out, Milind saw Ali pace up and down the hospital corridor agitatedly. Hurrying to his side he inquired what he was doing there.

"Rehana is in there to deliver our baby," Ali pointing to the labour ward.

Just then there was a loud shriek and they could clearly hear Rehana scream out a string of abuses targeting her husband.

"The rotten man gets all the pleasure .....(ahhh)....and I am the one to go through all the pain .......(ahhh). Wish Khuddha..... (ouch)....had made men the child bearers.....Population would be far less..... (grrrrah) if they....if they go through the hell we.....we.... (eeeh) do everytime we bring.... a life....(ahhh) a life... into this world." She panted between shrieks. "That $$#@#, if he ever lays a finger on me again.... (aaagh), I'll chop it off...."

Milind looked at Ali, aghast at what his wife was screaming out. Ali bent his head down in shame and said that she does this everytime she comes for delivery.

"She doesn't mean half the things she says. It's the pain talking. Poor woman," he tried to explain his wife's screeches.

Milind looked at Prachi worriedly wondering what his beloved will have to go through in a few months time.

Prachi tried to avoid looking at him directly and turned to Ali, asking him where were his sons.

"Left them with Rehana's mother. Did not want to bring them and let them hear their mother abuse their father," he smiled sheepishly.

As Rehana's wails and curses continued they heard the nurse yell back at her.

"Shut up, woman. Don't bring the hospital down with your screams. You are not the first woman to go through labour in this world."

"Sister Sarita, is that the way to talk to a patient?" admonished her doctor. "Don't worry Mrs.Khan, its only a couple of minutes more. You are nearly there. Just give me one last push and we will put you out of this ordeal soon."

Soon they heard the wailing of a baby and the doctor came out with a smile on her face.

"Mr.Khan, it is a girl this time."

Ali thanked the doctor and hugged Milind in happiness. His eyes streamed with tears of joy as he rushed in to be with his wife, asking them to join in. The nurse had just cleaned the baby and laid her in Rehana's arms as Ali sat beside her. She looked at her husband lovingly and said,

"Look Ali, she is so beautiful, isn't she?"she asked, extending the arm which held the baby so that he could look at her more clearly.

Pouring over his newborn Ali could barely hide the mirth and pride in his voice "Yes, darling. Our daughter looks simply beautiful, as beautiful as her extraordinary mother."

Rehana smiled and blew him a kiss. The two of them then looked up at Milind and Prachi.

"Come see my little Asma," he invited them.

Prachi ambled to the bed and sat in front of Rehana who passed the baby onto her waiting arms.

"So, now that you finally have a daughter, are you going to stop spawning more kids?" he asked Ali. Milind knew how much his friend wanted a daughter and he noticed that he has given her his dead mother's name.

"Yes, Milind. Will not put my dear darling wife through this torture again, I promise. Moreover, I can spare myself from hearing those choice gallis (curses) she gives me everytime."

Rehana looked at her husband apologetically. "Sorry, darling. I didn't mean to be so vicious but was blinded by the pain."

"I know dear, I know. Don't worry. I have not taken anything to heart. Afterall that is a small price to pay to see such a beautiful miracle," he said pointing to his daughter.

Milind asked Prachi if he can hold the baby for a couple of minutes. Prachi looked at him in surprise and nodded her head. She asked him to sit down in the nearby chair and told him to fold his arms to cradle the baby. She then gently laid the baby in his arms. Milind looked deeply into the baby's big blue green eyes. The baby was very fair like her mother. Her lips were soft and pick, her nose sharp and her brows neat. She had a thick mop of jet black hair on her round head. She had long fingers and toes and looked so perfect. Looking at the love in his eyes as he gazed at the baby, Prachi wondered whether his gentle and caring behaviour towards her had something to do with the fact that she was carrying a baby, as he appeared to be fond of babies in general.

Asma soon started whimpering in hunger and Milind passed her on to her mother. They took leave of Ali and Rehana and as they went out of the room, Rehana got busy feeding her daughter and Ali whipped out his mobile to jubilantly inform his mother-in-law and his sons of Asma's arrival.

