Chapter 5
Everyone was still seated at the dining table talking over each other as
was the norm in the Bhalla household. Only today, one voice was silent in the mix.
Ishita's mind was plagued by thoughts of the upcoming few hours. Although she
was nervous about sleeping on the same bed with Raman, she was also sort of
excited. And that excitement confused her.
A hand tugging on her arm finally brought Ishita back to the present. She
looked around her to see that Raman, Ruhi and she were the only ones left at
the table; everyone else having already gone to their respective rooms.
"Ishi Maa, aap kya soch rahi ho?"
"Woh mein... mein... kuch nahi Ruhi, aap jaake brush karo, ab aap ke
sone ka waqt ho gaya hai. Aur aaj toh aap hamare kamre mein so rahi hona, aap
ne Papa se promise liya tha ke woh aap ko bear wali story ka end sunaye ge."
As she instructed Ruhi, she suddenly remembered last night's
conversation, and grinned inwardly at having escaped sleeping alone with Raman.
Ruhi ran to the bathroom, excited to hear the end of the story. Ishita avoided
Raman's unwavering gaze as she started picking up the plates and clearing the
table.
Raman cursed himself for making the stupid promise; he pushed his chair
back, stood up and stalked to their room, immediately heading for the bed. Frustration
clearly evident on his face, he fisted the bed sheets and groaned out loud,
irritated at his wife for ruining his efforts at bringing them closer.
"Aagey peechey dimaag kabhi chalta nahin isska, bas aaj hi- God, this
madrasan!"
But Raman wasn't going to back down this easily. Ishita may have thought
she succeeded in using Ruhi as a shield, but Ruhi was his daughter too - and
although his little girl was shaping up to be a mini Ishita, he was sure Ruhi
must have inherited his intelligence. Ruhi would definitely understand the
importance of her parents getting some alone time - after all it was she who
had brought and kept them together.
Ruhi skipped into the room and sat beside him at the foot of the bed.
Seeing her look up at him with eyes full of excitement and body unable to stop
moving in anticipation of the story's next part, Raman decided against sending
her away as he didn't have the heart to refuse her.
"Papa, mujhe jaldi story sunao na, mujhe Paati ke ghar jaana hai,
Shravan bhi aaj udhar so raha hai tho Mihika Maasi ne kaha ke mein unn ke saath
so sakti hoon."
Hearing Ruhi's words Raman's body sagged in relief. He didn't want to
send Ruhi away, but he also wanted to spend some alone time with Ishita. And
now Tingu had sorted out his problem without even knowing of it. Raman added an
ice-cream treat for both kids on his list of things to do.
With a smile on his face Raman lifted Ruhi off the bed and placed her on
his lap. His arms went around her body as he pulled her closer to himself. Ruhi
snuggled into his chest and started playing with his shirt button while she listened
attentively to her father's every word.
A few days passed by
with Mama Bear still angry at Papa Bear, she wouldn't speak to him like she
used to, their fights before were fun, but this fight held no enjoyment for
them both. Mama Bear would speak to him in front of Baby Bear, but when Baby
Bear wasn't there she wouldn't say a word to him, she'd find some excuse or the
other to go away from him. But every time she walked away from him, Papa Bear
became more and more sad.
One night he was
laying in bed, hugging his pillow while tears streamed down his face, when he
heard a low humming from behind him. He turned to see what caused the sound.
What he saw shocked him into stillness. A little fairy was floating in the air
and smiling down at him. She was wearing a white glittery dress and glass
shoes; her hair was curled with a little tiara at the top and in her hand was a
shiny wand. She looked beautiful.
The fairy's giggling
brought Papa Bear out of his trance. He jumped out of bed in shock and a little
scared of the little creature. The fairy was now laughing loudly at him.
Papa Bear scolded the
fairy, "How can you enter my room without my permission, I could have been in
the middle of changing my clothes! At least knock woman! I mean girl...
fairy... whatever you are!"
