Knitting Love
Part 2
One thing that Shravan knew about his wife was that she wasn't patient. Nope. Not one bit.
Suman was hell bent on knitting him a sweater for this winter. He had seen her struggle with the knitting needles and the yarn for a few days and urged her to just let it be. The entire process required patience, concentration and dedication. Dedication, no doubt she had that in her. But patience wasn't her forte.
Now, she wouldn't be Sumo if she listened to him, will she?!
She refused to give up and kept going. Once she decides on something, she just gets it done, no matter what. This was one of her qualities that he absolutely loved about her!
It was endearing, really. But at times it was equally frustrating too!
How did it all start you ask? That's interesting too.
All this had started one fine evening when he and Sumo came back home from work. They saw all the ladies of the house gathered in the living room and admiring the small sweater that Preeti had knitted for her baby. Sumo too was amazed at her fine work and praised her while holding the garment in her hands, inspecting it.
Shravan saw a different kind of sparkle in her big brown eyes. Standing behind the couch where she sat, he noticed a lot off emotions fleet through her eyes. With twinkling eyes, she announced that she too would knit a sweater for him.
Initially, Shravan thought she was joking but he soon discovered that she wasn't. He was highly amused and even chuckled a bit at the thought. Sumo then turned to him, shooting daggers. He simply lifted his hands up in surrender and shrugged as if saying that he couldn't help himself. Sumo merely narrowed her eyes at him and he could practically see and hear the gears turning in her head.
Mrs. Suman Malhotra had decided to knit a sweater for her husband and announced this out loud to everyone present there. Shravan simply stated that she won't be able to do that earning a light whack from his mother.
It simply turned into a challenge between the best-friends-turned-spouses duo.
Sumo had enthusiastically started on this task with the guidance of his mother. But soon her smile was replaced with a frown adorning her forehead. Her small piggy nose scrunched up in concentration. Shravan thought she looked comical and cute at the same time!
His wife was increasingly finding it difficult to get the initial knot correct and in-between the two long needles.
His mother patiently guided her around the needles but still Sumo failed to get the knack of it. This went on for a few days and Shravan tried his best to deter Sumo from the task that she had taken upon herself because he didn't want to see his wife frustrated at all times because of this silly knitting business.
For him, Suman had knitted his entire family together with love in one beautiful quilt that provided one with all the security and warmth needed, not just to survive but to live. She need not knit anything else for him now.
On the other hand, Shravan didn't wish to stop her either. He could deal with her frustration but he can never see her dejected and disappointed with herself.
But Shravan hadn't anticipated that he was in for a surprise. His wife had actually learned how to knit!
He was surprised and amazed at seeing His Sumo working diligently with the needles and the yarn. Her slender fingers holding the long needles and knitting the yarn into a swearer. He witnessed his wife skillfully knitting the yarn and weaving in all the love that she held for him.
He was increasingly finding her busy with knitting his sweater during her free time. And he had to admit that she was doing a great job!
With the amount of time that Sumo gave to all the knitting, Shravan had no doubt that soon the sweater would be ready. And he would lose the challenge. But he was ready to lose any and all their challenges as long as it made her happy!
...
Shravan slowly entered his room, still engrossed in his phone. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and he had just finished a game of chess with his dad. He stopped when he saw his wife grinning at him, standing at the foot of their bed. He tilted his head inquisitively at her. This only made her smile more goofily, her face glowing with absolute child-like glee.
Shravan too gave a lopsided smile to her. God! Her happiness was infectious!
He slowly walked up to her and noticed that she was holding something in her hands behind her back.
Obviously he had an inclination as to what it was. And frankly, he was equally excited too to see what his wife had knitted for him!
Shravan stood facing Sumo and she excitedly thrust her hands in-front of him, holding the black sweater from its shoulders.
"Look I made it!" Exclaimed Sumo.
Uh-oh!
Shravan thought as soon as he saw the black garment. With great effort he didn't let his smile slip even a bit. He didn't want His wife to get disheartened.
Reason you as?
Oh well you see, the sweater was big. Like big big. It was way bigger than his size. It was very simple with a V-neck and long sleeves. But what mattered was the love and care with which Sumo had made it for him.
Sumo was yet to realize her folly though. She was still beaming up at him, her features etched with happiness and pride.
