Following the routine set since last three months, Naveen got home early from office. His chores and the time it took him to complete everything was all set. Keeping that in mind, he prepared himself for the upcoming tasks with a heavy breath.

After two hours of pacing around the house, he finally slumped down beside Kusum like a corpse, his wife slowly massaging her seven-month pregnant belly.

She had a book in her right hand, and with the left hand she caressed Naveen's hair. She was used to it now, so she didn't force him to chat with her.

Within minutes, her husband was fast asleep. She also closed the book and switched off the lights on her side. Inching closer to Naveen, she took his right arm in hers and hugged it closely. The soft snoring of her husband made her smile, and she closed her eyes, welcoming the sleep.

Around 2 a.m. into the night, Kusum felt something wet under her. She tried to ignore it, but the wetness irritated her, and she woke up with a fright as she realised what she had done. She had read about it but never expected it to happen to herself.

Removing her duvet and shifting herself to the side, she noticed a huge wet patch on the mattress, the smell of urine growing stronger. She crunched her face and smacked her forehead with her palm.

"Seriously? I had to wet the bed in the middle of the night?"

She glanced at Naveen, who was in a deep slumber, unaware of what had happened. A light coat of pink adorned Kusum's cheeks as she lightly patted her husband's shoulder.

For a minute, she thought she should let him sleep, but the thought of sleeping on a wet bedsheet sent shivers down her spine.

After trying for a few times, Naveen stirred in his sleep as he struggled to open his eyes.

"Naveen..."

"What...?" he groaned.

"Can you please wake up?"

"Are...you hungry... again...?"

Kusum's voice dropped an octave. "No, baby, but... I... I wetted the bed."

Naveen thought he imagined what he just heard and felt like falling back to sleep, but when Kusum nudged him again and repeated what she said, he turned his body to her side and raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked.

He sighed when Kusum nodded, and the smell traveled to his nose. He pursed his lips, the traces of anger and annoyance flashing on his face.

For two minutes, he was like a statue as his eyes kept shifting between his wife and the bed. Holding back a curse under his breath, he painstakingly got up from his spot, helped his wife reach the bathroom after giving her other clothes, removed the mattress and the bedsheet, and again helped his wife get back on the bed.

Half an hour out of his six hour sleep were sacrificed and the thought of getting up again after three hours fuelled the stress bubbling inside him. It wasn't like he didn't get his sleep disturbed on most of the nights since last three months, but tonight, his patience was really tested.

He only wanted to sleep peacefully for at least one night, but that also seemed to be too much he was asking for. Almost 90% of the household work was on his shoulders and that didn't even count the amount of time he had to invest in babysitting his wife.

As all these thoughts stormed his mind, he tried to shake them off, but a tiny voice kept him busy all throughout the night; he stole glances at his wife, his eyes losing the softness each time he looked at her.

'She thinks that I don't have any work at office, doesn't she? Preparing breakfast, then going to office to work my ass off, buying groceries, and then coming home only to do more chores. Wow. What a life, Naveen. Here your wife sleeps 24×7 a day, and you can't even get one second of peace,' Naveen thought to himself.

Realising that he had wasted the rest of his time overthinking, he got up before his alarm rang. Even if he complained about the amount of pressure he was feeling both mentally and physically, he carried out his duties and reached his office.

At his workplace, it was another scenario he had to deal with. Ranging from clueless interns to arrogant bosses, every human being qualified in squeezing out the energy and tolerance left in Naveen.

At one moment, he would be correcting a mistake his team made, and the next moment, he would be getting his ears damaged by his supervisor's lectures.

Anyhow, Naveen managed to get by half of the day just like he was doing since last six years in this corporate world. Making a coffee for himself, his thoughts ran back to his wife.

'She must be sleeping of course.'

"You look really tired, Naveen," one of Naveen's colleagues, Sujata, commented.

She pointed out the dark circles and pimples, with concern lacing her voice. She, like others, knew about Kusum's pregnancy and was glad that Naveen was looking after his wife. But, that didn't mean that they couldn't ask him what was bothering them.

"Naveen, I am not trying to be privy, but hasn't your wife completed her seventh month?" Sujata asked.

Naveen nodded, and Sujata exchanged a glance with another female colleague.

"Is there any issue?" Naveen asked, noticing the curious stares in the women's eyes.

"Well... I don't know if you guys follow that custom or not, but in our community, women usually go to their maternal homes after completing seven months or even earlier. Or if that isn't possible, some female relative/relatives of the woman come over to tend to her," Sujata said plainly.

Instantly, Naveen remembered the day when they had called Kusum's parents, and how her mother had also mentioned the same custom. But Kusum had refused and he had too.

At that time, he had completely underestimated what was to come, and if they had agreed, maybe he wouldn't had put himself under so much pressure.

Just like Sujata, the rest of his team members also showed their worry on the current physical state of Naveen. Not fully trusting their words, Naveen went to the washroom, and his eyes widened a fraction as he registered his reflection properly.

