Always and Forever
Part - 33: Create a Home

The January morning sunshine penetrating through the window woke Naina up; she turned over to her side and smiled on seeing her sister curled up under the blanket. She sat up and reached for the blue knitted shawl that she had fallen in a habit to keep with her whenever she slept. It was a beautiful morning, calm and cool, and the sunlight filtering through grey clouds had some mellow sheen to it. She went out to the balcony, breathing in the fresh air, and checked once on the condition of the potted plants. The yellow and white daffodils were flourishing; it made her happy to see such a healthy growth.

Somehow the atmosphere made her take out her journal, and she started writing about the things that still needed to be done before the wedding. She had shared the room with Pooja didi and Preeti, and there were lots of things that were shared with them, but some of it was entirely personal. She realized that she needed to decide what to take with her – Guglupuchu was going for sure, and she would also take the gifts from Sameer that she had preserved, his handkerchiefs too, and his letters. Then there were her books, her clothes that she needed to pick and choose from. Also she needed to decide if she would take the typewriter Chachaji had specially bought for her when she had started writing articles, it was hers but then Chachaji’s typewriter was extremely old, maybe he would like a new one. She listed down shopping as one item thinking she needed to buy a few cosmetics, and some other items that she would need after her wedding, like bangles and bindi. She tapped her pen on the table while musing if she should buy some things for Sameer, she had some money and it would feel so great to gift him something during their wedding, maybe a watch or a pair of sunglasses.

Preeti was disturbed by the tapping sound and woke up to find her sister lost in thoughts. It was so strange for her to find Naina like that; usually Naina would be in bathroom or kitchen when she woke up. She silently sat up, and moved to her to read the journal over her shoulder, and started grinning on seeing the list. She shook Naina, “aree waah meri behen… main sochi tu udaas bethi hai subah subah jijaji ke yaad me, par tu toh yahan iss ghar se jaaneki taiyariya kar rahi hai.”

Naina gasped in surprise, dropping the pen, “Preeti… dara diya tune. Itni jaldi kaise uth gai aaj?”

“Teri tak-tak ne utha diya”, Preeti responded, and looked at the list again, “tu sach me itni khush hai apni bidaai ko leke ke puri planning kar rahi hai… royegi ke nahi bidaai pe?”

Naina smiled, “jitni khushi Sameer ke saath jaane me hogi, utna hi dukh iss ghar ko chodne me bhi hoga. Kitni yaadein hai yahan pe… Pooja didi ki shaadi me sirf unke jaaneka dukh ho raha tha humko, lekin hum logo ne kabhi socha hi nahi na ke aisa hi ek din hamara bhi hoga. Dekh na… Pooja didi ki saari yaadein ek trunk me sametke reh gai hai, jo ab woh bhi kabhi nahi kholti yahan aake. Meri cheezo ke saath bhi aisa hi hoga na… isiliye soch rahi thi ke konsi yaado ko apne saath le jaau aur konsi yahi chod jaau.”

Preeti sat down next to her, “yaar… itna sab toh maine kabhi socha hi nahi. Tere jaaneke baad iss kamre me toh main akeli ho jaungi bilkul. Aur fir meri shaadi ka sochke bhi mujhe ab darr lag raha hai. Jijaji toh yahin rehte hai, tu kabhi bhi ghar aa sakti hai. Rohan toh Mumbai me rahega, ya Delhi me… kaise rahungi main itni dur?”

Naina understood how the thought of leaving Ahmedabad might be scary for Preeti, and hence diverted the topic, “oh hello… pehle toh gharwalo ko manana padega. Fir apni shaadi ki sochna. Filhaal mera number hai, yeh list dekh aur bata kuch bhul gai kya main.”

Preeti chuckled, “gharwalo ko sambhalne ke liye toh tu aur jijaji hai na, mujhe kuch tension nahi hai. Aur rahi baat iss list ki toh ek bahot bada kaam bhul gai tu.”

Naina looked at her list puzzled, “kya?”

“Beauty parlor”, Preeti confided slowly, “bahot zaruri hai shaadi se pehle. Har ladki karwati hai.”

Naina sighed, “haan woh toh hai, par Taiji ka kya kare. Pooja didi ke waqt toh Phulla bua-dadi ne sambhal liya tha.”

Preeti bumped her shoulder with her sister, “aree toh batana kyun hai sabko. Chupke se mummy ko bolke hum dono jaake aayenge. Aur shaadi ke din ke liye toh kisi na kisi tarah se mana hi lenge Taiji ko… aur kuch nahi toh Taiji ko bolenge aap hi toh kehte the Naina Bholuram ke saath dhang ki dikhni chahiye, toh parlor zaruri hai khubsurti ke liye.”

It was a testament to Sameer’s continuous efforts to make Naina realize how beautiful and desirable she was to him, that Preeti reminder of Taiji’s hateful words didn’t disappoint her but rather made her laugh. In her heart she knew that Sameer would marry her and his love wouldn’t fade even if she appeared at the mandap without any makeup, but still she would like to look beautiful for him. She agreed that it was possible, and Preeti suggested to go today itself as Taiji was not at home so it would be easier.

