People measure time differently. A young kid's time passes in terms of weeks as he always keeps waiting for Sunday. An office worker's time passes in hours because he is always eager to return home. But sometimes you forget the concept of time. Chahana didn't know how two years passed. It was Jashn's thirty-third birthday. She woke up to the sight of him sleeping peacefully while cuddling with his teddy bear.

Angana Jashn Agnihotri. Their nine month old daughter.

Chahana kissed their foreheads, noticing the similarities of their facial features for a hundredth time. She got out of the bed and entered the ensuite. While brushing her teeth she recalled the two years of her marriage. It was the ninth month of their marriage when she got pregnant. In the eighth month of her pregnancy her pictures went viral on social media. She didn't do anything out of the box. She was just attending an Assembly session and media clicked everyone's pictures while they were leaving. But only hers went viral. They said it was inspiring to see her dedication for work that she attended Assembly session during her pregnancy. She didn't think of it as a big deal but it helped her image in the public eye. Angana was born trimester (three months) prematurely. She was kept at the hospital for a hundred days under intensive care unit, so was Chahana. That was a terrifying phase for both Chahana and Jashn. They were close to lose their first child. And it made them a lot protective of her. But when the dark days ended, happiness followed after. She hated the mess she had to clean. She hated the midnights she had to console the baby. She hated how her boobs hurt from breastfeeding her daughter. But there was immense happiness here and there in bits and pieces. Pregnancy for her wasn't as surreal as it was described by others. It is painful, tiring and emotionally draining, but when she held Angana in her arms for the first time, she knew it was worth the pain.

“Channa.” Jashn's voice brought her back to the present.

She quickly rinsed her mouth and exited the bathroom, “Yes, Jashn?”

He looking around for something while Angana was sleeping in the middle of her pillow wall.

“Where are her diapers?” He asked.

“Oh, I forgot them downstairs yesterday. I'll bring them quickly.” She ran downstairs and brought the diapers, “By the way, happy birthday, Jashn.” She handed him the diapers and pecked his lips.

“Thank you, Channa.” He pulled her in for a proper long kiss before letting her go.

One hour later, they were sitting on the dining table and eating the Dal Makhni Meira had cooked for Jashn. Jashn was trying to enjoy his food but Angana, who was sitting in his lap, was giving him a tough time. Chahana quickly finished her food and took Angana from him so he could eat peacefully.

Meira left to get some paper work done while Chahana and Jashn returned to their bedroom to relax for the day. Chahana was watching a movie on her laptop while Jashn was walking the length of the room with Angana in his arms. Whenever he would try to sit she will start crying. Chahana paused the movie and took Angana in her arms. Jashn settled on the bed comfortably and Angana was asleep in her mother's arms in just ten minutes. Chahana put her in the crib and settled next to Jashn on the bed.

“How do you do that? She never sleeps when I try.” He asked her tiredly while resting his head against her shoulder.

“I don't know.” She patted his head.

“Your interview would be out by now?” He asked her.

“Yeah, it released early morning.”

“Let's watch it then.” And he searched for the interview on her laptop. The video played and he looked at the screen attentively. Chahana, on the other hand, closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Watching herself on internet always made her feel cringe. She would find her expressions very stupid and embarassing.

“Miss Chahana, you are quite a sensation on social media for last few years. Why do you think youth likes you?”

“I am still trying to figure it out,” She chuckled and continued, “But I think they are happy that Oh, finally we have an educated candidate.”

“There are quite a lot politicians in India who don't hold a degree and sometimes haven't even completed their schooling. Do you think education should be a part of the criteria to enter politics?”

“Of course, it should be. Earlier, our literacy rate was low. Now it's much better. Education should be a part of the criteria. But honestly, I don't see it happening anytime soon. Parties don't care about how educated their candidates are. They only care about how many votes they can grab.”

“Since Meira Agnihotri, your mother-in-law, has become the leader of your party, we are seeing an increase in educated candidates. What's your opinion on that?”

“It was her decision that she wanted to exclude illiterate candidates. At that time, it was highly criticised. But now we can see the difference.”

“Before the state elections, we were expecting you to be the CM face. But then Mr Neil was announced to be the CM face of the party. What exactly happened during that time?”

