OS~A string of pearls. Wedded Bliss p. 146 ~ 16.3.14 - Page 51

Wedded Bliss

Chapter ~ 8

Dutta, left the house , as husbands are expected to do , to earn a living, nothing odd about that ,more so the expectation ,from a good son too. Also like the obedient son , he left behind his sensible wife ,whose job it was to ensure within the home, a well balanced serenity and well maintained functioning house hold. He imagined the job for his dear wife, was a doddle, nothing to it! while he poured his blood and sweat to keep the joint family together. Her task as a housewife reflected Naku, was based on a few careful good sense manoeuvres like keeping the spouse happy and providing good service to his family, correction her new family, and sure enough she gets by without cause for much complain from any one. This then was Naku's mantra that she chanted within herself, and used while she delivered all her tasks. Except that today, had opened up a new, but not out of the ordinary subject of expectations of a baby. Naku smiled shyly as she cleared the table. Her Saab too had broached the subject last night.She suppressed a giggle, at the thought, well , having a baby would certainly provide a purpose for being with him.. she blushed profusely. Kala's , shrewd eye scrutinized, Naku's collection of soiled plates , but her point of focus was this girl's heightened colour. She seemed content, and that niggled Kala. Being happy was acceptable , but to flaunt it by way of blushes , only led her to belief that perhaps her sister in law , needed to be buckled down a bit. She stretched her arm and held her well manicured , maroon painted fingers at eye level and studied her hand with vagrant interest. She turned to AS, and gave her a nod of approval, indicative of most certainly having a chat with Naku, as ladies of leisure do in their homes.."listen Naku, come ! you need to have a break now, tell you what make a pot of tea ,haina AS? and lets just relax as the men folk are out as its bonding time now"Kala ordered , which Naku ,of course took as a loving invite to integrate and bond with her in laws. During sips of tea , Kala stared at her mother, in wait ,for her to initiate the topic, and so AS, smiled benignly at Naku and uttered lovingly,"hum ne baat ke the subah Dutta se, ke ab tum dono baache ke matalaq soocho, maagar Dutta kya kehta hai thujhe pata hai Naku? kora sa jawab de ke chala gaya , yeh ke uska faisla nehi hoga , pun tera bhi hoga..."she said in a cross tone. Naku, gulped her tea, and sighed. This was one of those moments when she felt vulnerable, sort of left to fend for herself. In sheer nervousness she looked around with a certain vacantness.Well a husband was not there only as a sleeping partner , but a support, a fortress in times of duress like now, an upholding wall...Kala brought her back to reality ,rather sharply,"vahini, AS is telling you something, the least you can do is show some understanding of the subject".Naku, nodded with timidly and replied, "Tai, I understand , but it's not the kind of subject that one speaks about readily ,especially with one's mother in law..". Kala was a little taken aback with Naku's directness , but still persisted,"haan tu kya khayal hai tera baache ke bare mein?", she reiterated. Naku, more than embarrassed was , uncomfortable about the interrogation , and decided that her answer too would be on the same lines as her husband, "je AS,Tai, baache hona ka faisala tu dono pati patni ka he hona chaiye".AS , decided she would try a more subtle approach,"dekh Naku, humari baat he nehin hai sirf, ab tu humare milna julnewali auratien bhi, hum se poochte hain, kab de rehe hain phir humien koi kushkhabri...".Kala nodded, "yes Naku, women around here are very keen to know how family matters fare with us, and vansh spread kerne wala topic is of great interest, it's like some kind of a race, a quest for a serious matter of family pride, so don't take offence, just open your heart and speak your mind freely", encouraged Kala with a big smile, and a friendly nod. Naku raised her face blankly, and as if in mind associate word mode she blurted out the safest yet heart felt word,"Bappa!", yes she was correct in deducing that it was a single phrase that would usher peace from all parties present. Kala exchanged I don't believe it glances with her mother and took it upon herself to revert Naku back into the discussion, "that's true Naku, but Bappa can only bless the couple , the decision to make things happen lies in the hands of a husband and wife, surely you don't disagree?.Naku took a deep