Eager to put their plan in action, Naina quickly took her bath, followed by Preeti. Bela was so surprised to see Preeti up early that she dropped the spatula she was using to stir the poha. Preeti grinned and started to explain to her mother about the parlor trip. Bela immediately agreed, and also suggested few tips that she had read from Grihashobha about how to judge if the parlor was indeed a good one. As soon as they finished breakfast, the phone started to ring, and Naina rushed to pick it up.

“Good Morning”, she greeted with a huge smile.

At the other end Sameer leaned back on his chair, “good morning sweetheart. Achche se soyi?”

Behind her Chachiji got up from the table muttering about how she could never understand how Naina knew it was Sameer at the other end. And Preeti commented about how this was such a usual Sameer-Naina thing. Chachaji laughed and stood up to get ready for office. Naina blushed at the comments from her family, and replied, “haan… aur tum? Office chale bhi gaye itni jaldi?”

He frowned, “tumko kaise pata chala ke main office me hun?”

She shrugged, “aisai… tum subah ghar se agar phone karo toh aur jaldi karte ho.”

He smiled, “haan, aa gaya office. Aur 8^th ko Surat jaana hai, do din ke liye. Munna bhi saath chalega iss baar, toh soch raha hun car me jaaye.”

“Car me itni dur”, Naina exclaimed.

Sameer rotated a paper weight, “Paanch ghante jitna lagega, aur train me jaanke man nahi ho raha. Driver chala lega car, aur car saath hogi toh wahan bhi sahuliyat rahegi. Mumbai ya Delhi jaise Surat me bade hotels nahi hai, toh car milna mushkil hoga.”

She understood, “thike… lekin sambhalke… aur jaane se pehle kab milenge?”

Her demand made him grin wide, and he replied, “kal milenge na. Tauji-Taiji ko lene jaana padega. Aur phir parso main subah ka aadha din kaam karunga, fir hum shopping pe chalenge.”

“Shopping?”, she asked perplexed, “firse kaisi shopping?”

He clucked his tongue, “kya Naina… yeh sab bhi mujhe yaad dilana padega. Uttarayan ke baad hamare order kare hue furnitures aa jayenge, toh hume bedsheets, table-clothes, cushion covers yeh sab lene padenge na? Woh kya hai na… bed pe sirf mattress hoga toh… mazaa utna nahi aayega. Achche wale makhmali bedsheets chahiye honge.”

Color stained her cheeks as she understood the hidden meaning behind Sameer’s statement. She looked around to ensure no one was listening, before softly replying, “mujhe toh pata hi nahi tha bedsheet itna zaruri hoga… mujhe laga sirf hum dono hai toh kaafi hai.”

He made a sound that almost sounded as if he was choking, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke, “Naina… tum jaanti nahi ho tum kya kar rahi ho. Abhi se itna mat chedo… shaadi ke baad sambhal nahi paogi.”

The threat didn’t deter her, “achcha… dekhte hai. Suno na… Main soch rahi thi… kal shopping karne niklenge toh woh sab bhi kharid lenge… bubbles aur essential oil bath tub ke liye… woh bhi zaruri hai na? Aur shower cabinet ke bahar ek dry mat rakhna padega, peechli baar pura bathroom gila ho gaya tha.”

The probability of Naina in bathtub soaking in bubbles, and the reminder of their adventure in bathroom that had caused the wet floor made him curse and reach out to adjust himself. To his luck or bad luck, Gayatri entered the cabin just at that moment after a slight knock to inform him of a call from client, and frowned on seeing her boss squirming on the chair. Without acknowledging the phone in his hand, she loudly commented, “sir aap theek toh hai na? Itna hil kyun rahe hai?”

Sameer sat shocked, while Naina laughed at the other end. He mumbled a “main rakhta hun abhi” and disconnected. Glancing at his secretary he sighed, “Gayatri didi… dekh toh lijiye ke main phone pe hun ke nahi.”

Gayatri who was very much aware of the types of phone calls a man could be on with his fiance didn’t pay attention to Sameer’s cribbing and instead went on with her duty, “madam se baad me baat kar lena, filhaal aapke liye Mumbai se Mr. Saxena ka call hai. Urgent bol rahe the isiliye andar aa gai, main line transfer karti hun… Aur haan… madam se wapas baat kare toh kahiyega ke kabhi toh office aa jaaye hum sab se milne.”

Having done her part Gayatri walked out shaking her head at the habit of men thinking women never understood stuff… Well she had been there, done that… Still it was amusing to see her young boss squirming like that, and she wondered what Naina madam might have said. She herself had a few tips to make her husband squirm like that, even though some people would say they were well past the age of romance. Fools didn’t understand that having a teenage kid didn’t mean that romance would be hampered.

Inside the cabin Sameer wondered how Gayatri didi knew who he was talking to, and then suddenly looked down at himself, immediately blushing on realizing that his secretary had surely understood what he had been upto. Naina always got him into trouble, but still he absolutely loved the way she was not scared of his repeatedly expressing the probability of him making love to her frequently after wedding. She took it as if it was the most natural thing, and if anything she would tease him more, arouse him more. His innocent Naina had a very prominent bold streak which would definitely spice up their wedding life.

