The Binding String

F O R T Y - T H R E E

"But Anuj....." Raman tried to protest clearly knowing that alot tension is going in between him and Ishita. "No if but Raman......I know you're a big man now but I want you and bhabhi at our party, that's it." Raman said nothing after that and nodded his head in surrendered way, Santhosh soon invited eveyrone for breakfast and Raman Ishita got no chance to exchange a single word after that. Where Raman left for office along Anuj and Swati, Ishita too left for university few minutes later. The couple behavior left Santhosh suspicious who rubbed her forehead thinking about Raman and Ishita.

"What happened Toshi ji?"

"Pata nahi Bhalla Ji. But aisa lagta hai Raman Ishita ke beech kuch theek nahi hai. Kaafi ajeeb behaviour nahi lag raha hai un dono ka?" (I don't know but I can feel something is not right between them.)

"Toshi ji miya biwi hai dono, hua hoga kuch aap fikr na karo. Main naha kar aata hoon." (They're coupled and fights happens between them.) Santhosh hummed in response and asked Neelu to start cleaning the house hoping nothing goes wrong between couple and they remain happy as they're.

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SAME DAY
AT EVENING

"Puttar ae ki hai?" Ishita smiled weakly at her mother in law who held her hand lightly adoring the design of mehendi on her left palm. Ishita kept her handbag at granite platform and hung her car keys back on keyholder using right hand while her mother in law kept adoring her left palm which was full with beautiful design of mehendi. "Mummy Ji aaj college mein mehendi competition tha toh ek contestant ne zabardasti mujhe bhi mehendi laga di." (There was a mehendi competition at college so one contestant applied it to me.) Santhosh laughed listening same and let Ishita enter inside.

"Mummy Ji Roohi kahan hai?" (Mummy Ji where is Roohi?)

"Woh saamne gayi hai Puttar. Pluto se khelne." (She went to play with Pluto.) Ishita nodded her head and started to drink water sitting at nearby stool. Ishita was dying to meet Roohi she wanted to apologise for morning, by the time she came to know that Roohi cried alot for her she was restless and somewhere happy as well. She was restless as her daughter cried because of her and happy with the hope that might her Roohi need her the way every kid needs her parents. "Mummy Ji main jaakar usse milkar aati hoon." (Then I am going to meet her.)

"Par ab tak toh woh neeche bhi chali gayi hogi beta. Mukharjee sahab ghumaane le jaate hai na Pluto ko. Tere Papa Ji saath gaye hai." (She must be downstairs dear, went for an evening walk along Mukharjee Sahab, your Papa Ji and Pluto.)  Ishita nodded her head and remained seated quietly. Ishita who was lost in her own web of thoughts crinkled her eyebrows feeling something wet on her palm. She curiously looked at her mother in law who was applying something on her mehendi making her chuckle, "Yeh kya hai Mummy Ji?"

"Shakkar aur nimbu ka paani. Ab dekhna teri mehendi kaisi sundar rachegi." Ishita smiled through blank eyes looking at her mother in law who lovingly applied the sugar and lemon water on her mehendi, "Tu aaj bohot pyari lag rahi hai beta. Dekhna jab yeh mehendi ka rang chadhega na toh tera roop aur khil uthega. Jaanti hai aisa kehte hai jiske mehendi jitni kaali hoti hai use uska pati utha zyada pyar karta hai."

Mehendi ka rang toh mujhpe shaadi ke waqt bhi chadha tha par vaise toh kuch bhi kabhi nahi hua. Kaash mehendi ke rang jeevan mein bhi pyar ke rang bhar paate.  Ishita inner self laughed sarcastically  same, she felt pity on herself and as well as on her inlaws who were still assuming that everything is going good between her and Raman but she stopped herself seeing her Mummy Ji face and let her do whatever she was doing. It's rare when she gets her mother in law pampering and if she getting now she doesn't had heart to backout. She decided to wash it after an hour and start preparing Roohi's favourite food for dinner.