Chapter 23
"Ah ha ha, what's cooking, biwi" Pankaj asked as he was forced to make way into the kitchen where he hardly ever entered, due to the aroma coming from it.
Vidhi was busy making lunch for the family and Pankaj noted that she was all alone while doing so. Pankaj, thanked his lucky stars for getting this golden chance for spending some time with his wife at this hour. He approached her slowly and went and stood right behind her. He waited for her to acknowledge him but she did not. In fact she did not pay him any attention and was deliberately ignoring him.
Oh! so you are playing hard to get, is it? We will see about that.
Pankaj thought to himself and pinched her exposed skin at her waist, just to get a reaction from her.
"Owch" Vidhi yelped and tried to knock Pankaj's hand away but he started to tickle her some more which made her giggle.
"You are shameless. What if someone walks in on us, what will they think? That the eldest son and daughter-in-law are indulging in open romance in broad daylight" Vidhi said scandalously trying to get away.
"Oh I will just tell them that it's was all YOUR fault Rani... what am I to do when you trap me. "said Pankaj refusing to let go of Vidhi.
"Oh ho ! this is all my doing, is it? Did I ask you to come to the kitchen and do all this?" Vidhi turned around and snaked her arms around Pankaj's neck taking Pankaj by surprise as she demanded an answer from him.
Since the whole blackmail fiasco ended the two of them had become close to one another like never before. Their relationship had now rejuvenated; the rut that had set in was now a thing of the past, and in its place was this...this whole new world.
Seeing this bold Vidhi pleased Pankaj a lot. Gone was the Vidhi of old who put household chores ahead of him. He came to see a whole different side of Vidhi which was hidden from him for so long. And that made staying away from her near impossible for him. She herself could not stay away from him so the mutual feeling made this second phase of their marriage all the more exciting.
"Well I meant the delicious Pakode that you are making...they forced me to come here. How could I resist? They just did not give me a choice. I was forced...even when I was thinking of skipping lunch just a little while ago on account of a rather heavy, rather unexpected...rather hmm...fulfilling breakfast" Pankaj said his every word laced with innuendos which Vidhi caught on easily, but with growing embarrassment.
"Just looking those pakode now...my hunger erupts once again. Yum...mouth-watering, hot,spicy and delicious...p-a-k-o-d-e" Pankaj said seemingly talking about the pakode but looking without blinking at Vidhi lips leaving her in no doubt that he was speaking about.
Vidhi held his ear and said "No tasting allowed. Follow the rules mister" giving back just as good as she got.
"Now out you go from the kitchen before anyone arrives" she said huskily. Not really wanting him to go away.
"Ok if you are being such a strict mistress, at least compensate me with a HOT HOT...you know what... that might hold my appetite till I get to feast on the meal later" Pankaj said leaning into Vidhi.
Vidhi blushed prettily at such open and unmasked flirting by her husband. She was floating of cloud nine these days. She was open and appreciative of the advances Pankaj made and was more responsive towards it. This was what had disappeared from their marriage and had almost let for its collapse. They now placed each other first and concentrated on strengthening the marriage further not repeating the mistakes they did again.
"Oh! I am dead. You are sight for sore eyes my Rani...Aaah!...how you blush..just makes me want to..." Pankaj bent his head to capture her lips as if he just could not resist any longer.
"Vidhi bhabhi... please allow me to give you a helping hand" it was Pratik who barged into the kitchen unannounced. It was a very embarrassing moment for everyone there. Pankaj immediately let go of Vidhi, gave a killer look to Pratik for ruining the moment and marched away from the kitchen in a huff muttering something about leaving for office to meet with a prospective client or something.
"Awkward... I am so sorry bhabhi. I just came by to make lunch for Pari so that she could carry it with her for work" Pratik said after a small interval overcoming his initial hesitancy as he recollected the reason for coming to the kitchen in the first place.
Pari who had entered the kitchen just then, heard what Pratik had just said and went on to stop him.
