Always and Forever
Part 53: Husband Tantrums

The gleaming morning sun shone on Naina’s face, and she turned over nuzzling against a warm bare chest, trying to continue sleeping. However after few minutes she could hear the twittering of birds and sighed, lifting her head to look at the bedside clock. It was time to get up, but she still wanted a few minutes to cuddle in her husband’s arms. Lifting herself on her elbow she stared at his sleeping form… Sameer… This was the second morning she was waking up in his arms, and she already loved the feeling so much that she never wanted to lose it even for a day. Yet she knew that tomorrow morning will be different… She had to go back for her pag-phera today, and that meant tomorrow morning she would be in her old room, on her old bed, along with Preeti. But for now… for the morning, she was here, and she would cherish this peace.

She recalled how they had made love immediately after coming back from their reception party; the clothes they had worn were strewn around the room, the gold and diamond jewelry dropped carelessly. He had been impatient, but more than him, it was her… He had still once offered to freshen up, but she had been fascinated with his protruding veins and did something she had wanted to do since a long time. And after that, naturally he hadn’t even thought of freshening up. It was such an amazing feeling to be so… herself… Being with him, kissing him, touching him, making love, everything felt so natural as if it was instilled inside her. Before her wedding, in-front of her family she would always be conscious of something or the other… Don’t speak loudly, don’t laugh too much, don’t dance, don’t sing… There were too many don’ts’. But with Sameer, she had found an abandon she could have never dreamt of.

She blew gently watching the hair on his forehead flutter, his brows furrowed at bit but soon smoothed out again as he continued to sleep on. His lips were bit pouty; she used her thumb to trace the lower one, still wondering how they were shaped so perfectly. His jawline sported stubble once more, and she dipped her head to skim her nose against the rough growth. Trailing a finger down his throat, she watched him turn his head a bit, inadvertently giving her more access… The mehndi adorned finger with a red oval nail gently scraped down his shoulder, pushing the blanket to bare his chest, and her eyes glittered on seeing the sets of muscles, the flat coin-like dark brown nipples with hardened nubs. For a moment, she debated if she should wake him up with a small bite. But then the thought disappeared as she watched him sleep in peace. Instead she reached up and kissed his forehead, whispered, “I love you”, and then got up from the bed. Grabbing his shirt she put it on, and stretched her arms, there was a little soreness from yesterday, but she didn’t pay much attention to it as she was sure it would lessen with time…

The bathing ritual was a pleasure in itself, she was amazed at the little things like how she didn’t have to boil water separately for her bath, how she could finish all her morning rituals at one go inside, how the spacious bathroom enabled her to actually enjoy the experience of showering… She loved the fragrant soaps and shampoo, she enjoyed the bath-tub, though she still needed to figure out the essential oil part, but still, even without that she was happy that she could soak herself to ease her soreness. Just as she was putting on her bathrobe, there was a knock on the door, and Sameer’s voice asked, “Naina… andar ho?”

She chuckled, “haan… mere alawa aur kaun hoga?”

“Jaldi bahar aao”, he commanded, “mujhe zoro ki bathroom aai hai.”

She laughed, tying the robe belt around her waist, and then opened the door. He muttered a hasty good morning, pulling her out, and then rushed inside, closing the door. She shook her head, moving to the bed to set the blanket and pillows straight. Turning off the air conditioner, she switched the fan on, and cleared their discarded clothes. At least he had taken the time to wear tracks, she mused, still chuckling at the way he had almost ran inside the bathroom. She unwrapped the towel from her head, and rubbed her hair, flicking it repeatedly, and then left it open to dry. By the time Sameer came out, she was opening the bottle of lotion to apply. He wrapped his around her waist, snatching the bottle from her hands, and murmured in her ear, “hey sweetheart…”

She smiled, looking at him in the mirror, “mil gaya waqt…? Thodi der pehle toh mujhe theek se dekh bhi nahi rahe the.”

He pouted, “bathroom lagi thi na… Par tumne bhi toh cheating ki…”

She turned in his arms, “maine kya cheating ki?”

“Mujhe bina uthaye nahane chali gai”, he promptly stated, “subah ke romance ka kuch socha bhi nahi…”

Her eyebrow quirked, “excuse me Mr. Maheshwari… maine toh subah uthke aapko bahot pyaar kiya… lekin aap hi nahi uthe…”

He grinned, “aap? Hmmm… chalo… aap ka asar dikhata hun…”

“Sameer…”, she shrieked as he suddenly whisked her in his arms, “kya kar rahe ho?”

“Shshh”, he whispered, “koi sunn lega…”

She lowered her voice immediately, “tum kya…”

Dumping her on the bed, he came down on her, “subah wala pyaar baaki hai…”

“Neeche jaana padega”, she murmured.

He pushed aside some of her wet hair from her shoulders, stroking the black beads of her mangalsutra, “thoda time hai ab tak…” His hand stroked down her body over the robe, one leg nudging to part her thighs, “tumne naha liya toh main bhi brush karke aaya… taaki tumhare paas naa bolne ka koi scope naa ho…”

Her eyes took over a glazed look, and her breath broke as she said, “main woh… bath tub…”

His wandering hand stopped at her thigh, “aaj bhi dard hua?”

She shook her head, “raat ko kuch nahi hua… bas subah thoda sa… lekin bath tub me thodi der bethi toh theek hai…”

“Hmmm… Toh phir aaj raat ka wait karte hai”, he mumbled.

She opened her mouth to tell him that they couldn’t, but before she could utter a word he kissed her. Her body quivered, a soft moan escaped her lips, and her hands clenched on his back. She glanced once at the clock, and then her eyes fluttered shut. His hands undid the belt of her bathrobe, and then his mouth was suddenly at her breast while she arched, biting her own lips to suppress her sounds afraid that someone would hear. She had no idea what he was doing… He was just proposing to wait for tonight, and now it seemed as if he wanted to make love now. He rubbed his knuckles in circular motion down her smooth belly, stroked her inner thighs, parting them, holding down on leg with his own, and then rubbed his thumb back and forth between her legs.

