Rukmini

Chapter 8: Unexpected

A picture of Rajnish. He sort of looks like this.

Radhika :*

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By the time we got back home,  it was almost 4:30 in the evening.

'Rukmini, ....', Rajnish called out as I got out of the car.

'Yes ?', I asked.

'Shall we go out for some grub ?'

'Urm, sure. I don't mind.'

We went for some grub to some 5 star hotel. The food was really good. Rajnish even got me some ice cream to have as dessert. We took a stroll in a park nearby.

'Thanks.', I said.

'Why ?', he asked me.

'For taking me out.'

'Oh, that. Its nothing. Abhimanyu had asked me to make sure you weren't lonely or sick. Are you okay now ?'

'Yes. But, your day must have got wasted, right ?'

'No. Why should that happen ?', he asked.

'Well, you took a day off.', I said.

'Look Rukmini. I'm a minister. I can take a day off if I want. No one's going to stop me.'

I looked around and caught some people staring.

'Why are people staring at us ?', I asked as a few people came towards us.

'That's because they're surprised to find me out in the open, remember, I'm a minister ?', he said.

'Mantri sahib, mantri sahib ! Kashe ahaat tumhi ?', the people asked in marathi.
(Minister sir, how are you ?)

'Good, good. Now go from here. Let me be alone.', he told them in marathi.

It was almost sunset and we were just staring at the horizon above. He turned to me.

'How could she not remember anything ? It's nearly impossible. Either she's taking us for fools or she has herself become one.', he thought quietly as he looked at Rukmini, 'Kaa Rukmini, kaa ?  Asaa kaa tu kelas ? Tu majhi ka Nahi hoo shakat ?'.

(Why Rukmini, why ? Why did you do this ? Why can't you be mine ?)

I looked back and gave a smile.

'Is something bothering you, da .... I mean Rajnish ?',  I asked.

'Yes, I mean, no. Actually nothing. I was just thinking about something else that is irrelevant and unimportant. ', he replied

'If you were thinking about it,  then it must be important. Is something bothering you ?', I said as I looked at him with concern in my eyes.

'No. Nothing, really. Don't worry. I'm fine.'

'I love watching the sunset. It's so beautiful.', I said trying to brighten up the mood.

'Why don't you like me calling you dada ?', I asked him as he looked into my eyes and smiled.

'Because, I don't. I'm only fond of Sameera calling me dada. She feels that is her special right. So no one else addresses me and Aniket as dada. Only she does.'

'Urm, actually I wanted to ask you something, if you don't mind.'

'Sure, go ahead.'

'Why is Sameera upset with me ? She is really mad at me ever since I've met her. Actually, that's from the time the marriage took place.', I asked as we walked back to the car from the bench where we were sitting.