Arranged Divorce

Sairaah, the happy kid

Kavita waved at Sairaah outside the park, and she started running towards her. Her nanny picked up her school bag and brought it over.

"Hey," she said slowly as James came over and forced a smile.

"Hey you look tense. Anything I can help with?" he asked with the usual smile on his face.

"Not unless you have a PhD in keeping secrets from a bunch of 40 year olds," she chuckled lightly.

"Wow, no kidding. The first thing they teach you in Nanny Training is how to lie to parents."

Now she really laughed. James was always in a good mood, something she couldn't say about many professionals around her. He had been taking care of Sairaah since she started working full time, and he had cut her so much slack over the years. He didn't mind waiting overtime for her to get back from the office, he took last minute calls to watch the kid and hardly ever complained. He said being around her made him cheery, she was a particularly happy kid, everyone agreed on that.

They reached home and found the kitchen top full of groceries that weren't there when they left. Sairaah climbed a chair and fished excitedly through it. "Did you get the cereal with the raisins in it?" she asked.

Kavita didn't answer, one because she had major things on her mind, and two because it wasn't her who had done the shopping. It reminded her, there was one more person who she hadn't broken the news to yet. But there was plenty of time for that. She had to focus on her kid right now.

She told Sairaah that she could watch TV and she pulled out the chopping board and a knife. This was a first for her, one because she seldom cooked dinner, and when she did it was something simple like plain rice with a lentil soup. And two because evening was their talking time, she spent an hour listening to everything that happened at school and the park afterwards.

Today she cooked an elaborate meal that took an hour and a half, hoping that watching all that TV would tire Sairaah out. She was drowsy when they sat down for dinner but all her sleepiness went away when she took the first bite from her plate. Kavita couldn't blame her, she could hardly get anything down her throat too. The food was bad.

After dinner she went to the ice-cream parlor next door. It wasn't her proudest moment, bribing a 7 year old with treats, but she didn't know any other way. On her way out she met Mrs. Khanna.

"Hello Kavita, so glad I found you." She held her hand as she said this.

"Hi, Mrs. Khanna," she greeted cordially and tried getting her wrist out of her firm grip.

"I ran into your friend again today, just outside of the building, such a charming person. But then I came over to your apartment and knocked, but you didn't open. I needed ice and I thought your friend just left so you must be home." She finished saying and stared into her eyes for an explanation.

"How silly of you, you should have taken ice from this box," Kavita pointed to the ice-box outside the ice-cream parlour. Just then Mr. Khanna called her and she went away.

When she came back, Sairaah was already in bed, in the master bedroom. She often slept there and Kavita didn't mind much. When she needed to be alone, she would transfer her to the other room. But she always woke up with a pouty face from her single bed and Kavita had to make pancakes to make up for it.

Today can't be one of the nights when she could put her in the other room, or the next ones to come. Her arrangement with the friend would have to end sometime soon. She nudged her lightly and she jumped up looking at the ice-cream cone in her hand.