breath in, she stood ensnared in the fowler's trap but the word Bappa, gifted her with a divine stubbornness and she continued,"woh tu thek hai Tai, pun mera ye mana hai ke , pati patni chaien bhi , pun Bappa ke marzi ke bagher kuch nehi ho sakta , baacha tu us ke dein hai, log hain aise bhi ju chate hain baacha.. maagar zaroori nehi us mein Bappa ke marzi bhi shamil ho."she replied with pious simplicity. But AS, stayed well on the original behest,"tu humien maat bata Naku , pooja pat ke usool , hum sab mante hein, magaar , baacha hona ka fasala humein lagta hai Dutta ke haat mein hai, Bappa ke nehi. Dekh Naku , aadmi log ko baby ke mamala mein itni ekal nehi hote".Kala supported, "yes Naku, newly married husbands, don't want attention to be diverted from them, they understand their pretty wife will end up being busy elsewhere in tending to nappies and feeding, thus ignoring them, and before that it's their wife's physical transformation, they have to get their head around, so they like to put starting a family on the back boiler, as much as they can". AS, continued,"haan Naku, thujhe baache ke zid kerne hoge Dutta se, kehna hoga, ke hum se zayeeda thuje baache ke khwaish hai"she proposed, and Kala interceded,"now Naku, we know if you badger him, he will not refuse you, persuade him! do what you have to do! to bring him around, after all you are his wife, it's your right that he grant your request," she said in a conniving tone. AS , watched Naku's discomfort and softened her approach,"dekh Naku , humari baat ka bura maat maana , woh kya hai , humara waqat mein, humari saas ne kabhi humien aise nehi samjhia bas aadesh mil jata tha, baacha paida karo, Kala ke babba , jab bhi humara pas rehe, ke kuch arse ke bad, phele Kala hoi , phir Dutta, phir ,Leela aur phir akhir mein Roop.., meri saas ko apne beta ko kuch bhi kehne ke zarorrat nehi perte the, woh kam humara tha, ke hum janien apni saas ke khwahish ,aur apne pati se baache ke maang kerien.. ab tu samjhe le aur jan le thujhe kiya kerna hai, humien pata hai tu waise he kare jaise hum na kaha hai"..AS completed and Kala added finally, "yes Naku , AS and I both know you are without a doubt, the ideal daughter in law, and devoted wife..so just wanted to tell you we valve you, and by the way a tip, Bhao ko kuch maat batna about our girl talk, woh kya haina he tends you blow his top unnecessarily".. Naku blinked her large green eyes once, and collected the empty tea cups and made her way to the Kitchen. Kala fixed her pallu and commented with a huge smile," AS, lagta hai Naku ko samjhe ah gaye hai humari baat ki.."

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Dutta, and Baji sat in their black convertible jeep and the wind played rough games with their hair.. Baji behind the wheel and Dutta, lounged in the passenger seat by him. He stretched his long legs and ran his fingers through his thick hair, in a relaxed manner. Undoubtedly he was glad to be out of the house. To be part of the discussion that involved a sensitive matter was something he didn't fancy. He turned his head towards an intently involved in driving Baji, "waise Baji I was at a loss of words this morning, when AS, put her request for a grandchild on the table ,so to speak.. has she forgotten that a grandchild is not a Barbie or a Ken doll.. but a real life baby , a being, not just for the weekend or on a short vacation ,but a being that stays with you for a life time, mujhe tu lageta hai, unhe lageta hai baache koi domesticated house hold pet hai!"he growled. Baji nodded boisterously ,"ho Bhao baacha ju shrrou mein tu little lamb hota hai, phir slowly he starts to monkey around and then aagar tera pe chala gaya tu sher ke mafak he'll roar the place down! and Naku pe gaya tu like a cat it'll be purring around the whole house like a queen," and Dutta replied,"hummh, dono he situations mein big cat or little cat, what difference does is make hain tu cat.. regal creatures.. but I was thinking more in terms of a baby being a leech that sucks your blood with its demands right from day one,"Baji changed gear and sided his face alarmed," hain? Bhao kitne morbid batien bolta hai tum, baach na hya khoon choosne wala joon ho gayi","I said what I had to say Baji, a child does drain you emotionally ,physically and financially .."Dutta persisted ,and Baji added in gently,"true but it does give immense joy to the family its born in , not to mention that it extends the family".. he argued wisely. Dutta , bowed his neck ,"hummh ,true but, too much hype about it in a joint family like mine , does put me