Posted:
7 years ago
Tava Pizza & Tameez
They say "No good deed shall ever go unpunished",
Suvi was pleasant to Tai that evening, actually serving khichri in a bowl to her on the sofa since it was so late and she was still recovering from cramps and a head ache
Aadhya and her ate, watching a Disney movie, Suvi for the 10th time maybe...
She coaxed Aadhya to watch some Disney "boy" movies, but Aadhya was fixated on princesses
She sat on the balcony floor after Aadhya went to bed, but did not text him, he texted her "Nihar asked aunty for pizza so she made a tava pizza" he said
"Woh kaise?" she asked
"No idea, u have to come check it out next time she makes it"
"Can I eat too?" she teased
"I am thinking abt it" he pretended to consider
"Thank u, usko aaj laaye" she said
"U need to have two emergency contacts" he said
"I dont have any more" she said
He didnt pursue it further
"Your Tai has a phone" he said startled
"Woh saara deen phone par hoti hai:" Suvi said
"We usually say "Baat karti hain" " he teased
"Mujhe raat ko sar dard mein Hindi nai seekhna baba" she exclaimed
They both thought of "something else" to do instead
"What did u eat?" he asked
"Khichdee" she said
"Khichri" he corrected
"Abhi Hindi ko English mein kyon correct karne ka?"
"U are right" he agreed
"Do u want to come over for tava pizza?" he asked
"Sirf pizza" she said
"Main saath mein Wenger's Conn Place se pastry bhi soch raha tha" he flirted, knowing fully well, she meant NO KISSING
"Aadhya ka favorite"
There was a longg pause
"I am not going to apologize Suvechha" he said firmly, thinking abt the kiss
"To poochna waste?" she asked
"Pretty much" he agreed
By Noonish Saturday, two of Tai's friends showed up
She opened the door and went away, to pull clothes out of her washing machine, to dry in the tiny balcony adjacent to the empty second bedroom
Tai CALLED HER
"Make chai for them"
"I am drying YOUR clothes too" "Can u please?" Suvechha asked politely
Tai went back and sat down
Suvi wondered WHAT Tai could be sayingt o them, Tai's Hindi was much worse than her own
Another woman came by after 20 or so minutes
"Hamara yaha satsang rehta hai" she began when Suvi walked to the kitchen
"Barobar" Suvi nodded, disinterested
"Tai aged hain" the first lady said
"Haan to main karti hai saara kaam" Suvi bristled "She only watches TV"
"Nahi woh baat nahi beta... yeh theek nahi" the second lady said
"Kya?" Suvi asked confused
"Koi aata rehta hai tumse milne Tai ne bataya... neeche society guard ke room mein entry hai, register mein" she said
"To bina bataye aa jaaye?"she asked
"Tum akeli ho... tumse milne koi na koi kaise aata hai?" the first lady spoke boldy
Suvi felt like someone poured hot oil over her
"Agar Tai ko yeh pasand nahi to aap please inko apne saath leke jaao" Suvi said bluntly
The women did not expect that response
They glared at each other
"Society hai sabko niyam se rehna hota hai" the first lady said
"MAIN WOHI KEH RAHI HAI, aap teeno Tai ko le jao, apne ghar pe niyam se rakhna isko" she said
"Ur Aai sent me to be your guardian" Tai thundered
"U are a thief and a liar, so Aai was WRONG" Suvi said firmly
Aadhya rushed out, shocked
She signaled her to go back in... cooing to her
"I have a TWO YEAR LEASE. I have over a year left, If he evicts me he has to pay me six months rent, I will take it" she said firmly in Hindi
The womens' plan had back fired
"She has NO tameez" they told Tai
"Stay out of my house, the next time u enter my house I will call the police and tell them u tried to kidnap my child" Suvi declared, her voice trembling
The women left mumbling, making other plans?
She turned to Tai
"uU have stolen enough from me, u can buy yourself a plane ticket to wherever, so u can go" she said
She shut the bedroom door, turned on the AC for her daughter, bolted the door, and walked into the bathroom to take a shower
She began to cry, and texted Neel
"Tava pizza dinner mein tha?" she asked
"Aap lunch mein khayiyega?" he asked
"Milega//?" she asked as she began to sob adding extra character through blurry vision
"Kaafi mushqil hai par koshish zaroor kar sakte hain hum" he teased
"its OK" she said composing herself
"Mazaak tha" he said
"Barobar" she agreed, sniffled and chuckled at the same time
"See u in an hour?" he asked