Hi friends😊
Hetal told me to write an OS when the lights went out in the Modi household when whole of the family were having dinner together. So I have just put her idea on paper and I really hope you all find it interesting to read.😊Thank you!
The table was just set for dinner. Kokila sent Meethi to call the men of the house to come down for dinner. Gopi had made her Ahemji's favourite malaai koftas while Rashi had made Jigarji's favorite kadhaai paneer. The elder ladies as well as the younger ones also got themselves seated on the table to have dinner as it was already very late owing to the Holi preparations done in the house.
All were enjoying the delicacies and the conversations about the daily events were taking place as well.
"Ahemji! Will you have some more curry? And chapaati?" Gopi asked looking at Ahem's plate.
"No, I'll just finish what I have on my plate, that's it." He looked admiringly at his great chef wife. "Whatever be, no one can match her taste and culinary experience." He thought to himself.
"Mummyji! I'll just go to the kitchen to fill this bowl with daal." Rashi got up from her chair.
Suddenly, the light went out and everything became pitch dark!
"Mummyji! I am not able to see anything." Rashi said impatiently. But Jigar who was sitting close to her hold her hand tightly, making her freeze where she was standing.
"Maaji! What to do now? We haven't finished our dinner yet. How will everyone eat? I am very scared of darkness!" Gopi shot so many questions in one breath closing her eyes.
Ahem was amused at Gopi's squeals out of fear of darkness. His innocent wife was frightened of all the petty things in the world as cockroaches, darkness and being alone but could fight thieves and could tackle snakes! He was chuckling within himself.
"Meethi!!!!! Loii pinnini dobi duffod!!!!!! Bring the candle from the kitchen." Kokila ordered Meethi who was making chapaatis in the kitchen before light went out.
Gopi was scared to hell and remembering the times when Anita's ghost had haunted her, started shaking vulnerably. Ahem who was sitting on the next chair saw her and put his arm around her shoulders assuring her that nothing would happen. A sudden shiver ran down through Gopi's spine and she gathered herself in the dark and felt the security she had never felt before.
As Meethi came out to light the candles, Ahem released his arm and sat straight in his chair.
Everyone got back to eating their dinner fast as the candles were lighted. Since their generator wasn't working due to some damage, they had to depend on the power supply till they got it repaired. Kokila asked Ahem to call electricity department and inquire when power would be back.
"Mom! It would take minimum 2-3 hours and it might even take whole night if the problem is too big." He said after finishing his call. "Hey Krishna Bhagwaan! What to do now? Let's continue having our dinner and then we'll see. What else can we do?" Kokila said anxiously.
While having dinner, Ahem turned to pick his glass of water and noticed the rays of light from the candle were falling on Gopi's face making her shine like a pearl. His heart skipped a beat and his hand remained motionless hanging in the air.
Gopi sensed someone looking at her and turned to her right seeing Ahemji staring at her. She started blushing like anything and both of them looked into each other's eyes filled with fire of passion and love.
Suddenly, his hand came down tripping the glass of water and all the water fell towards Gopi making her saree wet. "Kanhaji! Where is this water coming from? Maaji! I think one glass of water fell down and all the water has come down on my side making my saree wet. I need to go up and change my clothes. Anyways I am done with my dinner." Gopi said worriedly.
"Gopi vau! Don't worry! You go to your room. Meethi and I will take care of the kitchen. And you are scared of the dark so Ahem will also go with you. Ahem dikra! Take Gopi vau to the room."
Ahem took a candle in his hands and got up from his chair. "Gopi! Come with me. Be careful."
Gopi gathered her saree and followed Ahem towards the stairs.
"Gopi you walk in front and I'll walk just beside you. I don't trust you at all. You are the best person to trip and fall for no reason." He smirked at her in the darkness.
"Ahemji! Even now you want to make fun of me." she said walking at snail's pace.
"Gopi! Walk a little faster otherwise we'll reach the room in the morning." Ahem again pulled her legs.
Both of them reached the stairs. Gopi started climbing them very carefully holding the railing with her hand. But somehow her saree came under her feet and she fell backwards right into Ahem's arms. And the candle slipped from his hand in this commotion and fell down and blew out.
Having her so close in his arms, he almost lost himself. Her fragrance was filling his entire being through the pores of his body. But steadying himself, he held her from the waist and made her stand straight, though it took him a while to come back to his normal self.
Now what to do? Either they could have gone back and got one more candle but Gopi was so scared of dark so instead he held her hand tightly and led her upstairs with him walking in front. As they reached the corridor, it was even darker than downstairs and he held her close to him and opened the door to their room as they reached there.
"Ahemji! I can't see anything here." "Gopi! There's no need to panick! I am here with you alright. You just hold my hand and we'll go to the couch at the far end of the window.
