Part 19
20th January 2011, 10:00 AM
"What are you doing?" Shaan crept up behind Khanak in the kitchen, making her jump. She looked at Shaan and felt herself blushing deeply. Reprimanding herself for being so weak around him, she went back to washing the chicken, getting a strange feeling that she was quite used to doing what she was. "Khanak WHAT are you doing?" Shaan repeated, more loudly this time.
"I am cooking." Khanak said shortly, her back still towards Shaan.
"I can see that----laikin abhee say kyun? Abhee toh nashta kiya hain----aur main aj dad kay office jar raha hoon----main lunch par ghar par nahi honga----" he said in a typical main-tumhara-pati-hoon tone.
Khanak turned around and gave Shaan a shifty look making him raise his eyebrows. "Aap ko kisnay kaha kay main AAP kay liyay bana rahee hoon?" she asked crisply.
Shaan frowned. Who else would she be cooking for? She ALWAYS made chicken for him, just because he loved it though she would never eat it herself. "Toh phir kiskay liyay?" he asked forcefully, still frowning. "I mean----ermmm-----"he realized he had reacted too strongly "---- iss ghar main sirf MAIN hee chicken shauk say khaata hoon---"
"Aap bhool rahay hain----humaray ghar mehmaan aayyay hain----main Adi jee kay liyaya bana rahee hoon----" she turned around and smiled. "Un ko pasand hain----" she said continuing to smile at the chicken now. 'There. That should do the trick' she thought. 'Ub in kee saree akar nikal jayay gee! In ko hur waqt apnay agay peechay log chahiyay na'sub in hee kay liyay kuch na kuch kartay rahay---ub dektee hoon main---kaisay yay apni marzi chalatay hain----'
Predictably Shaan became very annoyed. He made a face which made him look like he was chewing his tongue. 'She's making chicken for Adi! Urghh! No way! I am the ONLY man in her life she can make chicken for!' he thought angrily, his palms becoming fists.
"Main aj parlour ja rahee hoon na---" Khanak said suddenly excited. "Mummy ji lay kar ja rahee hain---haircut kay liyay---toh socha jaldi khana bana doon---!" she said happily.
"What?!" Shaan said, his anger rising to the surface now. He had not allowed Khanak to get a full hair cut since the time they had got married. He had loved her hair long and had wanted them to stay that way and if possible grow even longer. And Khanak knew that! But ofcourse she would have forgotten this little detail too, he scoffed. "Khanak tum-----"
Just then Madhvi walked inside the kitchen and interrupted Shaan who stopped talking. "Khanak! Humari 12 bajay ki appointment hain----"
"Woah woah woah hang on MUM!" Shaan looked at her pointedly. "KHANAK is getting a haircut?" his look turned into a glare.
Madhvi didn't meet Shaan's eyes. "Haaan----wohh Khanak ko chotay baal chahiyay----toh uss nay KHUD kaha mujh say-----"
"Mom---I can hear dad calling you outside----" Shaan interrupted her, his teeth still gritted. "Oh he's calling me too! Let's BOTH go outside----" he said giving another sharp look to his mother.
Madhvi went outside sheepishly. Shaan followed while Khanak looked on confused. "MOM!! You know perfectly well I don't want Khanak to get a haircut" he said angrily once outside.
"Well she wants it so it's too late---"Madhvi said to him and turned to leave.
"You drilled it into her! You did right?! ---Aur waisay bhee Khanak ko PATA hain kay mujhay chotay baal nahi pasand!" Shaan said agitatedly.
"Acha?" Madhvi said smiling a little. "Bhool gayee hogee---"
"Mom!" Shaan looked at his smiling mother in disbelief. "You're using her amnesia to your own advantage!! You know Khanak would never get a haircut without MY permission!You just want her to look all cool like your friends' DILs!"
Madhvi fake gasped. "Hawww! Look who's talking about using her amnesia to their advantage! Halwa Kheer kahani yaad hain?! You were the one who MADE her make the halwa inspite of knowing she doesn't know how to! Atleast I am making her do something she WANTS to do!"
Shaan opened his moth to retort then shut it again. He was speechless. Khanak making chicken for Adi. Khanak getting a haircut. Did I really wake up next to Khanak this morning?
"Want a ride to work Shaan?" Mitul came and stood next to him, clapping him on his shoulder.
"Yea---" Shaan said distractedly and left with Mitul. Mitul turned to look at Natasha at the top story of the house. He winked at her which Natasha took to mean "You know what to do".
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20th January 2011, 11:00 AM
"Hi Khanak!" Natasha said brightly entering the kitchen. Khanak looked at her and gave her a smile with difficulty. Natasha looked amused. "Oh wow chicken! I LOVEE chicken!" she said. "Aur Shaan ko-----"
"Mujhay pata hain Shaantanu ko chicken pasand hain!" Khanak said shortly interrupting Natasha.
