OS Summer Mist - Raghu's part updated

Hey guys,

I had written this short story in about two quick hours for the Summer Love OS Contest on the FF forum😆😆. The rules dictated that we had to use neutral names (not based on any particular character from a show) for the characters. The results came out yesterday and this OS stood in third/fourth place 😆 Now I have the freedom to post it here with different names.😳

The setting and background are completely different from DDBEDS, but I felt it somehow suited the theme of the show 😳 I know it's not a great story, but I wrote it ekdum dil se ❤️ So I hope you all enjoy it :)

Summer Mist

Shivani drove the car slowly on the deserted road, cursing viciously each time the vehicle lurched. Then as a curve brought an abandoned, dilapidated hut into sight, she smiled, feeling absurdly happy. Shivani caught herself quickly. It was not happiness that made her smile on seeing the known landmark after ages. Just relief that she had reached the outskirts of the village and didn't have to keep driving on this terrible route.

There was nothing to be happy about. She was returning after four months to issue a final ultimatum to her husband - the social-service obsessed Dr Raghu.

Bracing herself for the confrontation, Shivani parked the air-conditioned car near the hut, and put off the ignition. She picked up the fashionable handbag lying on the passenger seat. She took her sunglasses from a side-pocket of the bag and put them on, dropped the car keys inside, and disembarked from the vehicle.

The heat instantly hugged her tight, as did the sweet freshness of the air and the lovely fragrance of ripe mangoes. Achingly sweet memories threatened to overwhelm her, and she had to fight their pull.

The roads were thankfully empty as she quickly marched past big and small dwellings. But then that was why she had chosen to visit at this hour. Most people would be in slumber mode at this time, and she wouldn't bump into acquaintances. She especially didn't want to meet the warm-hearted, simple women who had pampered her like a princess because she was the doctor's bride.

Shivani was perspiring by the time she reached the rusting gate of an old-fashioned but pretty house. She felt a sharp pang as she opened the gate and strode through the tidy courtyard towards the entrance. A big, ugly lock greeted her. Naturally, Raghu was at the clinic on Sunday as well, working tirelessly and not bothering about his own health. Shivani extricated a bunch of keys from her bag with suddenly trembling fingers.

In the untidy living room, everything was so wonderfully familiar that she nearly smiled again.

Shivani closed the doors, switched on the fan and walked to the couch. She sat down primly on the cleanest spot. She removed the sunglasses and kept them in the bag. Then she plucked out a tissue and mopped her sweaty face and neck with it.

She had left this house on a cold day, sick of being sidelined by his utter dedication towards serving the rest of humanity. For two months, he'd phoned regularly and even arrived at her parent's home numerous times to reason with her. But she'd been too angry to listen. On his last visit, he had tiredly kept the keys to their house on the table, giving her the freedom to return whenever she chose. Then his visits and calls had gradually reduced in number. He'd not even attempted to contact her for three days now.

Shivani decided she would wait for two hours at the most for him to return from that ratty clinic. Four hours maximum. If he didn't arrive within that time, she would leave him a note, stating her position. If he did arrive, she would tell him directly that she was done making adjustments for him and burying herself in this stupid village. He had to make a choice between slaving his life away for others and spending a comfortable life with her in the city. Given that both of them came from rich families, she didn't see why they had to live such a simple life. She wanted to live luxuriously like her friends. She wanted to go for outings with her husband more frequently, and enjoy vacations in foreign countries.

But more than any of that, she wanted Raghu to spend more time with her. She wanted him to show his love in more ways than the soft I love you' that he sometimes whispered in her ears just before they drifted into sleep.

Shivani blinked quickly to douse the prickling sensation in her eyes. While waiting for the moment to pass, she looked at the television set that was covered with a nice layer of dust. He had bought the TV only for her. Along with the fridge, washing machine, air conditioner and generator. He had been happy and satisfied without any of those items until their arranged marriage two years ago.

With her modern, aggressive nature, Shivani's family hadn't expected her to like Raghu. But something about the intelligent, soft-mannered and earnest young man had captivated her. He had told her honestly that he intended to settle in the countryside and serve the rural population. But she had still thought it was a passing whim and he would grow out of the idea soon. She had understood much later that his work was his passion, Shivani thought with an increasing heaviness in her chest.

Sighing, she kept her bag aside and stood up and walked to the large window near the television set. One side of it was shut. She slid back the bolt and pushed it open.

Shivani gazed out of the window sombrely. She could almost see the heat undulating in waves, though some respite was provided by the large, lush trees that were aplenty in the village. She could also smell the fruits being dried on the rooftops of neighbouring houses and see the gleaming trident on top of the nearby temple, which she'd often visited with offerings of flowers and fruits. She'd done a bit of gardening to make the yard look lush and pretty. Some of the flowering plants were in full bloom at the moment.

