Haragopal huffed and puffed, exhaling so hard his bulbous nostrils flared, extending all the way up to the nasal bridge before returning to their original size. He reserved this extreme reaction to counter Vijaya's hostile barbs. The select few who were privileged enough to witness this superhuman flaring wondered how for a diminutive man, Haragopal had that much nose.

"Worthless fellow," his wife Vijaya had yelled at him moments ago, a daily ritual of the Haragopal household ."One cell phone is all I am asking for. And, you can't buy one for me? Am I asking for an iPhone? All I want is a cheap one and you can't afford even that. I don't know why I agreed to marry a loser like you."

The last line stung Haragopal, who stood flanked by randomly strewn pans and ladles, like a bee. What once served as the weapon that dealt the knockout punch had over the years become as commonplace as drawing blood while brushing one's teeth, thanks to overuse. Vijaya would wonder why she agreed to become his wife for everything from his not dusting the corners to clear cobwebs to his not being able to afford a car, a house, a phone among others. And yet, every time Haragopal heard it, it would sting like a bee. But like a man used to being stung by a bee, he would instantly bounce back, smirk and reminisce how he ended up becoming her husband, despite not wanting to.

"Your list of what I must do to merit being your husband is growing by the day, Vijaya. I don't think I pleaded with you to marry me. Remember how we got married?" he rebuked her and Vijaya fell silent. Such well-timed jabs from him on how she was once at his mercy and how it took an entire village to plead with him so he would agree to marry her, made her fall silent. It always won Haragopal temporary relief but didn't prevent her from making him feel worthless or going off on yet another rant at the next available opportunity.

While her constant belittling didn't mean Haragopal grew numb to her incessant rants, his reminding her of their coming together, in equal measure, didn't serve to numb her either. They had been squabbling the same way for years without growing weary or despondent, and were quite content to let it go on as such without any initiative to mend their ways or to find another method to have a go at one another. In that sense, they were made for each other and if one were to die or disappear, the other would croak instantly.

"Worthless idiot. Water thief," Vijaya mumbled to herself as she went about sorting the utensils and sat down to prepare dinner.