SW Symphony 62 -- Faith & Faux Fur - Page 37

No updates today???

Keep the car lose the man!!

Amma II and Sam went with Appa to shop for II's godh bharai saree
There was a change of plans for lunch, Amma told her Sam must come over since II had requested coconut rice and yogurt gravy (the Iyer karhi)
Sam summoned Sitaraman, and hosted lunch for all
Amma told Bala about the plan

His mother was again not doing well, so he declined the offer

II had sent over a collage of Shubhangs' 0-6 month pictures in a huge
glossy poster of sorts, 10 feet by 8 feet, with lil motifs of pacifiers, and trucks and tools strewn all over

The relationship between her and Akka was OK for the most part
After the hospital related debacle

II had sent flowers and chocolates three days in a row

Akka had finally called her at work and yelled

"Innum oru naal flowers anupiney ne, mavale onna vandu konnuduven" (send me flowers one more day I will kill u)

II had laughed and Akka had too

II had met her at Sam's for NY eve party
Her MIL was home from the hospital by then, Bala would have been broke if she had continued to be there from the week of Nov 22nd to January 1st

She was actually sent home mid December
She needed surgery for her liver, some obstruction of some sort

The fever was recurring until they detected what was wrong with her
The surgery was planned for March until her BP stabilized


"Athim what did Akka think of the poster?' II gushed

"Very nice kanna. She is in the shower now" Athim informed

"Shower at almost 1:30?" II expressed shock

"U know getting Shubhang ready, making breakfast, running around with the maid, grading mid term answer sheets from college" he defended his wife passionately

"I must record this and play it for Akka" she whispered

"She knows how much I care for her" Bala said smugly

"Akka is very lucky" II said somberly
Unable to speak for a few minutes after wards

"Have u had lunch?" he asked

"No we just came to Sam's house" II informed

"Amma told her she was making ur fave?" Bala laughed

"No Sam hijacked lunch and Sitaraman Mama is here making coconut rice and yogurt gravy" II explained

"JUST LIKE THAT?" bala asked sighing

"Sam is  very stubborn" II said vehemently

"They are rich people" Bala said cynically

"Are u guys coming for lunch?"

"Not possible kanna" he said... firmly this time

She requested him to put Shravu on the phone, Shravu described baldie's reaction to the poster
And accused her of not doing anything for HER

"Your poster will be here within a week" she promised smugly
"Chithi NO pictures in diaper or naked"

"Poda!! Thats a determination I WILL MAKE Chithi the great" II said evilly

"If u do I will tell Uncle R how you fell on the subzi wala staring at the cute boy in D II 973" Shravu said

"PAAVI" II cursed

WHEN DID U BECOME SO MATURE?
I THOUGHT U WERE MY LIL INNOCENT BABY
WHEN DID U GROW UP?
AYYO!!

There was a tallish Kashmiri guy II ogled at occasionally, she was "involved with Subbu" but whats the harm in looking right?

Threeish years ago one Saturday when he had come by to spend the day, she went down
with him to drop off presswala's clothes and get extra Mother Diary milk for Amma and had stared at the dude and fallen over a reri wala's cart

"I texted Uncle R about it" Shravu said

"Peachy!!!" "Then u cant blame me for putting naked pictures on the collage" she chuckled

"What is baldie doing?" II sighed

"He is in Kamakshi paati's madi (godee) and sleeping, paati and him BOTH drool" Shravu laughed uncontrollably
II felt bad Akka was stuck with her maid and the deaf Athai

II had approached the topic yet again after her MIL had returned from the hospital

Unwittingly her lost car had ended her auto loan and insurance had given her FMV fair market value of a car that was
27% paid (she had bought the Altis LE for Rs.15.2 lakhs) until the day it was stolen
Her payment was Rs.14,500 a month, that was saved now
She had gotten approx Rs. 2.28 lakhs from insurance

There was a big fight over her car buy
A new S Class merc had shown up at the door  LITERALLY GIFT WRAPPED, in a red silk ribbon, TWO HUGE bows one over the bonnet and one over the top
(takes two to wrap a new car?)
and a Sales Manager from Gurgaon MGF Merc was waiting in the lounge when she had returned from work
Thinking they must be a guest of Ranjan she went into the kitchen and sent snacks and chai out

