~:The Accidental Wife:~ Note - 36 - Page 26

You can always find the updates in my blog too:

Also please check my new blog, where I'm posting some random poetry and other stuff. It'll also have updates on II- the book.

''''

Shan applied his ear to the door. He could hear the rumble of chatter from the crowd gathered below. Propping the door slightly open, he strained his ears harder, but couldn't distinguish his mother's distinctive commanding voice from the rest. He knew that she, along with the rest of his small family had arrived with much fanfare at least 10 minutes ago, when Ranbir uncle's ancient khattara Merc had pulled up in the driveway. Had the main purpose of their visit bypassed their minds in the excitement of meeting the rest of the clan?

What should I do? I can't just hide here in my room and wait for someone to break the door down! Khanak is right. I have to face the music. And if my mother tries to twist my arm into getting married to her beloved Renu or somebody , I will put my foot down and say that I'll remain loyal to my wife as long as I live even if she has no interest in me.

The thought conjured up Khanak's impassioned face in his mind, and with it came a feeling of emptiness which was immediately replaced with fury at himself. How could he waste his time thinking about her? Certainly she had no place in his life. None whatsoever!

He was jolted out of his musings by a couple of piercingly loud whistles. He ran out onto the balcony. A slim girl all in white, whose face was shrouded under a thick dupatta was standing below and waving wildly at him.

"Who the hell are you?" He shouted irritably, in no mood to be congenial, especially with the female of the species.

"Hush! Idiot! Tum toh bilkul gadhe hi nikle! It's me Khanak!" Lifting her veil. "Who else do you think will try to attract your attention like this? Now don't just stand there and stare. Give me a hand up!" She cast a wary glance around.

"What a weird girl you are!" Shan retorted smiling, noticing a sudden dissipation of his anxieties.

"Jaldi! Before I change my mind!"

Those words were enough for him to propel his legs over the railing and jump down.

She looked inquiringly at him, "Don't you know of the blanket trick? Picture nahin dekhte kya?"

"Nahin. Phir bhi, I think lifting you up would be quicker and much more efficient. You are such a tiny creature anyway." He said smiling down at her. It had escaped him until now that she was indeed quite small and delicate. Her forceful personality made her appear larger than life.

She snorted and managed to look profusely offended.

"C'mon, we have no time to waste!" He urged, cupping both his hands together and stooping down in front of her.

She looked doubtfully at him before removing her lucknowis and placing a dainty foot in his hands. Then using his shoulders as a step ladder, she reached up for the iron railing and tried to pull herself up.

Without hesitating a fraction, he placed both his hands on her backside, and pushed hard, hoisting her up. Then ignoring her loud gasp of shock, he followed immediately behind.

"How dare you handle me so intimately?" She exclaimed, her face all hot and flushed.

"There is no place for modesty right now. Besides feminine anatomy doesn't affect me at all!" He retorted promptly, though experiencing quite the contrary. But he wasn't willing to admit it, not even to himself. Instead he snapped brusquely at her, "Why did you come? Or did you suddenly take a liking to honesty?"

She laughed aloud, not appearing the least affronted. It was a pretty sight. "I felt bad for you. At first I thought that I will let your mother swallow you whole, then...' She shrugged her shoulders, "I felt remorseful and decided to come to your aid. Besides I was curious to see your tyrant mother." She said with a cheeky grin.

"I don't know what to say." Shan muttered, at a loss. She had managed to upset his rhythm completely and it annoyed him.

"Don't say anything, then. Let's just go down." She smiled, as though she knew exactly the effect she was having on him and ambled over to the door.

"Hey, you can't go down like that!" Shan said suddenly remembering the red box his chachi had given him. It was still lying on the spot where he had tossed it earlier that morning. He picked it up, "Wear whatever is in this and come down." She accepted reluctantly. " Till then I will try to hold the fort. People must be getting restless."

'
'
And they were...

As he stood at the head of the stairs, Shan could sense an undercurrent of unease. Anxiety was clearly written on many faces, while on others there was obvious bemusement. It was just a matter of time before all hell broke loose. He closed his eyes and fervently prayed that he was anywhere but here.

But his wish wasn't granted.

"Shantanu!"

Schooling a pleasant smile on his face, he let himself be enveloped in a series of hugs.

"A married man at last!" His father exclaimed unbelievingly.

Married man? Shan couldn't believe it either.

"My son!"

"Mom!" Grudgingly he accepted a loud smack on each cheek, fingers automatically rising to erase the smudges left by the deep pink lipstick.

"You look nerve-wracked and upset! Kya hua beta?" Shobha asked, her discerning gaze replete with worry.

"Ah..it's nothing, mom."

"Mama! My diehard bachelor brother has just got hooked! He is still in a state of shock. What else did you expect?" His sister pitched in with a knowing wink, coming to his rescue.

Shan smiled gratefully at her. Shubha had always acted as his shield, protecting him from the brunt of his parents' wrath, that somehow he frequently happened to arouse with his rebellious unconventional attitude. It was fortunate for him that over the years the anger had watered down into grudging tolerance.