"Pratik...I can fix my own lunch box. Please I am not THAT hopeless in kitchen, you know?" she said.
"Wifey I know you are good at anything and everything that you do. But allow me the privilege as your husband to cook something for you on your first day to work from your 'sasural'" said Pratik and did an exaggerated bow in front of Pari.
"Oh...so this is just for this one day..haan?" Pari asked pulling Pratik's leg.
"So you mean to say that from tomorrow I will be left to fend for myself, is it?" she poked further much to Pratik's consternation.
Vidhi tried to control her laughter. Her work was done so she silently went away from the kitchen leaving the younger couple by them-selves.
"No.. I mean what I meant was... Of course I will pack your lunch box...daily" Pratik stammered and gave a response.
"Sweet...sweet Pratik. I was just pulling your leg. Relax. I truly love and appreciate this gesture but you are getting all worked up for no reason...no reason at all" she said coming closer to Pratik placing her hands on his hips and rubbing her nose with his.
"I had got up early today. And while you were sleeping I did help out Vidhi and Aarti bhabhi with kitchen work. Of course they tried their best of not letting me do anything but I was adamant so they let me have my way...eventually. They have made lunch for me already and we will continue this same pattern for the days to come. You got that hubby?" Pari said moving slightly away and flicking his nose gently with her index finger.
"Wifey you are the best" Pratik said. Feeling very proud of Pari for slipping back into the household easily even after everything that had happened, and applauding her for doing her bit in assisting her co-sisters.
"But I will hold you to that promise of a lunch sometime in future though. After all you did volunteer. And who wouldn't want to have a meal made by none other than 'Chote Nawab' himself" Pari said not letting Pratik off the hook quite that easily.
"Just lunch..phew !...anytime my dear...you ARE really really easy to please Pari...if you know what I mean" he whispered softly as he was about to kiss Pari...but unfortunately they too were interrupted this time it was Aarti who came by to play the spoiled sport.
"Arre..re..re...my bad. I never came, you never saw me and you were never interrupted. Just go back to how things were a second ago" Aarti said and turned back suppressing her smile, and was just about to leave when Pari and Pratik made her stop.
"Nahi..nahi...bhabhi...we were just..." they stopped and stared at one another trying to come-up with a reason other than the obvious.
"We were just...discussing the menu for the day" they said in unison.
"Wah! You two ARE true soul-mates you even cook up the same excuse at the same time" Aarti said turning around and openly laughing at them now.
"I have some...things to care of" said Pratik and bid a hasty exit from the kitchen.
"Me too" said Pari and followed Pratik out of kitchen leaving Aarti behind shaking her head with a wide smile on her face.
Sometime back I saw Pankaj bhaiya make a hasty exit from kitchen when I saw Pratik bhaiya enter and now I am seeing Pratik and Pari exit on my entrance. Looks like, today kitchen has become the lovers' paradise thought Aarti smiling some more.
Hmm...but no such luck for me. Chalo, off to do cleaning up now. No point feeling sorry for yourself Aarti.
"Aartiji...I have been calling you for so long why didn't you respond?" questioned Yash.
" I had to come all the way over to have a word with you" Yash said mildly irritated as he entered the kitchen next.
Think of the devil...thought Aarti and he arrives all guns blazing.
"Sorry Yashji...if you were calling me from our bedroom you would need a loud speaker for me to hear it in here. This mansion is so huge sometimes I feel we need a vehicle to travel around in it" Aarti said only half-jokingly.
"I would have thought given that it's been over a year the house would have stopped being overwhelming for you" said Yash getting sidetracked.
"Well it has stopped shocking me for sure...and I don't get lost in it anymore. But hey coming from what I have seen for most of my life... THIS... is like a castle" she said spreading her hands around.
"If this is a castle...then you must be the princess living in it" Yash joked.
"Are you hoping to be my knight in shining armour... perhaps?" Aarti added.
"Ha..ha...as if you are a damsel in distress! And keeping the castle theme we even have a moat here, do we not. And I also know you have certain "views" about it too...come on now... spill... I really want to know what you think of it" asked Yash enjoying this conversation.