The fairy just
floated in circles around him as she continued laughing. As nice as the sound
of her laughter was, Papa Bear was not in the mood. He was still sad thinking
about Mama Bear. He wanted the fairy to leave him alone and let him drown in
his sadness.
"What is your name?
And why are you barging into my life?"
The fairy donned a serious
expression as she spoke, "My name is Ruhanika, and as for why I'm here, I think
we both know you need help in sorting out your marriage."
Ruhi laughed at Raman's imitation of a girly voice, but quickly silenced
herself as she became more interested in the story.
Papa Bear sat on the
bed. She went closer to him and perched herself on the headboard. Papa Bear
lowered his eyes at the angry look from Ruhanika. She reminded him of an angry Baby
Bear when he would do something wrong to Mama Bear.
"You've upset someone
who has cared for you everytime and now instead of asking her to forgive you, you're
sitting here and crying like a baby! You wasted so many precious days being
sad, when all you had to do was say sorry to Mama Bear!"
Ruhi raised her head from Raman's chest and grinned up at him.
"Papa, yeh fairy tho bilkul mere jaise sochti hai. Maine bhi kal yehi
kaha tha ke Papa Bear ko kaan pakad ke sorry bolna chahiye."
"Haan, yeh fairy bilkul aap ke jaisi hai. Meri Ruhi bhi koi fairy se kam
nahin hai."
Ruhi returned to her previous position, this time with an even bigger
smile across her face.
Papa Bear was
surprised at her easy suggestion. Although he heard her words, he was doubtful
of the fairy's method to save his marriage. A sorry, that's it? It was as if
Ruhanika heard his thoughts, because she was quick to answer him.
"You'd be surprised
at how forgiving a female is. Women have been forgiving men their sins for years,
without asking for anything in return. Now it's up to you whether you want to
give her anything in return for her forgiveness - like a stable home where she
has no doubts of her position in this house and your life."
With those last words
Ruhanika disappeared from his sight, leaving in her wake a guilty Papa Bear,
who immediately walked to the kitchen where Mama Bear stood washing dishes.
Papa Bear coughed to get her attention. Mama Bear turned to see him on his
knees, with his hands holding his ears.
"I'm sorry."
"Finally! Kitna time lagata hai Papa Bear sorry bolne mein! Ishi Maa
kehti hai ke agar aap koi galti karo, tho aap ko uss galti ka ehsaas hote huye
hi sorry bolna chahiye."
"Haan Ruhi, kash tumhari Ishi Maa ki yeh seekh mujhe bhi yaad hoti."
"Kya matlab Papa?"
"Kuch nahin Ruhi, kabhi kabhi tumhari Ishi Maa akalmandi wali baat kar
leti hai, bas mein sunta nahin hoo, yeh soch ke ke abhi koi lecture shuru hone
wala hai."
"Haww Papa! Meri Ishi Maa bohut smart hain ok?!"
"Haan haan, tho maine konsa unhe bewakoof bola, mein bhi toh yehi bol
raha hoo ke tumhari Ishi Maa kabhi kabhi akalmandi wali baat kar leti hai. Toh
maine unhe akalmand bola na?"
"Good Papa. Meri Ishi Maa duniya ki sab se best mama hai."
"Aur meri Ishita duniya ki sabse best biwi."
Ruhi grinned at her father's compliment of her mum. She had witnessed
many fights between her parents and although in those fights they would always
laugh or smile, it was moments like these that reassured her.
"Papa, story khatam?"
"Haan Ruhi, Papa Bear ne sorry bol diya, aur jaise ke Ruhanika ne bola
tha, aurtein har galti ko maaf kar deti hai, unn ka dil jo itna bada hota hai.
Tho Mama Bear ne bhi Papa Bear ko maaf kar diya aur Papa Bear ne bhi Mama Bear
se promise kiya ke woh kabhi unn ki ankhon mein aansoon nahin aane dege."