He was so busy doing stuff around the house and for his wife that he didn't even spare a glance at himself. Sujata was right: his eyes resembled hollow caves, his face sporting tiny pimples like cactus' thorns, and his dry skin making the matter worse.

While he was examining himself, one of his friends, Lokik, came out of one of the washroom stalls and smiled at Naveen.

"How's bhabhi (sister-in-law)?" Lokik asked.

"She is okay" Naveen said with disinterest, and it didn't go unnoticed by his friend.

"What happened, bro?" Lokik asked seriously.

"Just tired," Naveen said.

"I get it, but that's how life is, buddy. I am also in the same boat as yours."

Just like Naveen, Lokik was also expecting a baby in near future, but unlike Naveen, Lokik had some extra help at home in the form of his wife's younger sister.

Both guys exited the washroom while discussing about their wives' pregnancies and sharing their experiences. Naveen felt good to share his thoughts with his friend, receiving some important insights.

Naveen's mood was lifted, and he sailed through the rest of his work day without a frown on his face, but after getting off work, he received a call from his mom. And what she said made him recall what Sujata had said earlier.

"Beta (child), sorry I couldn't call you in the morning as I was busy. How are you?" Naveen's mother asked.

"I am fine, Mom. How are you and Dad?"

"We are awesome. Naveen, actually I called you to ask about Kusum. I tried her phone, but I think she is busy talking to someone else. Did anyone come to pick up Kusum or are you going to drop her off yourself?"

"She isn't going anywhere, Maa. Didn't we tell you that before?"

"Really? I thought you weren't serious. Are you sure, Navu? I am not saying it because of our traditions, but how are you managing both office and home?"

"Trying, what else?" Naveen shrugged.

"Aw, my poor baby. You know, I am really proud of you. If Kusum really doesn't want to go to her maternal home, I won't force you guys. It is her choice after all. Just take care of my daughter-in-law and yourself, okay?"

"Yup."

Naveen conversed with his mother for a while and hung up the call. Even when he reached his home, he couldn't get the words said by Sujata and his mom out of his head.

"Women usually go to their maternal homes after completing seven months or even earlier. Or if that isn't possible, some female relative/relatives of the woman come over to tend to her."

"Did anyone come to pick up Kusum or are you going to drop her off yourself? How are you managing both office and home?"

"You look really tired, Naveen."

With all these words swirling through his mind like a cyclone, Naveen put his bag on the couch and stared at his wife settling down some plates on the dining table. She noticed him and beamed.

In return, Naveen could only pass a forced smile. Without seeing any point in delay, Naveen asked Kusum the thing which had been bugging him all day.

"Did your parents call?" he asked.

"Yeah, they did," Kususm answered. "See, you don't have to cook anything today. I was feeling better, so I prepared your favourite meals."

Naveen nodded absentmindedly, his eyes eyeing the sink full of unwashed dishes and the mess Kusum had made in the kitchen. Even if she cooked dinner, that too after so many months, he was going to be the one who had to clean up after her.

"Mom also called me today," Naveen informed her.

"She had also called me, but since I was busy arguing with my mother, I couldn't call her back. What did she say?" Kusum said happily.

"She asked if someone was going to pick you up."

Naveen's one part scolded him for bringing that topic up, while another part of him encouraged him to see his wife's reaction and if she would accept her parents' offer.

Somewhere, all that fatigue and following the same routine for another upcoming two months daunted him. He really needed some break.

"Wow!" Kusum exclaimed. "That's exactly what my parents also talked about. And you could already guess what I must have told them. No matter how much they blackmailed me, my answer was 'No'. I have you by my side, and of course, I would want our baby to have your presence too."

The way Kusum's face lit up, Naveen's face was the opposite. Though he was a bit happy to hear about their baby, it didn't help much to cheer him up. He knew he still had dishes to do, laundry to fold, and clothes to be ironed. And he had to do all of that by himself.

After dinner, Kusum helped her husband in placing the dishes in the sink and grabbed two ice-cream tubs from the fridge.

"We will watch a horror movie today!" she squealed.

"You go ahead. I still got work to do," Naveen said without looking at her as he unwantingly wiped the dining table with a cloth.

Kusum giggled. "Naveen baby, it is Sunday tomorrow."

On hearing Sunday, Naveen's ears perked up. He couldn't believe he had even lost the sense of time. He heaved a sigh of relief and joined his wife in the movie session.

"Baby, you can sleep till very late tomorrow. I won't disturb you," Kusum said.

"What about breakfast then?" Naveen asked.

"You need not worry. I am going out with our neighbour, Dharna Didi, for an early morning walk. Some other women might join us too, so I don't know when we will return. It might even take the whole day as we will be doing a lot of activities. So, you can rest till I return. I will call you."

"Just take care, okay?"

"Of course."

After hearing what Kusum told him, Naveen felt a sense of relief overcoming him. After a long time, he wouldn't have to wake up early and sleep all day just like his wife did. Happily, he switched off his phone alarm and decided to invite some of his friends over.

Thus after the movie ended, Naveen messaged his peers and asked them if they were free tomorrow. And to his luck, his friends accepted his invite, and he looked forward to the next day.