My dearest commentors - this update is dedicated to all of you for having been patient with this all original story on SAIRAT. I will be unable to post over the weekend, but have given you the longest update yet.
Part 4
“I don’t understand, tumne mujhse pehle toh kabhi nahi kaha ki tum ismei interested ho?” Samrat asks slightly irritated. She wonders if it’s her news or the crazy traffic that they are stuck in that is irritating him, “Kya kehti? Maine sirf apply kiya thaa? Jaise Tumne Mumbai practice mei apply kiya thaa.” Samrat patronizing, “Haan lekin maine expect kiya ki tum bhi mujhe join karogi”. Sai nervously rubs her hands and then stops herself and looks outside the window. Samrat goes back to cussing the traffic. She wonders how can an expectation be created without any discussion? She doesn’t want to argue or fight with him, but at the same time, she wants to tell him that he just cannot expect from her, without letting her know or asking her what she wants or ....she turns to tell him and finds Samrat changing the radio in the car and humming the song. It seems like things affect him less than they affect her. But isn’t that what she likes about him? His constant chill, his always relaxed demeanor like nothing really affects him. In the time they have been together, she has never seen him angry, mad or have an outburst, be passionate. God! Now she is talking like Shilpa. She smiles to herself and leans her head on the car window and just as she is about to reach deep sleep, Samrat shakes her and says, “Aagaye, utho sleeping beauty”.
She watches the car drive into the large front yard, the house itself doesn’t seem very big, but there is a large backyard, it seems. Samrat takes their bags and she walks behind him, suddenly quite nervous, she doesn’t know why. The door opens and his parents emerge with smiles. The smiles are a slight relief, she has a small smile back. Samrat’s dad beams, she is trying to recollect his name, when he comes forward and shakes her hand, “Hello hello, Mai Ninaad Chavan, Sai Joshi, right?” Sai nods and doesn’t need to shake her hand, Samrat’s dad is shaking it vigorously for her. She is touched, she smiles even more widely. Samrat’s mother pipes in, “Arrey ladki ka haath tut jaayega. Hello Sai, Main Ashwini, Samrat ki Mom. Aao andar aao.” As soon as they enter, two ladies appear, all grins. Shivani starts to pull Samrat’s cheeks, “Kay re Samu...itna bada ho gaya, ladkiyan ko ghar leke aa raha hai” Sai suddenly says “Ladkiyan? Aur bhi thi kya?!” And then bites her tongue, unable to check her usual excited self. She watches as everyone laugh at her joke. She is glad the ice is broken.
Devyani comes forward, “Pata nahi Dada ne kabhi bataya bhi, lekin mai Devyani aur this is Shivani Tai”. Sai smiles back and says. “Tumhare Dada ne bataya, ki sab tumhe NDTV bulate hai, lekin main nahi maani”. Everyone laughs loudly, Devyani grins “Thank you Sai..Tai..I mean Vahini..I mean..” confused Devyani looks at Samrat and everyone else glances at him too, in that 10 seconds of what could become an awkward silence, two things happen, Sai says “Just Sai is ok” and Virat comes from behind his father and Samrat hugs him, while Virat hugs Samrat back, his eyes meet Sai’s behind Samrat’s back. Her nervous smile is met with a slight wink from Virat which only makes her smile. Virat and Samrat pull away, Samrat says “Virat dada..” Sai nods and smiles with a whisper of “Hi Virat” to which Virat responds with a deep teasing “Hi, Just Sai”.
The bags are left near the far staircase inside the house and everyone is seated at the dining table, Samrat is showing something on his phone to Devyani and Shivani is chatting with Ninaad who is reading the newspaper with Virat, she is also making quick trips to the kitchen where Ashwini is cooking up a storm. Sai walks to the table and tries to get Samrat’s attention, holding her phone “Voh mai Abba ka phone try kar rahi hun, lekin yaha signal nahi hai”, Samrat is busy giggling away with his sister on the phone, while his father says “Haan Sai, yaha thodi signal ki problem hai, voh piche valle garden se kar lena.” Sai looks around confused, now how is she to know how to get to the garden.
