Chapter 20
This was so horrid thought Aarti. She had forgotten her change clothes and towel outside and had taken bath without them with her. Now she was trapped in the bathroom with no clothes or even a towel to cover her and step outside. The clothes she had on were kept for soaking in soap water to be washed later. She had wanted to finish off before Yash got up as always. But as she woke up a bit later than usual, in her hurry she did not take anything with her forgetting them on the sofa in the bedroom.
She smacked herself on the head a little too hard at her stupidity.
"Owch! That hurt" she yelped rubbing her head and cursing herself for displaying more stupidity.
If I shout for a towel it will not only disturb Yashji who had had a tough day yesterday but it will also be doubly embarrassing and awkward for me. Maybe if I slip out slowly I could reach for my clothes without disturbing him.
There was a possibility that he might woken up by then so very slowly she opened the bathroom door and peeked out. When she saw that Yash was still asleep, she tip-toed out crossed the dressing room and entered the bed room. She had tried to cover her bare essential with her hands, one horizontally placed to cover her upper portion and the other for parts down-under. She did not think the coast would be clear for long so she tried to hastily reach for her clothes. Just then she hit her leg on the table before the sofa.
"Yike..." her hands shot up and covered her mouth in order to suppress any sound from emitting from her mouth, leaving her body totally exposed. But the pain was so much that she started hopping around on one leg.
Damn you Aarti...you deserve this. You are so clumsy. Damn you. Aarti kept cursing herself mentally while she continued to bear the pain.
There were not many sights that had taken Yash's breath-away but seeing Aarti stark naked, bouncing in front of him ranked number one in his list of things that did.
She had his back to him at the moment so she missed out the wide eyed shocked Yash who was gaping at her and try as he might he could not make any sound as his speech seemed to have deserted him. When she turned back Yash immediately closed his eyes and shut his mouth. He did not want to alert her. One part did not want to embarrass her and the other did not want this morning show to be over soon. What is she up to, he wondered? Opening his eyes, just enough to see Aarti, finally, keeping her leg down and placing her hands strategically covering her...essentials.
Aarti grabbed the towel and change of clothes and quietly turned back to check if she was successful in not waking up the one on the bed. She gave a silent thank you to heaven above for keeping him still asleep and then padded her way back to the bathroom.
Yash finally opened his eyes wide...really wide. What a way to begin the day he thought. His mind supplied him with images that he played over and over again.
Her flawless skin, her long limbs, her curves...she had ample where it counted and finally her naked-awkward-hopping-dance. He grinned at that. He knew he would carry that picture in his mind for a long time.
**************
"Kids now that we are done with the movie can we just spend some more time here at the mall before we go to the park" Pratik asked the children.
"What for?" questioned Payal while the other two also wanted an answer for that.
"Well I have this tiny winy, incy-wincy thing to attend to" Pratik gestured keeping his thumb and index finger just a little distance apart.
"Nooo. This is cheating. You are to be with us the whole day?" All the children said together.
"We won't accept this" Ansh said stomping his feet, folding his hands and turning away from Pratik.
"How do you like to spend an hour at the play area here? There are lots of slides, bouncing castles and host of other things" Pratik said baiting the kids with an offer he knew they could not refuse.
"Are you sure you would want to give it a miss?" Pratik asked again noting that Payal was already sold to the idea.
"Wait we need a P 2 A meeting before we answer that" Palak said converting the name of the club from cube to square so that only the three of them formed a huddle to discuss the matter over.
After a lot of deliberations the kids agreed to go to the gated play area for exactly 1 hour. All went over and Pratik signed in all three of them, gave his number to the in-charge over there and bid the kids good bye.
"Phew !! Now on to the main reason for coming to the mall" Pratik headed for the escalators and went to the ground floor. Already a crowd had gathered around the centre of the mall. There were big banners and posters all around with them welcoming the chief guest of the day.