Natasha smiled inwardly and said nothing. 'Hmm it's working---' she thought. 'Am I lucky today or what?'. She made her way to the cabinets of the kitchen. She opened one cabinet after the other looking for something. After several minutes of her searching spree Khanak got irritated and asked Natasha what she was looking for.
Natasha turned dramatically."Oh I'm looking for oil----to put in my hair-----yahi rakha hota hain na?" she asked. Khanak looked at her suspiciously. Why did Natasha suddenly want to oil her hair?
"Wohh mujhay baal lambay karnay hain na----" she looked down pretending to be shy. Khanak raised her eyebrows at her. "Bilkul tumhari tarah----tumharay kitnay lambay baal hain! And you know----mujhay toh lambay baak itnay pasand nahi hain----laikin inko-----inko lambay baal buhat pasand hain----" Natasha stopped talking, feigning shyness again. Khanak made a face looking at Natasha.
"Inko? Kon inko? Mitul jee?" Khanak asked sarcastically with a straight face.
Natasha had been prepared for this attack from Khanak. Smiling at her sweetly she slowly said "That's for me to know and you to find out---" She resumed looking for the oil. Immensely irritated and annoyed, Khanak walked to the far end of the cabinet, opened it and thrust the bottle of hair oil in Natasha's hand. Natasha thanked her with her flowery smile. This time Khanak did not return it.
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20th January 2011, 11:00 AM
"Shaan I actually wanted to talk to you about---about bhabhi---" Mitul said turning his face towards Shaan while driving.
"Hmmm' Shaan said. 'Big surprise' he thought. 'Everyone in the world wanted to talk to him about Khanak!' "Yes what new piece of advice do you have for me?" he asked sarcastically.
Mitul looked at him calmly. "No advice. I wanted to talk about her condiditon." He said in a straightforward way.
"Oh" Shaan said guiltily. "Yea---carry on---" he shifted uncomfortably. Mitul always talked sense. He had to keep his sarcasim out of any conversation he had with him, he realized.
"Okay firstly I need to get some scans of bhabhi done. I need to figure out her progress. She seems to be recalling a lot less than what she did 2 months ago---- which is NOT a bad sign----" he said as he saw Shaan crick his neck looking immediately worried. "'It's just that I wanted to track the development in her level of recall---for that she'll need to come to the hospital ofcourse----secondly you're doing a good job by not letting her find out stuff that goes out of sequence---so she's recalling what happened in her life in the order of which it happened----If I am not wrong she remembers that she had moved into your room?"
"Yea I guess---" Shaan thought back. "Though she hasn't mentioned it yet---I think---" Shaan tried to recall.
"Fair enough. And it's a good thing that she has moved into your room now---it'll help her brain to stimulate the memories of that phase that errr you guys fell in love----" Mitul said a bit embarrassed. Shaan smiled. Mitul was being a loyal friend and doctor. He could not have asked for a better person to be with him and Khanak at this testing time. "Anyway the point is----that I think we should not just ignore her condition now----it's at a tricky phase especially also since her body is going through changes because of the miscarriage----ANY trauma at this stage is sure to affect her adversely----her brain has only just got used to your entire family surroundings and it should gradually continue " he took a deep breath and finished. "WHICH brings me to my wedding with Tasha----" he sighed.
Shaan grinned. "Ha! You're just giving me this lecture because you wanted Khanak to be pefect before your wedding and you can see it not happening!"
Mitul gave Shaan a dirty look which erased the look of gleeful sarcasm from Shaan's face. "Ermm I mean-----you're doing awesome! Seriously I don't know what I would do without you---errr" Shaan made an apologetic face as Mitul continued to look stern as he drove. "So ermmm---seriously when do I send Khanak to your house----I mean hospital?" he asked trying to change the topic lamely.
Mitul looked at him "As soon as possible---I would say RIGHT after she comes back from her 'hairCUT' he empahsised on the last word deliberately, making Shaan take a double take.
"Oh shurrup!" he said to Mitul digruntedly.
"Ahh revenge is sweet---" Mitul said, a little smile playing on his lips.
"What were you saying about your wedding?" Shaan asked mildly annoyed.
"Yes the wedding. We're going to be having it in 2 days. Tasha is going to continue to live at your place. No one is supposed to know. Not even----err--- her dad---or my mother----"
Shaan felt uncomfortable. Mitul and Natasha were doing so much for him and Khanak. They were putting their own happiness at bay just so that Khanak would be safe. They were prepared to live separately till Khanak became perfectly okay. All of a sudden Shaan felt miserable. He was coming in the middle of their happiness, Mitul and Natasha's, JUST because he was not telling Khanak that he loved her. His own fear was causing his friends happiness to be taken away from them. How could he be so selfish? 'That's it!' he finally thought. 'It's time to tell Khanak that I love her' he sighed but smiled.
