5: Twenty Nine Days-- the Beginning
Twenty-nine days, Madhu thought as she solemnly sliced the cucumbers for salad that night. They were almost drawing to an end. She had given herself that much time to affect a change in him. She had tried, she had given her best or what she thought was her best to win his heart, but it hadn't worked. Now at her wit's end, she was ready to give up.
She tossed the cucumbers with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl"a task she could perform in her sleep. It had become a tireless self-repeating ritual. Initially with the sole purpose to create an impression but later adopted as a sort of self-induced therapy, a balm for her wounds.
She mused back on how it had all begun.
Her experiences in this new foreign land had started positively enough, at least per her perspective. The longest and what she expected to be the most miserable journey of her life had fortunately ended without any major mishaps. The plane hadn't crashed as her so-called husband had very cleverly predicted.
She hadn't thrown up though there were several occasions when she had reached for the barf bag, much to his amusement, mostly because she hadn't the stomach to consume anything.
But there had also been moments when she'd felt perhaps she was doing the right thing. Like when his head had inadvertently come to rest on her shoulder, and she'd had the luxury to admire his handsome face completely relaxed and carefree.
Fortunately, as soon as they landed, there were a lot of pleasant distractions to take her mind off her conundrum.
The LA airport was huge, a humdrum of activity, which made her stop in her tracks often to look around astounded at the sight of humanity from so many nations and cultures merge together in one place only to disperse again until finally a frustrated Rishabh grabbed her hand and marched her toward the exit.
These diversions had distracted her enough to put her at ease and bring a pleasant smile to her face with which she greeted Sujoy Ghosh, a man who had come to give them a ride from the airport and who Rishabh introduced as an old friend.
"No, not a friend, just a random colleague. If he did consider me one, wouldn't I've been invited to his wedding? Indeed, he didn't even have the courtesy to let me know he'd be bringing my bhabhi back!" remarked Sujoy, looking deeply hurt.
"Sorry, yaar. It slipped my mind," Rishabh said trying hard to appear nonchalant but failing miserably. Now it was Madhu's turn to be amused.
"Slipped your mind?" Sujoy gawked at his friend. "Wow! That's a first. Bhabhi, was this man asleep during the ceremony? If I said so to my wife, she would refuse to see my face again or cook my favorite Macher Jhol! You are too easygoing. This dude doesn't deserve it!" His actions dispelled the seriousness of his words as he playfully punched Rishabh in the chest.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm forgetting my manners. Welcome to America!" he exclaimed, extending his hand.
"Dhonnobad!" she replied, joining her own hands together in salutation, glancing at Rishabh who was staring at her incredulously.
"Do you speak Bengali?" asked Sujoy with obvious delight.
"Yes, a little. I had a close friend in school who was Bengali too," she replied modestly, secretly thrilled at the praise.
Sujoy laughed. "Bah! Chomotkar! It's a miracle, and I have this man here who doesn't care to even learn a greeting in the language. Why, I don't recall him ever speak a word of Hindi or Punjabi. Is he truly Indian?" he said, eyeing Rishabh skeptically.
"That's enough, Sooj, you don't have to work that hard to spoil my reputation!" Rishabh laughed then caught himself, casting a guilty glance at Madhu. "Let's go, what are we waiting for?"
"Sure, sure, I'm so sorry, bhabhi must be tired."
They collected their bags and started the long journey toward the parking lots with Rishabh insisting on handling all her luggage despite her offering considerable resistance. She deduced he was exercising a common courtesy, nothing more.
Meanwhile Sujoy, blissfully unaware of the situation, carried on about how pleased his wife would be to know there was now someone else who spoke her tongue. "It's her constant lament that she can't gossip with me in Bengali. I should introduce you to her soon!"
Madhu smiled in return, a little disappointed when her husband settled her in the rear while seating himself in front next to Sujoy, of the brand-new Honda van.
"Very nice! When did you decide to splurge, Sooj?" he asked, impressed.