“Sameer”, she moaned, her one hand fisting in his hair.

He hummed, enjoying her response, and then went back to her lips. Simultaneously he slowly nudged one long finger inside her, thrilled at the way her hips curled lifting to the contact. She moaned, the sound captured in his mouth, and writhed under him, desperate. The persistent slide of his finger, the constant rub of his thumb, his kisses, his body pressing her down on bed, everything pushed her to a peak from where she was sure to fall off. She had no idea what he was doing… How was he doing it… Her body strung so tight that she felt as if she would shatter in a thousand different pieces, and just a minute later she did shatter… Her breath broke, her nails dug on his back, her toes curled in the bedsheet, and her cry of pleasure was muffled by his lips.

“Beautiful”, his soft murmur, made her sigh and open her eyes slowly. He was smiling at her, his hand gently stroking her thighs, his other hand resting around her head, “itna khoobsurat nazaara hai yeh…”

Her brows furrowed, it took some time, but after few minutes she managed to ask, “yeh… kya? Kaise…? Tum toh…”

He smirked, “mazaa aaya sweetheart?”

“Sameer… par… y…yeh…”, she stammered, unable to phrase her question.

He lifted his hand in-front of her face, wiggling his fingers, “ungliyo ka jadoo…”

Her face flushed, “mujhe… mujhe laga tum… mera matlab… pehle naa bola aur phir…”

He lay down beside her, holding her in his arms, “pehle toh mood me hi tha… phir tumne bataya tumhe subah dard hua isiliye maine socha ke raat ka intezaar karte hai… par subah wale romance me kuch toh karna tha… isiliye maine yeh kiya…”

“Meri toh samajh me hi nahi aa raha tha ke tum kya kar rahe ho”, she confessed.

He chuckled, “aisa aur bahot kuch hoga sweetheart… maine bahot saal intezaar kiya hai… kaho toh ek aur trick raat ko dikhau?”

She drew back a bit, biting her lip, and then slowly informed, “uh… main wahi kehne jaa rahi thi jab tumne kiss kiya ekdum se… aaj raat ko nahi hoga…”

Concern immediately clouded his eyes, “kyun Naina? Kya hua? Itna dard hai…? Maine socha thoda sa hai isiliye toh maine…”

“Suno”, she interrupted his worried rant, “dard ki baat nahi hai… main toh… umm… main toh abhi bhi ready hun.”

He looked puzzled, “toh phir mana kyun kar rahi ho?”

She stroked her hand up his chest, knowing how sad he would be, “actually… aaj pag-phera hai… toh mujhe Chachaji ke ghar jaana padega dopahar ke baad.”

The information didn’t faze him, “theek hai… hum dono chal chalenge. Raat ko rukna hoga wahan pe toh kapde bhi le lunga… tumhare toh thode kapde honge na wahan pe.”

She looked disappointed as she said, “tum nahi aa sakte Sameer… Chachaji aur Arjun bhaiya lene aayenge. Aur mujhe raat ko wahan rukna padega, phir tum kal lene aa sakte ho. Yahi rasam hai…”

He sat up straight, “nahi… tum akele nahi jaogi…”

“Sameer”, she tried to pacify, tugging at his hand, but when he didn’t come back to her, she also sat up and tied the robe loosely, “pag phere me yahi hota hai.”

He argued immediately, “kisne kaha yeh? Abhi abhi toh shaadi hui hai… aise kaise tumhe le jaa sakte hai? Itne saal intezaar kiya saath rehne ke liye aur ab shaadi honeke baad bhi alag kar rahe hai… Nahi maanunga main aisi rasmo ko… Kisika koi haq nahi hai tumhe mujhse alag karneka.”

She held his hand, “sirf ek raat ki hi toh baat hai… kal wapas le aana na mujhe.”

He pulled his hand away and stood up, “nahi… ya toh hum saath chalenge, ya toh tum nahi jaogi. Ek-ek karke bahot raate akele guzaari hai… Ab ek minute bhi bardaasht nahi hoga.”

“Sameer samjho…”, she started to explain.

But he interrupted, “nahi samjhunga… tum mujhe chodke nahi jaogi… bas…”

Before she could say anything further, he went inside the bathroom and shut the door with a bang. She had no idea what to do now. Usually he was so understanding, always adjusting, even his demands used to be within the limits of her boundaries. But now… they were married, she was his wife… And the first demand he was putting forth was something she didn’t know how to fulfil. She wanted to stay back and pacify him, but a glance at the clock told her that she didn’t have that privilege. She had very little time to get ready and go downstairs, and so she quickly proceeded to dress up. Pulling out a saree she kept it on the dresser, and then quickly wiped her face with the cleanser once. She would have loved to wash-up once, but the bathroom was occupied and so she did the best she could with tissues and the wet towel, and then slipped into the underskirt and blouse. The red and green bandhej saree that had been chosen by Sameer in Sindhi market looked really pretty, but he probably wasn’t in any mood to appreciate. Just as she stuck a bindi as finishing touch, he walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his hip just like yesterday.

Her heart still skipped beats on seeing his partially wet body, but his expressions were still like a small thundering black cloud. She sighed, moving to the cupboard to take his clothes out, but he said, “rehne do… shaadi ke baad bhi akele chodke jaogi toh meri aadat nahi chhutni chahiye khud kaam karneki… Kapde main hi choon lunga.”

She scowled, and pulled out his clothes, keeping them on the bed. As she crossed him to go back to the dressing table, he commented, “dekh raha hun sindur bhi khud hi laga liya. Haan… ab akele jo rehna hai.”