“Hmm..” she mutters looking around, and she looks at the table and Virat folds his newspaper on one side holding it up on the other, and through that gap, raises his eyebrow to her as though signing ‘what is it?’ She replies with the universal sign of ‘need to call, where?’ He tilts his head slightly to the right and she turns to her left and signs ‘this way’ he nods, she mouths a ‘thank you’ , he goes back to his newspaper. What she doesn’t know, is he can see her from the dining room window next to him as she stands outside in the garden adding her smile to the roses and petunias.
“Abba, achaa main rakhti hun, Shilpa ka phone aa raha hai.” She smiles and accepts Shilpa’s call, “Haan pahunch gayi, sab thik hai....Ache hai, hum breakfast khane valle hai. Nahi Abhi tak nahi, anyways usse achaa nahi laga ki maine camp mei application dee thee...Pata nahi....anyways...aaj raat ko, yahiii...kyu? Shilpa tu bhi na...Shilpa stop it! Main rakh rahi hun, bye!” She hangs up and gets a legit scare when she turns around and almost hits Virat in his chest, he holds her by her shoulders to balance her, she says, “I am sorry..” he replies, “it’s ok” she narrows her eyes to him, “Actually sorry aapko kehni chahiye, aap dusron ke baatei aise kaise sun rahe the?” He smirks “Main tumhe bulane araha thaa, breakfast ke liye.” She calms a little, “ok”. They walk together inside the dining room and it seems like the two empty seats available for them are next to each other.
They sit down and as Sai looks at the table, Virat whispers, “Vaise tumhare Abba ka naam Shilpa hai?” with a teasing smile, she side eye glares at him with a smile of her own, “Nahi unka naam Retired DCP Kamal Joshi hai.” They grin at each other, and Sai continues “Shilpa meri bachpan ki saheli hai”. Virat nods and takes the bowl of pohe and empties it all in his plate and starts to eat, before Sai can say anything, Ashwini pipes in from the other side of the table. “Sai, please lo, aaj Samrat ke saare favorites bane hai, omelette, chicken cutlet, tum bhi thakk gayi hogi, Shivani dya na tila”. Sai is uneasy and hesitant, “Actually voh..” Samrat chomps bites of his toast and states “Ma, Sai vegetarian hai, voh yeh sab nahi khati”. Ashwini is genuinely ashamed, “Kya?! Samrat mujhe pehle bolna chahiye na, so sorry Sai, mujhe pata nahi tha” Sai feels bad for the lady of the house, “Koyi baat nahi Aunty, toast hai na khaa lungi”. Ashwini glares at Samrat, “Aise koi karta hai kya Samrat”, Samrat is defensive, “Mujhe kya pata thaa, aur Vaise bhi pohe uska favorite hai, aur hamare ghar pe roz toh bante hai” Ashwini immediately says, “Shivani, voh bowl mei se pohe de usko” Shivani presses her lips and says “Saare pohe aapke bade bete ne le liye” Snickering all around the table, Ashwini is shocked, “Kya?!?! I am really sorry Sai”. Sai feels terrible for her, especially because her kids seem to be laughing at her, while she has gone through so much effort to put the meal on the table, Sai says “koi baat nahi Aunty, inhone ne abhi tak Khana shuru nahi ki, Mai unse thoda sa lelungi” Virat begins to correct her, but she holds his hand under the table as though to stop him, she turns and whispers “She is feeling so bad, let it be” and Virat watches Sai take a few spoonfuls from his plate into her’s. She smiles at Shivani who passes her toast and jam. Virat watches his mom watch her and have a sad smile, and then eat her food. He looks at Sai who is munching on her toast, and he bends and softly talks to her shoulder, “Just Sai, abb toh mujhe khanne do” Sai hurriedly let’s go of his hand and says “Sorry”, he shrugs with a “it’s ok”. She looks at him and says “Sorry toh aapko kehni chahiye” He smirks and shakes his head, “mere pohe khaa rahi ho tum”, she laughs and eats, and he watches his brother across the table thoroughly enjoying his own meal.