Shivani turned away from the window and walked to the kitchen that was adjacent to living room. She discarded the used tissue in the wastebasket underneath the sink before daring to study the condition of the area. The platform was almost bare apart from a kettle and a bowl of curd. She checked the contents of the fridge. Milk and bread were the only two occupants, and probably featured regularly on his dinner menu. After spending gruelling hours at work, Raghu wouldn't have had the time or energy to take care of his diet.

Disturbed, she closed the refrigerator and leaned against it, looking around the kitchen broodingly. The window in this room opened to the back of the house. On summer days like this one, she often sat with Raghu in the backyard until late at night, drinking tea or coffee, chatting on serious and fun topics with equal enthusiasm, laughing like little children.

Shivani spun from the view and walked slowly out of the kitchen.

She possibly could have kept herself busy here if she wanted. On several occasions, Raghu had suggested that she take up initiatives to educate the villagers. But the idea had not appealed to her particularly, and so she'd ended up sitting idle at home. At times, when he would be busy all weekend or on weekdays when he returned at midnight, frustration and boredom would drive her mad.

Their last fight had happened on one such day.

Shivani moved towards the bedroom and stood at its entrance. This was the place where they'd spent some of their most precious moments. It looked just as shabby as the living room but at least the bedsheet appeared to be fresh. She strolled to the bed and seated herself near the pillows, thinking about the day she'd left.

They hadn't really fought...because a fight implied unpleasantness from all parties involved. That was never the case with her and Raghu. She had screamed and said the most terrible things about him. He had listened calmly and tried to soothe her down like usual, reassuring her that he loved her deeply.

It would have been very easy for her to believe him.

Especially if she remembered the weekends that he was free, and the weekdays when there weren't too many patients in the clinic and no emergency visits to other villages. Those were the days that made everything worthwhile.

For the outside world, he was a brilliant doctor, caring and committed. With her, he was a doting and sensitive husband.

Shivani stroked the soft sheet tenderly. How many heavenly, sensuous hours she'd spent in his arms...

He wasn't good at expressing his emotions through words, but he was frequently doing silly things like bringing her a posse of wild flowers on his way back from work...cooking elaborate, and charred, meals on the weekends to give her a break...or fussing over her and pandering to all her wishes when she was ill or just in a bad mood...

She'd made fun of his clumsy efforts to please her, while feeling giddy with love on the inside. She adored him...almost worshipped him..

He was her passion. And always would be.

Wiping tears away, Shivani rose to her feet. She tied her long, wavy hair into a strict knot and pulled up the sleeves of her pink shirt.

She could finish cleaning at least two rooms by four o clock, when the provision shops would reopen. Then she would go shopping and restock all the containers in the kitchen. If she worked fast, a hot meal would be ready for Raghu by the time he returned...

****************************

Raghu tiredly trudged on the rough road that led to his house with a dusty briefcase in his hand.

It had crossed seven in the evening, but the summer sun was still stubbornly hovering above the horizon. Electric bulbs hung on porches would be switched on immediately after sunset and switched off within half an hour.

The villagers had settled down for the night. Apart from some men clandestinely heading to seedy spots for liquor, the lane was empty. The clank of vessels could be heard from the houses he was passing by. It reminded him that he was starving. There was only some stale bread at home. He would have to make do with that and milk. Provided he had remembered to keep both in the refrigerator after breakfast.

One consolation was that his hunger would start disappearing as soon as he entered his home. Loneliness and the several reminders of Shivani strewn around the rooms were very effective in killing his appetite.

Shivani...

He missed her terribly.

Raghu wistfully thought about their first meeting. He had fallen half in love with Shivani that day, and it had taken only a week more for him to be smitten completely. She was smart, beautiful and endearing. And though she presented a glamorous and sharp exterior, Shivani was a very simple and loving person at heart. The residents of this village loved her too and they'd repeatedly enquired about her for weeks after she left. He'd made a whole list of excuses to explain her absence to the orthodox villagers. Whether she returned or not, he wanted them to continue to regard her with affection and respect.

And why shouldn't they? Shivani had every reason to leave him, and he was being very selfish in wanting her to return to a life she hated. But his existence had come to a standstill after she'd left. He kept feeling like life was moving ahead at its usual pace but he'd somehow been left out of its stream. And he wouldn't be able to rejoin the flow until Shivani returned. He would have happily given in to her wishes and shifted to the city if he had believed he could live with his conscience after abandoning the villagers.

Sighing, he opened the creaky gate and walked to the door, pulling out the keys from his pocket.

The door opened by itself.

Raghu gaped at the woman standing on the other side of the threshold, partly convinced that his imagination had conjured up an image of his Shivani. A luminously beautiful image...

Shivani was battling a shock herself. The insane joy of seeing him again had instantly been supplanted by dismay at his state. He looked dishevelled, tired and seemed to have lost half his weight in the 26 days since she'd last seen him. She thanked God that she hadn't switched on the lights in the living room. Or he would see the tears that welled up suddenly in her eyes. But to her astonishment, before she could restrain them, Raghu reached out to touch her cheek wonderingly, and his fingers tenderly swiped away a tear.