She rolled her eyes, “Sameer… aise kya bachcho jaisa kar rahe ho… Har kisike shaadi ke baad yeh rasam hoti hai. Ab toh hume poori zindagi saath rehna hai, toh ek raat me kyun itna bigad rahe ho?”

“Har koi Sameer aur Naina nahi hote na”, he promptly responded, “rasme maan ni hi hoti toh shaadi se pehle kyun milne diya? Tab bhi maan leti rasme… Tab toh tumhe bhi tadap machi rehti thi milne ki aur ab shaadi kya ho gayi mayke jaane ke naam pe uchal padi.” Picking up the clothes she had picked, he stuffed them inside the cupboard, and pulled out another set to wear, “aur haan… main aisa hi bigda hua hun… itne saalo me samajh nahi aaya toh ab samajh lo…”

She opened her mouth to respond, but just then there was a knock on the door. Sameer quickly wore his clothes, and she went to unlock the door, peeking out to see Deepika. She happily quipped, “bhabhi… neeche chalo… breakfast pe story sunana hai na mujhe.”

Naina glanced back at her husband once, to see him determinedly ignoring her as he combed his hair, and she sighed, “haan… chalo…”

Sameer narrowed his eyes as the door closed behind his wife, and muttered to himself, “biwi kya ban gai manana bhi chod diya… Aisa nahi ke hug karke bole ke nahi jayegi chodke. Theek hai… rahe apne akad me… main bhi baat nahi karunga.”

When he went downstairs after fifteen minutes, he found Naina seated in the temple with his mother doing some kind of puja. Munna and Pandit had also arrived just then and they tugged him away. Munna said, “aree yaar… maana shaadi ho gai lekin dosto ko aise bhool mat jaa.”

He smiled, “tum dono ko kaise bhool sakta hun… chalo bahar bethke baat karte hai.”

Pandit stopped him, “bahar kyun? Bhabhi toh ghar ke andar hai… Tujhe bahar chain kaise padega?”

Sameer frowned, “woh andar hai toh kya main bahar nahi jaa sakta? Har waqt chipka thodi na rahunga usse…”

Munna was puzzled, “tera dimag toh theek hai? Shaadi se pehle toh har pal Naina, Naina… Ab kya hua? Rasme nahi dekhni tujhe?”

“Rasmo ne hi toh zindagi barbaad kar rakhi hai”, Sameer murmured, “chalo yaar…”

Before he could step away, Mamiji commented, “aree bahu… thoda bhaari saree pehen leti… yeh saree toh kisi badi dukaan ki nahi lag rahi.”

Naina stopped in her tracks, lowering her head, “jee yeh saree… Chachiji ne…”

Mamiji interrupted, “achcha… mayke ki saree… tabhi itni halki hai…”

Naina didn’t respond, Vishakha shook her head, and said, “koi baat nahi…” But Sameer stated loud and clear, “yeh saree maine pasand ki hai Mamiji… shayad aapko pasand nahi aai, lekin itna toh aap jaanti hi hogi ke mujhe kapdo ki samajh kitni hai…”

Mamiji looked flustered, “aree nahi nahi… mera matlab tha… hamare Mumbai me toh isse achchi bandhej milti hai…”

Sameer pretended to confused, “achcha? Lekin… bandhej toh Gujarat me hi sabse achcha milta hai… Mumbai ke dukaano me bhi yahi se maal jaata hai.”

“Bapa sitaram”, Mamaji interjected with a comment, “sab log kya subah subah saree ki baate karne lage ho… Nasta-Vasta milega ke nahi?”

Vishakha smiled, “haan… isiliye toh abhi puja karwai… Chalo Naina… Aaj kitchen me tumhara pehla din.”

Naina glanced up once at her husband, smiling a bit. He didn’t respond, but cancelled his plans to sit outside; rather he sat on the living room sofa with his friends.

Inside the kitchen Naina did the chulha-pujan as per ritual, and then as instructed, started to roast suji for halwa. Vishakha queried, “nashte me maine puri-sabji bola hai banane ko. Ramdhari bana lega, par tum ek baar haath laga dena bas.”

Naina nodded, and then queried, “umm… maa… woh main kuch aur bhi bana sakti hun?”

“Kuch aur?” Vishaka quizzed, “kyun? Aaj ke baad toh sab tum hi sambhalogi… phir bhi aaj kuch aur banana hai.”

Naina blushed, “jee… maine darasal Sameer se shaadi se pehle kuch waada kiya tha.”

Vishakha smiled, “achcha… theek hai… jo man hai bana lo. Main yeh mummyji ki chai deke aati hun, warna kud-kud karegi.”

Naina added milk and sugar to the suji, and stirred it; Ramdhari set a wok to cook alu-bhaji, and commented, “aaj toh sahab ko subah subah aloo khane ko milenge. Maze hai unke…”

Naina laughed softly, “tension mat lijiye bhaiya… Zyada aloo nahi khayenge aaj woh.”

“Aloo se sahab koi dur nahi rakh sakta”, he informed, adding mustard in the hot oil.

She smiled, sprinkling chopped dry-fruits on the halwa, covered it and stated, “siwaay mere… Aap puri ka tel garam karne rakhiye, sabji main chalati hun. Aur aata thoda sa alag rakhna, mujhe chahiye kuch banana ke liye.”

Ramdhari happily obeyed, pleased to have someone in the kitchen to chat while he cooked. Naina rolled out the next lot of puris while he fried it, and then once they were done, she instructed, “aap table laga lijiye. Tab tak main yahan ka sambhal lungi.”

