“Pakhi bhabhi, how am I gonna work in this condition?”
“I don’t know, but being a daughter in law of this family, don’t you think you can at least cut veggies?”
“I can’t I feel like vomiting”
“What a nice excuse Karishma Mohit Chavan. If you are forgetting, then I know everything about you”
“And if you are forgetting then, I also know a lot about you. Don’t you think it’s better for both of us to keep our mouths shut? Also, why don’t you cook and go to Virat bhai’s station to give him food made by your own hands?”
“Why didn’t I get this idea? Thank you Karishma, I will make all his favorite dishes and will feed him from my own hands.” Karishma nods “Now what are you looking at? Leave… I need to make fast.”
Pakhi imagines taking food for Virat, him smiling at her, looking towards her with love, him holding her hand making her sit and feeding from his own hand and asking to feed him, them, playing around in the police station.
Pakhi suddenly touches a hot utensil and pats her forehead, coming out of her trance.
Ashwini enters the kitchen, seeing Pakhi pack food “Arre waahhh…for whom are you packing this all”
“Who else other than Virat would it be aayi? I need to go to the station to give him. Lunch time would be in 30 minutes, I have to give it to him on time, else he would be hungry”
“But Virat does….” Pakhi leaves without paying attention to Ashwini “not like someone from home coming to give him food. Only drivers do that job” she sighed “God save her”
Pakhi reaches the station, everyone greeted her. Virat came from the round and was confused seeing everyone giving him weird looks and smiling. He checked himself and asked his constable
“ Is there something on my face or anything that is making me look funny?”
“No sir”
“Then why are they all smiling at me”
He enters his cabin and finds Pakhi sitting there smiling
“You made me wait a lot Mr. husband”
Virat made all the constables out
“What are you doing here Pakhi?”
“I bought you food” She grabs his hand and makes him sit on the chair “I will feed you with my own hands today”
“Stop! I think you know it very well, that I don’t like anyone from the family come to the station without any reason. And what was the need to bring the food, when we have servants to do that job.”
“But, I wanted to feed…”
“I don’t like anyone feeding me, I’m good. Thank you for the food and I hope you will never repeat the mistake again!”
Pakhi went away angry.
Virat called the constable and gave him the tiffin box. Other constable came in and kept a plate a pav-bhaji in front of him.
“Sir doesn’t eat anything other than this in the day time. What could be the reason that he even didn’t have the food which his wife brought?”
“Nevermind, at least we are able to enjoy the home cooked food everyday. All thanks to sir!”
Virat was eating his food, lost in his own world
“Wow….Pav-bhaji.. Virat sir did you know that I would come today?”
Virat turned to the direction of the voice and saw Sayi coming towards him
“Sayi? Is it really you?”
Sayi ignored him and started to feed on her favorite street food
“Virat sir, what I didn’t get is that you hate me so much that you even gave me a divorce letter and humiliated be badly, even married Pakhi di in front if me, yet you are enjoying my favorite dish here, when the constables outside are enjoying your lunch. What is this logic? If you want to hate me, then hate properly na!!”
Virat chuckled seeing her eat and talk this fast. It felt like it had been ages since he heard her voice. He was silently watching her eat, when the door opened and he realized it was just his imagination.
She had gone far away from him, he sent her away from him and, she probably would never return. He didn’t realize that there is a difference in hating and wanting to hate. He tried to hate her, but only his heart knew how much he loved her. His heart wanted to believe her, to look for her, to seek answers to all those questions that she left without answering, to know what was in her heart. Did it beat the same way like his did, whenever he was close to her, whenever she heard his name, whenever their eyes met, could she see the love for her in his eyes? He fooled the world with his words, but the heart isn’t stupid to believe whatever he says, it still goes out of control whenever he thinks of her.
But everytime he thought about her, his ego, would, overpower every other emotion.
“I hate you Sayi Joshi” He said clenching his teeth
******************************
Pakhi had returned home and found Karishma eating tamarind sitting on the couch
“You knew it right?” Pakhi said crossing her arms
“Knew what?”
“That Virat doesn’t like anyone from the family take food to the station”
“No, what are you talking about?”
“I know what are you up to, so don’t try to act oversmart”
“Pakhi bhabhi, this threatening won’t work on me, we both have our own goals and I think you should focus on yours, since, I’m already doing mine perfectly! By the way…did you guys……. sleep together?”
“Sleeping together is far, we don’t even share the same bed!”
“Then you should do something to make him yours”
“What?”
Karishma tells something to Pakhi in her ears
“Karishma, do you think it will work?”
“It will definitely work, now go, you have a lot to prepare”
Pakhi walks away
*********************************
Virat comes home and goes straight to his room. He opens the room and find it decorated beautifully, on looking around, he found it looked similar to the camp where he first met Pakhi. He kept his cap on the bed and walked towards the terrace that looked exactly like the camp site, where he had played the drums. On turning back he finds Pakhi wearing the same outfit she wore when they first met.
“What is this Pakhi?”
“Our beautiful memories. Isn’t this the place where we first met, the sparks flew and we fell for each other? I want us to re-live those beautiful and carefree days, when we were happy together! Let’s start our journey all over again”
She tries to get close to him and hugged from behind
“Pakhi, leave me, whatever happened back then was just a mere infatuation. And we are already married now, what else do you want? I wish I could really turn back the time”
“You are asking me what do I want? I want you Virat. FOR ME, IT WAS LOVE…PURE LOVE, THE ONLY PERSON I EVER LOVED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE IS YOU Mr. VIRAT CHAVAN. It may be infatuation for you, but you will be my only love. The day I stopped loving you, will be my last day on Earth”
“You already have me, I’m your husband by law.”
“Thank god, you at least remember that. But when have you ever behaved like one? You said right, we are just a couple by law. We don’t sleep together, don’t go on dates together, do nothing a normal married couple does. Sometimes I feel like we are not husband and wife, but just two roommates, who are forced to stay together in a room. I did everything I could to decorate this place for you, but instead of acknowledging my hard work, you are here giving me lecture! I know you don’t love me, but can you please at least try? Can we at least act like a normal couple? This is the bare minimum I’m expecting from you Virat.”
“Okay! Just tell me what I have to do, but remember, don’t get overboard. Hand me a list of things a normal couple does and I will review them and try to do them. Now please clear this mess, I’m having a headache, I will just sleep”
“But Virat…..” Virat picks his clothes from the cupboard and walks towards the washroom to freshen up.
Pakhi had cleaned the room by the time he came drying his hair and the food was kept on the table, Pakhi was nowhere to be seen.
Virat again opened his cupboard, took out a key, opened a drawer and picking up Sayi’s nuptial chain kept looking at it. The drawer had a photo of Sayi and few of her belongings….the ones he claimed to have thrown away back then! He again reminisced those pictures shown by Pakhi and closed the drawer in anger. He looks at the key and throws it in the dustbin nearby, picks up his bedding and lies down on the couch to sleep.
Pakhi enters and seeing him sleep, caress his head and takes away the food sighing.
1 Comment
Awesome, he is an idiot