"So much fish! How many people are coming over for lunch?" Anju was surprised to see the variety of fish sent over by Harsh. An office assistant had come knocking on Anju's door bearing bags of fresh seafood minutes after Sanyukta was dropped off at her mother's doorstep. Sanyukta immediately dialled Harsh's phone but his number was not reachable, probably because he was busy in a meeting. She mentioned this to her mother.

"Never mind! Let's deal with all this fish first, we need to figure out what to make. I want the meal cooked before he comes over." 

Mother and daughter occupied themselves with the cleaning of the fish and prepping for lunch. Anju knew what Harsh's favourite dishes were, the menu quickly shaped up in her head. She would make a mackerel hooman, prawn and eggplant masala, shrimp pickle and fry the surmai and pomfret. On the side there would be beans sauté, salad, sol kadhi, bhakri and steamed rice. It took them a little over an hour and half to cook the meal. Anju took pains to sanitise the kitchen to ensure that no offensive fishy odour lingered behind even though she knew that Harsh would not mind.

"Sanyu, all this food could last us a week!" Anju remarked, and her daughter smiled. Harsh did not have to send so much provision, especially when the onus of making lunch was on Anju. But the generous man did not want her inconvenienced for his sake. Sanyukta knew Harsh was taking advantage of Renuka's absence to enjoy a hearty meal. The diet regime imposed by his wife had severely restricted his palate. All the food that came out of his kitchen was steamed or grilled, made with minimal fat, oil and spices. Randhir and Parth were used to it as they had eaten nothing else all their lives but it left Harsh craving for the tastes of his bachelor days, especially the morsels that Anju would share with him from her lunchbox. Now that Sanyukta had married his nephew it was Harsh's official privilege to enjoy her mother's hospitality.

The women had just spruced up the kitchen and changed their clothes when the doorbell rang. Sanyukta rushed to open the door and was surprised to see Randhir and Harsh standing there. She had not expected to see Randhir.

"How's Nicole? Hope she is feeling better!" Sanyukta blurted out. She knew how protective Randhir was about Nicole. 

"Nicole is fast asleep. She will not wake up before evening due to the medication. Don't worry, she will be fine. But hey, we are hungry, let's eat right away!" Harsh said cheerfully, and Randhir handed Anju a basket of fruit and a box of sweets.

"I should apologise for inviting ourselves over for such a lavish spread at such short notice, but I am certainly not going to! That's the benefit of being a co-parent-in-law!" Harsh grinned as he sat down on the dining chair. Randhir sat beside him.

"According to protocol this lunch should be on me, but Harsh, you bought everything, I just cooked it. That's not how I intended Sanyukta's Panch Partavan to be." Anju served generous portions of the food to Harsh and Randhir while Sanyukta got them fresh bhakris straight off the griddle.

"Let's not talk about the if-thens. Renuka would have pulled the plug on any arrangements you had intended for, I will not mince words. So let's just focus on the moment and enjoy this toothsome meal you took so much effort to make. And I reserve the right to show up uninvited at your doorstep whenever I crave normal  food and when the opportunity presents itself. Randhir, don't you snitch on me, although I am beyond caring for what your mother has to say!" Randhir gave him a reassuring smile but Anju and Sanyukta looked uncomfortable. The Renuka-Anju truce was never meant to be. Mother and daughter knew this very well, as did father and son. All of them decided to focus on the food rather than discuss the matter further.

"Randhir, please be careful, you have been away from home for so long, hope you can handle the spice!" Anju warned him gently. 

"I will always be a Goan at heart no matter where I live. Agreed, I don't eat much Indian food now. Nicole cannot handle anything spicy nor does she cook much!" Randhir admitted. Sanyukta stopped breathing for a moment as he mentioned Nicole, but said nothing, the way Randhir conducted his life was not her business anymore.

"So how do you manage your meals? Do you cook?" Anju enquired. She was already feeling sorry for the boy. There could hardly be anything as comforting as a home cooked meal. 

"You know the American way, we fix ourselves one-dish meals, mostly ready to eat stuff, there is so much convenience food available. It's mostly salads, smoothies and sandwiches and sometimes takeout meals. I am used to it now!" Randhir glanced casually at Sanyukta who was sitting across from him. He knew she was listening to every word he spoke but was carefully avoiding . Her eyes were glued to her plate. He knew she was trying to focus on her mother's cooking. 

The rest of the afternoon passed without much ado. Anju served the fruit and sweets the men had brought along. Harsh even asked her to make his favourite cardamom coffee.