As Ramdhari went out after putting the tea to simmer, she took out sugar in a bowl, and just a few pinches of red chili powder. Taking a roll of dough, she flatted it out with fingers, forming a bowl like shape, and then added two spoonful of sugar and a small pinch of chili powder. She rolled it to a firm circle once more, then flattened it a bit, dipped it in dry flour and rolled out a medium sized round paratha. Placing the first on tawa, she rolled out another. And by the time Ramdhari had taken out the puri, sabzi, and poured the tea out, she was done making all the parathas.

Naina divided the suji halwa in bowls, and took them out on a tray to serve. She looked at Sameer who was still pouting on the sofa, but came over when Vishakha called. He narrowed his eyes at the vegetable and thought, ‘aloo khilake pata rahi hai… lekin main aisa hone nahi dunga.’

To Ramdhari’s extreme surprise, his aloo-loving sahab declared, “mujhe yeh sabji nahi khani.”

Vishakha was puzzled, “kyun beta… tumhe toh aloo pasand hai…”

“Haan lekin aaj nahi khana”, Sameer firmly stated.

Naina smiled a bit, “koi baat nahi… aapke liye hai bhi nahi woh sabji… Aur aloo maine nahi, Ramdhari bhaiya ne banaye hai.”

Sameer looked up at his wife, “tumne nahi banaye?”

Naina shook her head, “nahi… maine halwa banaya.” Opening a casserole, she picked up a paratha and placed it on his dish, “aur yeh banaya… pata hai na aapko kya hai?”

His brows furrowed in confusion, but in a moment his eyes widened, as he whispered, “cheeni wali roti…”

She smiled, hoping that she had succeeded in easing his mood. But then suddenly he stood up, pushing his chair back, and walked to the kitchen, muttering, “main paani peeke aaya.”

“Suniye, paani toh yahi peh hai”, she called out, but he didn’t stop. Her face fell, disappointment settling in her heart. Was he so angry that he wouldn’t even eat something she had specially cooked for him? How could she even fulfil his demand? How could she avoid pag-phera? Wouldn’t it be inauspicious? And even if she didn’t believe in such rituals what excuse would they give to their families? What can she do to make him happy?

Vishakha gently asked, “beta… Sameer ko kya hua? Tum dono ke beech me kuch…”

Munna interrupted, “aree nahi mausi… apna yaar toh hai hi thoda moody… abhi aa jayega…”

Pandit added, “haan haan… laao bhabhi, tab tak hum chakh lete hai parathe…”

Dadi smirked, “yeh toh hona hi tha… prem vivah jo thehra… Shaadi se pehle sab meetha lagta hai aur shaadi hote hi asliyat ki kadwahat bahar aa jaati hai.”

“Kadwi to coffee bhi hoti hai dadiji”, Sameer’s voice sounded from the doorway; everyone turned to see him coming in with two mugs; he set them on the table, and continued, “lekin peene phir bhi swaad lagta hai.” He looked at his wife, and added, “aur cheeni wali roti ke saath coffee hi achchi lagti hai, haina?”

A brilliant smile curved her lips, “aapko yaad tha?”

He smiled back at her, “haan… tumhari koi baat main bhool nahi sakta. Betho…” As Naina also sat down, Ramdhari started to serve the food. Sameer tore off a bit of paratha, tasted it and moaned, “ummm… wow… kitne saalo baad khaya.”

Munna and Pandit eagerly took one each, even Deepika took one, though Rohan refused. Vishakha was lost in thoughts as she recalled Sameer asking her for cheeni wali roti when he had stayed in Delhi for his summer vacations. He had been so small then… But instead of fulfilling his demand, she had listened to her mother-in-law’s instruction and cooked only the items that Rohan loved. She watched Sameer take a second paratha and sighed, she was happy that Naina was there in his life now to fulfill all his demands, but she wished she had also paid a bit of attention to her son when she had had the chance.

Almost everyone at the table praised the halwa, even Mr. Somani. Naina sipped her coffee, gesturing to her husband that it was good. He leaned a bit towards her and stated, “aisa mat samajhna ke mujhe mana liya tumne… ab tak gussa hun…”

She pouted a bit, pleading with her eyes, but he shrugged, sipping on his own coffee. After breakfast everyone blessed Naina, and handed over some shagun money… Everyone, except dadi, who just tucked her hair behind her ear, and said, “kabhi Delhi aana… tab pata chalega achcha halwa kya hota hai.”

“Bhabhi… story”, Deepika whined, holding onto her saree pallu.

Vishakha lightly reprimanded, “Deepika… story raat ko hoti hai… abhi nahi… Naina ko abhi kaam hai…”

Deepika pouted, “story toh main sunane wali hun… Bhabhi ne hi bola tha.”

“Lekin abhi toh gifts dekhne hai na”, Rohan pitched in.

Naina thought for a moment, and suggested, “saath bethke gifts kholte hai, aur tum mere paas bethke mujhe story bhi sunaate rehna. Okay?”

Deepika nodded happily. Mamiji declared that she needed to go out for shopping, as they were leaving that night, and wanted to buy things. Dadi said she wasn’t interested in gifts and would be in her room, resting until lunch. Mr. Somani also decided to go out, citing no reason or destination. Once everyone left, Vishakha said, “Naina… beta tum lunch ka bata do Ramdhari ko. Gifts maine papa ke kamre me rakhwaye the toh wahin jaake dekh lenge, hum jaake sab nikaalte hai, tum aa jao.”

“Jee maa”, she smiled, and stood up.

Sameer coughed, “uh… tum dono ko toh gifts me interest nahi hoga na… toh hum bahar chalte hai…”

Naina knew that he was still trying to show that he was angry, but she wanted him to be there when gifts were opened, and so she folded her arms staring steadily at his friends. Munna shuffled his foot, “uhh… yaar… dekhte hai na kya tohfe mile hai.”