off, feels like a chore, I have to perform, because the family expects me to..ummh I still feel that this private matter should be between Naku and me and not the whole jing bang!", Baji nodded ,"woh tu hek hai Bhao, but you will have to put others before yourself in this matter, for presenting babies to the wider family is a big message of inclusion for them, you see they feel they have been gifted a gift that out shines all other rewards, dekh in AS 's case it will mean showering her love on a new life which she nurtures ,rears and raises.."Dutta turned to his friend with his palm raised,"haan! but don't you forget it Baji that Naku bears the child.. ummh with my contribution of course.."he said shyly.. and Baji sniggered,"ho Bhao tera bhager tu kuch nehi ho sakta, you for sure are the opening batsman of the cricket team!".Dutta , boxed him on his inner side arm that gripped the steering,"bikwas maat kar, main edhur ek baache ko rooh raha hoon aur ye salla puri cricket team buna ke sooch raha hai.. such an idiot you are Baji, khabi tu sooch liya kar kya bak raha hai!, this is a very serious issue.."Dutta confessed and Baji rubbed his upper arm but still teased,"hain? Bhao tu ek baache se dar gaya? jab saach much mein baacha ah gaye tu tera kiya ho ga.. Bhao? bolo ?bolo?"Dutta, looked ahead at the road and grumbled,"look I am not prepared to reply to your queries of idiocy, so give it a rest..".But how could Baji be reposed if his mate was troubled, so he enquired,"waise Bhao it takes two to tango, what does Naku think about having a baaby..?"Dutta slowly rotated his neck to look at his friends profile,"Nehin! he said loudly, and then elucidated "nope she is not keen on having a baby.. yet"he said calmly. Baji blushed as he realized that he might have spoken a bit too much and hastened to add,"woh main kuch zayeeda bol gaya Bhao , tu sorry,"Dutta ,cocked his neck and gave his friend a slanted smile,"hummh you did Baji, but, koi nehi tera haq bunta hai Naku aur mera par."Baji 's eyes welled up for this he knew full well no one else on this planet would even dare to entertain this thought let alone ask the great Bhao what his wife thinks.."Bhao dekh, tu tension maat pal, bol de clearly ju tera maan mein hai sab ko ,so they know where they stand" he advised. Dutta griped "I did Baji, this morning ,that it's our business as a couple but I doubt it if the penny has dropped"..he said and then suddenly checked his watch, and announced, "baat sun, after seeing this party we'll return home slightly early as I want to take Naku to the jewellers before the shops close.."Baji chirped," really what's the occasion? waise idea bura nehi Bhao!."Dutta , replied, "nehin, koi occasion nehi, just felt like taking her out to may be buy her something.. kuch bhi, jo woh chahe, use bhi tu kush rekhna hai .."said Dutta and ended abruptly. Baji happily speeded up , and remarked,"kitna good hubby hai tu Bhao, knows how to woo a larki.."he guffawed, and Dutta yanked his arm, with a closed fist posed at Baji, "oyeee! lardki nehi hai Naku! patni hai Dutta ke, aur teri vahini! samjha tu! Baji jerked his head far side,"ho Bhao, right you are, matter is far more serious..you are fixed, lock stock and barrel... aur apun azad panchi! awara bhanwara! he cackled, and Dutta, slapped his head lightly, "will have to check your frivolous flights of vagrancy too Baji and then I will see how your freedom turns into life term imprisonment! nodded Dutta with a loud chuckle..Baji laughed loudly and retorted," nooo Bhao , marriage not for me, see if mera ghar bas gaya tu tera kiya bune ga? humm?I mean, I look after you all the time don't I? dekh I can get to those parts of yours that even Naku cannot get to..!"he said bluntly and Dutta jerked his head sideways and challenged, "kiya bikwas kar raha hai tu!"he roared and Baji cowed back,"Bhao! mera matlab hai jab tera bheja ghum jata hai, when you go mentally berserk then main Baji Rao, I'd like to believe am the only person who can take your hot air out! and tinkle a glass with you, haina? ab Naku tu would not know how to handle you the way I do!"he claimed, and Dutta's eyes danced with mirth and he replied, "hummmhh you are the only buffoon that does my head in!.. he paused and then commanded soberly, "ab ghar mein kisi ko humri conversation ke bare mein kuch maat bolna..." Baji turned the jeep into the driveway of PN. Their offloading with each other, more so his... is only meant for Baji's ears no one else.. ummh with the exception of Naku, if the need arises... Baji mused, as they both got out of the jeep..

