Anika stood leaning on the kitchen top with her hand to her cheek thinking. This is enough she thought. She has been noticing this from the last 3 years & she wanted this to stop. The problem in front of her was Shivaay's unknown & baseless fear of Paneer Butter Masala or PBM as everyone she met kept calling it. She was going to throw this fear out of his mind today.
At first Anika thought that he has this dislike for the dish bcoz of what happened on her first Rasoi. She was quite sure that the upset stomach he had after eating whole of it was the reason he ran from even the sight of PBM. But she was wrong. He avoided it like a Rabid Dog would avoid water. And the first sign she had of it was when Daler Paji , her head chef brought a bowl of it home from a catering client. And everyone including diet freaks like Rudra licked their fingers after eating it. Badi maa was so in love with it that she told Daler Paji to send it home everytime they have leftovers at a client. Anika found it amusing bcoz Badi maa who eats only English tel( Anika's name for Olive oil) was relishing on Daler Paji's PBM which had enough oil floating over it that one could cook another Sabji with it.
But her resolve to remove this fear from her husband's head became stronger than ever last week when Badi maa made PBM for dinner & Shivaay didn't even come downstairs to eat. He kept saying he was full & that he had far more than he could digest at the lunch meeting he had at Taj. And that the Pasta was amazing & he couldn't control. Ofcourse the after midnight Pizza delivery was enough to clear all her doubts. She had put this fear in her husband's head & she was going to be the one to remove it. She had decided it today.
Her chain of thoughts was broken by a half husky half broken( on way to hit puberty) voice, the owner of whose came & sat on the bar stool in front of her.
" Kya Anika Didi ap toh abhi bhi SSO ke khayalo mein khoyi hui ho" Sahil said grinning like a mad boy!
"
Chup kar, besharam! Aa gaya tu. Achha bata kaisa tha Tera hafta? Kuch khayenga? Woh maths wali Mrs.Briganza ne data toh nahi? Sahil iss baar kuch Nahi hai. Finally Tere saath time spend karne ko milenga. Pichle hafte vo Mrs.Aggarwal ne pagal kar rakha tha. Lekin ab unke yaha ki Shaadi ho gayi. Is baar mein free hu! Majhe Karenge!" Anika kept babblering as she fetched Sahil a glass of water & sliced an apple for him.
" Kahe ka free time Didi! Is baar toh mujhe lagta hai SSO meko unke room mein Apne Saath band hi karlenge. 4 chapters ka homework Diya hai Brignaza ne! Lady Mogambo kahiki. Kuch bhi karo khush hi Nahi hoti" Sahil said putting an apple slice in his mouth making a irritated face.
"Aise Nahi kehte Sahil. Teacher hai vo teri"
" Waise ap yaha Kya kar rahe ho. Iss time pe toh ap Dadi ke Saath hote ho?"
Anika explained everything to Sahil who kept hmming to what she was saying.
A few minutes after Sahil, Rudra & Saumya or RuMya as everyone called them for easy reference entered the kitchen. They as usual must be hungry from their fights, Anika thought. How do they find topics to fight, Anika wondered unknown to the fact that everyone in Oberoi mansion wondered that about Shivaay & her.
" Tum us ladki ko tad rahe the Rudra!" Saumya said.
" Mai toh bus uske abs Dekh raha tha Somu"
" Zhoot mat bolo. Aur vo kamini kaise haath laga laga ke flirt kar rahi thi, besharam kahi ki"
Anika cleared her throat & eyed toward Sahil as she got Saumya's full attention. Saumya realised her mistake and mouthed a silent sorry to Anika.
Then in a sweetened voice ( she quite well knew made Sahil do anything she asked for) she said,
" Sahil, Kamini is a bad word. One should not use it, I myself was wrong here to use it. OK."
She said giving him her best smile. If it was anyone else, her 11 year old brother would have asked 'Abhi Apne toh use kiya' but Saumya & Anika knew this well that this little boy had a crush on Saumya. And they used it always for their advantage. Sahil's fear of Bade Papa would fail but his crush on Saumya was always helpful for these two to make him do anything they wanted.