But Shobha wasn't convinced. Experience had fine tuned her instincts to near perfection. She could smell a rat a mile away. "Where is my bahu? Or is she planning to remain incognito forever!" She demanded, shoving her son aside easily, despite her slight stature and prepared to march up the stairs.

"Mom, please...she's getting ready!"

"I don't care! If I don't see her now, then I won't see her ever!"

A sudden hush descended over the entire room. Shan saw everybody's eyes including those of this mother's focus on the staircase behind him. He followed their gaze and saw what had captured their attention. An ethereal vision in jewel encrusted gossamer was floating down to the accompaniment of the rhythmic tinkle of glass bangles, her identity concealed behind a thick veil of teal netting.

He wasn't sure if his heart stopped or his breathing or both, but he felt oddly spaced out, as she came to stand next to him...

A hard nudge to his ribs revived him, along with an urgent whisper,"Ghoonghat!"

"Wha..at?...Oh...!" With rigid hands, he followed the implied instruction and then stood staring blankly as apparently did the rest of the crowd. Even his nephew's constant whimpering had died down.

Her glorious eyes bordered by shimmering lids stared meaningfully at him. He blinked.

His mother recovered first, "Shantanu, introduce us."

"Uh.. mom... meet my wife, Khanak..umm Ranawat..."

"No.. Khanak Shantanu Mehta... I wouldn't want to be known by any other name." She said demurely, her flamboyant eyelashes fluttering coyly down.

"Waah Shobha waah! Seems like your bahu not only looks like an angel, but also knows how to snare your son's heart as well!" Roared Ranbir uncle, breaking the silence and sending everybody into merry titters.

Shantanu looked pleasantly confused, while Khanak colored deeply overcome with what appeared to be shy pleasure.

"Chalo, take your elders blessings! Now that Shan's beautiful mystery has been unveiled!" Shubha said as she gazed admiringly at Khanak, then enveloped her into a warm hug.

Shantanu, letting out an inward sigh of relief, bent down in unison with Khanak.

"No! First I have to satisfy myself that she is indeed worthy of being my daughter in law!" Shobha said sternly.

"Aww c'mon mom! She's my wife for crying out loud!" Shantanu blurted out in an incensed tone, causing Khanak to throw him a startled look. She smiled reassuringly at him before mutely allowing herself to be led away.

My wife?! WTH did I say there? Shan thought glaring at her receding back. She is really not my wife, at least not in the true sense. Or is she? Damnit!

Hey Bhagwan, now what does she expect of me? Khanak thought fretfully as Shobha sat her down by her side on the settee, and subjected her to a minute perusal. Sasuma seems to have been watching a lot of TV in anticipation of today.

"Alright! You seem to like the natural look and that's good! I'm not fond of face paint. Makes girls look like bhoots!" Shobha admitted reluctantly...then clearing her throat she said, "I saw that you can talk and talk well. But can you cook?"

Khanak shook her head, "Uh..not much..."

"Yeah mom, she's a very good cook. She made superb upma today." Shan volunteered from his spot of observance, even though he hadn't meant to.

"What? When? In your dreams? As far as I've been told, bahu didn't step out of your room until just now!" His mother retorted aloud making everyone laugh and Khanak stare furiously at him.

"It was a good try to save your wife, but you failed beta." Shobha declared with a smug smile. Then she turned to Khanak, "It is a tradition in our family that a new bahu has to make dessert for everybody without any assistance whatsoever!"

"But mom!..Khanak..."

"Shut up Shantanu! You did your manmaani. Now it's my turn! What say bahu?" Shobha said glaring at Khanak, to which she dumbly agreed.

"Now let's move on. Do you know any handicrafts"

Khanak shook her head again, thinking that she was turning out to be a really lousy daughter in law.

"Mom, she's a photo journalist. I've seen her work. It's beyond compare!"

"Wow.. appears like my little brother is completely lattu over his wife. Nothing you do can change that, ma. You lose!"Shubha said with a giggle, causing Khanak to turn crimson.

"As if I care! Get lost Shantanu! You have no place amongst us women!" Shobha said banishing her son. He left in a huff, leaving his wife looking utterly flustered.

He took position in a secluded alcove, from where he could monitor the goings on undisturbed. He watched silently as she was put through a thorough grilling.

"My parents? Uh..I am an orphan. I was brought up by my maternal uncle and his wife. But I've been on my own for the past four years. My mami hates me. She was happy to wash her hands off me. They were here for the wedding and promptly thereafter departed for Malaysia. That is where they are living now. If you contact them, you'll probably not get a good report of me."

That was news to Shan. But then he knew nothing about her at all. Khanak was very much mystery to him, and that included her odd behavior--one instant soft and genteel and the very next, aggressive and belligerent. He could tell that she detested all the attention that was being heaped on her, though she was trying to appear cool about it. The fire in her eyes could burn the entire house down. But he felt no inkling of empathy. Rather, in his opinion, she deserved it. A sardonic smile flickered across his lips when her eyes flashed in his direction. She quickly looked away.

"Hey man!" A familiar voice shouted in his ear and made him jump, "What's up? You can't take your eyes off her. Seems like they are stuck by a strong adhesive!"