Naina and Preeti left from home at around 12pm with a list of three parlors to visit. Preeti had decided that the parlor she worked in was not a proper choice as they specialized more in hair styling and treatments, and not much on beauty. Though these services were offered but it was not fit for wedding. Naina wondered for a moment if she should tell Sameer about the parlor trips but then given the conversation they had this morning she thought it might not be good idea. Although, waxing was a completely normal thing for her now, but still it’s not like she had ever talked to Sameer about it. However, she had made it a practice to wear midi skirts in college after waxing, and whenever she would spot him looking at her legs it gave her a thrill to know that he noticed.

The trip to first parlor was bit disappointing as the main owner wasn’t there and the assistants were not exactly polite, which is why Preeti dragged her out of it. The second parlor was better, and they spent some time looking through the services being offered and shortlisted manicure, pedicure, waxing, threading and facial, diligently noting down the rates and promised to confirm as soon as possible. The third parlor was the best, but the rates were slightly higher than the second one. The assistant who was helping them suddenly asked, “aap kisi occasion ke liye dekh rahe hai kya?”

Naina nodded, “haan, meri shaadi ke liye.”

“Oh wow!”, the assistant beamed, “hamare paas special bridal packages hai, ek minute…”

Naina and Preeti looked at each other puzzled, while the assistant excitedly pulled out a new folder, and started to show it to them. It had several days of treatment written in it, and also the terminologies were new. Naina knew about facials, but she didn’t know what an aromatherapy facial was. She knew about waxing, but she didn’t know what difference it would make if she used plain wax versus imported chocolate wax. She knew about head massage, but had no idea what was a full body exfoliation massage. Adding to all the confusion the assistant leaned forward and inconspicuously asked, “shaadi se pehle toh special wala wax bhi karvayenge na aap?” On seeing Naina’s confused expression she added, “ghabraiye mat… zyada dard nahi hota, lekin aapke pati ko bahot achcha lagega.” Then she blushed, “maine bhi karvaya tha ek saal pehle jab meri shaadi hui thi.”

Naina had no idea what this special wax was, but thought that maybe it was another imported wax variety, probably a super expensive one. So when the assistant kept persuading her, she replied, “iski zarurat nahi hai. Mere pati ko isse koi farq nahi padta.”

The assistant looked horrified and gasped, “yeh aapko abhi se pata hai!”

Preeti also didn’t understand anything of what the assistant was talking about, but clearly understood that they were not equipped with enough knowledge to deal with this over enthusiastic assistant. So she grabbed her sister’s arm, “Naina… chal yahan se. Hume der ho rahi hai.”

The assistant immediately recovered from her moral shock and tried to stop the loss of customers, “sorry madam… mera woh matlab nahi tha. Aap yeh package…” She trailed off because her two potential customers had fled by that time.

Outside at a little distance, Naina asked confused, “woh sorry kyun bol rahi thi?”

Preeti shrugged, “pata nahi. Zyada bade parlors ki yahi problem hai… wahan itne services hoti hai ke aadhi cheeze samajh me hi nahi aati. Mere khayal se isse pehle wala parlor sahi tha.”

Naina was curious about the happenings at the third parlor, but sighed knowing that there was no one who could explain this to her. The lack of knowledge usually disappointed Naina, but this time it also disappointed Preeti because it was related to parlors. Hence, they decided to drown their dejection in plates of spicy pani-puri. They also did some shopping buying small things like hairclips, safety pins, several shades of nail polish, and some pretty ornamental wooden boxes to hold small earrings and bracelets. But somehow the “special wax” didn’t seem to fade from Naina’s mind.

That night when she talked with Sameer she kept reminding herself to not ask him anything. When he asked what she did in the whole day, she said that they had to go buy few small things. He fixed plan for next day telling her that he would come to home, and then go to pick up Tauji-Taiji. He even decided the plan for day after, and suggested to add Preeti so that Rohan could meet her. “Tumko jo bhi kharidna ho ghar ke liye woh soch lena, hum parso hi dekh lenge”, he instructed.

The phone call left her with another task for that night and the next morning, as she realized that she hadn’t thought about the angle of decorating their home. It wasn’t a new place so she had assumed everything would be in place, but now she realized that Sameer had explicitly mentioned it to her on their first date that no woman had lived in that home after Naniji, so while the place was furnished it would lack the aesthetic touch that only a woman can provide. She pulled out a stack of Chachiji’s magazines and started to look through to gain some quick inspiration about home décor. By mid-morning on 6^th of January she had a carefully fleshed out list with no more than seven items, as she thought it would be better to not buy everything at one go rather than buying and then realizing that it didn’t suit their home.

Tauji and Taiji were to arrive at 4pm that day, and Sameer had already arranged for both his cars to be ready to go, as he expected that there would be more luggage that what they had taken from Ahmedabad. He had had a very good taste of the amount of shopping women could do in Mt. Abu, not that he was complaining, but he didn’t understand the use of the three wooden Rajasthani jharokha  that Chachiji had picked up from the market, and neither the several animal figurines made any sense to him.

When Sameer reached the station fifteen minutes before the scheduled arrival, Anand was already waiting for him. Sameer noticed he looked extremely tired, so he asked, “kya baat hai Chachaji? Aap bahot thake hue lag rahe hai.”

Anand nodded, “ek client ke wajah se aaj badi pareshani ho gai humko. March me tax ka kaam hona hai toh abhi se sab documents check karne lage hai hum clients ke, aise me hamare ek client ko business me bada loss hua hai, toh ab woh hamare peeche pada hai ke kisi bhi tarah se kam tax bharna pade use.”

