"Asha! Asha! " dadiji is calling .
"5 minutes ma,i'm coming' Asha who was busy in cleaning the table put the cloth down washed her hands and came towards her mother-in-law.
Dadiji gave her some rock salt, red chillies and mustard " Asha take these things and ward off all the evileyes on my child today. God!! she is exceptionally breathtaking in her saree "
Her mother-in-law was the old lady but young in heart and modern thoughts. But she too had some beliefs.
Asha nodded her head and got the things - the lovely dadi of her children gave and climbed up the stairs.
There Sona stood near her room's window watching some piece of cloth intently..
She still was in her saree. Asha went near her and saw Sona was having a small handkerchief like cloth which has 'Dev' written in Bengali with beautiful ,intricate embroidery designs.
Asha's eyes went wide "Sona who did this? It's beautiful"..
Sona finally realized she was not alone in the room turned and saw her mom looking at the White cloth with unbelievable eyes.
Sona shyly handed over that to Asha and said " I have done this ma" in a low tone.
"Aww my girl!!! when did you learn this embroidery work. How many times I tried to teach you. But you were not Interested in learning it..??!! " Asha showed a fake anger.
"Ma, Ishwari ma taught me this. She used to make this simple designs in every Dev's things such as his towels- handkerchiefs - bed spreads etc. "
"Oh !" Asha still admiring her little girl's hand work.
"Haan ma, first to make her drink my karela juice I accepted to learn that from her.gradually I learned that" sona softly laughed.
"Hmm to me you are always giving excuses like 'exam''revision'' projects' when instant yes to your ishwari ma" Asha made a sulky face but that failed in concealing her smile
"Ma has her own method of teaching.
She would tell Dev's Childhood stories -her struggles - as I so immersed in that I didn't even aware when she made her learn this." Sona.
"Hmm" Asha was a avid listener. She would hear without interrupting or judging her kids. That's why they came to her to share anything and everything happening in their life.
"Ma, she was very kind and protective towards me. If mamiji taunted me or Dev behaved rude with me - she would readily took my side."
"Yes I know" Asha smiled remembering the motherly concern ishwari had for sona.
"But when Dev said he is in love with me or from when she herself found out what relationship we share -she totally changed ma. First I thought it was because we hid our relationship - that hurt her but basically she didn't like me" sona continued. Asha weaved her hands with her child and tried to give an unsaid strength.
"she does not like me means -as her bahu . some times I felt like I and Dev are building castles in air.she accepted Ranveer for Neha and was ready to accept Natasha too for Dev. But why did she think ours is like a 'two minutes noodles love'? How could I prove her that this is my love story I have been waiting to get all through my life and dev's love is flowing in each and every vein of my body like blood. ..." Sona turned her face away as she didn't want her ma to see her lone tear.
Asha swallowed the lump formed in her. She turned Sona to her side and twirled the closed fists round her head,came downwards , crossed her forearms , three times clockwise and then anti clockwise.
After completion of the casting evil eyes off process, she took the salt and red chillies to be burnt on smouldering coal.
She silently prayed God to give enough strength to her children to fight their battle and came as winners.
Yes Dev has already taken the place in her heart after Saurabh and Sona long long before .
"I miss her ma - really miss her - missed talking with her-missed getting angry with her for cheating my diet chart- missed learning new things with her- missed watching her managing everythings single handedly for her family with a smile-..
" I wish I have not fallen in love with her son"-
"I wish I met Dev somewhere else "..
" I missed being her nutrition.." Sona murmured thinking her ma left but Asha heard that..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mamiji, bhai is not only owning this office, he has other branches. And as a CEO he has works outside the office too.He works round the clock in different projects . We are no one to teach him' when to work? From where to work?'. If life leaves him with nothing but only with skin and bone too he will come up with his hard work and talents. He thinks our family is his backbone which support him to strive harder. Please if you don't want to encourage him- don't pull him down and drown into the guilt -I beg".
Riya was otherwise a very calm girl. She never raised voice against her elders. But her mami's questions infuriated her.
When she got no expected reaction from her jiji on seeing the photo her son showed to her -Radha Rani targeted Riya who has just returned from office and bombarded her with questions.
She wanted to stir jealousy-insecurity in ishwari's mind. But poor soul never expected to be beaten black and blue by Riya's words.