Pandit nodded his head, “haan bhai… bahot achchi achchi cheeze mili hogi…”

Sameer sighed in defeat while Naina flashed a triumphant smile and then walked to the kitchen. She instructed him to make kadhi-pulao, matar-paneer, and paratha. She knew that Mamiji and family would be taking the train, so she also instructed him to prepare methi thepla in evening, along with some more aloo-bhaji and pack it for their journey. “Saath me nashta ke packets aur mithai bhi rakh dena”, she said, “sirf safar ka nahi, unke ghar pe bhi rahe itna rakhna.”

He nodded, “jee memsahab.”

Hesitating for a moment, she added, “aaj pag-phera hoga toh main dopahar ke baad nahi rahungi. Lekin aap dhyan se yeh sab de dena Mamiji ko. Aur raat ke liye Sameer ko bhi theple aur aloo-bhaji dena… Subah aloo nahi khaye the unhone… Baki aur kya banana hai Maa se puch lena… Aur mithai me sabse pehle ras wali mithai nikaal lena khaate waqt.”

Ramdhari obediently nodded, and then queried, “aap wapas kab aayenge?”

She smiled, “kal… Sameer lene aayenge.”

When she went inside Nanaji’s room, Sameer was standing by the side, his cheeks puffed up as he grumpily watched his family and friends jovially pulling out all the gifts. Naina shook her head, and glanced at the big photo on the wall, adorned with a garland. A small wooden rack had been built to support the heavy frame, and also to light diya and agarbatti. She noticed that the diya had extinguished, probably because the window had been opened. Shifting the diya a bit closer and further to the right of the photo-frame, so that it was shielded by the cupboard, she struck a match and lighted it once again. Folding her hands, she stared at the kind face, and smiled, thinking as if conversing, ‘school se leke ab tak aapka Sameer utna hi ziddi hai… bikul sudhre nahi hai…’

Sameer watched his wife having a personal moment in the midst of the crazy loud conversations, and a reluctant smile broke through on his face. It was so difficult to remain angry on her. Quite apart from wanting to touch her and talk to her, there was also the compelling force of her innate goodness ever since school time. He remembered how he had been angry on her when she had refused to teach him as she was leaving for Vanasthali, but then it was her only who had made him smile by agreeing to teach him. Another time he had been angry because she had slapped him for trying to kiss her hand, and she had pacified him with songs and baking a cake for him.  Next he had been angry when she hadn’t come to meet him at the agreed upon time at the temple, that time he had literally yelled on her, but then he had gotten to know that she had saved his Nanu and that was the reason she had not met him, and had also skipped the debate competition. And then finally in Mt. Abu, he had been miffed when she hadn’t taken his burn injury seriously; she had tried to convince him by bringing toothpaste to heal the burn but he had rebuffed her efforts, but later in the night she was the only one who had noticed that he was unable to eat because of the burn, and had rolled up a roti so that he could hold and eat with one hand. These caring gestures, attention, the way she knew and understood him always rendered him helpless in-front of her, and somehow doused the sharpest of anger he felt. Even now, there were so many people in the room, including himself, but still it was her who had noticed the extinguished flame and lighted it. Nanu wasn’t there to judge, no one in his family would tell anything on this matter, but she wasn’t doing it as a custom or to display her goodness to her in-laws, it was just the goodness in her heart that she treated Nanu with so much respect.

She turned and her eyes met his, the small smile on his face making her smile too, and he immediately controlled his expressions, folding his arms and looked away. She sighed… It was tough to convince him on a matter that would keep them distant. She had no clue what else to do to pacify him, and so she thought to focus on gifts… Maybe by afternoon his mood would improve and he would see the futility of objecting to this ritual.

It was fun to open all the gifts, and somewhere midway Sameer also sat down with them when he saw that Naina wasn’t enjoying that much without him. The gesture made her smile and he stuck his tongue out at her. There was an assortment of items, from photo frames and showpieces, to expensive crockery, serving trays, and even a heavy bronze radha-krishna idol. Vishakha suggested choosing the gifts they wanted to keep and thought would be useful at home, and donating the remaining items. Sameer liked the idea, especially because there were so many things that he knew for sure that they won’t be used in the house. Naina also agreed, “haan… idea achcha hai… kisi aise insaan ko de denge jinko inn cheezo ki zaroorat ho. Cup-dish hi 4 sets hai…”

“Woh to tumhari Taiji ko de dena”, Sameer teasingly commented in low voice.

Naina looked at him in surprise, wondering if his anger had lessened. He bit his lips, realizing how he had been unable to resist and commented, but when she looked at her, he narrowed his eyes, shaking his head in negative. She hoped they would be able to spend some time alone before Chachaji arrived; she wanted to hug him… She knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay angry for long if she was in his arms.

Soon the four men started to put back all the gifts near the walls to be sorted later, Naina and Vishakha went to the kitchen to help Ramdhari. Deepika tagged along because she still had her story to tell. When the women were gone, Munna queried, “kya chal raha hai tere aur bhabhi ke beech me?”

Sameer pretended to be confused, “matlab?”

“Natak mat kar”, Pandit scoffed, “tujhe hum achchi tarah se jaante hai… kyun bekaar me jhagad raha hai bhabhi se? Abhi abhi toh shaadi hui hai.”

“Wahi toh usko samajhna chahiye na”, Sameer commented.

Rohan was genuinely puzzled, “kya hua? Mujhe bhi batao…”

Munna informed, “subah se inn dono me kuch anban chal rahi hai… Pakka Sameer ne hi kuch kiya hoga.”

Sameer scowled, “pehle sirf yeh Rohan tha… Ab toh tum dono bhi bhabhi ke chamche ban gaye ho.”

Pandit chuckled, “bhai… devar hote hi aise hai… chal ab bata baat kya hai?”

“Woh mayke jaa rahi hai aaj”, Sameer grumpily stated, “koi stupid si rasam hai… pag-phera.”