Quickly getting a hold of herself, Shivani wiped her face and moved to a side to let him step into the room. "Take a bath first. I'll serve dinner after that," she murmured, taking the briefcase from his loosened grip.

Still dazed, Raghu entered the room that had become the loveliest place on the planet.

He watched her close the doors, put on the light and then stride to the table to keep his briefcase. It was okay...he could wait until later to ask her ...

No, he couldn't.

Raghu swiftly walked up to his wife. He gently gripped her arm and turned her around to face him.

"Is this just a visit?" he asked quietly.

"What do you want it to be?" she responded bluntly.

He looked at her despairingly. "Shivani...you - you know I can't live without you."

She smiled bitterly and removed his fingers. "You can't live without your work. I'm just here for decoration," she bit out and turned away to proceed to the kitchen.

"That's not true and you -"

Shivani swivelled furiously. "Three days! You didn't call me for three whole days!" she cried out. "Do you have any idea what I've been through?"

"I was going to visit you tomorrow," Raghu revealed hurriedly. "I didn't call because I was arranging the appointment of one more doctor at the clinic. I didn't even go to the clinic today because we had to iron out the final details. I wanted to meet you after I'd made all the arrangements. To tell you that I won't have to work for so many hours each day after the new doctor joins. I - I was hoping that would help..."

Raghu's voice trailed into silence. He waited hopefully but an hour appeared to go past as Shivani considered the unexpected news.

Then her eyes narrowed sharply. "Is this doctor a man or a woman?"

"Man. A 50 year old bachelor," he replied quickly. "I have to help him settle into the work for the next two days. But after that, we can go for an outing to that adventure camp that you'd - "

"How many days has it been since you took a holiday?" Shivani interrupted sceptically.

Raghu hesitated, and then sheepishly said, "Three weeks."

She fixed him with a firm stare. "We're not going to that camp. What was the name of the other place you'd told me about? The one with the sleepy river and small cottages?" she demanded.

"Kavipur?" he asked in surprise. "But I think you'll find it boring. There's nothing to do in that village. It is very beautiful, of course. The tourist cottages are near the river and there are flowering trees and plants all around the place. In the moonlight, the whole place looks amazing..."

As Shivani listened to him describe the location, she realised that at some point they had sank down on the couch, sitting in the same positions that they always had. Facing each other, elbows parked on the headrest of the sofa, their tilted heads resting in their hands...

She felt her excitement increase as he went on to talk about the peace and quiet of Kavipur. It would be wonderful to spend time with him in such a peaceful spot, surrounding by scenic images.

It was strange, Shivani mused hazily, how Raghu made luxuries, extravagant vacations and clothes, and the rat race seem ridiculous and trivial. She only had to spend minutes in his presence for her to start feeling that it was more important to simply be with the people you loved, relishing these tiny moments of love and togetherness. She knew she wouldn't trade a minuscule percentage of the happiness that she found with him for all the opulence in the world...

"Do you think you'll like it?" Raghu was asking hesitantly.

Shivani came out of her ruminations. She had missed a lot of his descriptions. But who cared... she'd only needed to know that he would be with her

Smiling, she shuffled on the couch and scrambled into his lap. Linking her arms around his neck, she gazed lovingly into his surprised and spellbound features.

"I don't know...but I do know that I like doing this," she grinned naughtily and kissed him lightly on the lips several times.

He clasped her svelte form tightly. "Don't leave me again," Raghu muttered.

"Never," she whispered.

He sank his fingers into her hair to bring her face closer to his. His lips grazed against hers gently, and then he passionately deepened the kiss. She clung to him fervently, responding hungrily to the touch she had craved for ages...

*******************

Shivani woke up to a room filled with sunlight, hearing the clattering of utensils from the kitchen. She groaned laughingly at the thought of the burnt food she would have to eat and the charred vessels that she'd have to discard.

She stretched lazily on the untidy cotton sheet, thinking happily of last night.

They'd made love for hours, and ended up eating dinner in the kitchen at midnight. Perched on the platform, they'd lingered over food for two hours because of the driving need to share every little incident that had transpired in the days they'd spent apart. She'd ended up crying over her plate in between, but Raghu recounted some ridiculously funny stories, and she'd soon been shaking with laughter.

Then he'd taken her back to the bedroom. And they had barely slept for the rest of the night..

She rolled over on the bed to get up, and then paused. A note lay on Raghu's pillow with something written in his terrible handwriting. She picked up the note and read the lines with difficulty.

"When I am with you, we stay up all night.
When you're not here, I can't go to sleep.
Praise God for those two insomnias!
And the difference between them."

She recognised the lines written by Rumi, a 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet.

Laughing softly, Shivani replaced the note and rose from the bed. She wrapped a sheet around her body in preparation to go to the kitchen and drag her adorable husband back to bed.

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