Great Expectations-Part XXXI- Pg 202 (23/5) - Page 38

Originally posted by: Opti

Now that is not very flattering!!!!

Originally posted by: aritha

😆😆

ok looks like my comments suk big time today!

Originally posted by: Opti

Are you angry with your teachers?

Originally posted by: aritha

nooooo....😕umm what made you ask that opti???

Originally posted by: ariska

With nothing in common between the two I wonder what makes Milind fall for Prachi for the first time. And for Prachi I thought is easier . Wonderful update Opti ... please continue 😃

Part XIII

Present

Milind was amused seeing the friendly banter between the two sisters. They had such strikingly contrasting personalities but the deep love between them was palpable. Just then Ishan and Sahana walked up to their parents. Inder, Prem Latha and Neev followed them.

"Shall we leave, Papa? I think the hotel staff are getting restless that we are still hanging around here. Many of them live in far off places. If they miss their last local train back, they will be stuck here till 4.00.a.m." said Ishan.

Milind was touched by Ishan's concern for his employees.

"He will make a good boss because of his humanness", he whispered to Prachi.

"He gets that from you, darling!" she whispered back.

Milind and Prachi requested Ayesha and Neev to stay with them. Ayesha looked at her mother for approval. Prem Latha nodded her head in agreement. So while the Shah family went back to Shah House, the Mishra family took the Shergills to their residence. Ayesha and Neev were escorted to their guest room.

"We should continue our discussion on Indian politics tomorrow, Milind. Dying to know what our buffoons are up to," said Ayesha before shutting the door.

"Done," smiled Milind and turned to leave with his wife. Even if he had said no, Ayesha would have still persisted. Such was her persuasive skills. After all she was a lawyer, and a pretty good one at that. He remembered how she coaxed him into opening up the first time when they had gone on a picnic, despite his reluctance to indulge in any conversation with either of the Shah sisters.

Past (Milind's flashback)

When Milind had woken up with a pounding head ache on the morning after his drinking binge, little did he expect to be so closely scrutinized, ordered and questioned by his wife of three days. His senses were numbed by the liquor intake of the previous night. So when she gave him the lime juice and asked him to sip it slowly, he meekly did just that. The remedy worked well because after ingesting it, his hangover seemed to have lightened. But his relief was short lived because soon after he finished his morning routine, he was subjected to her uncomfortable questions about the previous night. Her point blank question as to whether he was unhappy with their marriage threw him completely off guard. He was startled that she was perceptive enough to come so close to the truth within days of their marriage. Was he so transparent he wondered but thinking back he realised that any woman would have been suspicious of his behaviour of the previous night. It was untypical of a newly married man to come home drunk on the third night of their marriage unless he had some serious problems. As he did not know how to respond, he bowed his head in guilt.

Luckily he was literally saved by the bell when his driver, Pradeep, unexpectedly showed up at the door with his wallet and told Prachi that he had found it at the party Milind had attended the previous night. Initially he was puzzled by the party reference but soon he caught on to the rope Pradeep had hung out to extricate him from the hole he had found himself in. He spun a yarn about attending a belated bachelor's party and getting drunk as part of the merriment. His wife was shrewder than he thought. She immediately asked him why he had not informed her about the party. Again he was saved by the bell; this time it was the phone bell, not the door bell. In his mind he said a silent thank you to Graham Bell for inventing such a wonderful instrument which came to his rescue.

Prachi, who answered the phone, said that his mother-in-law wanted to know whether they would join them for a family picnic. Although he was not too keen on a family outing, he readily agreed so as to keep Prachi from finding more about his post-marriage mental state. He felt guilty about lying to her and hiding things from her. It was very untypical of him to act this way. He abhorred dishonesty of any kind, especially in relationships but he did not have the heart to tell his wife the truth. He could not tell her that he was deeply in love with her sister for ten years but had instead married her due to a case of mistaken identity and the limited interaction with her only served to show him that they were absolutely not meant to be.

When Prachi was having her bath, Milind called up Pradeep's house. He came to know from Pradeep that last night after he left him at the door step, he had found Milind's wallet lying on his drive way where it must have fallen when he staggered out of his car. Pradeep initially thought of returning it immediately but did not want to disturb Prachi so late in the night. So the next morning he set out to his master's house when it suddenly dawned on him what his master's newly married wife must be thinking of her husband coming home drunk late in the night. It is then that he remembered overhearing Milind's friends asking him a couple of weeks ago whether they can throw a belated bachelor's party, which he had declined. Pradeep then decided to tell his master's wife that he found the wallet at the party, which will provide him with an escape route. Milind was grateful for having such a smart and loyal employee in Pradeep and made a mental note to give him a raise that month.