Rohan gently said, “par bhai… yeh toh sirf aaj raat ki hi baat hai… kal wapas aa jayegi na bhabhi.”

Sameer glared at his brother, “toh? Ek raat ke liye bhi kyun jayegi mujhe chodke? Itne saal alag rahe na… Toh ab wapas kyun? Usko samajhna chahiye na ke mujhe achcha nahi lagega… Main kaise sounga…? Raat ko mujhse baate kaun karega? Mujhe subah kaun uthayega?”

The three men stared at him for a moment, and then started laughing, extremely amused at his condition. “Haslo tum sab… tumhari shaadi hogi uske baad dekhta hun main”, he declared and stomped out of the room.

Naina walked in just then, and queried, “inhe ky hua?”

Rohan chortled as he infomed, “bhabhi… woh aaj aap jaa rahe ho na… isiliye bhai…”

“Gussa hai”, she sighed, “subah se mana rahi hun par samajh hi nahi rahe… tabhi yeh garam gulab-jamun laai… Sameer ko bahot pasand hai.”

Pandit took the bowl from her hands, “tension mat lo bhabhi… yeh gulab-jamun toh hum kha lenge.”

“Aur Sameer bhi theek ho jayega”, Munna added, “bas thoda sa ukhda hua hai isiliye bachpana kar raha hai.”

Naina smiled and left, but she knew that his anger wouldn’t subside so easily. People might think that he was being childish, or that he was just upset because they were newly married and wouldn’t be spending the night together. It was tough for anyone to take him seriously, or think that he being upset was genuine… Anyone but her… She understood him like no one else did. He always adjusted to her needs and demands, gave her the priority, fulfilled all her wishes. Tonight even if she said that she didn’t want to make love, he would agree… It wasn’t just the separation of the night. It was more… It was the small things that he needed and craved for. All these years he had accepted that her family would come first and then it would be him. He had demanded but not much, he had wanted but within limits, he had asked but sought permission. And now after their wedding, he considered all her time to be his. The moments he had craved for all these years were what he needed… The comfort of talking after a full day of work or meeting relatives, the simplicity of having dinner together, the peace of hugging each other and falling asleep, the serenity of waking up next to each other, the joy of their morning conversations. There was depth in his anger, which no one apart from her could see.

She went to look for him, but saw that he was engrossed in watching a movie in the living room with Deepika, and so she just kept a bowl of hot gulab-jamuns for him. By the time lunch was served she noticed that the bowl was empty, but his mood was still the same. And the situation was worsened with the constant muffled snickers from Munna, Pandit and Rohan. Vishakha suddenly said, “Naina… tum theek se packing kar lena. Kapde toh zyada nahi chahiyenge, par mithai vagera rakhwa lena.”

Naina nodded, “jee maa…”

Sameer frowned, unable to tolerate the conversation, and as Ramdhari served him more kadhi, he snapped, “yeh kaisa khana banaya hai aaj? Koi aur sabji nahi bana sakte the? Shaadi me paneer kha khake bore ho gaya hun… Aur yeh kadhi… Kitni khatti hai…”

Ramdhari was largely unaffected, and mumbled, “shikayat mujhse nahi memsahab se kariye… Gussa kisi aur baat ka aur baras mujhpe rahe hai… warna yahi kadhi katora bharke pee jaate…”

Vishakha queried, “kis baat ka gussa hai Sameer?”

Munna, Pandit and Rohan chortled, his cheeks reddened a bit, and Naina quickly tried to ease the situation, “kuch nahi maa… Woh subah se kuch baat karna chahte the, lekin mujhe time nahi mila… Toh isiliye…”

Vishakha chuckled, “bas itni si baat… abhi khana khake thoda araam karlo… tab saari baate kar lena… waise bhi aaj raat toh koi baat nahi hogi…”

Mr. Somani cleared his throat, his friends laughed out, Rohan thumped his hand on the table, Naina blushed furiously, while Sameer gaped at his mother. The remaining lunch passed in interrupted teasing around the table. Dadi pulled a face at such audacities around the lunch table, there was no discipline here, and she longed to go back to Delhi.

After lunch, Naina tried to help Ramdhari clean up, but he said, “memsahab  aap rehne dijiye… Jaake araam kar lijiye. Mehndi lagi haatho se yeh kaam achche nahi lagte…”

“Aap bhi na bhaiya”, she smiled, “ghar mera bhi toh hai…”

Vishakha came in just then, “haan bilkul hai… lekin Ramdhari theek keh raha hai… aaj toh hum sab hai, tum rehne do… Phir baad me toh sab kuch tumhe hi sambhalna padega. Abhi kamre me jao…”

When she went outside, there was no one there, and she moved up the stairs to go to her room, hoping that Sameer would be there. But the room was also empty. She let the pallu down, and freshened up a bit. Was he so angry that he won’t even come inside the room? She opened the cupboard, thinking to take out a saree for tomorrow, but all she could think of was Sameer’s pouty angry face. If only he talked… Frustrated and bit upset with the situation, she closed the cupboard with a loud thud, and then went to lie down on the bed. She didn’t change, just turned on the air-conditioner and covered herself with a light blanket.

Thirty minutes later there was a knock on the door, and Vishakha called, “beta… Tumhare papa, Anandji aur Arjun aaye hai…”

Naina wiped the corner of her eyes, and replied, “maa… andar aaiye na…”

Vishakha came inside, and was puzzled on seeing her on the bed, “kya hua Naina…?”

“Maa woh…”, she hesitantly replied, “mujhe thoda pet me dard ho raha hai.”

Worried on hearing this, Vishakha came to sit on the bed, “pet me dard? Achanak se kya ho gaya? Doctor ko bulati hun… Aur yeh Sameer kahan gaya?”