Back in their car, Prachi remarked how beautiful Asma looked and Milind nodded his head in agreement. "I'm sure our baby will also look as beautiful as its mother," he said with confidence not realising that he had just said 'our baby' instead of 'your baby' as he normally does. The subtle change did not go unnoticed and Prachi looked at his bent head in surprise as he clipped the buckle of his seat belt. Before she could say anything she suddenly felt a kick in her stomach.

"Ouch", she cried out.

Looking at her in alarm, Milind asked her what was the matter.

"Milind, the baby kicked!" she exclaimed. Unthinkingly she took his hand and placed it on her stomach. Her saree had slightly moved in the breeze and his hand came into direct contact with her skin sending shivers down her spine. Just then he felt the baby kick and he got very excited.

"Wow, Prachi. I felt it this time. It's amazing!" She smiled at his exhilaration. It was only a few moments later that he realised that he still had his palm on her bare stomach. He jerked his hand away, trying to hide his embarrassment and asked if they can go home, to which she nodded.

That night as they got ready for bed, Prachi was about to line up the pillows between them when he stopped her.

"Don't you think we should get rid of this Lakshman rekha now that you are getting big with the baby? There is not enough room for you, me, the baby and the pillows in this bed."

She nodded in agreement and threw away the pillows between them. Milind looked pleased that he got atleast one physical barrier between them out of his way. He hoped that in time all the other invisible barriers between them would come crumbling down. That night he had unknowingly wrapped his arms around her burgeoning stomach in his sleep and held her close. Although she was aware of his arm around her, she did not push it away as she felt comforted in his lose hold, even if it was confined to just a few hours at night.

Part 9

Milind's bua, Mrs. Pratibha Sharma called her brother up one morning, "Bhaiyya, when are you holding Prachi's Godh Bharai?"

"Godh Bharai?" asked back Baba distractedly as he was trying to read the morning newspaper while answering the phone.

"Yes, Godh Bharai, the ceremony performed for pregnant women on completion of seven months. Prachi must be atleast seven and a half months now, wouldn't she?"

Baba turned his full attention to his sister's call and cursed himself under his breath. How can he forget it? Maybe because there was no woman in the house to remind him of these rituals. How he wished his wife was around to conduct this for her daughter-in-law but alas she left him and his son for heavenly abode more than twenty years ago. Putting aside the newspaper he asked her,

"It is a ladies function and there are no ladies here save Prachi. So will you come and conduct it for us?"

She agreed to come and the function date was fixed two days later. Mishraji then asked Milind to invite the married lady staff members and the wives of his male staff members to attend the function.

Prachi's Godh Bharai went off well. Milind presented her a beautiful crimson silk saree. Baba presented her with his wife's ruby set, unmindful of Prachi's protests that she cannot accept it. He said that her mother-in-law's jewellery belonged to her. Prachi couldn't say anything further without wounding him. So she quietly accepted it. Decked in all her finery, she was made to sit in the centre of the hall. The women came and blessed her and laid various gifts on her lap. Pratibha gave her a gold strapped wrist watch. Prachi felt more and more guilty that she would end up hurting so many people if she leaves. She hoped that she may never have to leave and break the hearts of the people she had grown to love. She turned around and looked at Milind who stood at the head of the stairs. He couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful wife. For the first time she noticed the desire in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on her. Was she imagining it or was Milind really attracted to her? She tried to confirm it but got distracted by the women who wanted to feed her ghee rice and sweets as per the custom. In the meantime Milind got a call from his office and had to excuse himself mid-way through the ceremony.

That night when Milind came home late from work, Prachi was already asleep, having been made to turn in early by Baba and Bua. He lovingly gazed at the sleeping face of his wife for a long time before sleep took over.

Bua stayed back with them under the insistence of Baba who said that her presence in the otherwise male dominated household would be useful, especially now that Prachi was in her third trimester. Mrs.Pratibha was widowed three years back and lived alone in her flat in Mumbai, as she had no children. Her husband, a retired civil servant had left behind three flats for his wife. The pension money and the rent from two of the flats took care of her needs. The woman was fiercely independent and refused to accept any help from anybody, including her own brother, preferring to live on her own. Now that the first grandchild of the family was on the way, she agreed to be of assistance.