Dutta smoothed his clothes and both friends walked side by side on the glistening marble tiled floor of PN. AS, and Kala sat in a similar positions as Dutta left them a couple of hours ago , relaxed , engaged in small talk with not a care in the world. The matriarchal figure of the household was taken by surprise at seeing the bold approaching of her two sons.. she looked across, and beckoned them, "tum ghar jaldi ah gaye ho? kya baat hai?"Dutta raised an eyebrow and moved his head towards Baji with a quiet, but clear expression of see I told you living in a joint family means forever being questioned. He folded one arm behind his back and walked towards his sister and mother,"haan jaldi ah gaye hain , Naku ko jewellers ke pas le ke jana hai", he said clearly , paused ,looked round and asked, "Naku kahan hai?".. Kala sat up, and called out, "jewellers? Bhao, what's the occasion? koi anniversary? birthday? ye festival? tell me more please Iam very excited to know !"she said with a beaming smile..which stretched her scarlet lips across her face. Dutta looked across at her from a distance and yanked his head to one side, "well then I'd better put you out of your misery then should'nt I?.. nope koi khas din nehin hai, waise can't a man just take his wife out to the jewellers without a valid reason hummh? he carped.AS, flew to her daughters rescue, for she would not have Dutta being shirty with his older sister,"hayee Dutta, kya hoya aagar teri behan ne pooch liya? hum bhi jaana chate hain kyon la ke ja raha hai tu Naku ko jewellers ke pas? sun Dutta, Naku sirf teri patni he nehin , humari bahu bhi hai", Dutta narrowed his eyes and bit his lower lip, "ap ke liya bhi mera wohi jawab hai AS, koi wajah nehi, bas aise he le kar ja raha hoon.."and he turned and approached his wooden stairs and went looking for his wife..

Kala looked at her mother, "kitne badal jate hain bete lagaan ke baad, kya koi maine bahut bure baat phooche the ju, mau buna ke chala gaye Bhao?.. itna bhi kiya biwi ke pallu se bund jana.."she moaned and then turned around and roped in Baji in the convo, "Baji don't you think Dutta goes over the top .. where Naku is concerned ?Baji lowered his head out of respect and replied," Tai main tu bolon shukar karo , he cares about his wife, nehin tu you know what he's like, does his own thing! has a yehra streak in him.."he said lightly and scampered off.Kala turned to her mother,"Baji tu waise bhi kuch ne bole ga Dutta aur Naku ke khilaf.. unka bahut close confidante ju hai.. pun AS , main bolon Bhao vahini ke aadat kharab kar raha hai.. mujhe lagta hai Naku ne he bola ho ga mujhe jewellers ke pas la kar jao , nehin tu Bhao ko kahan se khayal ata, main tu bolte hoon AS, ye na ho ke vahini Bhao ke aur humra sar pe he char ke beith jayea" Kala incited... Baji heard Kala's remark and smarted why is she such a stirrer...? he scratched the side of his morosely.. now he could expose this to Bhau, and save his bosom friends marriage from being rocked... but he could never do that for he loved this family more then anything in the world.. yehe tu hai mera family he thought and went to the bar to pour a drink.