"Ahh! Don't say anymore, Rishabh. It's splurge and only splurge from now on! Ever since Anurupa was born, I've stopped crosschecking the bills. And now with Debolina expecting again, our little sedan wouldn't have fit the bill any longer," muttered Sujoy, appearing not a little embarrassed.
"Congratulations, bhaiyya! What wonderful news!" Madhu exclaimed while Rishabh stared at his friend in disbelief. "May I ask how old little Anu is if you don't mind?"
"Sure, why not?" Sujoy replied grinning. "She is going to turn one next month and is the most beautiful little baby, though she doesn't let us sleep much."
"You are done for, my friend, now there is nothing but changing diapers and cleaning puke written in your future." Rishabh chuckled, shaking his head.
"Well, what about yours then, hmm? What say, bhabhi? I was just like Rishabh before I met Debo, but then I don't know what hit me. The only thing I care about now is my wife and kids. I haven't been out and about with my friends in ages!" He then turned to his friend. "Man, you are going to have to eat your words soon. Before you know, bhabhi will have you tightly wrapped around her finger!"
"Shut up and drive, Sooj! Or soon your wife will be missing a husband!" Rishabh jested casually. But Madhu could see that he was uncomfortable. He had to be; after all, he was deceiving a close friend.
Swamped by a sudden urge to cry, she turned to the window and attempted to engross herself in the wonderful scenery passing by. Fortunately, Sujoy chose to give her a sweeping introduction to the City of Angels.
"Everyone is dumbstruck when they come here for the first time. This is the city Hollywood calls home where all the movies, which I skipped school for, were made. Disneyland, Universal Studios, Beverly Hills, Sunset Boulevard... Ahh, I still feel like I'm living in a dream though I've been here for the past nine years. What do you say, Rishabh? Why are you so quiet? Putting on a goody-goody act for bhabhi's sake?"
Then glancing over his shoulder, he said in a furtive aside, "What do you think of your Rishabh here, is he fun to be around with?"
Madhu colored at once; she had never considered him as her Rishabh. Shaking her head, she said softly, "He is not very talkative." Her husband, who had gone red in the face, turned around and glared, making her involuntarily shrink back in her seat.
"Hey, Rishabh! You are hiding your true colors. Bhabhi, this man is a fake! He is a master of disguises. I too used to consider him quite the boring geek when I first met him, but then at our annual Christmas party he revealed himself after downing a few pegs of course"one needs some for courage," Sujoy said, nodding sagaciously. "And he was such a revelation. He danced, sang, clowned around, was the life of the party, and then to top it all""
"Sooj, if you go any further, I promise never to speak to you again!"
Sujoy shut up at once hearing the veiled threat in his friend's voice, leaving Madhu wondering about Rishabh's outrageous exploit.
There were no more secret exposs after that, though she was grateful to Sujoy for endeavoring to lighten the undercurrent of unease by periodically cracking jokes that had her in splits. She took the opportunity to let herself go; it had been a long time since she had laughed openly, at least not since the wedding.
Sujoy stared, puzzled at her (he'd been told oftentimes that his humor was quite pitiful) and then at Rishabh who was in a similar condition, not having perceived this aspect of her"she looked beautiful, ethereal, innocent, and terribly unhappy. He was feeling guilty again.
"Perhaps she has jet lag."
"Yes, she hasn't slept in hours. She needs to rest."
Sujoy nodded, pleased with his assessment and started to sing along with the radio as they played a very old Jagjit Singh song.
Hoothon se chulo tum, mera geet amar kar do
Ban jao meet mere, mera preet amar kar do
(Touch my song with your lips, make it immortal
Be my beloved, make my love immortal)
Rishabh's eyes met Madhu's for the briefest moment in the rearview mirror.
***
An emotion that helps us all cope
Earth would be much lighter, without hope.
Madhu was glad for Sujoy and his positivity. It made her think she wasn't all alone in this unfamiliar place.
Feeling unusually weak and dizzy, she hesitated while they waited patiently for her to step out of the van, having arrived at their destination.