The next six weeks flew by even as Milind's and Prachi's unspoken love for each other strengthened. Even though they had not vocalised their feelings for each other, they subconsciously seemed to know that their spouses too reciprocated them. Prachi kept herself busy right up to the very end, knitting sweaters and booties for her baby and doing all the household work including sweeping and swabbing the house. Milind tried to stop her from doing physically strenuous activities but Bua assured him that it would lend greater flexibility to her body which, in turn, would help in making her delivery easier when the time comes. He wasn't satisfied with her explanations and checked with Prachi's doctor during their next visit. The doctor too assured him that activities which required bending and squatting were good for pregnant women as long as long they did not have any complications in their pregnancies. As Prachi's pregnancy was fairly smooth sailing there was no reason why she should not do these activities. It is only then did he let Prachi continue them.

It was two weeks before the due date for the arrival of Prachi's baby. Bua and Baba had wanted to go to the temple to offer prayers for Prachi's safe delivery. Milind volunteered to stay with Prachi till they return in an hour's time as she was too close to the delivery date to be left alone. He had informed his office he would be coming in a little late. He sat next to Prachi on the sofa and watched her knit. As she was concentrating on the knitting she did not notice her husband's admiring and unwavering gaze on her. A few tendrils of her shampooed freely flowing hair blew across her face in the gentle morning breeze. Milind instinctively pushed the straying strands of hair behind her ears, prompting a startled Prachi to break her concentration on knitting and turn her attention to him. Embarrassed that he was caught in the act of staring, Milind quickly turned on the T.V. and was shocked to hear the breaking news. Some miscreants had desecrated the statue of Dr.Ambedkar, the father of Indian Constitution. This had led to caste clashes, violence and rioting. Shops were vandalised, buses were burnt and private vehicles were stone pelted. The police swiftly acted and a curfew was immediately clamped to prevent the precipitation of the crisis. Prachi feared for the safety of Baba and Bua who were still out and throwing aside her knitting needles, she clutched Milind's arm tightly and asked him to check on them. Just then he heard the phone ring. It was his father who informed him that at present they were safe in his friend Vijay's house. He then told him how they ended up there. As they were coming out of the temple along with the rest of the devotees, the police had landed there in large numbers. They were told to take shelter in the nearby houses as the curfew was being imposed and no vehicle was being allowed to pass. As Vijay lives next to the temple, they went to his place. They assured him that they will return home as soon as the curfew gets lifted. Milind heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Prachi.

Seeing her face contorted in pain he panicked and asked her if she was alright. Although she nodded, he could clearly see that she was not. She was being hit by spasms of pain as her contractions had started. The pain which began in the lower back, spread to her lower abdomen and radiated to her legs. She bit her lower lip to keep from screaming. Milind quickly lifted her and took her to one of the guest bedrooms on the ground floor. He laid her on the bed and called up her doctor who asked him to time the frequency of the contractions. He said that she seemed to have just started having the pains. The doctor assured him that in the case of first confinements labour generally lasts twelve hours. So hopefully things would return to normalcy by then and she can be brought in to the hospital. By now Prachi started sweating profusely. Milind sat by her side and held her hand tightly in his. His eyes never left his wrist watch as he kept timing her contractions. Soon her contractions started coming in a more rapid and regular frequency and were increasing in intensity.

Milind called back the doctor to inform her that Prachi was experiencing contractions every fifteen minutes. The doctor was alarmed to hear this and asked him if there was anybody else with him. On hearing there was no one she asked him to get prepared to deliver the baby himself. Milind just froze for a minute and turned to see his wife. She had her eyes squeezed shut, her face twisted in pain as she was hit by another powerful wave of pain. He recovered to ask the doctor what he needs to do. She asked him to first of all remain calm. He took a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves and made a quick mental note of all that she was saying. He tucked the cell between his chin and shoulder and rushed to the kitchen where he boiled some water in a bowl. He dropped a pair of scissors in it and brought it to the bedroom. He then walked to the bathroom where he washed his hands with soap and dettol and wipe them clean. When the doctor asked him to place a plastic sheet under the mother, he looked around the bathroom and noticed the plastic shower curtain. He ripped it off and returning back to Prachi, he lifted her backside and placed it under her. He then brought a mug of water, soap and towel from the bathroom. Kneeling down at the foot of the bed, he asked her to raise and spread her knees, repeating what the doctor was instructing him over the phone. Prachi was initially hesitant to reveal herself in this manner but hearing him bark at her in impatience, she did as she was told. Sliding off her under garments, he washed and cleaned the area from where the baby was to arrive. He then brought a plastic tub and placed it below the foot of the bed.