"How is it? It looks so good! I still can't believe that I made THIS! Shravan did you see? I told you naa that I would knit a sweater for you? So? I win! Now come on, try it on! Let me see how my husband looks in this awesome sweater!"
Sumo was talking a mile a minute and Shravan was simply listening to all her blabbering until she asked him to wear that sweater.
He shuffled a bit and this made Sumo a bit impatient.
"Kya hua Mr. Malhotra? Aapki bolti kyun bandh ho gayi?"
Asked Sumo with a smirk.
Oh darling! Only if you knew! Thought Shravan and sighed. There was no escaping from this situation and he had to wear that black sweater now. He reluctantly took it from her hands and slowly put his hands through the long sleeves and pulled the sweater over his head and down his chest and torso.
As soon as he finished, Sumo's smile was replaced with a frown. She looked him up and down a few times.
There was a long silence in the room, neither he nor Sumo spoke. Shravan saw a number of emotions flit across her face and he didn't like any of them one bit.
"Well, looks like it's a bit big for you...", mumbled Sumo with her eyes down-cast.
"Sumo, its big enough for two people...", chuckled Shravan. He bit the inside of his cheek as soon as he realized what he had said.
Sumo looked up at his face with the corners of her lips turned down and slight moisture coating her eyes.
Shucks!
Shravan mentally whacked himself hard for saying the obvious out loud.
"I guess I should have listened to you. You can remove it. It looks hideous, like you are wearing a burlap sack...", saying this she started walking towards the door, passing him without a glance.
Stop her! Do something you idiot!
It only took Shravan a second to decide on how to stop his dear wife. He quickly bunched the hem of the sweater up around his chest and he rushed behind his wife. He quickly pulled the sweater over her head and crashed her back to his chest, securely encompassing her with him in the sweater.
What happened afterwards seemed a blur to Sumo. One moment she was heading towards the door and the next there was a black translucent haze around her. She felt herself being pulled towards Shravan's chest. It was dark all around her and she started flapping and wiggling around. She could feel Shravan's hands around her torso through the sweater but that didn't assure her even a bit.
Shravan tried to steady his feisty little wife but that impossible woman won't quit flapping and struggling around the sweater. It wasn't like someone had attacked her! At this rate they were bound to fall down and get themselves in a bigger mess! He could hear her incoherent mumblings and she sounded a bit aggravated.
"Will you stop for a second, woman? I'm trying to steady us here!"
Sumo stopped struggling at once. Finally!
Shravan brought her back flat against his chest, and ordered her to slowly turn around. She did and he could see her head through the neck of the sweater. Then he bent a little and asked her to simultaneously put her arms around his shoulders. She did and then he proceeded to pick her up. Finally her head bobbed out of the neck of the sweater and she engulfed in a huge breath of air as if she had been drowning in deep waters!
Suman's face was flushed and her eyes were wide and she looked directly at him, now at eye level, with the expression of a dear caught in-front of headlights! She looked so adorable! Shravan kissed her piggy nose and with mischievous glint in his eyes said,
"Sumo I said it's big enough for two people!"
He hugged her more closely and nuzzled her neck. He really love this new arrangement. He was more close to Sumo and it was soft and warm. And there was something very intimate too. Shravan felt Sumo relax in his arms and sigh contentedly.
"Shravan I am sorry..." Sumo began but Shravan interrupted her.
"Sumo are you really sorry for knitting this beautiful sweater that I can share with my wife on extra cold nights and cuddle in on lazy Sunday mornings? If yes then please don't be..", Shravan said.
"Well then, if you say so hubby...", Sumo said and tightened her hold on his shoulders. They stood like this for a long moment, wrapped in a sweater and standing at the foot of their bed. Shravan gently swayed them a bit.
"Though be careful when you are knitting a sweater for our babies because if you make it big enough for two then I will have to work on making twins with you!"
This earned him a hard whack from his wife and he knew she was blushing if the flush around her neck was anything to go by! Shravan lost his balance and both of them fell on the bed, a giggling mess of tangled limbs in a sweater knitted with love.
This winter, their first by the way, were going to be memorable for them!
~~~
DO NOT COPY THIS POST AS THIS IS EXCLUSIVE TO INDIA FORUMSEdited by Castile2 - 7 years ago
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