Sameer nearly rolled his eyes at this as tax evasion in India was starting to be a big pain for the government with more and more people trying to find loopholes, especially businessmen. He never understood such tactics. To lighten the mood, and also to prepare for the upcoming evening, he offered, “chaliye chai peete hai, aur kuch khate hai.”

Anand accompanied him, “thike, lekin zyada nahi. Ghar pe Bela aur Naina ne bahot saara banaya hoga. Rohan bhi aa raha hai na ghar?”

As they sat down in-front of a small stall, Sameer replied, “haan aayega. Lekin 8pm baj jayenge… Aaj Ahmedabad dekhne nikla hai. Jab bhi aata hai mauka nahi milta usko.”

Together they enjoyed the over-sweet masala tea, and chatted about any probable questions that Tauji might ask about the sudden Mt. Abu trip. Thankfully the train arrived on time, Anand and Sameer touched their feet and then bundled all luggage in the cars. As expected by Sameer there was one extra bag full of something, and they also had to detour to drop the other relative at her home before reaching Nirmal Jyoti.

Taiji plopped down on the swing and immediately cribbed, “oh bai! Paav dukh gaye mere toh. Bela, zara elaichi wali chai bana de.”

Sameer noticed Naina and Preeti staying in the background, not in a mood to interact with Taiji, but chatting animatedly with Pralay. When Tauji came back after freshening up, Sameer asked, “isme se konse bag wahan rakhne hai, main rakh deta hun.”

He was expecting Taiji to speak up and she didn’t disappoint as she gasped loudly, “neva! Konsa bag matlab Bholuram? Yeh saare bags toh hamare hi hai na.”

Sameer nodded, “haan haan. Maine toh bas pucha kyunki Rakesh sir alag se ek bag leke aaye the na.”

Taiji was even more surprised and turned to look at Rakesh, “oh bai! Aap bhala kya leke aaye alag thele me?”

Just then Bela and Naina brought out tea and snacks and Bela informed, “yeh saara nashta leke aaye hai bhaisaab Baroda se. Bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, dekhiye na… kitne saare tarah ke hai.”

Taiji and Tauji were surprised to see the spread of chewda, bhakarwadi, gathiya, and other several varieties of snacks. Rakesh smiled slightly, and Naina counted it on her finger, after her wedding was fixed her father had smiled genuinely only twice, and both times it was because of Sameer. If possible, she fell in love with him a little more than before.

Tauji looked slightly uncomfortable, but Taiji simply adjusted her pallu and ranted, “neva! Ab tirth yatra thodi na khane peene ka dhyan rehta hai. Hum toh bas ishwar ke dhun me chale jaa rahe the.”

Sameer coughed, and quickly picked up two bags and left before he lost control over his laughter. Rohan arrived a little after 8pm, and Preeti beamed at him from the kitchen. There was a substantial amount of spread for dinner, and not to mention Sameer stuffed himself until he felt like he couldn’t budge an inch. Naina kept serving him, adoring the way he was excited with simple things like papaya salad with methi pakoras, or crispy boondi in the raita. Watching him eat, the expressions on his face, she was sure that after marriage she would not only love cooking for him but also sitting and watching him eat.

It was extremely unusual for Sameer to leave without talking to Naina for some time alone, but it seemed like today there would be no chance. However just before leaving, he tried once… Clearing his throat, he coughed a bit, and that immediately caught Naina’s attention.

Worried she asked, “Sameer… kya hua?”

He coughed convincingly, “thodi khich-khich ho rahi hai. Paani do na.”

She quickly left for the kitchen, and he followed, still coughing. Rohan and Preeti shared a conspiratorial wink, while Bela mumbled about the sabji being spicier than usual which caused damadji to cough. Naina filled up a glass of water, offering it to him, but he caught her hand and lifted the glass to her lips. Puzzled she opened her mouth, but he shook his head indicating her not to make a sound. As she slowly sipped the water, still confused, he quickly checked that they were indeed shielded by the refrigerator, and then bent and kissed her forehead, nose and lips in quick succession. Muttering a “pee liya pani”, he softly pecked her lips once more, before leaving her.

She looked totally surprised as he winked at her and left to go outside, it was a moment before Sameer’s act sunk in her and she blushed, smiling to herself, and gently slapping her forehead. Of course it was an act, she should have guessed it. She went out to the balcony of her room to wave him off, and was soon joined by Preeti… It was a wonder that none of the neighbors paid attention to two young men standing on the road and looking up with wide smiles.

Later in the night, Taiji came in on the pretext of giving prasad and settled on the swing once more. Bela, though wanting to sleep entertained the audience, listening patiently about several trips to temples. Preeti yawned once, and Naina tried to tune out the sound as she thought of the magical moments in Mt. Abu. But soon the sound of her name caught her attention, and she noticed Preeti also became alert. Just then the phone rang, and the sisters looked at each other once before Naina stood up to pick it.

“Uh, Bhabhi… Preeti hai”, Rohan’s voice came from the other end.