"Acha kiya Papa Bear ne. Ab unhone promise kar diya hai toh woh usse tod
nahin sakte. Aur maine bhi Shravan ko promise kiya hai ke mein aaj raat Paati
ke ghar mein soyu gi, toh mein udhar jaoo ab Papa?"
"Of course beta, but pehle Papa ko kissy do."
Ruhi leaned up to give Raman a kiss on his cheeks and then jumped off
him. She ran out the door to the living room, only to bump into Ishita, who was
heading to her room after having finished cleaning up. Ishita bent down to tap
Ruhi's nose as she smiled at her daughter's excitement.
"Arey arey, meri Ruu kaha jaa rahi hai itni jaldi mein, aap ko Papa se
story nahin sun ni?"
"Ishi Maa, mein aaj Paati ke ghar mein soyu gi, Mihika Maasi or Shravu
ke saath."
She kissed Ishita's cheek and then ran out of the door, not even giving
Ishita the chance to speak. Ishita let out a defeated sigh, finally accepting
the fact that she would have to sleep on the same bed with Ravan Kumar - no
Ruhi between them. And that's when a sudden thought struck her, she imagined a tube
light switching on above her head and giggled.
"Ruhi humare beech mein nahin hai toh kya? Kuch aur tho rakh hi sakti
hoo hamare beech. Waise bhi mujhe iss Ravan Kumar pe koi bharosa nahin, agar
neend mein mere paas agaye tho? Mujhe hi sunaye ge!"
Ishita walks into their bedroom, heading straight for the cupboard to
take out extra pillows.
"Arey Ishita, yeh le kar tum kaha jaa rahi ho, maine tumhe subah hi kaha
tha na ke aaj tum bed pe-"
"Raman, mein kahin nahin jaa rahi, yeh tho mein bed ke middle mein rakhne
ke liye nikal rahi hoon. Woh kya haina, mujhe aap par koi bharosa nahin, raat
ko agar aap hil kar mere paas aaye tho subah ko uth kar mujh pe ilzaam laga kar
mujh se lado ge. Waise bhi mujhe yaad hai aap kaise so rahe the mere saath Ruhi
ke kamre mein."
"Toh iss mein meri kya galti hai, tumne Ruhi ke poore bed pe kabza kiya
hua tha, mujhe aur Ruhi ko tum par hi letna pada."
"Cheee, Ravan Kumar! Kabhi toh besharmi chod diya karo."
By then Ishita had already placed the pillows in the middle of the bed, she
went to her side while Raman went to his. They both got in and lay facing each
other.
"Tumhe fikar karne ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Mein yeh border cross kar
ke tumhare paas nahin aane wala, lekin meri fikar kaun door karega? Tum to
hamesha se hi koi na koi bahana bana kar mere paas aane ki koshish karti ho."
"Acha? Toh Ruhi ke kamre mein aap ko maine mere saath sulwaya tha? Itni baarish
mein mein aap se gale lagi thi? Aap ki shirt ka button maine thoda tha? Injection
ke dard se mera haath apne khud pakda tha na? Beech sadak mein sabke saamne aap
ko maine kaha tha mujhe uthane ke liye? Au-"
"Excuse me! Tum shayad apna kiya dara sab bhool rahi ho. Ruhi ko dikhane
ke liye ek baar tum bhi mujhe gale lagi thi, apni koi madrasi tradition bana
kar tum hi meri god mein bethi thi, bathroom mein mujhe nanga dekhne bhi tum hi-"
"Cheee Raman, aap kaisi behudi baatein kiye jaa rahe hai aaj. Chup kar
ke so jao ab, mujhe nahin aap se koi baat karni."
"Tumse baat karne ka mujhe bhi koi shauk nahin hai."