"Drop me off to the office and then you can take Sanyukta to complete the formalities at the bank!" Harsh instructed Randhir.

Soon the three of them bid Anju farewell and set out with Randhir at the wheel. They dropped Harsh off at the office in town and then went across to the bank so Sanyukta could sign some papers. They were asked to wait for a while as the concerned official was busy attending to another customer.

"Vidushi told Dad everything about the circumstances of your marriage, and he in turn told me. How could you have done something so stupid, when you knew about why your mother's and Dad's background? Why did you not take either of us into confidence before making such a critical decision?" Randhir's expression conveyed the pain he had concealed so far.

"You and I, we are a world apart, Randhir. And your mother hates me as much as she hates my Mom! I don't need to remind you about that!" Sanyukta said resignedly. She knew there was no point discussing about what had already happened.

"How gullible could you be? You got yourself into this mockery of a marriage so that I could have a clear field to marry Nicole? You have gone down the same path of self-destruction that your mother did in her youth, and for which suffered all her life. This is not some movie script, this is real life! You don't know how unscrupulous Vishad is. He is the one who arranged for Nour to sleep with each one of my rivals just to spite me. And that gullible girl was not even aware of his machinations. Don't you know why he is not home in bed with you night after night? Because he is in another woman's bed instead!" Randhir would have lost his temper had they not been in a public place.

"I am sorry about what happened with Nour, really. But it was her choice, there was nothing you could do. And I know that Vishad is with Tanya each night. We had discussed it, in return for his keeping his distance from me he would seek pleasure where he wanted. And Tanya stuck with him to ensure that he does not stray. I know that she moves with him wherever he goes!" Sanyukta revealed.

"Does your mother know about this?" Randhir wanted to scream at her for having put herself in harm's way. He had an uneasy feeling about Vishad's presence in her life. Vishad was his cousin but they were poles apart. Randhir had insisted on not letting Vishad access to money or investments of their business, his cousin was known to keep nefarious company. And though Sanyukta was married to him she would never enjoy the status of his wife, not that of the daughter-in-law of the family as long as Renuka lived. Besides, he himself was committed to Nicole now, and there was no turning away from her. In short, things were complicated beyond redemption.

"Ma knows nothing, and I'll make sure she does not find out. She does not have to deal with any of this. God knows she has faced enough in life!" Sanyukta admitted helplessly.

"And where does that leave us?" Randhir finally mouthed the doubt that he had harboured.

"There was never an us, remember? It was purely attraction and it is no longer appropriate to dwell on the past. Your plans for life were already drawn when I tried to put my foot into the door. When I finally realised I was living in a fool's paradise I tried to set things right by marrying Vishad so that I could no longer harbour any fantasies about you." Randhir was about to respond to her when they were called in by the manager. Soon the papers were signed and they left the bank.

"Drop me back to my Mom's place, Randhir!" She told him.

"Why, are you not coming home with me?" He asked.

"You know very well that I am not wanted there. Even the staff in your home knows as much!" She sighed.

"But Dad cares about you." He knew she would not change her mind. 

"Mom and I will return to Mumbai this weekend. There is nothing left for us here. Getting back to work is important!" She looked out of the window to see the pretty homes rush by. Dainty cottages filled with happy people!

"And what happens to your marriage with Vishad?" He asked. He was curious about it, he knew Vishad and Sanyukta had talked things over.

"That script is yet to be written, Randhir. Promise me you will give Nicole a chance, both of you are perfect for each other. And after what happened with Nour you deserve to be happy with a partner who suits you best. Nicole is crazy about you too, that much is evident!" Sanyukta realised they had reached her mother's home.

"When do we meet again?" Randhir could not believe that he was asking her that question. He did not want to know the answer if it was in the negative.

"I came away fully packed from your home, and there is no reason for me to return. Mom and I will be in Mumbai this Sunday. So I don't know what to tell you!" She said as she got out of the car.

"Can we keep in touch over the phone?" He looked hopeful.

"It would be best for both of us if we don't. Take care, Randhir!" She turned around and rang the bell. Randhir waited till Anju let her in through the door.

He turned the car around. He did not know why it was so painful to let go, was that not what everyone wanted? Especially his mother? He had found someone else and had hoped to build a life around her. Then why was he still concerned and angry about what Sanyukta had done? He would ask his father for advice, he knew Harsh was the best person to figure things out. After all he had been there, done that!