PART 149
8th July 2011
Friday
8:00AM
He is wearing his watch and tucking his shirt into his knee length shorts. Casual Fridays" while she dressed up for "Culture Fridays" in a saree.
Shaan: Hey!
She is trying to wear her orange and pink chiffon saree standing in her closet, she has a pin in her mouth,
Khanak: Hmmm
He smiles
Its never "Haan" or "Kya hai" Its always "Hmmm" unless ofcourse she is asleep, then she would chatter like its nobody's business "Aap mujhe soney kyon nahi dete" "Main kal se rec room ya guest room mein".
Shaan: We thought of going to a movie tonite.
Khanak: and "we" would be?
Shaan: Mayank (his best friend is in town), and the rest.
Khanak: How many?
He walks over to her closet, watches her wear her saree meticulously, draping, counting the folds, peeking back to see how far the sash is falling.
He has his arms folded across his chest. She watches from the mirror and smiles, he always watches she thinks,
Shaan: Hang on!
He grabs his camera and takes some pictures of her wearing the saree. She is done and reaches for it, grabbing it from his hand, trains it on him
Shaan: no! Khanak! Not mine
Khanak: Aap hamesha apne pictures lete time kyon hesitate karte hain?
Shaan: Kyon ki mere pictures aapke pictures ki tarah ache nahi hain (grins)
Khanak: THAT'S a boat load of bull'. (sarcastic)
Shaan: I mean it!
Khanak: I cant believe you are the guy that I thought that believed he was the most good looking man.
He looks at her seriously and starts to laugh
Shaan: did you really think that?
Khanak: Oh! In Trishna's engagement you were so full of it!
Shaan: you were shooting daggers at meš.
Hari Lal knocks on the door.
Shaan: Haan?
HL: Sir who Dadi ne neeche bulaya hai
She is busy getting her things together.
Shaan: khanak, I can pick u up at 8?
Khanak: jee (Smiles warmly)
Shaan: don't I get a kiss like in the movies?
Khanak: Not while the door is open (wary)
He pins her to the closet wall and they steal a "few moments of magic" kiss.
Shaan: take the evening off, we can stay in bed and look at the US pictures?
Khanak: nahi!
He chuckles at how direct and the firm the negative answer is.
Shaan: are you going to the Corp Office today?
Khanak: shaayad nahi'..
He smiles, she doesn't think or talk work outside of work. Doesn't care to remember either
Khanak: Aap ja rahe hain?
Shaan: Don't know yet.
Khanak: Ill start going into the site starying next week I think
Shaan: We could go together
Khanak: sorry I don't mix business with pleasure.
Shaan: Thanks!
Khanak: I mean work was pleasure.
Before he can deal with that comment, Hari Lal is back.
They both were just riding the waves, enjoying the best part of being newly wedded. Movies, dinners, hanging out with friends, going to bed before dinner and waking up at midnite to fix a meal.
The household help had been strictly instructed to stay away from their room. Once they were home in the evening, they were on their own. Unless they sought company or they joined family for dinner there was no formal expectation.
Khanak's Hindi class was moving along fine. Sunil was a brilliant student, unless she stretched the curriculum or included literature there wasn't much to be covered.
She guessed he must have realized it too, but pretended to want to learn more.
Khanak was beginning to loosen up, was slowly beginning to enjoy the comforts and affluence of being married to a Gujral. No laundry to be done, no grocery to be bought, no worrying about what to cook for the next meal.
Ritu was an incredible friend, many months when money supply was tight, she would go out to grocery shop and fill up the kitchen with three months worth of food. She would "accidentally " also pay Mr Pai two or three months of rent.
It would bring tears to Khanak's eyes. She would eventually save up the money and hand it to Ritu, and they would have a huge filmi show down and Ritu would cook really awful food for herself for a couple days, try to burn the house down, pack her stuff in a suitcase and even talk on the phone loudly when Khanak was around as if talking to a travel agent about tickets to Delhi or talking to a property dealer about other apartments.
Khanak would corner her and ask finally "Kyon kar rahi ho yeh sab"
She would say "Apne khud ka jala hua khaana khakar pareshaan ho gayi hoon. Mujhe nayi room mate chahiye"
Khanak would punch her and they would laugh and giggle and talk about intimate scenes from Hollywood movies to amuse each other like silly teenagers.