Ishita narrowed her eyes at him before turning her body to face the
wall. With her back to him she pondered upon the last few days. They had gone
back to their usual nok-jhok, but his
behaviour was a little different now, she felt like he was finding one way or
the other to get closer to her. Seeing him act so differently was more
disconcerting to her than it was reassuring.
Meanwhile Raman was boring holes into the pillows as he thought of ways
to overcome this new problem she had sprung on him. When an idea finally hit
him, he waited for her to doze off. He knew she was tired from the day's
activities at the clinic so tonight's sleep would come quick to her and hopefully
it'd be a deep sleep. As her breathing deepened Raman waited for an hour in order to make sure she was fully asleep. In her slumber she had turned her
body to face him and he spent that hour just watching her, not even
realising it'd been that long until his gaze left her when she moved a little.
Thinking it the perfect time to put his plan in action, Raman got up and
walked over to her side of the bed. He leaned over her to push the three
pillows to the edge of his side of the bed, and then he slowly and gently
pushed Ishita a little beyond the previous position of the pillows so that she
was more on his side of the bed. Then he walked back over to his side and put
the pillows back in the middle of the bed and got in next to Ishita. Raman lay
on his back, moving his arm under her head and was pleasantly surprised when
Ishita snuggled closer to him, placing her head on his chest and using it as a
pillow, while her arm wrapped around his stomach. He beamed his approval and decreased
any gap between them by using the arm that he was moving under her head to pull
her flat against his side. He placed his other hand on top of the one she had
on his stomach and sighed in content, sleep soon taking over his body.
_________________________________________
In the morning Raman woke up earlier than Ishita and smiled seeing her still
hugging him, he checked the clock to see that it was 6am and guessing that Ishita's
internal alarm would soon wake her up he feigned sleep.
His prediction came true when he felt her stirring. The moan that left
her when she stretched a little had his heart beating erratically, something he
hoped she didn't register since her head was still on his chest. With eyes
still closed, but consciousness slowly seeping in, she hugged her pillow
tighter, confusion marking her features as she wondered why her pillow was so
much harder than when she slept on it last night, and why she could feel the
beat of a heart under her cheek. She immediately sat up in shock as she
realised her pillow was actually her husband!
She opened her mouth, ready to blast at him, but stopped when she felt
pillows behind her. Ishita quickly closed her mouth and turned to see that the
pillows were in fact behind her, which meant she had crossed the border. She
turned to look at Raman again and thanked her stars that he was still asleep. Ishita
attempted to move off the bed, knowing very well that she wouldn't win this round
if he woke up and their nok-jhok ensued. But she was stopped by a hand holding
her wrist and pulling her forward, causing her to fall on Raman, her face mere
centimetres away from his as her hair fell around their faces like a curtain.
Raman stared into her eyes as he thought up his next move; he had
hastily reached for her as he didn't want her to leave him so soon.
"Raman, yeh aap kya kar rahe hain?"
"Yehi sawal tho mujhe tumse poochna chahiye Ishita. Tum border ke iss
paar kya kar rahi ho? Tumhe pata hai na aisi illegal entry ki saza milti he
logo ko, tumhe jail toh mein bhej nahin sakta aur paise mein tumse lene nahin
wala, toh bolo na Ishita jurmaane ke taur pe kya vasool karoo tumse."
Amusement lit her eyes as a slight smile donned her lips. She leaned in
closer, not knowing whether it was their intimate position, his behuda taunts from a few hours ago or being snuggled up to
him all night that prompted her next words.
"Aap toh hain hi Ravan, tho aap jurmaane ki taur pe Sita ko hi paana chahege na?"
She leaned down even further until her lips touched his. Their eyes closed on their own accord as they enjoyed this proximity. Raman slid one hand up her
neck, his fingers burying into her hair as he pulled her to him, putting more
pressure between their mouths.
After what seemed like forever, Ishita pulled away. Their eyes met as small
smiles and darkening cheeks adorned both their faces.
"Jurmaana bhar diya maine.
Edited by Arooj.M - 9 years ago
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