"Was Dev in the office at the evening?"
"Was there any meeting held ? "
"What is the usual time he leave for home?"
"Does he concentrate on his work properly? "
"What type of questions are they?
And why ma, you are not stopping mamaji's insane queries? "
"Mamiji! If we are living this luxurious life it's because of bhai. He is already having many things on his plate- his work stress - ma's health issues and break up with sona di. Please don't stress him more and more. After all he too human who has a heart and feelings not a walking robot" saying this in a single breath Riya left.
"I have to talk about this to Neha di. She only know how to stop ma from intruding more into boy's life and put some sense in mamiji. Hey bhagwan please save my bhai from emotional blackmails" Riya decided on her way to the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ishwari caressed the photo frame which has her and Dev's picture..
The beautiful frame holding beautiful memories of their beautiful bond...
Dev..
My son...
My world..
My pride..
Ishwari was fond of photographs. photograph which has her loved ones were very important to her. They were not mere stills for her. Every photographs has some history. On seeing her children smiling in them she felt proud - felt ' she at last achieved something'. Her humiliation - sacrifice - hard work paid off.
The photographs whichever has Dev's smiling face was her favorite..
Dev was an wonderful child anyone wished to have..
He was loved by all neighbours..
Ishwari liked that..
He was loved by all his teachers...
Ishwari was proud of that..
He was loved by his workers...
Ishwari enjoyed that..
He was loved by her nutrition family ..
Then why did she hate that.. .
Vicky showed the photo in which Dev is surrounded by that Bose family. Sonakshi's ma with a glass of water-her baba stroking his hair. Dadi behind his back. And he is giving watery smile to some one at his front. I knew for whom the smile was reserved to her..
A tender smile with full of love .
She could recognize that look. Like he wanted to hide the person inside his rib guard and protect them from the outside world..
Till now that look meant for his ma and Nikki only..
Now sonakshi included in that special list..
More than the thought of a new girl in her son's life she scared about the intensity of his feeling towards her whom he met only few days before. .
Natasha created a confusion in ishwari's heart but sonakshi created a unknown fear. .
The warmth he has in his eyes for her..
The fondness in his words when he was talking about her..
The intimacy between them shown in the endearments he used for her -'khargosh, pagal'.. Even 'miss. Bose ' has an indebth possessiveness in it..
Ishwari wanted to find happiness in his son's happiness.. It's seems simple till now..
But when she saw his son"s smiling face and realized the reason of the smile was not she or her family then an unsettling feeling grew in her.
May be it was one of the protective side of a mother?
May be she didn't want her son to get hurt in any new relationship?
May be she didn't want some stranger to relish her sacrifices?
What if the burden she put on Dev's shoulder was too heavy to him to carry and he wanted to enjoy his own carefree life with Boses?
Who gave the rights to the family to love and celebrate my son?
But he grew up. He wanted to have his own life. As Riya said he was not a working robot.
Ishwari just stared into the picture with her brows furrowed, frowning deeply with every second as if it held all the answers for her questions.
Just then she saw some letters carved at the end of the frame. She rubbed the corner of the frame moved closed to it and see sonakshi's name there in Hindi. That's when she remembered the frame was gifted by sonakshi on her birthday.
A deep sigh followed that tightened her throat.
"I miss you nutrition. I missed asking my questions to you..I missed teaching you embroidery, cookery which nobody even my daughters have shown interest to learn from me.. I missed our chatting session with tea mugs when you patiently clear all my doubts,.. .
Why, why did you can't remain as my friend only to whom I can talk about anything and everything..
Why did you fall in love with my son?
Why did you change the dimension of our relationship?
I miss you sonakshi .. my nutrition.. My saheli..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"All because of you ma. Who asked you to indulge Riya in it. All my efforts came into drain.. " Vicky chided..
Radha Rani emptied another glass of chill water and remembered ishwari's words after Riya left..
"Bhabhi ,I will ask Dev to assign a job in his company for vicky. He has nothing to do in is life that's why he is going behind Dev's back. "
"Vicky delete these stills and never try to do silly things like this again"
Radha Rani saw muscles moved in her jaw like she was clenching and unclenching her teeth .
She could see her eyes blaze with what seemed like anger. It must be anger, but she wasn't sure. She had never seen his Jiji angry.Her always calm eyes were blazing ambers.. 'Oh I am in danger ' she thought.
