#21Days

Happy Birthday

7.30 pm

This is my fourth trip to the hospital. Clad in loose flannel pajamas and an oversized shirt, my hair done-up in a messy bun, to keep it from falling all over my face, I'm moving all the party items to the hospital - a little bit at a time. I didn't anticipate more than three trips. Then again, I don't have much experience transporting things from one place to another.

I'm glad I've managed to transport the cake unharmed. I've frosted and decorated it - decadent chocolate frosting and colorful sprinkles that spell Happy Birthday Rohit. It might not be the most artistic cake, but I've worked very hard on it. I walk up to his cabin with a cloth bag full of coke bottles and another one filled with paper cups and plates for the party. I've timed my trip to ensure he won't be there. I place the items down, near the couch, just like I did with the others before. Then, before leaving, I once again take a peek at the cake. A sudden nervousness engulfs me. I don't know how Rohit is going to react. I walk up to his cabin door and realize that the bulge of items is conspicuous. I move back into the cabin, quickly grab the throw splayed on the couch and cover the items with it. As I walk out of his cabin once again, my fingers are crossed, hoping Rohit doesn't realize the sofa throw is strewn on the floor.

When I reach the entrance to the hospital I hear a giggle. I turn around to see two girls, possibly family members of a patient looking at me and giggling. I look back at them and raise my eyebrows. They realize I've noticed them and try their best to bring their laughter under control. After a few moments, one of them approaches me.

"You're Parvati right?"

I nod my head. She smiles. "I didn't know Parvati was an ordinary person like the rest of us." She's pointing to my clothes. I smile too. "Until recently, I didn't know that either." She smiles at that and begins telling me about how KPK is her favorite show and how she adored my work in the show, all the while beckoning the friend she was giggling with minutes ago to her side. They both request a selfie.

I'm almost about to refuse. I can't be seen in public dressed like this. Then I shake my head. No one cares. "Sure," I say. The girls brighten up at that. One of them fishes a phone out of her pocket and we all smile. This will be one of my worst-dressed pictures. This is also the happiest I've been in a while.

*****

10.30 pm

As I'm making my way into the hospital, I'm suddenly overcome by a bout of nervousness. I stop in the hallway, as soon as I enter and check myself in the mirror once again. Dressed in a deep red Anarkali, a black and golden dupatta twisted around my neck, my hair neatly tied in a bun, vermillion heavily smeared in its parting, and large oversized black earrings adorning my ears. I've never taken so much effort to dress up. I've also never felt this nervous about how I look.

I talk to myself to calm my nerves down. Something I always did at the sets of the KPK.

"Sonakshi Ma'am, today's scene is a romantic scene with Kunal," the writer explained. The moment he said that I became uncomfortable. I never quite got along with my co-star Sumit Khanna. He always arrived late, was a tad bit obnoxious, smoked like a chimney, and made me very uncomfortable with his lewd jokes. I particularly hated it when I had to do romantic scenes with him. Although the depiction of romance in Indian Television is never explicit, it never-the-less requires physical proximity that I found difficult to cope with as far as Sumit Khanna was concerned. Oblivious to all this, the writer continued: "There is no one in the house. Parvati makes a cup of tea for Kunal. He takes the tea from her hands and places it on the table. She turns to leave when he tugs her hand. She takes a step closer and tries to free her hand. He tugs at it again. She takes another step closer to him. Another tug, another step. Few steps later, she is extremely close to Kunal. He bends his head, takes it near Parvati's neck, and zoom out and cut."