" Aur Sahil, Aashima kaisi hai?" Rudra said putting his hand around Sahil's neck.
" Kaun Aashima?" Sahil asked puzzled.
"Are, Teri girlfriend. Tune hi toh mujhe bataya tha uske baare mein last week"
"Oh Aashima" Sahil exclaimed as realization stuck him.
"
Are Rudy bhaiya usse toh breakup ho gaya, ab toh mai Aakriti ke Saath hu"
"Bilkul mera Chela hai tu. Sahi chal raha hai. Toh kaun hai ye Aakriti?" Rudra said giving him a proud smile.
" Dekha didi, Sahil ko bhi bigaad raha hai ye! Vaise ap yaha Kya kar rahi hai. Ap toh is time Dadi ke Saath hoti ho?"
"Haan Bhabhi, sab alright?" Rudra asked.
Anika repeated the whole story to them. As she was near the ending the clock stuck 6 & as usual a tired Om entered the kitchen stretching his body & yawning. Anika knew he came down for tea. He looked like he needed a cup or too.Om's eyes first fell on Anika who was out of place for the timing she was in the kitchen. He was going to ask her to make him a cup of tea when he noticed the 'Chillar Party'
"Hi, Om bhaiya" Sahil said beaming.
" Tu aa gaya. Call kar deta Mai lene as jata" Om said sitting on the bar stool next to him. Rudra & Saumya pulled the dining table chairs in the kitchen. Shivaay hated it. That why he had fixed the bar stools there. But no one apart from Sahil & Om sat there.
Sahil very well knew why Om wanted to pick him up, as he knew why he dropped him on every Monday no matter how busy he was. There was this Ms.Ishana in his school. She was his Arts & crafts teacher. He had somehow lost his interest in the subject & got a F & luckily for O bhaiya & unluckily for him, it was Om bhaiya who dropped him at school that week. She ranted complaining how Sahil was good but disinterested & how they should push him a little. But he knew that Om Bhaiya was not listening. He was lost in his art's teacher's eyes just like SSO gets lost when Anika Didi is blabbering. And from that week onwards it was O bhaiya & O bhaiya only who dropped him to school.
Om safely asked Sahil, trying as hard as he could to play it casual, " Kaisi hai Ms. Ishaana?"
"Vaise sidhe sidhe bolu Om bhaiya, Agar ap tadte hi rahonge Aur kuch karonge Nahi toh ap ke haath se baat nikal jayengi! Sirf tadne se Kuch Nahi hota!"
This husharigiri from Sahil got two responses. A long 'Sahil' yell from Anika to which he answered " Mai toh Apple ke baare mein baat kar raha tha Didi"
And "Dekho Sahil ko bhi pata hai Tadne se Kuch Nahi hota" from Rudra to Saumya who have started fighting again.
After a while when Om had his tea & everyone was settled & Anika told the same story upteenth time, & they decided they all will help Anika make PBM, so she doesn't messes it up.As they begun the preparation the boys chopped the vegetables. Saumya sauted the cashews.Anika chopped the paneer & Sahil after being yelled for atleast 10 times went upstairs to change clothes.
He came down to a kitchen filled with yummy aroma, as the freshly prepared PBM was simmering on the gas top & adults have moved to the dining hall, chatting over garlic bread. He sat on the chair next to Om & started telling his school stories.
Unlike him, Shivaay wasn't aware of this plan for PBM & was drawn to the kitchen just by the aroma of something yummy cooking in his house. As he reached the dining hall, he saw everyone engrossed in the conversation. Looking at Anika, her hair tied in a loose bun, strands casing her face, his face was plastered with a smile at how he was still in awe of her beauty even after all these years & how she manage to look so beautiful even in those house clothes & messy hair . He was stuck with the same question though that everyone entering the kitchen was.What was she doing here at this time?
continued on next post.
Edited by poemssyndrome - 9 years ago
Seher Hone Ko Hai
CID
Indian Premier League