Naina bit her lip, “pata nahi kya hua… achanak se lunch ke baad se dard ho raha hai… isiliye main let gai…” Her voice shook a bit, “aap… aap Chachaji ko kahiye na ke aaj nahi jaa paungi.”

Just then there was a voice from the door, “mummy…” Both the women looked to see Sameer standing just inside the room. Vishkha immediately informed, “Sameer… achcha hua tum aa gaye… Dekho na Naina ko kya ho gaya… Keh rahi hai pet me dard ho raha hai… Aise me kaise jaane de usko? Main neeche jaake kehti hun ke pag-phera do-teen din baad…”

“Mummy”, he interrupted, “tension mat lijiye… aap jaiye aur neeche sabka dhyan rakhiye. Ramdhari puch raha tha konsi mithaai rakhni hai bag me… Naina ko main leke aaunga.”

“Lekin beta… uske pet me toh…”, Vishakha started to explain.

Sameer interrupted, “jaanta hun… meri biwi ko bhi aur pet dard ki wajah ko bhi… mujhe thoda time dijiye bas… Fikar mat kariye.”

Vishakha sighed and stood up, muttering, “tum dono meri samajh ke pare ho… theek hai… main neeche jaa rahi hun… tum sambhalo Naina ko.”

As his mother left, he locked the room, and then looked at his wife for a moment. She lowered her eyes, turning her head towards the window. Without a word, he went to the cupboard and packed a saree in a polybag. Turning towards her, he said, “saree rakh di hai bag me… aur kuch chahiye?”

She closed her eyes, “mujhe pet me dard hai…”

He muttered a curse under his breath, and then went to sit beside her on the bed, pushing the blanket aside. She gasped, “kya kar rahe ho?”

He caught her hand and pulled her up in his arms, hugging her tight, “I am sorry… Meri wajah se tum jhooth bolne jaa rahi thi sabse… Mummy se… Chachaji, Papa, Arjun… Sabse… I am so sorry…” Her hands quivered, slowly moving up his back as he continued, “kabse neeche garden me betha tha gussa karke… Par jab sabko aate hue dekha toh mujhse aur raha nahi gaya, isiliye upar aa gaya… socha tumse thoda ladunga aur phir tum mujhe manaogi toh maan jaunga… Lekin mujhse pehle mummy aa gai upar… main bahar hi tha… maine suna sab…”

She sniffed, “subah se mana hi toh rahi hun… par tum sun hi nahi rahe ho…”

“Tumse dur rehna nahi achcha lagta Naina”, he confessed, “aaj pakka neend nahi aayegi mujhe… Lekin iska matlab yeh nahi ke tum meri bewakufi ke wajah se baaki sabko naraaz karo… Maine socha hi nahi ke agar tum nahi jaogi toh kitni baate banegi… Dadi, Mamiji, dusre rishtedaar, tumhare society wale sab tum me kami nikaalenge. Main sirf apne baare me soch raha tha…”

“Mujhe bhi tumhare bina neend nahi aayegi”, she informed, “lekin bas yeh ek hi raat… iske baad kabhi akele nahi jaungi mayke… Hamesha tumhare saath jaungi. I love you Sameer…”

He pulled back a bit, and kissed her forehead, “I love you too sweetheart… ab thoda theek se hug karo… tight wala…”

She chuckled, tightening her hold on him and requested, “kal jaldi aaoge please?”

“Tum kahogi toh subah 5 baje aa jaunga”, he suggested, “lekin koi ghusne nahi dega sasural me… Par promise, jaldi aaunga…” After a moment he said, “suno… maine pink saree choose kiya hai tumhare liye… Kal woh pehnogi na?”

She nodded against his chest, “haan… pehnungi.”

Few minutes later, he drew back, looking in her eyes, “neeche jaana hoga na?” She nodded once more. He cupped her face, his thumb tracing her lower lip, “yeh lipstick…”

“Smudge-proof hai”, she informed, “nahi felega…”

“Good”, he murmured with a small smirk, and then pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was soft… An apology… A promise… An expression of love rather than desire… When he pulled back, she smiled, lifting her hand to push back the strands of hair from his forehead, “raat ko theek se kha lijiyega. Aur man na lage toh Rohan aur Deepika ke saath koi movie dekhna… unko bhi achcha lagega. Dadi ki baato pe chidna mat… Aur mujhe phone karna.”

“Yes madam”, he softly said, and adjusted her bindi a bit, “ab chalo neeche… kuch aur lena hai?”

She shook her head, “nahi… raat ke kapde toh hai wahan… Kal gehne yahi wale pehen lungi. Kajal fela nahi na?”

He helped her down, “nahi… theek hai sab…” She still quickly checked once in the mirror, adjusted her saree a bit, and then pulled up the pallu over her head. Sameer took the polybag containing her saree, and then held her hand as they went downstairs together. Vishakha was sitting on a chair, talking to Naina’s family… When she heard the sound of payal, she looked towards the stairs, and her worried expressions eased on seeing the smiling couple. She had no clue what had happened between them, or why Naina had said about her stomach ache, but it seemed that whatever was the matter, it was resolved.

Sameer and Naina touched Anand’s and Rakesh’s feet. Arjun hugged Sameer, and then Naina. Tea and snacks were served; they all talked for some time and then it was time to leave. Deepika was upset to know that Naina was leaving, and pouted, “bhabhi kyun jayegi…? Ek din pehle hi toh aayi yahan… Bhaiya, mat jaane do bhabhi ko…”

Naina suddenly looked at her husband, who flushed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. Vishakha looked from her son to Naina, and an ‘oh’ of realization escaped her lips as she suddenly understood the reason of the odd behavior of the couple since morning. Pandit bumped his shoulder with Sameer, “haan… haan… rok le bhabhi ko…”

Munna teased, “Rohan… woh konse takiye ki baat kar rahe the tum pehle? Woh hai na ab tak…?”