It is noonish by the time, everyone at the table have eaten, chatted about cricket, current affairs, politics and all have been discussed. She tries to help with the clean up, but Ashwini doesn’t let her at all. “Bilkul nahi, jaake Thoda rest le lo, Upar left mei Samrat ka kamra bana diya hai tum dono ke liye, yaha help karne ke liye bahut hai, no problem”. She picks up the bag and looks around for Samrat, he isn’t around, he seems to have made his way to the TV side of the living room and sprawled himself on the sofa chatting with his father and brother. She goes up the stairs and turns left into the medium sized bedroom. She enters and stares at the bed which has been neatly made with blankets and folded towels at the edge. She feels like she needs a quick wash from the journey, she pulls out a change of top over her jeans and her towel from her duffel and steps into the attached bathroom.
Downstairs Virat is watching a cricket match on the TV and half listening to Samrat pestering his sister, “Toh phir kya hua, bol na” Devyani shoots back “Tu hi puch le, dupahar ko aa rahi hai” his ears perk up, Virat looks at his sister, “Dupahar ko kaun aa raha hai?” Devyani sheepishly replies, “Pakhi, Maa ne bulaya” Virat waits for Samrat to say something, but his brother casually takes the remote and switches the channel. Virat stands up and walks into the kitchen and sternly asks “Aai, Pakhi kyu aa rahi hai?” His mother while cleaning the kitchen casually responds, “Kyu matlab? Maine bulaya hai” Virat slightly irritated, “Haan lekin kyu bulaya tumne?” Ashwini sternly replies “Virat, yeh mera ghar hai, Mai jisse chahe bula sakti hun, mujhe tumhari permission ki zrurat nahi hai” Virat shakes his head, mad and glares at his mother “Unbelievable Aai, Unbelievable!!” Ashwini walks closer to her son and whispers loudly, “Tumhe kya lagta hai, kya hone wala hai?” Virat glares back at her, “Aai, yehi toh tum samajh nahi paa rahi ho, jo hoga, shayad aapko hi pasand na ho”. Ashwini steps back and stubbornly states “Jo hoga dekha jaayega”. Virat leaves the kitchen in a huff and marches to the Tv area and watches his brother snoozing on the sofa, making an uncomfortable picture.
Upstairs, Sai emerges from the bathroom with her soiled top and her towel in her hand. She smiles at the room, she spots two desks at each end of the bed, a trophy is on one desk. She walks to it, places the towel and top on top of the desk and feels runs her fingers on the trophy. There is a tray in which several gold medals, she sits at the chair, holding the medal, and putting them around herself one after another. There are around 10, she is grinning wondering how come Samrat never mentioned winning so many. She looks around to see if there is a mirror, she finds one on the other side, facing the door of the bedroom, she walks to it and looks at herself. In the mirror, she watches the reflection of Virat who is leaning on the door with folded hands and staring at her with a grin, she suddenly backs up and turns. He grins while saying, “Just Sai, tum par mere medals bahut ache dikh rahe hai”. Sai gasps, blushing, and starts to remove them talking fast and nervously, “Aapke medals?! Oh my god, I am so sorry, mujhe lagaa ki Samrat ke hai. Aapke Aai ne kaha ki yeh Samrat ka kamra hai”. And in her nervousness, she begins to remove them from her neck, but they get entangled. Virat walks to her, and helps her. Their fingers barely touch while they slowly entangle the medals. After removing them all, she looks into his eyes, while he holds them with a sly smile. “I am sorry” she says, he smirks back “it’s ok”, she side eyes and says “Vaise sorry aapko kehni chahiye” His sly smile makes him say “Main medals apne ghar leke jaa raha hun”. They laugh together.
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Next part page 16
Edited by columbia - 3 years ago
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