Naina’s eyes widened a bit, but she quickly controlled her reaction. There was no way Preeti could talk now, not with Taiji present here, and she couldn’t let anyone get suspicious. So she put up the sweetest smile she could and wished, “hi Sameer… kya baat hai? Itni raat ko call kiya?”

“Sameer?” Rohan was puzzled, “Bhabhi main Rohan bol raha hun.”

Naina wished he would catch up soon, “oh achcha, khich khich ab tak ho rahi hai. Ek kaam karo Ramdhari ko bolo kadha bana de.”

Rohan scratched his head, “Bhabhi aap kya bol rahe ho?”

“Uff”, Naina was slightly irked, “itna bhi samajh nahi aata tumko… kadhe me chai nahi daalneka. Paani ubaalo, usme adrak aur tulsi daalo… fir chaanke thoda sa shehed daal lo… aur pee jaao. Ab samajh aaya? Ya fir Chachiji ya Taiji ko bolu Ramdhari ko samjhaneko?”

Rohan started to say something, but Naina interrupted, “samajh gaye na? Good… Chalo ab bye. Good Night.”

Rohan kept staring at the receiver, completely confused at the sudden way his Bhabhi had disconnected the call. And what was all that mumbling about kadha? And why was she calling him Sameer? Kahin trip ki bachi hui whisky Bhabhi ne toh nahi pee li?

Sameer sauntered out the bathroom wrapped in towel, and found his brother frowning at the phone. So, he enquired, “Kya hua Rohan?”

A baffled Rohan told his brother the tale of the weird phone call, and Sameer laughed. “Aree, itna sa nahi samjhe? Naina ka matlab tha ke abhi tum Preeti se baat nahi kar sakte kyunki wahan Taiji aur Chachiji hai. Aur woh Sameer isiliye boli kyunki main wahan call kar sakta hun kabhi bhi, par tum nahi.”

“Ohhhh”, Rohan exclaimed enlightened.

However, Sameer was soon tensed, as he wondered what was Taiji doing there so late at night. She should be asleep, tired from her journey. What could be so important for her to sacrifice sleep? The answer was simple – Naina. Or rather he should say it would be questioning Naina about the trip, levelling allegations on her, trying to insult her. His fists clenched as he thought of tears in Naina’s eyes. He wanted to go over right now, protect Naina from any vile comments, but he was helpless. However, he swore that he would send off Taiji to kaalapani and lock her in the cell for at least a day if Naina cried because of her today.

At Agarwal house, Naina silently hoped that Rohan would tell these things to Sameer, as she was sure that he would understand. And also, he would know that Taiji was here, which meant something was up, so he would wait until she called. Keeping in line with her expectation, Taiji soon began talking about the Mt. Abu trip, enquiring about the sudden planning. Before Bela could say something, Naina explained confidently about how a business opportunity for Sameer had come up, and since Mt. Abu was special for them he proposed a trip for everyone. How everyone had refused, but then Bela and Anand had wanted to do puja at the Jain temple before her wedding, so finally the trip had happened.

Taiji scoffed, “neva! Udhar jaake sirf mandir me bhajan thodi na kiya.”

Naina smiled, “nahi nahi… Hum ghumne bhi gaye the. Abhyaran me, gaanv me, killa dekhne gaye the…”

“Bas bas”, Taiji interrupted, “shaadi se pehle aise ghummakar hona koi garv ki baat nahi hai.”

Naina acted confused, “par Taiji, main akeli thodi na gai thi Sameer ke saath. Sab saath ghume the.”

“Haan bhabhiji”, Bela interrupted, “hum sab toh naav chalane bhi saath gaye the.”

Taiji seemed to get more irritated, “oh bai! Zyada vakalat mat kar iski. Mujhe toh lagta hai yeh sakool me bhi ghumne gaye the na tabse hi unka tiscu-taiyan chal raha hai. Jawaan aur Nadaan ladke-ladkiyo ko akele chod do toh aisa hi hota hai. Pata nahi konse adaaye dikhaye honge isne Bholuram ko fasane ke liye…”

Naina didn’t speak up that she never had any adaaye to flash in-front of the school hero Sameer Maheshwari, but rather remembered the way he had expressed his wish to go for boating with her, and then ate her jhootha candy-floss.

Taiji continued in a debasing tone, “aur ab toh inn dono ki shaadi hone wali hai toh socha hoga sab kuch karneka license mil gaya. Duniya dekhi hai maine, sab samajh aata hai. Pata nahi kaise kaise paap kare honge. Isiliye toh maine har teerath dhaam me iske paap dhone ki puja karvayi hai.”

As Taiji kept recounting the hawan at Badrinath, and gau-puja at Dwarka, Naina sat back amused, her mind flashing back to the sins she had indeed committed on this trip. The recollections of each kisses, of Sameer’s tongue stroking hers made her almost sigh in pleasure as she wondered if the pujari in Badrinath knew about these while adding ghee to that hawan. Or maybe the cows that were worshipped in Dwarka knew that she had been lying half-naked with Sameer for an entire night, while his hands touched her in places he had never thought someone would ever touch. Was the offering of 5 kilo laddoos in Rameswaram enough to counter that she had drifted her hand down his body to feel the promise of future? Laughter threatened to spurt out of her as she struggled to control her reactions and body’s response both. She didn’t know about hawans or puja being effective in washing off what Taiji considered as sins, but she was more than hundred percent sure that given a chance she would indulge in these sins with Sameer again and again. In fact, Taiji might be disappointed to know that she was very eagerly looking forward to a sinfully delicious life with Sameer.