"Bhabhi looks like she is ready to collapse. Why don't you help her while I bring up your luggage?" Sujoy suggested to Rishabh who stood looking unsure nearby.
Holding her by the waist, he walked her upstairs and soon she was off like a light. She had no notion of the time of day or how long she must have slept, being oblivious to everything until...
"Wake up, Madhu, get some food into your stomach."
She sat up, staring at Rishabh terrified for several moments, before getting her bearings and almost broke down in tears. She wanted to go back to sleep, drift back into the land of unconsciousness.
And for some unknown reason, he appeared to sympathize. "C'mon! This happens commonly to people who fly across time zones, and it affects some worse than others. You'll be fine."
With much difficulty, she dragged herself behind him and, for the first time, surveyed the strange place that would be her home for the next few weeks. The lights were off except in the tiny kitchen, which was right beside the sitting area. There, on a small oak table, stood several small white cartons, which appeared to contain Chinese takeout; she could tell by the odor. She wrinkled her nose.
"Why is it so dark? Did Sujoy go home?" she asked. Somehow his name came easier to her mouth than did her own husband's.
He pointed to the circular clock, which hung on the wall behind him, its hands pointing to twenty past midnight. "You have been sleeping for the past eighteen hours and probably would have continued if I hadn't decided to wake you up to get some chow."
"Really, that long? I didn't know. I'm sorry," she apologized, feeling embarrassed. What would he think of her?
He smiled sympathetically. "There's no need for that. I had expected it. You needed the rest."
But the food was a different matter altogether. She didn't like Chinese; moreover, she hated this American Chinese, which he downed without a hitch. The spices were all wrong; they made her head ache.
"You have barely touched your noodles."
"I'm not hungry."
"So you don't like American Chinese. I should have guessed. It's hard for a fresh Indian palate to adjust here. Everything looks and tastes insipid and boring. But that's how I like it."
Madhu looked at him, not quite understanding what he meant. Nor did she feel like talking; her brain still in a cloud.
"Here's a tall glass of cold milk you can't refuse! Try it. Something's better than nothing."
She jerked her head and winced. "Ouch!"
"All right, then a tall glass of milk with some aspirin."
She went back to sleep.
It was deathly quiet when she woke up; so quiet the ticking of the clock hurt her ears. But it was the right time of the day: 9:00 a.m. instead of p.m.
Bright clean sunlight filtered through the chinks in the blinds, which had been closed completely in order to darken the room. As her eyes adjusted, she saw it was decent-sized with the barest minimum in furniture; he didn't like to spend much time in this place. The bed she was sitting on was slightly bigger than the ones back home, and she was the only one on it.
A sudden anxiety seized her as she quickly turned to examine the pillow next to hers; it was unmarked and the sheets unruffled. She had slept alone.
If nothing else, he was at least a gentleman, she thought sighing with relief. Her virtue would remain intact as long as she wished it to be so. She wondered where he had slept, hopefully not on the living room couch. Stepping down gingerly, she was thankful she could maintain her balance; the cobwebs had cleared. She hurried to the window, wondering what lay outside, and eagerly drew up the blinds.
It was beautiful, green, and quiet. She pulled up the glass pane and was pleasantly surprised when cool light air hit her face. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, her first real conscious breath in this new country. It was delicious, not intimidating at all. The surroundings appeared to welcome her with wide open arms, and she fell in love with the solitude. Cracking her eyes open, she smiled with delight at a huge tree resplendent with purple flowers directly in front and the neatly landscaped grounds below.
"Down, Pepper, down!" She heard before she saw the yelping white puppy frolicking on a leash, held by a pretty young teenage girl who looked up and waved.
Madhu smiled, waving back. Mama, it's not so bad after all! But where was he?
Wheeling back on her heels, she hurried in. "O Lord what would he think of me...a good for nothing sleepyhead!" Behind the first door she came across was an attached bathroom"clean with a fresh towel, soap, as well as toothpaste, and a new toothbrush on the counter. So thoughtful of him. She quickly brushed her teeth and ran a hurried hand through her hair. Her skin looked sallow; perhaps it was the light?
