Sixteen Years later

It was about half past seven in the evening and there was a little nip in the air, which considering it was almost the end November was expected.

Nirmala - a white-haired woman in her early seventies, draped in a pale-yellow cotton saree, was seated near the living room window. The house 'Nirmala Niwas', named after her, was built by her late husband Jaiprakash Maheshwari little over two decades back. It was a two-story white mansion with a good-sized garden surrounding it. It was her routine to observe the coming and goings of their neighbors at that time of the evening, while she waited for the members of her family to return home.

Apart from the tan leather armchair currently occupied by Nirmala, two matching sofas and another armchair were placed around a large glass-top coffee table. A few indoor potted plants, a wooden showcase and a large television set were placed around the room. Two exquisite crystal chandeliers, which had been purchased just that Diwali, sparkled from the ceiling.

The living room extended to one side into a dining space with a six-seater mahogany finish dining table. Beyond it, a door led to the kitchen and pantry areas. A door on the other side of the living room led to a corridor with a bathroom and toilet on one side and two rooms on the other. The first room was small with a big wooden temple and two big Godrej almaris, while the second room was Nirmala's bedroom.

As fireworks went of loudly at the end of their lane, Nirmala complained "Aare Vishakha... diwali khatam hue do hafte hone ko aaye par yeh patake band hi nahi hote! Kal raat jara aakh lagne ko thi ke kissine bomb laga diya aur mein chuak ke utth gayi! Phir aadhi raat karwat badalne mein chali gayi..."

Her daughter-in-law, a woman in her forties, who was currently peeling some peas seated at the dining table, dutifully tsked "Ji Maaji... aaj kal ke bachon ko bilkul kissi ki parvha nahi hoti..."

"Aare, aaisi bhi baat nahi hain... ab aapne ghar ke hi bache dekh le... teeno kitne suljhe hue hain. Bas ghar mein se kya sanskaar milte hain uss par nirbhar karta hain."

As she pushed the peas to a side and started sorting the bhindi and green beans from a shopping bag, Vishakha nodded again "Ji Maaji... aap thik keh rahi hain."

"Waise hai kaha yeh Naina?? Aath bajne ko aaye... andhera bhi ho gaya. Ladki jaat ka itni der se ghar lautna achi nahi, samjhi?"

"Ji Maaji... par aaj woh Swati ke ghar pooja hain na... wahi gayi hain. Bas aati hi hogi." The younger woman explained.

It had been about twenty-seven years since Vishakha had entered the Maheshwari household as the daughter-in-law but even today her mother-in-law still had a strong say in everything that happened in the house. Her father-in-law had dearly loved and esteemed his wife, and this had resulted in Nirmala being treated as the queen in her little household.

Nirmala grudgingly conceded, "Pooja hain toh thik hain.... par Sameer ko bolna usse leta aaye."

"Ji Maaji... bola hain maine usse."

After going quite for a minute, Nirmala asked "Rohan kya bol raha tha kal raat?"

Though she had already reported the conversation in detail earlier in the day, Vishakha recounted the highlights again "Keh raha tha... Dallas ke naye flat mein sab samaan lag gaya hain. Job acha chal raha hain aur naye colleagues bhi ache hain. Agle hafte teen din unke New York office jaana hain... toh kafi excited hain."

Nodding, Niramal asked "Naye office mein sab log kaise hain?" Smiling slightly, Vishakha replied "Sab ache hain Maaji."

The old lady tutted "Itne dur jaane ki kya jarurat thi? Baap ke business mein na bhi kaam karna chahe toh bhi yaha kya jobs ki kaami hain! Pata nahi kitni thand hogi waha..."

Though she had the same reservations, Vishakha had accepted that the kids were growing up and would go where their heart took them.

It had been a year since Rohan had moved to USA for work. Before that, he had worked in Mumbai for a year, post completing his engineering degree. It was during this stay in Mumbai that he met Payal, his soon-to-be fiancé. She had been visiting from Ahmedabad and had been introduced to Rohan at a friend's party. As they excitedly bonded over the joys of their hometown, Cupid had struck them with a thunderbolt. Ever since, they had been inseparable. Even her subsequent return to Ahmedabad, and his move to USA had not put a dent in their passion for each other. Three months back, the youngsters had shared the news of their relationship with the families. After a few weeks of apprehension and some anxious conversations, the elders had shared their blessings.