Khanak would cook a hearty meal and they both would go shopping, Khanak would buy her a dress material or a skirt or some silver jewelry and they would be best buds again.
All that Khanak was spending now was paying her share of the rent at Chembur in case Kaka or Aada visited. Sonali was expected to arrive on July 10th for her admission. Khanak hadn't talked about it yet to her husband. Knowing him he would shoot it down before the topic would begin.
Her sketching and art supplies was still in that house along with lot of her clothes.
A little voice in her heart told her "This marriage is for keeps" every time that voice spoke there would be a definite bounce in her steps, her eyes would sparkle, she would laugh a lot and even talk voluntarily!
But it was still a secret pleasure, she hadn't shared this discovery or suspicion even with Ritu. Bai and Ada would be thrilled, they would believe what ever she said to them. They wouldn't have suspected the marriage had a time limit. They did not share their daughter's paranoia anyway.
His world and his friends and his social life was still alien to her. They talked about movies and TV shows she had never heard of. They talked about sport teams and games she hadn't even read a mention of in TOI. She was used to being quiet so she observed and listened when she went out with him. Many of his female friends were only interested in fashion and travel. Both Khanak had a limited knowledge of. He seemed comfortable with every conversation and every friend.
Each time they returned home after meeting friends she felt guilty about pulling him out of an ocean and setting him in a bowl. He was just the same. He didn't have a clue about her turmoil but she worried.
Sharmila Ghsoh's words rang in her ears each time she second guessed herself. "Be prepared for everything to be different"
She wondered who would have constituted her friends group if she had married within class, a middle class guy'''.
Sooraj was as shy as she was if not more. They rarely "hung out" or went to parties. They did lots of stuff together, but no loud noisy parties or pubs for either.
After the night they returned from Ahmedabad there hadn't been any mention of Sooraj. He hadn't shown any more curiosity. It was almost as if he didn't want to know any more. But for her'''. He remained''.. albeit in her thoughts'''
She went downstairs there was no sign of hubby. Dadi greeted her warmly, there was idlis for breakfast "From the Towers" she was told. She gorged as if there was no tomorrow, followed by filter coffee.
Her lunch was packed and ready to go, Pradip was downstairs.
"I could get used to this life style" she told herself, settling in, in the back seat.
------------------------
11:40 AM
Modi & Dastur
Her phone rings, its Kaka he sounds nervous and terrified
Khanak: Namaste Kakaji kya hua? Are you OK? (In Gujju)
Kaka: Tum kaam par ho?
Khanak: Haan, KYA HUA?
Kaka: Beta who
Khanak: kaki theek hain? Bache?
Kaka: haan. Par who
Khanak: BAI,? AADA? DADI? (shrieks)
There are people walking by her cube they look at her curiously
She grabs the phone and steps into the stairwell
Khanak: Kya hua Kaka?
Kaka: Beta tum aa sakti ho?
Khanak: Hua kya?
Kaka: Who Mehul hai na.
Khanak: Haan! Kuch hua kya? (she starts to cry profusely)
Kaka: Nahi'.. usko college se suspend kar diya.
The phone slips from hjer hand and clatters on the stairs.
Its in its casing and covered with protective film so it freezes up for a few minutes, she turns it on with trembling fingers and redials
Khanak: KYON KAKA?
Kaka: Maine usko bahut maara
She clamps her mouth in shock
Khanak: KAKA!
Kaka: Who Vice Chancellor ki bhanji ka aur uska kuch tha
Khanak: Yeh kya keh rahe hain aap?
Kaka: Haan beta
Khanak: Abhi kahan hai Mehul
Kaka: Abhi ek aadhe ghante pehle police lekar gayi usko.
Khanak: KIS BAAT PAR?
Kaka: College ka kehna hai ki usne aur kuch ladkon ne us ladki ko bhagaane ka plan banaya.
Khanak is sweaty and shocked, her heart rate is unimaginable.
Kaka: Beta?
She is quiet
Kaka: Beta tum aa sakti ho?
Khanak: Jee! (shuts her eyes and lets the tears flow freely)ššš
Edited by aditee - 14 years ago
Anupamaa
Real Estate