Bela and Preeti sat horrified and shocked, certainly not aware of Naina’s thoughts. They feared that Naina might break down any moment, and tried several times to interrupt Taiji, but they didn’t succeed. Lost in thoughts, Naina’s eyes fell on the clock which showed it was close to midnight, which meant that Sameer would still be waiting for her and probably tensed. Deciding to put a stop to Taiji’s ineffective rant, she straightened on the sofa and smiled, “wow Taiji… Aap mujhse itna pyaar karti hai ke apne pure trip me aap sirf mere baare me sochti rahi. Itna kharcha kiya mere liye khaas puja karvake. Sameer kitne khush honge na jab unko yeh pata chalega ke Taiji apne Bholuram aur Naina se kitna pyaar karte hai… Main kal subah hi unko sab bataungi.”

Taiji’s eyes widened and she stammered something. But Naina didn’t pay attention as she stood up and took out a box from the cabinet under the TV. Offering it to Taiji she added, “yeh Sameer ne aapke liye kharida tha. Cup set hai… unhone aapke bahot kaanch ke bartan tode na isiliye. Aur isme Dilwara ka prasad bhi hai. Mujhe yakeen hai ke kal jab Sameer ko pata chalega aap mujhse kitna pyaar karti hai toh woh aapse zarur milne aayenge, aur shayad ek glass ya cup set aur leke aaye.”

Bela covered her mouth with her pallu, and Taiji sat still in surprise. Naina yawned, and mumbled, “mereko toh neend aa rahi hai. Kal bahot shopping karni hai. Chal Preeti so jaate hai.”

Preeti stood up to follow her sister, but Taiji called out to them and addressed Naina, “yeh sab damadji ko batane ki zarurat nahi hai. Jo kiya woh toh mera aur tere Tauji ka farz tha.”

Naina looked thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded, “thike… jaisa aap kahe. Good Night Taiji.”

Ten minutes later, Bela came inside the girls’ room and the three of them looked at each other in silence of a moment before starting to laugh. Bela chortled, “bhagwaan jhuth na bulaye, damadji ka naam sunte bhabhiji ki toh hawaiya udd gai.”

“Haklane lagi”, Preeti added giggling.

Naina held a pillow on her lap, and grinned. Bela sobered down and asked, “beta tujhe dukh toh nahi hua na yeh sab sunke? Bhabhji toh bas…”

“Chachiji”, Naina interrupted, “mujhe pehle bahot dukh hota tha, taklif pahonchti thi… lekin jabse Sameer ko sab bata diya tabse aur kuch nahi hota. Mujhe pata hai woh mujhse kitna pyaar karte hai. Aap fikar mat kijiye, Taiji ki baato ka ab mujhpe koi asar nahi hota.”

Bela and Preeti both relaxed, and decided to sleep, while Naina went out in the hall again to call Sameer. He was pacing the bedroom, glancing at the clock every other minute, and as soon as the phone rung he swiftly picked it up, “Naina… Tum theek ho? Kya hua wahan pe? Taiji kya boli? Tum rona mat please.”

Naina smiled, “aree baba itne sawaal saath me… main bilkul theek hun, aur zara bhi nahi ro rahi.”

He was relieved, “Taiji?”

Naina chuckled, “bahot kuch boli… tumko pata hai unhone kitne puja or hawan karvaye mere paap dhone ke liye.”

“Kaise paap?”, he asked puzzled.

“Wahi jo maine tumhare saath kiye honge trip pe”, she laughed, “kabhi room me, kabhi corridor me, kabhi bus me… hahaa… par unko kya pata yeh sab kisi hawan se dhulne nahi wala.”

His mouth opened and closed in shock at Taiji’s vileness and the calm way Naina was explaining. He managed to ask, “tum… tumko inn baato pe hasi aa rahi hai?”

She knew he was slightly angry and somewhat shocked at the happenings. So he tried to calm him, “hasne wali hi toh baat hai na Sameer. Tumhe pata hai Taiji ke ek ek puja ke saath main toh hamare saath bitaye hue pal yaad kar rahi thi. Aur mujhe toh hasi aa rahi thi yeh soch sochke ke bechari jin pandito ne puja kiya hoga unko pata tha kya ke hum log kya kar rahe hai. Tum kyun naraaz ho rahe ho? Paap-punya ke darr ke tum mujhe kiss karna chod doge kya? Ya mere saath shaadi tak kabhi akele nahi rahoge?”

On one side he was still angry at Taiji for even daring to say such things to Naina, but on the other side he was relieved that all these stupid things didn’t affect Naina anymore. It truly didn’t seem that she was hurt or sad, but still he asked to confirm, “tumhe sach me bura nahi laga na?”

She smiled, “bilkul nahi. Ulta maine toh unko dara diya yeh kehke ke main unke Bholuram ko sab bata dungi.”

He laughed, “chalo achcha hai. Bas ek hi cheez kharab hui, Taiji kaalepani ki sazaa se bach gai.”

She was puzzled, “kaalapani?”

