"Sorry Jaan, we are having Turkish food for dinner instead of lunch. I am booking us a spot using OpenTable, this bistro in Manhattan has very good food and they have themed entertainment in the evening." Randhir was freshly showered and had the restaurant reservation service open on his phone. "By themed entertainment you mean belly dancing?" Sanyukta said. "That and other traditional folk from Turkey." Randhir tried convincing her.

"But that will be so expensive. Randhir, I am not comfortable with the idea of spending so much on fancy dining!" She remarked promptly, it was her standard go to response whenever he mentioned anything that involved expenditure. "Sanyukta, I have a job already, we can afford a little extravagance. And you need to get used to luxury, you are a Shekhawat now!"He reminded her. As a man it was important for him to know that his wife had faith in his ability to pamper her. They were on their honeymoon for crying out loud! Which woman would stint when her husband wanted to wine and dine her, he asked himself.

Randhir was the son of one of the richest Indian business families, and he felt it was quite ironic that his wife was uncomfortable with the thought of splurging. Sanyukta not just came from a family that valued thrift she had also chosen a profession where she was being groomed to pander to other people's need rather than her own. While they lived in together in Mumbai for two years he was a student himself and it did not bother him when she insisted on cutting corners. But things were different now and he wanted her to have more confidence in him.

She said nothing and offered to make some pasta and salad for lunch. When he went into the kitchen to help set the table he noticed that she was unusually quiet while adding finishing touches to her cooking. "Sanyukta!" He gasped as he clasped his arms around her waist, he noticed that she had been crying. "What happened?" He asked her, suddenly concerned. She did not reply, instead fresh tears began forming on her lashes. "Shhh, don't cry Jaan!" He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom after switching off the heat under the saucepan.

"Bolo Sanyukta, why are you crying? Was it something I said?" He asked her gently, planting a tender kiss on her cheek. "I will never fit into your family Randhir, my humble background will always get in the way. Perhaps you should not have married beneath your class, your mother is absolutely right. You need a partner from your own station in life, I can only bring you embarrassment!" Her tears began cascading down her cheeks and he let her cry, clasping her in his arms tightly.

"You are forgetting an important detail Sanyukta, that we married each other for love. Where we come from does not matter, where we are going matters more!" He whispered into her ear and held her close, stroking her hair till she calmed down. "Look into my eyes Sanyukta, what difference does it make how much money my parents have or how conservative your parents are? It is up to us to strike a balance, I will scale myself down to chose a simpler lifestyle than the one I was brought up in and you can learn to indulge yourself in simple pleasures that do not have to cost us an arm and a leg. I think we will manage just fine!" He tried to persuade her to see things as clearly as he could in his head.

"Randhir, you did not live a life as mundane as the one I did. As a family we never dined out except for on occasions like weddings. My mother took care of my spa regime herself, money was spent only on essentials, not because we could not afford otherwise but because it was considered unnecessary. I saved up all my gift money because I felt guilty if I ever spent  any of it, that is the way I have been brought up." She spoke almost inaudibly. "I understand fully Sanyukta, most families in our country live like that. But your life is going to be different now!"

"New York offers us a global perspective, and you have to experience it first hand from a patron's point of view, and not always from the hotelier's approach. Your resistance will change as you learn to let go and have a good time. Everyone deserves that! Come on now, I am hungry, let's eat first, and then I have to make up to you for making you cry by making sweet love to you. We will take a nap after that before we leave for dinner." They did as he suggested and made their way through the simple lunch fare. 

As promised he filled her senses completely and they relaxed in bed later, making Sanyukta wonder if other women's partners took as much care to pleasure their lovers as Randhir did. They spent the entire day indoors, which was just as well because it had begun raining heavily, the showers cascading down the apartment's window panes while the couple made passionate love. Both fell into a deep slumber later, snuggling under the duvet. Randhir had sensibly set the alarm so that they could get up, shower and dress leisurely before stepping out for their dinner date. Sanyukta wore a new outfit he had bought her and as much as she was tempted to she avoided asking him how much he had spent on the clothes he had insisted on buying for her.

They took a cab to the place in Midtown Manhattan, renowned for their Anatolian cuisine. Randhir ordered the traditional drink raki along with a platter of meze or appetisers. Adding cold water to the aniseed flavoured drink turned it milky and Sanyukta really relished the sweet aftertaste. She had read about the drink during her previous year in college and was excited to taste it. "Easy baby, it is a potent liquor, you don't want to be drunk too soon, the evening is still young!" Randhir warned her and she took a bite of the eggplant, white bean and potato salad while he helped himself to feta cheese and hummus.

A band of men played folk music, strumming a string instrument called baglama and singing alongside. The grilled meat main course arrived, accompanied with grilled peppers, bulgur pilaf and salad. Randhir had ordered a bottle of Grenache red with the meat, which turned out to be excellent and Sanyukta drank the wine with gusto when Randhir was not looking. She did not realise that he wore a smirk on his face, fully aware of how much alcohol she was imbibing in. Soon they had drunk through the entire bottle and they ordered for some baklava, Turkish Delight and Turkish coffee for afters.

Sanyukta had to agree, the entire menu had been delicious, it was more than worth the experience. As they sipped the coffee the belly dancer's performance began, and the sensually dressed in red, dark-haired and olive skinned dancer entered gracefully, dazzling the audience with her scintillating moves. She went from table to table delighting men, and becoming the envy of their women. Every man she approached was happy to be serenaded, enjoying himself unless he was accompanied by a possessive wife. A light-headed Sanyukta kept her eyes riveted on the dancer as she slowly approached their table and made her way to Randhir, gyrating and hoping for a generous tip in the end.

Unknown to the dancer Sanyukta suddenly came forward, stepping between Randhir and the dancer's long red scarf that was intended for his neck. The dancer, who was taken aback just for a moment signalled Sanyukta to join in the dancing. To her sheer amazement, a tipsy Sanyukta unleashed the belly dancer dormant within her, her guard having been lowered considerably by the booze inside her. People stopped eating and turned around to gawk as Sanyukta flung aside her own stole and swung to the beat without any inhibitions. An amused Randhir watched with tinkling eyes as she turned around to face him, still dancing as she ground her contorted body on him. "I am not drunk Randhir, I am just happy!" She slurred.

As the tempo of the music reached a crescendo just before the finale Sanyukta threw herself on Randhir's lap and French kissed him and he responded eagerly. This was New York and nobody raised an eyebrow at them, on the other hand as the music ended both dancers received an enthusiastic applause just as Randhir's bill was settled. He half carried and half dragged his better half to the cab hailed for him by the doorman. "Lucky bastard!" A man who was sitting with a couple of other men called out to Randhir who winked and grinned back at him before bundling Sanyukta into the cab along with himself.