She rushed out into the hallway and glanced around; it was truly empty and so was the couch. There was another door right across from hers. Another bedroom? She knocked on it softly, waited, and cautiously tried the handle; it was unlocked.
So this was where he had slept; she could tell immediately by the look of the unmade bed with two of the pillows lying strewn on the carpet. A couple of tall bookshelves stood against the far wall, jam-packed with books and magazines of all kinds"mostly technical ones though there were some with strange and interesting titles. She would check them out at leisure later.
There was the inevitable computer desk with a desktop turned off, and a notepad filled with unintelligible squiggles. All very impersonal. Unsatisfied, but feeling like an intruder, she scanned desperately for something different and found it. Next to the bed on a small nightstand stood a framed photograph, not of his girlfriend but of his family. It was an old group picture with everybody smiling stiffly at the camera. He was right in the center, the place of pride with his father's and older brother's arms around his shoulders. The rest including his beautiful mother, his two other brothers and their wives, one with a brand-new baby in her arms, stood close by or sat in the front. It was a happy picture taken perhaps before he had embarked for foreign shores. He looked bright and eager, all set to take on the world and the future.
She replaced the frame gently; it saddened her. Where had all the innocence gone? Could she help bring it back? Then she strode into the living room with a new determination...at least she was going to give it a sound try.
He had left a tiny piece of paper on the raised kitchen counter, which held a hurriedly scrawled note. "Good morning! Had to go to work. Will be back by noon. You'll find some tea and cereal in the cupboards and milk in the refrigerator. EAT!"
Madhu smiled and saluted. "Aye, aye, Captain! Good morning to you too...! At noon?"
Flustered, she looked up at the clock"ten past ten.
Sighing with relief, she hurried into the bathroom and, after some struggle with the knobs, took a luxurious shower"the heat easing away most of her aches and cares. But it took awhile for her to decide what to wear; she had never been married before. Her hands wavered between a bright pink and blue suit, a dazzling gold and lavender sari, and a sober sunshine yellow and olive green churidaar. She decided on the latter, not wanting to appear to be trying too hard.
Standing in front of the large bathroom mirror, she combed her long thick hair. Should I leave it loose or braid it? Should I put on makeup or go bare? Should I wear all my bangles or a couple of them? So many questions. Why don't all men come with a user guide?
She braided her hair, glossed her lips, chose a pair of gold bangles for each side, and figured she was done. Then she offered a silent prayer, thanking God for the absence of her mother-in-law.
Tea and breakfast.
What? Herbal raspberry tea bags and Cheerios! And this man expects me to eat?
Her spirits taking a dive, she put her head down on the table and mournfully longed for a piping hot refreshing cup of masala chai with cauliflower stuffed paratha on the side... Mama!
"Still off in neverland?"
She sat up, startled, to gaze dolefully at him while he smiled cheerfully at her, looking handsome and crisp in casual white shirt and jeans. Why was she always at a disadvantage?
"Care for some hot pizza?" He swept a large colorful cardboard box in front of her nose. "Authentic Neapolitan from our very own Tony's. My favorite!"
She didn't care for it, too cheesy.
He frowned at her while she pursed her lips together feeling helpless.
"This is crazy! If you don't eat, you will disappear in no time. Then there wouldn't be anything left to send back home!"
She glared at him, acutely hurt. They had just reached here, and he was already thinking of sending her back home? What did he take her for?
"I guess I'm homesick."
"Ah! I see. How stupid of me! Your parents must be terribly worried!"
Getting up immediately, he dialed her home; and yes, they were in a state of panic.
Hearing their voices, she nearly broke down...wanting to reach out and touch the loose end of her mother's sari.
"Accha. All right, I shall hang up now," she said and handed him the phone, just as a tear threatened to roll down her cheek. She rushed to the window"the purple flowers had taken on a silver hue.
tbc
PS: Comments and likes welcome!
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