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20th January 2011, 12:00 PM
Predictably Khanak made an excuse and refused to go to the parlour for a hair cut. Nastasha was ecstatic. "God! Even after THIS if she does not go up to Shaan and tell him that she loves him I will KILL someone!" Natasha said to herself as she touched her oiled hair. Khanak went up to her room and lay down on her bed. She felt a bit weak and her head hurt. Flashes of Natasha cooking for Shaan entered her head, the time when Natasha had made kheer for Shaan. Shaan had loved long hair! And she was being so stupid and going to get it cut! How many more things about Shaan did she not know, she wondered miserably. She closed her eyes bitterly. When she opened them Simran was standing in front of her looking at her smiling.
"Itna pyaar karti ho unsay toh bata kyun nahi daitee?" she said to Khanak simply.
Khanak looked up at Simran. "Tumhay kaisay pata?" she asked innocently, pouting a little.
"Hum nay tumhari aankhon main dekha hain---aur unn ko hee lambay baal pasand hain-----" she added.
Khanak looked at her sharply. "Tumhay kaisay pata?!" she asked more forcefully this time. Did all the girls in the world EXCEPT her know that her husband liked long hair!?!
Simran smiled and did not answer. "Tum unko ek chithee likho----" she finally said. "Chithee parh kar woh jaan laygay----tumharay dil ki baat-----"
"Laikin-----" Khanak started.
"Humara yakeen karo----" Simran said getting up and still smiling. "Buss khyaal rakhna---kay ISS bar chithee GALAT haathon main na ajayay----" and saying this she left the room leaving Khanak confused about what Simran had just said.
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20th January 2011, 1:00 PM
"What?! Delhi? NOOO!" Shaan said. "I have work here!" he said to his agent over the phone. "No! Not even 2 days! I can't! FINE!" Shaan cancelled the call as he entered the house in a bad mood. He saw everyone sitting at the lunch table chatting away.
"Oh my God Khanak this is AWESOME!" Khushboo said. "It's better than the last time when you made it! That time even you thought there was too much pepper in the chicken na?" Shaan looked at Khushboo panicking and shook his head vigourously still standing. Luckily Khushboo saw him "I mean----ermm---tumko laga tha kay pepper zyada hain----"
Khanak smiled. "Wohee main sochoo bhabhi---kay main toh chicken khaati hee nahin----"
Shaan coughed to get attention. Khanak looked in his direction then looked down shyly. Shaan noticed her uncut hair and his heart leapt. He smiled broadly forgetting all about his out-of the blue trip to Delhi that night that his agent has JUST told him on the phone. Throwing his guitar in the corner he came to sit at the table to eat his favourite dish.
"Aray Adi jee apnay toh liya hee nahi----"Khanak said putting a helping of chicken in his plate while Simran looked on chuckling to herself. Shaan looked at the sight and felt highly irritated. Just then Khanak appeared before him and put a serving in his plate too, smiling as she did. Her long hair tickled Shaan's arm as she stood there serving him and he looked up at her as though in a trance. He didn't even realize when he just grabbed Khanak's free palm and made her sit on the chair beside him. Looking closely he thought she looked a bit ill.
"Sub khud khana lay laingay----tum baith jao----" he whispered in his husky voice making Khanak blush. Passing the palak paneer dish to her he leaned towards her and whispered "Nice haircut!" making Khanak, if it was possible, blush even more.
"Mainay haircut nahi karaya---" Khanak said smiling. It was important to explain to Shaan this little fact.
"Hmmm---" Shaan said taking a deep breath. "That's why I said it was nice----" he smiled. Khanak smiled shyly.
"Chicken kaisee hain?" Khanak asked softly, looking down shyly.
"Hmmm achee hain----Adi kay liyay nahi banaee hoti toh shayad aur bhee achee hoti----" Shaan joked as Khanak laughed.
Adi jee kay liyay nahi thee----" Khanak said smiling now.
"Jaanta hoon---" Shaan said breathlessly.
Khanak laughed, then stopped abruptly realizing she was in the middle of the entire family. Shaan became serious too and looked around. For five glorious minutes he and Khanak had been in a world of their own. Luckily noone was looking at them. Shaan took the opportunity to tell Khanak about her trip to the hospital and his trip to Delhi. By the end of it Khanak's good mood had disappeared as soon as it had come.
"Khanak bus yuhi formality kay liyay scans hain----kuch serious nahi hain---Mitul ko buss observe karna hain---aur err mujhay rehersal kay liyay----" But Shaan stopped talking suddenly as he saw Khanak's eyes go out of focus . She raised her hand to hold her head and tried to get up but Shaan pulled her down, looking positively worried. "Khanak? Khanak?! " he held her shoulders and before he could say another word Khanak had fainted in his arms, Shaan grabbing her just seconds before her head hit the table.
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Bhabhi Ji Ghar Pe Hain?
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