Mahavir came back to tell her, they wanted to see her

"My FIL is not home, hes the car guy" she giggled sheepishly

"But this car is in your name, we just need a couple signatures" the semi balding man promised  "OK thats  a lie I need 22 signatures to be accurate" he laughed

"I" II began
She texted Ranjan instead

"Dad a Merc guy is here with a new car" she said

"Chaliye jee changa, bande ko pej den aap, gaadi phad len" he sent a series of ROFL

"Well he wants my signatures" II texted

"Oh teri... apne miya nu pooch raje" he coaxed

"There is a car guy at the door, and a bow tied car"

"In a second II" he said

Sauntering in the living room casually

The Logistics RTO girl ogled... patiently drinking in the check shirt the skinny cords and the green wool scarf and the two day old stubble

The Sales Mgr had smiled sheepishly and nudged her

"Mr Bhalla?"

"Hi!" he smiled

Bending down to grab a samosa from the plate

He waved to Mahavir to get him a Sam Adams

"We need her signatures" the guy said

"Thanks" R&B said

"Here you go Maam" the guy handed her  two sets of keys with the keyless attachments

"Umm" II  smarted, stepping back

"I have to talk with him first" she mumbled

"How about u sign first" said her QUIET HUSBAND

RAKSHASANEY!!
I DID NOT ASK YOU TO BUY ME A CAR
I DONT WANT A CAR FROM YOU
MAKES ME JUST LIKE CHACHU'S BAHUS
MAKES ME JUST LIKE ANOTHER JOR BAGH WIFE

"Can we talk?" she whispered

"After u sign II" he insisted


The employees looked at each other amazed

I mean WHICH WIFE will say no to a MERCEDES?

II  sat on the Louis chair gracefully

"May I see the papers?" she said calmly

The employees handed her a stack

"Dad said they might find the car" she looke dup at her husband

"That would be great" R&B said expressionlessly

YOU PROBABLY THINK I AM SMOKING METH
LOST CAR FOUND?
IN DELHI?
BWAHA HA HA HA

She signed with flourish  "Ishita Bhalla"

One signature did not like another one
She had never practised her married name, she didnt know how to get it to be uniform

When she was done, she stood up  "Can I talk with u please?" she asked

They went into the cavernous formal living room with its grand staircase  on one side

"Its an expensive car" she said

He stood hands tucked in his pockets

"I dont want a Rs. 45 lakh car" she said

"Its not quite 45" he murmured

"I want to pay you for it" she said

He had walked out!!

She hadnt driven it.
Left the keys in the Mandir

When the topic of his return came up end of December, before the whole Ranjan Chachu fiasco

"I wont go if u start driving the car" he offered her a bait
"Thats not even  the truth yet I will bite it" she whispered as pressed on her one night, his hand between her legs

"Tomorrow" he had warned

She was too aroused to care at that point

He sat by her as she drove to Sarojini Nagar Ganpati temple and Malai Mandir

They had had two big fights over the cost of the car... more on that later

Bottomline she had enough free flowing cash to spoil her sister's kids ... for now...

WHEN DID U BECOME SO MATURE? I THOUGHT U WERE MY LIL INNOCENT BABY WHEN DID U GROW UP? AYYO!!

Lovely there bond has been the best and the most unpretentious and free of all worries and now when the kid grows up II wonders when did it happen.

So aka ND her patch up..WHT a cute way by sending flowers and  chocolates, so like II

Middle Class Iyer & a Soulless jock

Black was an extremely popular color at Delhi Nalli for Kanjeevarams
The women from the North preferred it for night weddings, as was the norm


People gathered around them in the store answering their every question
It was drizzling outside
II was dressed in jeans and a cashmere, she had atleast a dozen jeans (Thanks to Sam!!)
She wrote a check to Sam for the first shipment from the US
Sam's MIL had shipped those for II

II chuckled secretly imagining the look on Tan's Mom's face at diktat from Tan

The SIL from Wisconsin was really nice, she insisted on Skyping with II
And watched her measure every inch of the belly, as she chatted with a Neiman Marcus Sales Associate

II wanted ONE maternity pair she got 6 in the first batch and another six two weeks ago

Amma was in her simple non zari Kanjeevarams, which she wore in winter for warmth

Sam wore some designer skirt and boots

Lasya wore a pink jumpsuit and dangling strawberries for earrings and a strawnerry pattenered elastic hair band

