Chapter 11
Prachi may have been the one with the most doubts going into the marriage, but she was also the one who adapted quickest to their new life. Initially Milind was very tentative around her. The realisation on their wedding night, that he was now responsible for her well being had shaken him but once he saw that she didn't look like she was going to fall apart at the seams anytime soon, he stopped feeling like he had to walk on eggshells around her. Very soon, they had settled into a routine, that they were both comfortable with. Granted, they didn't spend much time with each other, since Milind was working increasingly long hours but when they did they didn't feel ill at ease with each other. Milind had to admit it wasn't too bad to come home every night, no matter what the hour was, to find a hot dinner waiting for him and someone willing to listen to how his day was, if he wanted to talk about it. Prachi found herself running the house and still working at her dad's hotel from time to time. She had also got rid of the damn seats and changed some other things around the house. Before they knew it, it really did feel like home for both of them. Prachi was also taking driving lessons since if Milind was not around (and he was often not around), she found it very difficult to go any where.
Prachi had just returned home from one such driving lesson when Milind phoned her, "Prachi, I need you to come to the office immediately. Ali is on his way to pick you up. He'll explain everything." It was a nerve wrecking 15 minutes before Ali arrived. "Ali, what's going on? Did something happen to Milind, my family??", asked a thoroughly worried Prachi. "No, it's nothing like that.", Ali reassured her. On the way to the offices, Ali explained that Milind had been in negiotiations with a Chinese supplier for the last 3 days. Mr Cho had very limited knowledge of English and had been accompanied to all meetings by his nephew who had been translating for him. However, his nephew had returned back to China the previous day without having fully explained a crucial part of the contract. It was becoming increasingly difficult for all parties to communicate with one another and negiotiations were threatening to become derailed unless Prachi helped out with the the translating.
When Prachi got to Milind's office, he looked calm, however the Chinese gentleman sitting opposite him looked agitated. "Prachi, introduce yourself as Prachi Shah. He is going to be suspicious of you, if he knows you are my wife.", said Milind. What Milind said made perfect sense but Prachi couldn't fathom why she didn't like Milind asking her to do so. Mr Cho started to visibly calm down once he saw that Prachi was quite proficient in speaking Mandarin and could help him get his point across. For the next 2 hours they sat down and thrashed out the the finer points of the contract. Prachi marvelled at how Milind could work things out to his benefit yet still make it a fair deal for everyone. Milind on the other hand couldn't help admiring Prachi's translating skills. He didn't understand a word she was saying but she seemed to have completely won over Mr Cho trust. She was calm and reassuring. In fact Mr Cho was looking a bit too won over. Milind suddenly regretted hiding the fact that Prachi was his wife. The meeting ended with Mr Cho shaking hands with Milind having agreed to sign the final contract.
As soon as Ali saw Mr Cho out of the office, Milind grabbed Prachi by the waist, lifted her off the ground and spun her around. "We did it.", he said happily. Just as quickly he let her go. Prachi was completely breathless and couldn't meet Milind's eye while Milind was looking at her, confused, remembering how she felt in his arms. They were saved from the need to say anything, when just then Ali came back to the office. He slapped Milind on the shoulder and said, "Prachi, I didn't understand a word you were saying but whatever it was it worked. Why don't we go and celebrate." Prachi looked at Milind shyly, however now Milind seemed unable to meet her eye, "I can't, I have another meeting. Prachi, I'm going to be late tonight." Prachi couldn't help but feel disappointed as she watched Milind leave.
Edited by blackcurrant - 17 years ago
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