At the picnic spot, his father-in-law sought his company and he got busy discussing business strategies with him. The more he discussed with him, the more he realised why Inder Shah is known as the best in the business. The topic of the merger came up again. While his reluctance to accept the merger earlier was driven by fear of losing his independence in decision making, his father-in-law assured him that the proposed merger will in no way interfere with his functioning. He even offered to make him the Chairman and Managing Director of the merged entity as he himself wanted to retire from active management of his hotel group. Although it made perfect business sense to merge the two giant groups of hotels for better synergy, his own confusion about his marital life made him hesitant. He asked for more time to think it over. His father-in-law was only too willing to wait.

At lunchtime his mother-in-law generously fed him, remarking that she was taking good care of her son-in-law so that he would take good care of his wife. That remark pricked his conscience since as of that moment he had done nothing for his wife. He tried to look away from his wife who was observing him closely. He quickly finished his lunch and wanting to spend some time alone, he expressed his wish to go around the gardens. Surprisingly his mother-in-law asked his wife to accompany him. As though that was not enough, his sister-in-law who was the cause of all his heart ache and pain (although unintentionally) wanted to join them as well and his ever generous wife willing agreed without waiting for his consent.

His mind was in a maze wondering how to handle the two Shah sisters who were poles apart from each other and for whom his feelings were as diametrically opposite. His heart pounded in anxiety and guilt; anxiety at having to appear as normal as possible with Ayesha and guilt of keeping Prachi still in the dark. The two girls were, however, blissfully unaware of his inner turmoil. Ayesha interrogated him in the manner in which he interrogated Prachi the previous day.

"Milind jiju, where did you do your MBA from?"

"From Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad"

"Wow, from the best business management institute in the country? Very impressive!"

He gave her an awkward smile as he was not too keen to talk about himself but Ayesha was in no mood to relent.

"So what are your interests?"

"Politics and economics."

"Wow, they are my interests too," said Ayesha excitedly, glad at the prospect of discussing her favourite subjects with her jiju.

"What do you think of the current world political environment? Do you think that the cold war between the two super powers, the U.S and the U.S.S.R, will prolong?"

"Don't know," said Milind abruptly, trying to bridle his strong attraction to the woman of his dreams. Ayesha seemed to be totally oblivious to the effect she was having on his senses.

"I think that the Soviet Union has done itself more harm than good by invading Afghanistan five years back and signalling the cold war. Tensions have been building ever since between the Western nations and the East European countries following communism. The arms race between the two blocs is escalating fears of a nuclear war."

Milind could not resist participating in this topical discussion. Forgetting his own resolve to be indifferent to her exuberance, he joined in, "Yes, the tension between the two super powers is harming the whole world. It is the test of strength between capitalism and communism. Although communism started with a good ideology it lost its path mid-way."

"Yes, Orwell says as much in his Animal Farm which is an excellent satire on communism."

"Have you read Animal Farm?" asked Milind excitedly.

"Oh, yes, a dozen times. A tale told so simply but with so much depth, it's really amazing."

Milind noticed from the corner of his eye that Prachi had suddenly become more attentive to their conversation but he did not pay much attention.

He continued his discourse with Ayesha.

"You know, George Orwell himself said that though his book was supposed to be a satire on the Russian Revolution, it was intended to have a wider application? He said that 'revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job.' How true his words are. Communism has outlived its utility."

"I totally agree with you, jiju. So little is known about what happens behind the iron curtain but with more and more defections of citizens from communist countries to the West, one wonders whether all is really well with these nations as they claim they are."

"One thing is for sure. This cold war politics has affected sports as well. While the U.S. and its Allies boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980, the Soviet Union and its allies have decided to boycott the Summer Olympics scheduled to be held this July in Los Angeles, " said Milind.

"Cold war is a great money spinner though. Apart from the arms dealers, film makers and writers are cashing in on the burning topic. Have you seen the Hollywood flick The Day After starring Jason Robards?" asked Ayesha.

"Yes, I have. It's a frightening story of the weeks leading up to and following a nuclear strike on the U.S."

"But I must say that the Americans come across as one of the most paranoid lot. Anything and everything has to be about them. They make it seem as though the whole world is ganging up against them," Ayesha gave vent to her strong views on one of the super powers.

Milind smiled at the passion with which she spoke about issues larger than her own life. He couldn't help but compare her with his own wife who was so contended in her small little world. He sighed at the irony of fate in making him fall for a woman he considered his ideal life partner but uniting him with a woman who was her direct opposite in nature.