Casting another look at the clock, Nirmala sighed "Pata nahi kaha reh gaye dono..." After reassuring her that the duo would soon return, Vishakha headed to the kitchen.

Some fifteen minutes later, as she was stirring the ingredients of the peas pulav in the kitchen, Vishakha let out a breath of relief hearing Sameer's bike enter the gate.

Turning down the heat, she headed to the living room and started admonishing the kids before her mother-in-law could "Naina, itni der kyu laga di? Maaji aur mujhe kab se chinta ho rahi thi."

The twenty-year-old, looking pretty in a pink shalwar-kameez embroidered with a gold pattern, muttered "Sorry Mumma... main toh kabse tayar thi... par Sameer ne hi aane mein der kar di."

"Main kya iska driver hu jo har waqt iski pick and drop ki duty mere peeche laga dete ho! Ek dost ki party aadhe mein chod ke aaya hu..." scowling darkly, the almost twenty-three-year-old young man dressed in jeans and a red t-shirt stormed inside after her.

His mother started in a soothing tone "Isme driver wali kya baat hain? Aur party enjoy karni hain toh wapas chala ja...", but still sulking, he muttered "Ab nahi jaana mujhe... aadhe log toh chale bhi gaaye honge ab tak."

Ignoring the conversation between the mother and son, Nirmala ordered Naina "Idhar aa... dekhu toh kaunse gehene pehene hain..." as the young girl approached her, she reproached her "Aare aaise nange paav kyu gayi thi?!" When Naina started "Dadi, chappal peheni thi maine... abhi uttari-" Nirmala tutted "Aare main payal ki baat kar rahi hi... pooja thi toh peheni chahiye thi. Aur itnasa chain kyu pehena hain? Thoda bhari wala sone ka set pehena chahiye tha."

Casting an incredulous look at his grandmother, Sameer shook his head "Mujhe toh samajh hi nahi aata ke aap log chahate kya ho?! Phele ladki ko saj dhaj ke bahar bhejte ho... aur phir yeh expect karte ho ke koi uski taraf dekhe bhi nahi. Khamokham mujhe chaukidar banake bhej dete ho!"

Conveniently choosing to disregard his words, Nirmala persisted "Aare Vishakha... Rohan ki sagai pe isse mera woh naulakha haar pehnana... bada jachega. Aur gulaabi raag ka hi joda banana... bada khilta hain isspe!" without waiting for Vishakha to respond, the old lady turned her attention back to Naina "Pata hain... Sameer ke Dadaji ko bhi gulabi rang bahot pasand tha... humesha mere liye gulabi joda hi laate thay."

Smiling impishly, Naina asked "Aur kya karte thay aap ke liye Dadaji? Bade romantic thay kya??"

Lightly hitting Naina's head, Nirmala chided her "Dhat! Iss umar mein yeh sab baate karungi kya main?"

Vishakha nudged Sameer, who was frowning in Nirmala and Naina's direction, "Ja fresh ho le... aur aate waqt tere Papa ko bhi bula le. Bus pandhra minute mein khana lagati hu."

"Bhuk nahi hain mujhe... thoda nashta kiya tha party mein" Sameer called over his shoulder as he headed upstairs.

Nirmala raised her brows "Muh kyu sujha hain isska? Itni pyaari shakal di hain Bhagwan ne... par aaj-kal jab dekho ukhda ukhda rehta hain!"

"Nahi Maaji... bus dost ki party chod kar aaya hain na... issiliye. Khana kha lega toh dimag thanda ho jaayega." The protective mother rose to his defense.

Even before Nirmala uttered them, Naina rightly guessed that the next directive would be for her. "Ja beta... dekh usse. Pooch kya hua."

"Dadi... kuch nahi hua hain. Bus kud-kud kumar ban gaya hain! Jab dekho katne ko aata hain." Naina pouted.

But the elderly woman persisted "Aare aisa nahi kehte! Iss umar mein sabhi ladke thode... chod... ja dekh usse."

Knowing that Dadi's orders were never up for debate, Naina reluctantly climbed the curved staircase. On reaching the landing of the first floor, she turned toward the corridor leading to the bedrooms situated at the back of the house.

There were four doors, two on each side. The first door on the right was occupied by Vivek-Vishakha. The room opposite theirs, which was empty these days, belonged to Rohan as he was the first of the kids to start sleeping independently. While Naina and Sameer occupied the rooms at the back.