Shan twisted around,"Rudy? You here?"

"After I heard that you'd found someone, I couldn't control my curiosity dude!" Rudy replied. "But let me tell you, you've made an excellent choice! Kya cheez hai yaar! If I didn't have Shirin on my back..." He said looking longingly at Khanak.

"Watch it now!" Shan retorted angrily, "She's not like Renu. Nor is she for sale. She's off bounds!"

His friend appraised him in wonder, "I'll be damned! You are smitten, absolutely besotted! Must say she is eye candy.. girls like those can be distracting man! They are not for you. Whatever made you choose her?"

"What the F*** do you mean?" Shan countered, "She doesn't affect me at all! I...she just happened to fit my requirements to the T."

"If you say so." Rudy said, with a knowing smile in his hawk like eyes, "But a girl like that needs attention yaar. If you just go about your business as usual, she may get bored and go looking somewhere else."

"Whatever she does, you have no right to get any ideas about her. She's my wife and I want to make sure you get that fact crystal clear!"

"We shall see about that...no girl is immune to Rudy's charms."

"Rudy!" Shan blistered, his hands bunching into fists... But he found himself suddenly distracted by a small group of females who had gathered in front of him.

A giggling Shubha pushed Khanak who was hiding in the back to the fore. She was holding a small bowl with something in it. "Here! Since you chose her, you get to be the guinea pig."

Khanak's hands trembled as she extended the spoonful of kheer towards Shan. Please, say it's okay. Please! Her huge dark eyes implored silently.

His face twisted into an expression of disgust. "You better taste your handiwork too!" He reproved before placing a loaded spoon into her mouth.

Her eyes opened wide in surprise, "But it's fine!"

"Did I say it wasn't?" He grinned teasingly at her.

"Ayee hayee! Kya baat hai! Dulhe miyan bahut ishmart ho gaye hain! Look how he makes our bahu blush!" Rashmi chachi laughed, as Khanak eyes sought the ground.

Shobha pulled her into a bear hug, "Bahu, I was just playing with you. I knew you were perfect for my Shantanu as soon as I laid eyes on you. But kya karoon aadat se majboor hoon!" Then looking at her bewildered son, she said, "Now what are you waiting for, won't you touch my feet?"

The rest of the day went by in a rush; meeting and greeting relatives, receiving gifts and seeking blessings with Khanak bearing the brunt of it all.

It was close to 11 in the night, when the last of the guests had finally taken their leave, and Khanak looked almost ready to collapse under her own weight.

Shan relented. Poor girl, she had come to help him after all.

"My wife needs to sleep..." He announced to no one in particular.

There was an outburst of laughter. People seemed to find them terribly amusing as a couple. Khanak glanced at him momentarily confused, then her cheeks caught on fire. Nobody complained when they excused themselves and hurried upstairs.

'
'

"OMG... What a family you have!" Khanak exclaimed as soon as he shut the door, then began peeling off her sari. He stared rapt.

"Turn around! This isn't a striptease!" She said pushing him against the wall. "And no peeking!" She warned when she saw him glancing at her image in the mirror.

He grinned to himself, "Yes they are kind of crazy and overwhelming. My mother is the worst. She must have sent your pic to all her friends by now."

"So you never shared Deepika's photograph with her?"

"No, I wanted to keep it a surprise." Thank God, I did.

"Here... take your amanat." She said, handing him the jewellery she had discarded.

"Don't you want to keep any of these?" He picked up the payals. They made a pleasant tinkling sound.

"Why? Do you think I'm doing this for some kind of payment?"

"No..I just felt..." He looked chagrined.

"Keep your feelings to yourself. I don't want anything that wasn't meant for me. Maybe you'll find use for it in the future, when you consider having a relationship with someone other than just your work." She said seriously, before heading over to the balcony.

"You are leaving...?"

She glanced back, "I'd better, I think. Before it gets too late..." Her eyes filled up with a deep melancholy. But it all seemed a momentary illusion, when she smiled brightly, "Besides I have a job and students who depend on me. I can't afford to go on a vacation."

He followed her to the railing, automatically repeating the act of the night before. It seemed to have become a routine. "But what will I say when they ask me about your whereabouts in the morning?"

She peered up at him. He was holding on tight to her arms. He did not seem to want to let go. A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it before replying, "Think of something. You're brainy enough, aren't you?"

He didn't hear a single word. Her face absorbed all his attention. She looked like a dream. Perhaps that was exactly what she was--- a dream.

"Please, let me go..."

His grip grew tighter as she began to struggle to free herself. Rudy was right. A girl like Khanak was not for the likes of him. But somehow the notion seemed to rile him. He let go of her arms and made sure she was safely on the ground, before briskly turning away and disappearing inside his room.

"Shan...please understand." Khanak called after him, her eyes filling up with moisture. When he didn't respond, she steeled herself, and headed out onto the street where her scooty was parked. It's better this way. We were never meant to be.

At the gates, she looked back and waved at the empty balcony, "Good bye for the last time."

You can find the video posted on the blog.