Rohan chortled, “haan… sambhalke rakha hua hai…”

Naina bit her lip, blushing as she remembered Sameer’s confession of kissing a pillow in sleep thinking it to be her. Did his friends know? And Rohan…? Oh God… Did Sameer really discuss all this stuff with them? Sameer muttered to his sister, “kal le aaunga tumhari bhabhi ko wapas.”

Deepika demanded, “main bhi saath jaungi… Phir kal bhaiya hum dono ko wapas le aayenge. Jau Mummy?”

Vishakha was not sure, but Naina requested, “aane dijiye na Mummy… Waise bhi kal aur aaj rasmo ki wajah se Deepika ko waqt nahi de paai… Aur kal wapas aaungi uske baad toh aap log Delhi chale jayenge… Toh aaj saath rahegi toh mujhe bhi achcha lagega.”

“Theek hai”, Vishakha smiled, “main uske kapde le aati hun.” Deepika jumped in joy, Sameer frowned, mumbling in low voice, “yeh sahi hai… pati nahi jaa sakta lekin nanad ko saath le jaa sakte hai…”

Within ten minutes, Vishakha came back with a small bag containing tow pairs of clothes for Deepika, and instructed her daughter to behave properly. Ramdhari handed over a jute bag filled with sweets and snacks to Vishakha, who passed it on to Naina. Soon it was time to leave, and Sameer followed behind his wife, discreetly holding the pallu of her saree, trying to control himself from putting his foot down and refusing her to leave. Naina felt a small tug on her head, and turned to look; Sameer was pouting again, but tried to smile. She glanced down to see him holding the end of her pallu, and her gaze softened. Who would think that it was so difficult for him to let her go? She held his hand, stroking her thumb on the back of his fingers, and whispered, “main phone karungi pahonchte hi… aapke mobile pe.”

He nodded, and slowly let go, watching with sad eyes as she sat in the car along with his sister. His heart lifted a bit when she peeked out of the car window, and waved at him. As the car turned out of the gates, Sameer almost took a step out of the door, but Rohan held his arm, “bhai… relax…”

Sameer sighed, and stepped back from the door, “mera mobile kamre me hai… main leke aata hun, phir kuch movie dekhte hai tumhare kamre me. Munna, Pandit, tum dono rukoge na?”

Munna nodded, “haan yaar… tu kahe toh raat ko bhi yahin ruk jaate hai… saath me guest room me soyenge…”

Sameer smiled, “achcha idea hai…”

Pandit rubbed his hands, “pizza mangvayenge hai bahar se…”

A movie was put on the DVD, but Sameer hardly paid any attention to it. Twenty minutes later Naina called as promised to inform him that she had reached. He could hear Deepika and Preeti in background. The conversation was short, but Naina promised to talk at night again.

Mamaji and family left by 7pm; Mamiji was pleasantly surprised to see the fresh food packed for journey, she even thanked Vishakha for her thoughtfulness. But Vishakha confusedly stated that she hadn’t remembered it at all. To everyone’s surprise Ramdhari informed that it was Naina who has asked to cook this for their travel. Sameer smiled in pride as Mamiji was left speechless. He was also happy to know that Naina has even instructed to give him some of the aloo-bhaji along with thepla in dinner, and as soon as he knew it, he demanded to eat it right then. For dinner, Pandit said they wanted to order from outside, and so Vishakha asked to just cook simple palak khichdi, there was kadhi left-over from afternoon, so it would be a good combination. Plus all the heavy food during wedding made her want to eat something light for few days.

At Agarwal house, Chachiji had cooked all of Naina’s favorites, and her father had bought sonpapdi as well. They all had fun time talking nineteen to dozen as everyone wanted to know every single detail of the post wedding rituals. Naina tried her best to narrate everything, interrupted often by Deepika as she added her own tid-bits. Phulla-Bua teased her asking if Sameer was okay with her coming here, and she blushed.

By the time night fell, Naina slipped into one of her old comforting night dresses, but she knew sleep would be far away from her eyes. Deepika pulled out her book to read, sitting beside Naina on the bed, while she talked with Preeti in low voice. In another hour both Preeti and Deepika fell asleep, and she stepped out in the hall, quickly dialing Sameer’s number. He picked up even before the first ring was done, “Hello…”

“Haaye… itna intezaar”, she teased.

He smiled, his heart easing on hearing her voice, “ab tak toh intezaar lamba hai.”

She informed, “maine Chachiji se baat ki… Aapka lunch kal yahan pe hai… Dopahar ka khana khake hum ghar chal chalenge.”

This cheered him up considerably, “wow… matlab main breakfast ke baad turant aa sakta hun…”

She chuckled, and then asked him about his day. He told her everything in detail, especially about Mamiji’s reaction on knowing that she had told Ramdhari to prepare food for them. He also told her that they had ordered pizza and reminded, “tumhe yaad hai hamara pehla date?”

She blushed, “haan… yaad hai na… mujhe samajh hi nahi aa raha tha ke tum jaan-bujhkar paav laga rahe ho ya galti se…”

He laughed, “kya karu… flirt karneka inta kam chance milta tha…”

She giggled, “aur ab?”

“Kal aao phir bataunga”, he stated, “aaj ka bhi pura vasool karunga.”

Her heart skipped beat, “mujhe intezaar rahega…”

Their conversation continued for almost an hour, and then finally Sameer asked her to take some rest. He grabbed his Naina pillow, and went to the guest room to sleep, knowing that his friends would tease him, but pillow was a better option than another fiasco like he had faced with Rohan in Delhi. Naina slept beside Deepika, who was sleeping in the middle of the bed, and kept thinking about ways to cheer him up tomorrow. However, the deep dark hours of night brought an unwanted news…