"Ahemji! I have to change my saree. It's very wet. I have to take out my saree from the cupboard?" Gopi said hesitatingly.
Ahem thought for a second and told her to hold his hand and come with him. "Gopi! I have a torch in my bag, I'll just take it out and then you can take out your saree from the cupboard." He went to bring the torch and also lighted some candles in the room after finding a matchstick in the drawer.
Gopi took the saree and went to the washroom to change it. But as she opened the door, she was scared to go inside. Ahem saw her hesitation to go inside and brought a candle to help her.
"Gopi! What happened? Why are you not going inside? Take this candle with you." He instructed her.
"Ahemji, but even then it would be dark inside and what if there are cockroaches?" she said fearfully.
"Why are you not listening to me? Nothing will happen to you! Just go inside and change otherwise you'll catch cold." He said in mock anger.
Unwillingly she went inside and closed the door. But in a minute he heard her shouting in the washroom.
"Gopi! Gopi! Gopi!!!!!! What happened now???? Is everything alright???" he hurriedly went close to the washroom door.
"Ahemji! Ahemji!!!!" was all she could say in shaking voice.
He didn't know what to do and opened the door of the washroom; she had forgotten to bolt it in her fear.
She ran towards Ahem and hugged him tightly. "Ji! Something has got up my back, I think it' some kind of insect or some cockroach!" She said jumping and shaking breathlessly. She was just in her blouse and petticoat and hadn't realized that she was just wearing this.
Ahem felt her breasts touching his chest sending stimulations in his body. Gulping his emotions down, he told her not to worry. "Gopi! Nothing will happen. I'll just check." He moved his hand down her back to find what was there. She realized that she had just taken off her saree and quivered feeling his hands touching her bare skin. She tried to free herself from his hold but he had held her tightly and was just finding what had crept on her back.
"Hold on Gopi! I have got the thing in my hands. Just stay motionless!" he ordered her sternly.
He brought it close to his hands and feeling the texture in little light coming from the candle and the open window, saw that it was a bird feather and started laughing.
"Gopi! This is just a feather and you were dancing like a monkey!" he chuckled at her.
Gopi was dying of shame seeing the situation she was in and just kept mum biting her lips nervously.
Ahem sensed her awkwardness and released her from his hold and picked the saree hanging from the hook.
"Gopi! Wear this saree fast and come out of the washroom. I'll just go and wait for you outside." He told her hoarsely.
She came out in a couple of minutes and he held her hand and made her sit on the couch near the window. He opened the window as he sat beside her and a rush of cool breeze came inside falling on Gopi's face and making her hair fly in waves.
Both felt themselves in an awkward situation on what to say and what not.
"Gopi! Why are so scared of dark when you are so brave in so many things?" Ahem asked Gopi with a concern in his voice, trying to break the silence.
"Ahemji! When I was a child, maamiji used to lock me in a dark room for whole night as a punishment when I tried going out of the house and made friends with the kids of the colony to study and play with them. Or when I used to put less or more salt in the curry and didn't wash clothes properly, she used to lock me up. I used to get real scared alone in the room for whole night and used to sleep in the chair only, sobbing whole night." Gopi shuddered thinking of her past.
While Ahem was shocked to hear what Gopi was saying and his teeth clenched at her maami's horrid acts and didn't know what else she might have done to her.
"But Gopi , why you didn't oppose her or tell maamaji about it," he asked her.
"Ahemji! Maami would have done everything right for me so why would I have questioned her." Gopi said innocently.
Ahem was dumb-founded at the simplicity of his wife and thought to change the topic making a promise to himself to deal with his maami later on.
"Gopi! Did you have your dinner properly?" was all he could ask.
"Ji Ahemji! I had it. Ahemji! When would this light be back? You won't be able to sleep without the fan in the night." She asked him soflty.
"I don't know and the weather is also hot now-a-days. Let's just wait for some more time." He continued looking at her in little light that was coming in the room from the window.
"Ahemji! I am feeling very thirsty. I want to drink water as I forgot to have after dinner." Gopi said looking out of the window.
Ahem went to the see the jug of water placed on the night stand but it was empty. "Gopi! This jug is empty so I'll have to go to the kitchen to refill it with water."
"But Ahemji, How will I stay alone in the room. I don't need water." She said fearfully.
"No! I'll bring water for you and there's nothing to be scared of here. You should get rid of your fear." He picked the jug and started walking.
"Ahemji! I'll also come with you downstairs." Gopi got up hurriedly and joined him.
Everyone seemed to be sleeping in their rooms. Both quietly went to the kitchen holding each other's hands and had water.
"I can't sleep like this!" Ahem muttered to himself. "Gopi! Let's walk outside for sometime till the power is back." He started walking towards the door.
She unlocked the door and both of them started walking in the courtyard.
It was just two days to be full moon. So moonlight was enough to see each other's face clearly.