The radio in Vivek's room, playing the local evening news, was forecasting the rise of cotton prices by the end of the month. Not sure if Sameer had relayed the message earlier, Naina peeked into the room and announced, "Kaka-baba, khana almost tayar hain." Vivek, looking distinguished in a pristine white kurta-pajama and gold-rimmed glasses, bobbed his head "Atta hu beta."

Continuing a few more steps, Naina paused for a moment outside the slightly ajar door of Sameer's room, recalling the childhood years when she used to dash through this door without ever feeling the need to knock. Then one day, when she was about fourteen, a switch flipped. Almost overnight a slight awkwardness had crept between them. She had never been able to figure out the exact reason for this undercurrent, cause on the surface nothing had changed. Well, maybe for her it was that one incident during the summer holidays when they were visiting Vishakha's maternal home in the village, but that did not explain his behavior considering he hadn't accompanied them that year. And still, something had changed in him too at the end of that summer.

After a few months of silently grabbling with some dilemmas of their own, they had both again resumed a slightly altered yet comfortable equation.

But these past couple of months, something had him on the edge, yet again. Determined to find out the cause, she knocked "Main hu." "It's open." he grunted from the other side.

The familiar scents of his sweaty clothes dupped in the hamper by his desk, musky deodorant that he had sprayed on before heading out earlier in the evening, and leather jacket that hung behind his door, hit her nostrils.

Noting he was riffling through the contents of one of the desk drawers, she asked "Kuch dhundh rahe ho?" "Ha... Kuber ka khajana..." he retorted. Rolling her eyes, she plopped on the bed "Sarcasm agar constant ho, toh it loses its wit."

When he muttered "Scissors nahi mil rahe mere..." she replied "O... woh toh maine liye hain. Aur ab lecture mat chalu karna... aaj dopahar mein hi li thi. Thoda kaam baaki hain... kal Payal Bhabhi ke ghar jaana hain na, toh Mumma ne kuch gifts warp karne diye hain mujhe."

"Ab kiss baat ke gifts? Sagai ko toh ek mahina hain!" he uttered surprised. When she explained "Diwali ke gifts dene hain. Woh log nahi thay na uss waqt Ahemdabd mein, issiliye kal denge." he still sounded unconvinced "Ajib reet hain yaar! Jab se dono families mein formal baat hui hain, koi bhi occasion ho, ab hum unhe kuch dete hain aur woh humme. Aur koi guarantee bhi nahi ke samne wale ko gift pasanda aayega bhi ya nahi. Usse toh khud hi apne pasand ka kharido aur use karo!"

Knowing there was no point trying to get him to see the logic behind these rituals, Naina changed the topic "Na toh tumhe Pankaj itna pasand hain or na hi woh restaurant... toh, woh party chodke aane mein tumhe itni problem kyu hui?" When he did not respond, she asked in a teasing tone "Koi khaas ladki thi kya waha jise chod ke aane se tumhara mood kharab ho gaya??"

When Sameer scowled back "Koi khaas ladki nahi thi waha! Pankaj pasand nahi mujhe, par Munna-Pandit toh hain na? Woh dono bhi thay waha.", Naina pouted "Sorry na... maine toh kaha tha Mumma se ke Ankit chod dega mujhe ghar. Par tumhe pata hain Dadi ko acha nahi lagta mera kissi aur ladke ke sath kahi aana jana...".

Suddenly recalling what she had noticed on exiting Swati's building after the pooja, she asked "Aur woh Swati ke colony ke ladko se kya argument chal raha tha tumhara?"

"Aage se Swati se kehna jab bhi milna ho woh idhar aaya kare. Tum waha nahi jayogi. Pata nahi kaise behuda log rehete hain uski colony mein... ladki dikhi nahi ke comments karna shuru!" the frown was back on his face.

"O ho! Tumhe toh na... meri taraf dekhne wala har ladka behuda hi lagte nain. Rohan bhaiya khud itni dur baithay hain mein, par apna yeh jasoos mere peeche chod gaye hain! Sharad ne mujhe propose kiya yeh baat tumne hi batayi na unhe?? Kitna bada lecture sunna pada mujhe! Aur woh bhi jabki mujhe Sharad mein koi interest bhi nahi hai."