Owch! This was the part he was not prepared for. These publicity stunts were not to his liking at all. When he had written the book it was just meant as an outlet for his ideas. He used to get these brain-waves sometimes and he just used to jot down the recipes when mood hit him. It was only on Pari's insistence that he got more organised that he made an effort to be systematic about it. Yet he had not told her that he was going to approach a publisher with his book idea. At first it was the thought that his book might get rejected, so that had stopped him from sharing the news with Pari. Why get her all excited if it did not amount to anything was his reasoning. He wanted to avoid a case of it being "much ado about nothing". But to his immense delight it got accepted at his the first attempt itself, of course, with a lot of suggestive cuts and amendments to it. His first instinct was to share his joy with Pari and then with his family.
But he had again, stopped himself. His family especially Bauji and Buaji would not appreciate it he had thought. He had never got any support for his culinary skills from them. Bauji barely tolerated his sojourns in the kitchen at home and Buaji never left a chance to make a joke of it.
"Pratik...leave the kitchen to the ladies of the household. Don't you have "better" things to do?"
or
"In our days men never stepped into the kitchen..it was considered effeminate thing to do"
He had still persisted because cooking was his passion. When he was cooking he was transported to a world that was filled with flavours and smells. He thought cooking was an art form, an art-form like no other. Where in other art forms one sensory organ or the other was only involved cooking involved all of them. Taste, smell, vision and touch to a certain extent and you even needed your hearing to be perfect too what with all the appliances having timers or whistles ringing or blowing everywhere.
The acceptance of the book by an unbiased third party felt as a sort of validation. It was not that he had not tried to spread his wings in that direction before. He had always wanted to but his father kept reminding him about how he expected him to take up the family business just like his other two brothers had. Whenever he had tried to speak about his going in the culinary business his father very deftly changed the topic or convinced him how it was a silly boyish idea to be never taken seriously.
As for not telling Pari... well...he wanted to surprise her. Or so he had told himself then. She was very encouraging of his cooking talent. He had laughingly thought that it was because she utterly lacked it but then there was also genuine appreciation from her too which he had found very gratifying. But she too did not think that anything good could come out of it. So sometimes it felt that she was just humouring him.
His identity was not revealed to the public till now. He had cleverly named the book after his nickname--- "Chote" as he was called by his brothers. And within no time of this release the book had become a rage and had hit the best sellers list. He had thought that people who purchased his book were amateurs who wanted short-cuts to cook but when he read some of the reviews that top chefs had given his book he felt humbled and at the same time it filled him with confidence about his own credentials.
He had wanted to bring Pari here today with him for the book signing publicity campaign. But things were not meant to be. At his fledgling career's take off point he was left stranded alone. His moment of glory seemed lacklustre and unfulfilling somehow as a result.
***********
"Hello viewers, in today's segment of Hot and Happening we are coming to you live from city centre mall to show you for the first time ever on television the person whose name is now on all food-lover's lips. Our channel brings you the first exclusive interview with the very elusive author of the cook book Chote Nawab's Kitchen. Are you just as excited to meet Chote Nawab in person and I am? Well then what are we waiting for... let's go" said Pari in her unique style.
It was her first day at work. She was lucky that her contacts in the TV industry could secure her this spot in such a popular program which tracked the who's who and events happening in and around Bhopal. No one could suspect that behind her eye-catching smile and breezy personality she was quaking with sadness that was threatening to engulf her. Her work was her safety jacket that was keeping her from drowning in misery. Her long break from work did not seem to affect her unduly as she slipped back into her TV persona easily enough.
She and her crew approached the mob that had gathered around the middle of the mall totally obstructing them from reaching the nameless-celebrity whom they had come to interview. Somehow they managed to make the crowd make way for them urgently as they were going live.
It was one of those things that happened in life for which you are least prepared for, as the sea of people parted Pari got the first glimpse of the man who was seated on a chair busily signing away the books in front of him. The wind got knocked off her sails when her brain identified the man as "Pratik"..."her Pratik" "no not anymore" she corrected herself mentally.