He chuckled and explained the punishment he had been thinking for Taiji had she cried even a bit. Naina laughed out loud. They talked for some more time planning for the next day, and then Sameer yawned. Naina instructed him to go sleep, “so jao achche se. Aur haan… I love you.”

A contented smile spread across his face, “I love you too sweetheart.”

Next morning was eventful as Preeti hurried to her parlor in order to be able to take a half-day, and Sameer also called up saying he would come to pick her up directly after lunch. In all her excitement she didn’t even pay attention to what she was eating, rather hurried through the meal and fled inside to get ready. Dressing up in a jeans and the white-gold kurti that Sameer had bought for her, she hurriedly put on a clip on her hair, and applied a layer of gloss. After slight deliberation she dropped the tube of gloss in her purse, even though she knew there was practically no chance of Sameer kissing her today.

Just as promised, Sameer was at her doorstep at 2pm, dressed in charcoal grey trousers with light blue shirt. “Chachiji?”, he enquired, when he saw Naina alone.

She put on her slippers, “aa rahi hai darwaza bandh karne.”

His hopes of kissing her before leaving crashed; and he sighed, mentally calculating if there would be any other chance. Chachiji came to shut the door, asking them to stay safe, and not be late. Rohan was waiting in the car downstairs, as he had gone to Sameer’s office so that they could come together. They picked up Preeti enroute, and then drove to Lal Darwaza, a large open market with shops for clothes, handicrafts, food, and everything under the sun. As they reached there, Preeti said she was hungry, and Rohan slowly asked if they could go visit some places nearby.

“Par hum toh shopping karne aaye hai”, Sameer frowned. However, Naina immediately agreed, “haan ghum aao… aur Preeti, Rohan ko woh peeche wali gali ka bun-maska zarur khilana.”

Preeti grinned and hugged her sister, then grabbed Rohan’s hand and pulled him away. Sameer stood staring at the departing couple with a scowl. When Naina nudged him, he complained, “aisa kaise? Woh ghum sakte hai, hum kyun nahi?”

Naina rolled her eyes, “budhdhu… unko ghumne do na, hum bhi toh ghum hi rahe hai… hamare ghar ke liye shopping kar rahe hai na hum, toh usme unn dono ka kya kaam? Sirf tum aur main ghumenge na…”

His eyes brightened up as he grinned, then held her hand and guided her inside the narrow streets. Unknown to Naina, Sameer had his own list, safe and secured in his pocket. His list was not depended on what was needed in their home, or what would look good, but rather it contained all the items that had been part of his ‘Naina Fantasies’, for instance, he was surely buying white satin sheets for bed, and white sheer curtains because while choosing the bed he had fantasized of making love to Naina on white sheets surrounded by sheer white curtains. Then there were those pink cushion covers for the love seat, and the brown rug for study room. He was still in a dilemma about the deep red cushions for the living room sofa; he was not sure if Naina would approve of that color, but as far as he was concerned she looked amazing in his fantasy with her hand fisting one of the deep red cushions as he kissed down her body.

They decided to cross off the big items of their list first, so they entered a fairly big shop called as Govardhan home décor. The first thing Naina asked for was bedsheets, inadvertently increasing Sameer’s level of excitement. As the salesperson came in with a stack of bedsheets, Sameer frowned, they were all printed ones, and none of them were white. The man opened a purple bedsheet, and Sameer scowled fiercely, “bhaiya yeh wala nahi. Yeh toh cotton hai, hume Satin wale chahiye.”

Naina looked at him puzzled, and the man nodded, “ji sir, woh wale toh mehenge hote hai, har koi kharidta nahi hai. Hamari dukaan ke upar wale manzil pe milenge aapko. Aaiye main dikhata hun.”

As they climbed up the stairs, Sameer placed his hand on Naina’s back, guiding her, and she softly asked him, “satin bedsheets kyun? Ghar pe toh abhi cotton wale hi hai.”

He smiled, “abhi toh main bachelor hun. Shaadi ke baad badlaav toh banta hai na, aur maine hotels me dekha hai, woh bedsheets bahot achche hote hai.”

The upper floor was very different from the ground floor. While the lower floor had bedsheets and other things stacked in every corner, with barely any place for customer to move around, the upper floor was carefully kept spacious with no stocks lying here and there. Even the lighting was better here as compared to the lower floor. There were three thick mattresses, covered with probably the same satin bedsheets that Sameer was talking about, pristine white in color. They were guided to sit down, and soon a man came with a tray that held two glasses of water, they were even asked for tea or coffee which they politely refused.

Sameer sat down next to Naina, and surreptitiously caressed the satin fabric; it was so smooth, just like he had known it would be. Naina suddenly placed a hand over his, and started gushing over the bright bedsheets that the salesman was now showing. His heartbeats increased at her touch, and the thought popped up in his mind that the luxuriousness of her skin surely vied with that of the satin sheets. After a moment, he was shaken from his day-dreaming as Naina called his name.

Her confused voice reached his ears, “Sameer… Sameer… kahan kho gaye? Dekho na yeh wale rang pasand kiye maine.”

He glanced down, and his brows furrowed on seeing the colors, “oh… par yeh toh rangeen hai. Hume toh white lene hai na.”