Looking a little chagrined, Sameer murmured "Woh toh bus unhone poocha ke kuch exciting news bata... toh maine aaise hi mention kiya tha."

"Achaa, toh poore Ahmedabad mein yeh ek hi news tumhe exciting lagi??" she demanded, narrowing her eyes. When he just shrugged, she added "Aur khud toh Rohan bhaiya love marriage kar rahe hain par majal hain jo main kisse ladke se haas ke baat bhi karlu! Saare ghar ke rules or regulations na sirf mujhpe lagu hote hain!"

Sameer first reflexively grimaced "Aaisi bhi baat nahi hain... maine bhi bahot lectures sunne hain unke!" but then added sounding a little flustered "Waise thik hi toh kehte hain... school-college ke dinon mein tumhe padhai pe hi focus karna chahiye."

She raised an eyebrow "Achaa... toh kya che mahiye baad jab mera college khatam ho jayega tab sab log kahenge - Ja Naina jee le apni zindagi! Ab koi nahi rokega tujhe nain mataka karne se!" When he instantly scoffed at the idea, she faked a smile "Exactly!"

Just then Vishakha hollered from below "Aare aa jao khana thanda ho jayega!" And both headed downstairs.

Throughout the meal whilst others chatted about the dinner scheduled at Rohan's in-laws home the following evening, Sameer appeared preoccupied and barely contributed to the conversation. Nirmala reiterated many directions to her beta and bahu about the topics to be raised with Payal's parents. Vishakha, in turn, instructed Naina to check Payal's preferences so that they could accordingly shop for the engagement gifts.

Sameer just distractedly grunted or nodded whenever someone specifically addressed him, till Vivek shared "Maa, agle hafte main gaav jaake aayunga. Jaggu ke bahot phone aa rahe hain ke humari haveli ke chat ka kuch kaam jaldi karwana padega. Aur Rakesh ke khet ki toor dal nikli hain toh uska hisaab bhi karna hain mujhe."

Ears perking, Sameer enquired hopefully "Papa, Kusum-dadi aayegi na sagai mein?", but Vivek shrugged "Kaha hain maine Jaggu se ke ho sake toh unhe apne sath hi le aayunga, par mushkil lag raha hain."

Vishakha elaborated "Maine peechle hafte hi phone kiya tha Kashi ko toh keh rahi thi ke Bua bilkul bistar se lag gayi hain." Turning to Vivek, she continued "Dr Joshi se pooch ke unke liye kuch dawaiya bhejti hu aapke sath." Nirmala nodded "Aur woh mere liya laya hain... waise ek electric heating pad bhi bhejna usske liye."

Kusum, from their ancestral village, had been a needy woman who was widowed at a very young age. Not wanting to be a burden on her brother, she had worked in the Maheshwari household as an aayah cum general household help since Vivek's childhood and had become a part of their family. Apart from being like a second grandmother to Vivek's kids, Kusum had also become a valuable companion to Nirmala after her husband's unexpected demise seven years ago.

Over the years, with not many expenses of her own, Kusum had financially supported her nephew Jagdish's education. A few years back, when he was financially stable Jagdish had insisted that Kusum should stop working and move back home to live with their family. Up to a year back, every now and then, Kusum would still visit the Maheshwari's and stay with them for a month or two as she was extremely attached to the kids and the vice versa.

Looking thoughtful, Sameer announced "Toh main bhi chalunga aap ke sath."

Frowning slightly, Vishakha remarked "Abhi kyu ja raha hain? Agle mahine Rohan ki sagai ke baad hum sab chalenge. Payal ko bhi le jayenge kuldevi ka ashirwad lene aur Bua se milane. Badi khushi hogi unhe Rohan ki honewali biwi ko dekhkar."

Sameer stated adamantly "Tab phir chalunga aap ke sath. Par mujhe abhi jaana hain Kusum dadi se milne." Noting everyone's perplexed expressions, he added "Kuch dinon se bahot yaad aa rahi hain unki."

The matter was settled when Vivek nodded "Chalo acha hain... mujhe bhi thodi company ho jayegi drive mein."

* * *

(Hello Dearies,

Hope you all are doing great. And hope you enjoyed this part. Do share your thoughts.

Please note the story has taken a long leap here as compared to the prologue, but it will keep jumping to the past to present Samaina's dynamics from their childhood years too.

Lots of love, May)