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He walked past through the blue floor length drapes of their room .. and there she stood before the dresser mirror holding his framed photo graph, biting her lower lip. It was the need of his heart that made him walk towards her and he stood behind her close enough to feel the back of her small shoulders. She startled and caught the slow grip of his palms on her shoulders, while his handsome face slowly pivoted sideways as his lips found the warm curve of her neck.. she sighed as his arms gently glided down from her shoulders and crossed themselves in front across her warm belly..Naku continued to hold his pictures and with hooded eyes she gazed at it filled with tenderness. "hummm he snorted ..jab tera peeche tera Saab khera hai to, tu tasveer se kyon kam chala rehe hai hummmh?he said in a nasal voice as he squeezed his arms around her.. Naku raised her eyes and looked directly at his reflection, he was far to immersed in the nape of her neck.. but she mumbled shyly,"ap chorro ge mujhe tu i'll put this picture down on the dresser "she reasoned. He snorted again ,"nehin tu khare reh aise mera samna... I'll do the honours and he his loosened his grip across her belly and took the picture from her hand as he leaned over her back, forcing her to double forward as well and with a stretch of his long arm he precariously placed his picture on the dresser.She looked at their amusing compressed doubled up frames in the reflection and a giggle inevitably escaped her lips.He moved his stubble chin off her smooth shoulder and peered into the mirror at their images.."humm kya ho jata hai mujhe? when I set eyes on you, a normal , decent shy guy like me turns into a complete softie".Naku widened her hazel green doe eyes and out of the blue realized, "Saab ap ghar? itne jaldi? sab thek tu haina,?she fired one question after the other.He pulled his mouth to one side and slowly revolved her body to face him and rested his arms on her shoulders, "is that how you greet your husband the one day he makes the effort of forfeiting his important chores and come home to you.. hummh? he asked as he looked quizzically into her big bold eyes with a gentle jerk of his head, she gazed at him in helpless lovelorn fashion and protested,"kush tu hoon Saab aur kya karoon bataon,? he doubled his chin and pointed to his stubble cheek and suggested," tu apne petal pink lips se ek sweet se greeting de mera ummmh gal par.."she shook her head coquettishly ,"no, ye koi waqat hai aise batien kerna ka.."she protested and before she could finish his palms pulled her hard towards his strong chest and her body reverberated on the impact of his pull. He poked his folded fingers under her chin and propped her face up and stared down into her bewildered eyes, as she heard him growl, "you don't understand the language of decency, now take on board my indecency and he rammed his lips on hers as she struggled in the steely grip of his strong arms..once he started Naku knew there was only his way all the way through and she held him close to her.. yes she had to encourage him more now for there was a defined purpose to their togetherness, that to adhere to the wishes of the family like a good daughter in law.. she clung to him in desperation, harder. Dutta by now knew her well to recognize her touches, the love filled ones, the flirty come hither ones , the I hate you yet I love you ones, the I am not in the mood ones.. but this squeezing his waist in the circle of her tiny arms seemed far removed from her normal touches he was accustomed to, ummh this grip seemed to speak of a cry of in security...he ceased his mouthy invasion on her and drew apart from her and perked up her beautiful face as he studied every feature intently with a firm face, "ayee Naku kuch hoya hai kya hummh? what is it tell me? he ordered menacingly. Understandably Naku pressed her lips firmly no way was she expected to squeal on her in laws before her husband not done..He probed her expression , expecting an answer, which never came and he moved his head closer to hers and glared into her eyes "mau khol apna Naku , kuch tu hoya hai? bol...his palms now gripped her shoulders and she winced and he let his palms ease off and dropped his arms as he closed his mouth ,narrowed his eyes and helplessly looked the other way with a sigh.."dekh Naku , I know by your body language that something has happened in my absence, ab tu abhi nehi batna chate tu I shall wait.. but it's not good ke tu mujhe se batien chupte hai... "she felt torn apart between his mother and him, but kept the voice of reason forefront, there was no point in escalating matters.. as both her and Saab are an integral part of this house hold and there is sanity in living cordially together as one big happy family..besides this situation is not unheard of in joint family units,she mused. Seeing he had calmed down a bit she raised her tiny palms and held his stubble cheeks in her palms and caressed them, looking tenderly into his sullen eyes,"kuch nehi hai Saab, main bilkul thek hoon, mujhe kya ho saketa hai ? ap ho ju mera pas, tu stop getting paranoid"she consoled him. He heard and wrapped his arms around her back, and hugged her tightly pressing her body against his, taking in her sweet honey suckle fragrance ,"hummm you smell nice Naku.. mare dil ah gaye hai tera pe..ok aagar thujhe koi problem nehi tu lets go buy your ring then.. now, that's why I came home early..."he commanded. She frowned slightly,"abhi jana hai? ummh are you sure it's a good idea? she asked nervously and he looked at her intently..."haan it is a good idea and we leave right now!" he roared and released her but his palm closed just above her wrist,"oyee chaal abhi before I change my mind!" and pulled her lovingly in the lead and she giggled and had no choice than to follow her man... to be continued ~ Hamlet53~16.7.13.

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It's not that I was deaf to your requests for an Update..but the hot weather is playing havoc with eyes.. pollen dust ,hay fever and the rest... curses that I never suffered in my own motherland.. but looks like over a passage of time my body chemistry has changed ,which is a pity. You could say that I share this with you to save my self from a swarm of chappals heading my way..with super sonic speed... do forgive me for the delay.. Hammie