“Umm, I was expecting to be the CM face. And it did upset me that things didn't work the way I wanted them to. But I'm glad it happened. I got married right before the elections. If I had been on the CM's seat, I think I would have missed on a lot of beautiful experiences.”

“There are rumours circulating that there's a cold war happening between you and CM Neil. Is that true?”

“No. He is a good friend of my husband. Jashn won't stop praising Neil if started. And, to be honest, Neil is too good to be true sort of a person. I've never seen him angry and I really appreciate that about his personality. And I want to add this, his son Abhimanyu is a cutie pie. I love him.”

“Is Abhimanyu friends with your daughter?”

“Not yet. He is three. Angana is nine months old. But I think they will be best friends in the future. They have a lot in common.”

“How did you get married to your husband?”

“That's quite filmy. We dated in college. But at that time we didn't know about each other's family background. Then we broke up, met again after seven years and kind of fell in love again. But it was Meira Aunty who proposed our marriage. That's how the sparks reignited.”

“That really is quite filmy. Have your father helped you with issues?”

“Oh, he has. He is my inspiration. In front of people, he is this strong man but at home he is a cute husband and a loving father. I didn't know my father could be intimidating until I visited his office one day. Now I know I'm going off the question. But I can write an entire book on my Baba.”

“Oh, you should. We would love to read that. Tell us something about his personal and professional life.”

“There are parts of his life he has never shared with me or my brother. He doesn't talk about his father, for example. But he talks dearly about my grandmother Ashlesha Shekhawat. I had seen him crying for the first time when she passed away. It was a heart-breaking moment for me.”

“Is your brother planning on join politics?”

“Umm, I don't think so. Angad is a very chill person. He wouldn't want to ruin his peace by entering politics. I know that for sure.”

“Are we seeing you as the CM face in the next elections?”

“Umm, I don't have an answer to this question.” 

“What's your message to the people watching your interview?”

“Please be a part of the process. Don't vote for someone just because he belongs to your caste or religion. Judge a leader by his actions, not words. Making promises is easy, fulfilling them is a task only few can accomplish.”

“Thank you, Miss Chahana. It was nice talking to you. Thank you for taking out your time for this interview.”

“Thank you.”

And the video ended.

“That was nice. But why didn't that lady ask about our photos leaked two years ago?” Jashn asked Chahana.

“I told her beforehand that I don't want to talk about that. She was sensible enough to agree.”

“Okay, let's take a nap now.” He put the laptop on nightstand and laid down on the bed while hugging Chahana sideways. His one hand wrapped around her stomach, caressing her stretch marks and the other one traced it's path down her neck, inside her top and cupped her breast. With a kiss on her neck, he closed his eyes. But Chahana tried to remove his palm caressing her stretch marks. He opened his eyes and asked her, “What happened?”

“Umm, I don't like my stretch marks.” She pouted while clutching his hand on her breast.

Jashn smiled, “Why? It's normal to have stretch marks after pregnancy. Don't let those fake beauty standards get into your head. We don't want an insecure chief minister.” And he kissed her cheek.

“Channa, is it true that you were offered lots of money to join your father's party?” He asked her abruptly.

“That's not my father's party anymore. And yes, I was offered hundred crores in cash.”

“And you refused so easily?” He asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, I've inherited way more property from my Baba. I was at a better position than most young politicians, so I refused.” She replied nonchalantly.

“Why not join that party and continue your family's legacy?”

“I am still doing that. And, honestly, after Baba left politics, that party gradually changed it's stands.”

“But they are doing good in the state of Panjab. Why are they growing weak in Awadh then?”

“The party is doing good in Panjab because of Waris. He is a good leader. In Awadh, the current party president is just messing things up.”

“Yeah, his son's bad reputation in public is not helping him either.”

“Okay, enough of politics. Now sleep.” And she closed her eyes.

“Now when I'm interested in politics, she doesn't want to talk about it anymore.” He mumbled to himself while closing his eyes.

“I heard you, Jashn.”

“Good. It was for your ears only.” He taunted her, but Chahana didn't give a comeback. She just wanted to nap before Angana wakes up.

•••

Thoughts 💭