"Jiji I knew -I saw with my eyes how did you struggle to reach this height?I don't want any random girl steel all your efforts and drag our Dev far away from you ? Hmm no one understand this gareeb ki beti's genuine intentions. Beware jiji. Then don't blame me that I didn't warn you earlier. "
Some how she diverted ishwari's anger and escaped from there with her son..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ouch" soft voice made Dev turned and looked at the source of sound..
There she sitting on the edge of his bed. she bent down and tried to reach her toes with a moisturizer cream .
But her seven month belly didn't help her.
Dev moved near the bed knelt down on the floor- grabbed the lotion bottle -took her foot -placed it on his thigh..
(Inspired from Shimla episode. credit to the makers)
He took some cream and started applying it from her toes..
He wondered what was the need for the cream for the skin which was already soft and smooth like rose petals.He liked the feel of her warm skin under his rough hand. Unable to resist he placed a unhurried-slow kisses on her toes -ankle ,and progressed further.
She tried to snatch her leg from his grib.
Dev looked up and saw his fiery tigress throwing daggers through her eyes.
Tightening his grib he said "for God's sake you yourself a nutritionist.You know it's not healthy to eat more sweets at this time. You have already emptied 2 tins of Rasagulla which has 8 pieces each.Now you want one more. You will get cramps yaar" Dev moved her night gown up and applied cream.
Sonakshi aimed a pillow at him. Dev caught it at the right time and gave a proud look like 'the 'Indian cricketer who managed to get the winning catch in the world Cup Final'
"If you show your teeth again,I'll break all 32" sonakshi raised her finger warned him.He laughed out loud,his deep chuckles rumbling through his chest.
She walked closer to him,leaning into his side and he slowly wrapped his arm around her as an instinct -pulling her closer to his chest.
she traced the contours of his face with her eyes.Then replaced her eyes into her index finger. She drew a line from his forehead to his sharp nose into his slight stubble and finally touched his sinful lips.
He leaned into her touch and his fingers tightened around her arms in a quick breath. He felt a shiver run through him.
She smiled and started her sweet tortures and he stood stunned seeing the enchanting beauty before him..
She gained wait. Pregnancy made her cheeks more rosy and round - and made her lips more full and plumb. She pulled her lower lips in between her teeth.
He freed the lip from her assault and claim his right on that. May be giving her rasagullas was not a bad idea. Aww her taste was heavenly... He devoured the lower lip to his heart content and move to worship her upper one.. His fingers clutched at her neck, sliding into her hair to cup her head as his other hand slid behind her back and pulled her into his lap.
Sonakshi at first allowed herself to drown in the sensation. she drank in his taste, his smell, filling her lungs .
She let her hands trace every cord and muscle in his neck, shoulders and his back and finally reached her destination and insert her hands inside his pant pocket and got what she wanted.
Poor Obhodro was not in a state to realize as he was drowning in the symphony of sensations.
He growled low in his throat when she pulled away from him.
When sonakshi waved his mobile before his face - then only he understood his crazy witch's plan. He gave her a questioning look.
"Mrs.Sonakshi Bose Dixit??? "
" yes, Devrath dixit"
"That's my mobile"
"Oh I thought its a waste.you don't need it. I will throw it down "..
" nooo, give me back I warn you "..
" my rasagulla"??
"No .. Sonakshi u are having an insatiate appetite "..
Sonakshi's flared her nose and It's tip become red now.
"You are one insatiable person and that's why made me conceive with your 3kids who are like their father troubling me all the time and making me crave more and more "
"Am I insatiable? Am I gobbling nearly 20 rasagullas a day?"
"Yes you are insatiable not for food and what I am pointing out - you know that"
"Who can resist a hot - sexy - beautiful -clever-childish - mischievous wifey like you darling" he has a drooling look on his face..
She looked away, blinking quickly before he had a chance to peek into her secret blushing.
Dev using this opportunity moved closer. Sensing him she raised his mobile to throw..
"No sonakshi stop.give back my mobile." with that squeaking cry he got up and faced two set of eyes -one confused pair.Another teasing one...
Will be back soon.
P. S. Sorry for the delay. Thank you so much for your wishes friends. Exam preparations going on well.