Just then as if he sensed her presence Pratik lifted his head and stared back at Paridhi. It was to be an instant that would stay with them for a long time. All around them the noise level was ever increasing but both of them did not hear a thing. A sort of vacuum got created around them which had only the two of them. As Pari unknowingly walked towards Pratik with a mic in her hand and her crew following her, Pratik could only follow her progress towards him. His body seemed paralysed to move away from there.
What is she doing here? How could she have known that I would be here that it was me?
His mind did not register other obvious things. So he was in for a shock when Pari recovered first and refocused on the purpose she was there for.
"Dear viewers let me first tell you the real name of your favourite cook book's author. Chote Nawab is none other than Mr. Pratik Scindia. The mysterious face behind the book is finally revealed and you have seen it first here on your favourite show "Hot and Happening"" Pari said turning sideways and facing the camera.
"Hello Sir, it is indeed our pleasure to have you as a guest in our show. So how does it feel to be the talk of the town? " Pari questioned Pratik.
Pratik jerked but only just, but Pari detected it. To catch him off guard gave her ego a mini-rush. After what seemed like a huge pause for either of them which in reality was hardly a heart beat long Pratik answered back.
"Am I really?" he said eyeing her. "But I will buy it as long as a pretty face like you says it" he said with a mock grin.
There were huge cat-calls and whistling from the crowd around them at that remark. Pari looked around at everyone, slightly embarrassed. She did not expect Pratik to come out so strongly. She assumed that seeing her in her new avatar would have hit him hard too so this cocky response was unexpected. But today she was seeing a whole different side of Pratik which she did not know existed.
"Well...with thousands of copies sold and a second book contract it hand. You must be thrilled" she tried to turn the conversation back to him.
"What I am feeling now is "shock" and you would surely know the obvious reason for it" he said in a lowered voice. She nodded accepting that he was referring to them meeting like this. But Pratik cleverly looked around them and indicated that he was talking about the response he was getting from the crowd.
He could not believe that Pari could be so unaffected by their separation. It was hardly two days since she left and she was here in front of him...as bright as sunshine and with a mic in hand. So she finally got what she was after. No wonder she was not feeling any pangs over their separation.
"Your family must be proud of you though?" questioned Pari without backing down.
How could Pratik have become an author overnight? Why do I have no clue about this part of his life? Are there any more secrets that he has not shared with me? Did I mean so little to him that he had not bothered to tell me about it? That must be it. He told me to go out, made no attempt to stop me, made no effort to reconcile. Where is the doubt there Pari? He does not love you anymore. It was that plain and simple.
Questions and doubts just zoomed in her mind over and over again yet she brushed them aside and concentrated on the work at hand.
"They will be once they come to know of it" Pratik answered to which Pari nodded.
"And your wife...Oops !! forgot to ask are you married by the way?" Pari asked tongue in cheek. Only to find Pratik giving her a hard look not liking her obvious dig at him.
How can she joke about such a thing thought Pratik.
"Well let's keep my personal matters out of this. If there is anything else you would like to ask feel free" Pratik said taking control over the interview yet again.
Ok two can play the game Pratik, if you want to pretend that you do not know me then fine. Let's do it your way.
"How did you get the idea of writing a book strike you?" Pari made herself be professional from then on.
*********
Suraj Pratap was busily going through the files which had the cost estimations and proposed event bids in them. He usually kept track of happenings in and around Bhopal by occasionally watching the local TV with his cup of tea at home during his day off. He had just switched on the TV and tuned in to the local channel when he saw two people who were very familiar to him appear on the screen.
To say he was shocked was an understatement. He prided himself to know the in and out workings in his house. He made it his business to make himself know what everyone was doing. He never made enquires all that obviously but he thought he had his finger on the pulse of the Scindia family. So this came as rude shock. Yet he made himself sit through the program. Silently, thinking over his next course of action.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Anupamaa
Udne Ki Aasha