She wrinkled her nose, “nahi… white kitni jaldi ganda hoga. Hotel me rakhte hai shayad white, lekin wahan toh har 1-2 din me badalte rehte hai, ghar pe aisa thodi na hoga. Aur white achcha bhi nahi lagega hamare ghar me. Yeh saare colors achche hai.”

He thought of his fantasy, and tried to convince her one more time, but the salesman also took her side, mentioning that people rarely buy white sheets for home. Naina gave him a triumphant smile and finalized the five colors she had chosen. While she asked the salesman to show them some cushion covers next, Sameer kept replaying the fantasy in his head, trying to replace the white sheets with the blue one Naina had chosen, but it didn’t fit. Ab toh lagta hai hotel me hi fantasy puri hogi meri, he thought, crossing his arms and pouting.

She laughed at his sight and tried to placate him, “aree baba… sirf safed rang ke liye itna gussa. Aisa kya khaas hai usme? Pink bolte toh samajh bhi aata mujhe.”

He rolled his eyes, “Pink tumpe achcha lagta hai bed pe nahi.” She blushed, the salesman coughed, and another middle-aged couple looking through some curtains smiled at them. Trying to cover up the situation, she blabbered, “achcha chodo na… cushion covers konse color ka chahiye batao.”

Immediately he exclaimed, “pink! Room ke liye, aur living room ke liye red.”

Naina had a thoughtful expression on her face, “umm… living room me combination kar sakte hai, red aur cream ka. Par room ke liye pink sahi nahi lagega. Seat blue color ka hai, toh uspe koi soft shade lena padega, jaise ki gold, ya light yellow, ya fir stripes pe.”

He saw another fantasy slip away and almost wailed, “tum meri ek bhi wish puri  nahi kar rahi.”

She laughed, and leaned slightly towards him, “ghar me kya suit karega woh bhi toh dekhna padega na.. walls ke rang ke saath, furniture ke saath.”

He nodded, relenting slightly, how could he not when she smiled like that. If he was honest, he really liked what she chose, but most of it didn’t match his fantasies. Though he was pleased when the striped cushion cover she chose had streaks of pink in it. And his delight increased by leaps and bounds when she did choose deep red cushions for living room, combined with some cream and peach pieces. Curtains were also chosen and he gave the exact measurements that would be needed. After giving the delivery address, and paying half up-front, they wandered down to a few other shops. Naina wanted to buy some flower vases, decorative door hangings, and also some wind-chimes. Some candle holders, decorative wall hanging, and a black and gold clock also made it to their collection. Sameer didn’t know where all these things would fit, but he was excited to see how everything would look in their home. At an electronics shop she chose a couple of floor lamps and at another shop she picked up a delicate looking bonsai for the study room. They carried back what they could to the car, and for the others Sameer made arrangements for delivery.

Finally, after everything was done, they went to a nearby restaurant to have some tea and snacks, and of course to wait for Rohan and Preeti. It was a small place, an extension to a home converted into an eatery, and it overlooked a small personal garden. Since it was almost 7pm there were no other customers for tea, still the lady graciously agreed to serve them. Sameer took Naina to the farthest table that overlooked the garden, and sprawled on the chair tired out from shopping. She had literally made him walk through all the streets to find the perfect pieces that she needed. He commented, “tum apne liye kuch kharidne me itni excite nahi hoti jitna ghar ka samaan kharidne me ho rahi ho.”

She chuckled, “haan ho sakta hai. Aur shayad hamesha aisa hi rahega.”

“Achcha hua ghar ke liye hamesha shopping nahi karna padega”, he murmured, and then leaned towards her, “waise main hamesha itna ghumneko taiyaar hun agar end me inaam mile toh.”

She tilted her head, “kaisa inaam?”

He smirked, eyeing her lips, and she pushed him back, “besharam… restaurant me hai hum.”

Grinning he drew back, and just then their tea and biscuits arrived, and the lady disappeared saying she had to cook dinner. He wrinkled his nose at the measly meal, “dinner ke liye kisi achche restaurant me chalenge.”

As he sipped the tea, he looked out at the garden that was now bathed in the mellow golden light from the lamps. He caught sight of a bird, a sparrow as far as he could see. Even though it was past dusk, the bird was picking small twigs from the ground and carrying it up to its nest. He stood up and went outside for a better view. Naina followed him, “kya dekh rahe ho?”

He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side, still keeping an eye on the bird, “woh chidiya ko dekho. Pata nahi itni toh kya jaldi hai ke shaam ko bhi ghosla banane me lagi hai.”

She glanced to where he was looking and immediately spotted the bird; she couldn’t help but smile at the diligence of the bird, and Sameer’s fascination with it. Leaning further into his warmth, she said, “shayad hamari tarah usko bhi jaldi apna ghar basane ki ichcha hai.”

He looked down at her, a soft smile adorning his lips, and she gazed at his face shadowed by the partial lamp lights. The warmth pulled her in, the peace she felt in his arms seeped into her pores, her hand lifted to caress the day’s growth of stubble on his jaw, and she reached up on her toes kissing softly on his mouth, surprising him. His hand on her waist clenched once, and his eyes fluttered shut, the sparrow chirped once in background and its mate joined in the task of building the nest. Their lips parted, but they held onto each other, watching the birds craft a nest, a practice that they followed every season, for creating a home was never a task of one instant, but it was a process, a constant one, and always done together.