Kanak was finally free from all the kitchen duties for the day, Uma said he would go out and only return in the night. She thought it was the perfect time to get back to her little project. She opened the wooden box again. She intuitively picked the red spool and threaded the needle. She was embroidering a plain white kurta she brought for Uma. She placed the round wooden frame on the design she had traced on the kurta. The craft lessons she took in college for fun were coming in handy now. Thread- thread over needle- and pull a chain she muttered as she saw her design slowly coming to shape. After about two hours, she managed to complete it.
She removed the frame and held the kurta in front of her face. She smiled as though she was happy with her own work. She even imagined Uma in the kurta for a second. Would he wear it? Of course he would, but in front of his family? She had her doubts. The design had the letters K and U intertwined. What was she thinking? Uma didn't like to express his love openly. Would all her hard work go to a waste? That's when she had another idea.
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"Kanak, are you in the snangragh?, Kanak?"
Kanak slowly slid the door to find Uma facing her. Uma's gaze immediately was fixed on the design. He kept staring as if he had seen something that he shouldn't have seen. He did not say a word but Kanak knew that he was expecting an answer.
"This, I embroidered it for you, I mean this kurta is not mine, I got it for you as a gift."
"Then, why are you wearing it? " he raised his eyebrow.
"I thought you won't wear it and I wanted to give you a surprise by wearing it myself, in that excitement I took only the kurta inside."
"You were wrong. I would love to wear it. Now."
"Okay. Let me change and come then."
"I mean, NOW! Could be kind enough to remove it for me please?" he winked. Kanak did not realize that now they were inside the snangragh and Uma was sliding the door to close.
"Uma, what are you doing?"
"Arre, you made me a gift, now I want to wear it. Simple, isn't it?Now, please give me my gift."
"But, you are already wearing a kurta!", kanak blurted without realizing what she was getting into.
"Right! How can I wear another kurta on it, I need to remove this first. Thanks, Kanak."
"Uma, I mean, no, you can wear it tomorrow, right? So silly of me, Uma. I was just thinking that I never got to write your name on my hand because we never really had a mehendi ceremony. So, I thought .. ", she said while Uma had removed his kurta.
"I thought so, too!" he said.
It was now Kanak's turn to stare like she had never stared something before. It was the same design, the same colour, but instead of on a kurta it was on Uma's chest.
"Wh-aa-t, I mean w- hh- y? Uma, you got a tattoo? " without realizing Kanak was already tracing their initials on his chest with her fingers.
"You know about the letters but do you know that the deeper the color of the mehendi, the deeper the love of the husband?" he said.
"Yes, but from where will we get henna now? But Uma Shankar and tattoo, I still can't believe my eyes!"
"I don't need heena for that." he said and moved closer.
"What? Let me get something for you, I mean the tattoo, some lotion, some cream, I mean something..." Kanak ran to the door only to be pulled by her husband towards him with their eyes locked, he held her arm,
"I was saying something about colors", he said as the fingers in his other hand made little circles on her cheek. "Rosy pink, crimson, strawberry, or scarlet, which shade of red do you prefer? and slowly moved to the other cheek while his other hand rested on her waist.
"But heena is orange na? Kanak said even though she felt like she would melt and fall on the ground. She felt like her knees wouldn't support her anymore.
"Ah, technicalities? Do you really want to get into them now?" he said.
"No, I mean, what are you doing?", "Ssshh!" he said, as he traced her lips with his thumb. Kanak closed her eyes. "Dark Red", he said as he turned her towards the mirror and pointed towards her cheeks.
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Fan Fictions
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