"Oh that...well...you see I have heard people having an in-house swimming pool. But here all that water just goes waste. It looks pretty...no doubt...but still...Don't you agree?" she asked hesitantly.
"Maybe it's not all that useless as you think Aartiji, it doubles up as water storage reservoir...who knows next summer the water supply might get reduced to just 1 hour a day. With the army that stays here we need all the water we can get...Don't YOU agree" retorted Yash jokingly.
Aarti laughed and added "Or maybe you plan to harvest fishes there so in case the event planning business "flops" you can always sell the fish in market for money" and then she started laughing at her own joke. She had a mental picture of Yash in a lungi and cut-sleeve vest with a towel tied on his forehead and shouting loudly in order to sell fish. And she continued laughing till suddenly realizing that she was the only one laughing in the kitchen.
"Oh..I am sorry...Yashji.." she said trying to control her laughter at seeing the serious no-nonsense expression on his face but failed. His anger was growing at her laughter so Aarti tried to excuse herself for laughing at his expense.
"I did not mean...it was just a joke...s..so..sorry" she said but Yash remained angry. Aarti did not know what to do to pacify him and became anxious.
And then suddenly Yash burst into laughter himself.
"Oh! my god Aartiji...the look on your face...priceless...you really believed that I could not take a joke...that I would be "hurt" and get "angry" but it."
"You...you...you..that's just not fair...since when did you learn such tricks?" she finally asked.
"Since you came into my life Aartji"
"Hi5" he said immediately trying to cover-up his slip.
Aarti caught his slip but did not make an issue out of it and let it pass without a murmur, before her heart made her make too much of it.
"Hi 5 yashji" she said and shared a palm slam with Yash.
********
That night G3 saw SP sit on the bed deep in thought. She knew the events from Pankaj's blackmail to Pratik and Pari's issues had left her husband very troubled.
She approached him with a small cup of oil in her hand and stood behind the bed and without asking started to massage SP's head.
"When did they all grow up so fast?" SP finally gave voice to his thoughts.
"I still remember them holding my hand to walk... seeking my advice for each and everything that they did. When did they drift so far away from me that they hide that they are getting blackmailed or they hide that they are not happy with the family business. Am I so unapproachable?"
"Nahi...nahi..ji. It is not a question of you being unapproachable rather them being afraid of letting you down" said Gayatri.
"So you are saying they fear me?" SP asked incredulously.
"Nahi..nahiji...I am not saying that either...it's just that they love you so much that they want to please you and so they think if they show you their weaknesses or if they show you that they have different ideas than yours, they fear that they will lose out on your affection" G3 tried to explain.
"And what about Yash...he is the closest to my heart...how could he speak up to me like that. Go against me..."
"But he did not...Yash was just trying to stay strong for his brother and sister- in-law. Is it not the lesson that you have taught him? Is it not you who had said to stand firm for what you think is right. And just like you he too does not want any cracks to appear in the family. And what better way to achieve that then by showing a united front in all matters" Gayartri argued to which SP sighed heavily.
"I just feel that the children are going away from me that slowly the strands of our close knit family are stretching and coming loose"
"But if you hold on too tight there is a fear of the strands getting crushed and the fabric getting ruined anyway" Gayatri said trying to make SP understand.
SP did not respond he kept thinking over what Gayatri said in his mind.
He then took her hand in his and made her sit next to him and said "Gayatri at least you have remained constant throughout the 38 years that I have known you. I am thankful for everyday you spend with me with your unwavering support and understanding"
"I am constant...meaning dull and boring with no surprises...is that what you are implying" Gayatri said playfully trying to ease SP's mood.
"Had you been that... my wife... I do not think we would have been the proud parent of three robust sons now, would we?" said SP allowing himself to get distracted.
TO BE CONTINUED...
PS: Please no chappals for not revealing Aarti's secret or the phone rec msg. LOL
A light-hearted update.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
Tum Se Tum Tak