Both were quietly enjoying the walk in the cool breeze flowing outside. "This weather is so pleasant here. I wish we could enjoy this forever." Ahem suddenly uttered this from his mouth.
"Ji! What did you say? Do you like to walk here? But we need to go back and sleep also. Tomorrow you have to go to office also." She reminded him.
"Yeah I know that. But I never had a free time like this in my life. I have always been busy studying or working whole of my life." He said lost in his thoughts.
Gopi was captivated by his child-like facial expressions showing their excitement and happiness in just small things in life.
"Ji! I also never had leisure time in life to do these things ever." She told him.
After walking for some time, both went to their room.
"Let's try to sleep as it's almost 11 o'clock now." Ahem took his wrapping sheet and went to lie on the couch. Gopi also lay on her bed and tried to fall asleep.
Ahem was tossing and turning on his bed and could not sleep at all. Seeing him restless, Gopi got up and asked him why he was not able to sleep.
"There are a lot of mosquitoes here on the bed! Damn them. They are sucking my blood and not letting me sleep." Ahem complained in frustration.
Seeing Ahem in trouble, Gopi got up from her bed and picked a hand fan from the side table and came towards Ahem's couch.
"Why have you come here? What are you going to do?" Ahem was puzzled seeing her there.
"Ji! Nothing. I thought to just help you." She said meekly and started fanning him slowly.
Ahem was left surprised at his caring wife and just kept staring at her face.
"How long will you do this? You'll get tired! I have an idea. The breeze outside was very cool. Why don't we sleep on the terrace as we had slept once on Diwali?" he jumped from the bed in excitement and picked his pillow and sheet.
"Ji! But we need beddings also for that." Gopi followed him.
He stood where he was and told her to show him where the beddings were and he would take them to the terrace. They went to the terrace and placed all the stuff on the floor.
She started spreading the beddings on the floor. "I'll also help you!" He held one corner and tried to spread it properly. Gopi looked at her changed husband in mixed feelings of awe and appreciation.
When their sleeping arrangements were done, they stood still as to what to do now. It didn't cross their minds that they had joined the beddings and were about to sleep together.
There was an eerie silence with even more mysterious sounds of the breeze filling up the whole environment.
Both of them quietly sat on the bed they had spread together. Seeing that keeping quiet would do them no good he took initiative to talk first.
"Do you remember Gopi last time when we had slept here, how badly I was sneezing and had gone down to drink water? You had seen me in trouble and had followed me to the kitchen." He said trying to start a conversation again.
"Ji Ahemji! I cannot see you in pain at all...I mean you were looking so unwell and helpless then." Gopi said softly.
"And I treated you so badly that night but you never replied me back and tolerated everything with patience." Ahem could not help saying it all out to her.
"Ji nothing like that. It's my duty to take care of you." Gopi replied meekly.
"But did I ever tell you Gopi that I had really felt good with your caring gesture that day and when I had come upstairs, I noticed a very peaceful expression on your face while you were sleeping. I did thank you internally from my heart." Ahem turned to look into her eyes.
"Ahemji! I also had got up few minutes later and saw you sleeping comfortably and ..." Gopi uttered without thinking and turned as red as a tomato.
Ahem saw his wife blushing and smiled to himself seeing that how much she loved him.
"Hmmn...so you were fooling me pretending to sleep when I had come on the terrace." He smirked at her.
"Ji... no...I was...just..." she blushed even more and started looking here and there.
Slowly he made himself comfortable on the bed with their conversation going on and she also eased herself soon enough to lie on the bed with him. He picked the wrapping sheet and spread it over her and spread one on himself as well.
"Thank you Ahemji!" she said smilingly.
"Pleasure is all mine darling!" he smiled back at her.
"Ji! What did you day in the end? She asked innocently.
"I said darling...it means the person is very dear and close to your heart." He told her feeling embarrassed at what he had just said...
She was blushing and smiling like anything on hearing his explanation.
"I think its quite late in the night and we should sleep now." He said in a low tone.
Both of them turned their back to each other and closed their eyes and tried to sleep. But being so near to each other and getting attracted with wild thoughts occupying their minds, they could not do so. Finally after a few minutes, both of them turned to face each other and seeing that the other person was also looking helpless, burst out laughing.
She was looking a pretty damsel under the moonlight and with her pallu coming off her head, her hair were flowing with the wind. This one evening the time which they had spent together talking and discussing normal things lessened their hesitation making them more open with each other.
He slowly brought his hand close to her and hugged her and enveloped her in his arms and both slept like this for whole night till the first chirpings of the birds broke the silence with the break of dawn.
xxx
"Thank you all!" 😊
Please leave your comments!😊
PS. All the credit goes to my dear friend Hetal who keeps on having Gohem dreams thus ending up with these outstanding ideas!😛🤗
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