The Sales girls in the store all wanted to hold her

Lasya suddenly found II appealing
Faced with papparazzi... she clung to II

"Poyendee... rakshasi" (why cant u let them hold u?) II hissed in those plump ears

Lasya cooed and just waved

"TV la varume diaper advertisement la, aduva ka?" (is she part of the Huggies commercial?) one girl asked

"Ivala? No no!! without being a celebrity she has so much attitude" II crushed the fatso

Sam and Amma took for every II liked six sarees

"Only these Ma" she teased

Amma squirmed... afraid if II was serious

"Ayyo ma... I was kidding" II whispered in her ear later

II felt Lasya's strawberry in her ear...

The day after Lasya's first Bday in November was the second big fight over the new car
She had found him in the balcony after work that evening

Sam had pestered her for a "treat" for the new car

"Sam wants a treat, since I didnt not buy it, I think you should take her out" she said flatly

He threw his book on the swing and pulled the second plug off his ear and drank all of his water

And pressed on the floor with his heel sending the swing swaying

"She seems to think I bought it and its not true" II continued mercilessly

"NOT TALKING is not going to make it true" she was pissed

There was a pattern now to their fights, she provoked and ranted and hurled and flung stuff at him verbally he
listened for the longest time and then fired once from his rocket launcher, shelling everything in sight

"Its embarrassing to me to take credit for something I did not do. I refuse to act like I bought it" she approached him

Too bulging and wobbly to stand and fire away

"Did you tell her exactly that?" he challenged, softly

"Yes, maine unko kaha my car is still lost I ve been gifted a umm... umm.. half a crore car" II said sitting down at the edge of the swing

"Does the price hurt your ego or the fact that I bought it for you?" he asked succinctly

"BOTH" she said agitated

"It doesnt bother you one bit that it might have been intended as a gift?" he asked emotionlessly

"Mujhe itna mehanga gift nahi chahiye" she quivered, her lower lip trembling

"WHY?" he asked reasonably

"Why??? Why?" she fumbled not expecting him to ask so directly

"Yes II... why?" he repeated

"Kyon ki mujhme aur baaqi wives mein koi faraq nahi rahega" she said huskily
Her head hanging in shame

"Which wives?" he asked

II couldnt bring herself to say Sam and Manya and Chachu's bahus...

She suddenly felt a rush of guilt at veering so close to things she had avoided

"A car is iconic for who you are?" he asked blandly

"My personally ek Toyota bhi afford nahi kar sakti... Mercedes to bilqul bhi nahi" she cleared her throat multiple times

" So u will live the life of a wife, not impacted by the luxury of your husband?" he asked

"Aisa nahi hai, I live in this big... mansio... house... house... I enjoy Chef night I get maternity clothing fron Neiman Marcus"

"But u wont drive a nice car"

"I agree it sounds shallow and flaky to enjoy somethings and reject the others, but gaadi bahut mehangi hai" she cringed

"Not again" he hissed

It pissed him off to hear her mention the same thing over and over again

"Sach hai... to kehne mei kya galti hai?" she challenged

He paced the balcony furiously

"I DONT like the sound of it" he warned, waving a finger

"Our feeling is mutual then" she said firmly (feeling of being a spoilt brat of a South Delhi wife)

"Can I pay you for it?" she asked recklessly

"No" he said gritting his teeth

He leaned on the wall facing the rail

"You never asked me... its lost not burned up or destroyed" she went on the defensive

"The chances of it being found are less than 0%" he said bluntly

She cried soft tears

"Things would have been better if you hadnt married a middle class Iyer" she said hurting him back for that cruel factoid about her car

"Like, u would have been happier if you had not married a soulless jock" he spat back

Wow back to back updates 

Thank you for the two amazing Morning ragas...the tension with Akka thaws and the one with the Dude simmers. Saan erinaal muzham irangardhu idhu dhaan pola.

Mujhe itna mehanga gift nahi chahiye" she quivered, her lower lip trembling "WHY?" he asked reasonably

It's like we have answers for evry question posed at us but we keep it at our discretion how much and what to reveal through our answers or to just let it go by being silent. We have our own answers for we are the best defenders of ourselves.

" So u will live the life of a wife, not impacted by the luxury of your husband?" he asked

Bingo!! Dumbo she just needs you not the materialistic pleasures attached to that sexy personality of yours.