By now Prachi's contractions quickened to every five minutes. Her membranes ruptured and there was a gush of fluid. Prachi's embarrassment at having to go through all this in front of her husband whom she was still not intimately familiar with was soon submerged in the intense pain which overtook her. She clutched and twisted the pillows in her agony. Trying hard to mask his own apprehension, Milind asked her to take deep breaths as she started bearing down. She had fully dilated and the baby started descending. Milind's head was tilted to one side as he continued to hold the cell between his chin and shoulders and repeated the instructions he was receiving from the doctor. As he saw the crowning of the head, he asked Prachi to pant and blow. He then gently applied counter pressure to the head to keep it from popping out suddenly. He let the head emerge gradually. As instructed by the doctor he gently stroked the sides of the baby's nose downward, the neck and the under chin upward, to help expel mucus and amniotic fluid from the nose and mouth. He then held the head in both his hands and pressed it very slightly downward, asking Prachi to push at the same time to deliver the front shoulder. As the upper arm appeared, he lifted the head carefully, holding the back of the neck and waited for the rear shoulder to appear. Once he freed the shoulders, the rest of the baby slid out easily. He looked at the baby and shouted out that they had a beautiful baby daughter to a profusely sweating, exhausted but extremely relieved Prachi. He then took the scissors from the bowl of hot water and snipped at the umbilical chord an inch and a half from the baby's navel after tying it with a piece of twine. Once the baby was free he quickly wrapped her in the clean towels and brought her to Prachi who took her in her waiting arms. He thanked the doctor profusely who in turn congratulated him on a job well done before hanging up.

The whole ordeal had taken just about an hour. After he cleaned up, he sat by the side of his wife and wiped the beads of sweat from her brow. He bent down and kissed her lightly on her forehead as she closed her eyes in relief and happiness. He looked down at the baby he helped deliver. She was like a little angel, a perfect replica of her mother. She fluttered her big dark eyes open and looked unfocusedly at the two loving faces turned towards her. He held his forefinger out to the baby and she wrapped her tiny little fingers around it. He seemed to feel a magnetic connection with this cherub, a connection which appeared to be stronger now that he was part of the process which brought her into this world. He cooed over her, making her turn towards his voice. He tickled her sole making her twitch her tiny feet. He then ran his fingers down her tiny tummy making her squirm in Prachi's arms. Prachi turned to look at him and they exchanged a warm smile. He went up to their room and brought a few baby things including the baby's clothes, diapers, napkins, cradle, baby powder and baby soap. He slid a soft white muslin dress into the baby's arms and as Prachi held her up, he tied the strings at the back. Prachi took the napkin from him and tied the triangular piece of cloth around her waist.

After a few minutes the baby started whimpering in hunger. As Prachi started unbuttoning her dress, Milind turned his head away to allow the mother some privacy with her baby. The baby initially struggled to latch on and Prachi gently assisted her. Soon she got the hang of things and started feeding hungrily. Prachi pulled a thin blanket over her shoulder to cover herself and the baby and assured Milind that he can turn around as she was presentable. Milind smiled and gently wrapped his arm around Prachi's shoulder, brimming in happiness to be with his wife and their baby.

After the baby finished her feeding, Milind picked her up to burp her. Prachi warned him to hold the back of the neck. Gingerly he held the tiny creature in his large arms and placed her tiny head on his shoulder, holding the back of her neck for support with one hand and patting her back with the other. Soon the baby let out a burp, bringing out a little milk in doing so. He then lifted her forward to look at her. He wiped her mouth clean with his palm. The baby let out a wide yawn, opening her pink lips to reveal her gums and tiny tongue, bringing an indulgent smile to his face. He returned her to his shoulder and patted her till she fell asleep. He then placed her in the cradle and rocked her. Prachi watched all this and was amazed to see the tenderness of this gentle giant who was her husband. She silently prayed in her heart that their happy little family will never break up.

Baba and Bua, who returned that evening after the curfew was lifted and the city returned to normalcy, were greeted by the loud wails of their little grand daughter who wanted her sixth feed that day. When they heard how Milind had solitarily handled the entire birthing process they were amazed and proud of him. After the baby was fed they took turns in pampering her. Bua wondered what will they name her.