Dia frowned upon hearing. She was confused, anxious and uncomfortable, all the same time regardless she forthwith didn't show the audience how she felt. Rubbing her palms anxiously, she watched Shivaay as he spoke with the in-charge physician observing Annika. She keenly noted how patiently, as typical, Shivaay asked about Annika's health. However, at some point in the lane, she was a bit surprised to see him sign the paperwork and inform the staff that bill would be paid at the reception desk when Annika is fit to discharge.
"She is fit for a clearance. However, I would suggest that she shouldn't be overworking using her right arm. Rest all ought to be fine." The senior doctor informed them as she stuck a cute cartoon character sticker on Annika's caste.
Annika stretched her lips into a beautiful smile and the doctor returned the same as she advised do's and don'ts with a caste.
As the doctor walked out, their class teacher turned his heels towards Shivaay and clasped his hands with his. Pressing slightly he spoke, "don't worry. Annika is willful and strong."
"I know sir." Shivaay pressed his lips into a straight line and nodded. "She is also rebellious. I'm just worried about the upcoming semester exams. Probably she would need a scribe."
"I wonder if that would be allowed. Let me see, and talk with the dean." The elder professor told trying to remember other such incidents as this. "I wonder what are you doing now?"
"I have applied for bar council and as of now, I'm just visiting the court trying to familiarise myself with the senior advocates." Shivaay chuckled stating his current position. Though he felt pity for himself, he couldn't help but notice fate and its pungent path, of being unemployed.
The other professor nodded in understanding "Now, I will take a leave. Take care of her. Call me after reaching home."
After bidding adieu to him, Shivaay came to the room where Annika stayed, and stay on the stool that was placed near the bedpost.
Watching all this time, Dia had understood that there was an unwritten familiarity between her love interest, Shivaay and her classmate. She barely stood controlling her inner impulse to seek details considering the same.
"Hmm, what is it?" She watched Shivaay respond to Annika as she poke his arm with her left Index finger.
"Please get me aloo puri. I'm hungry. I didn't eat in the morning. Now it's late afternoon." Annika pushed out her plum lips, pouting sadly. Abhay burst into unstoppable giggles earning an intense glare from his best friend.
"Didn't you eat your signature dish 'kaanda poha' this morning?" Shivaay pulled back his face and asked Annika in disbelief.
[Info - poha ( flattened rice) prepared with onion.]
Nodding in the gloom, Annika told how hungry she was. When asked about what would she like to eat if not her also pori (if not available in the hospital canteen), she happily gave a menu for lunch and dinner together. Sighing at her behaviour, Shivaay stepped from his seat to get her food asking Abhay to stay with her.
Taking this an opportunity Dia adjusted her wrinkled tee shirt and followed him.
"Ji sunyie," Annika whispered, calling for Shivaay, as she watched Dia follow him. Shivaay stopped his track and rooted in to place not how to respond. Hell! He didn't even know if she was calling for him. Taking his own personal time, Shivaay turned his heels and faced her.
"Shivaay Ji, I'm not sure if Saasu maa will forgive me. I was supposed to be at home and help her with pooja."
"I will try to talk to maa."
__🖤__
All while in the canteen, Shivaay expectantly looked at Dia, wanting to know why she was mum and importantly why would she follow him. Clearing his throat, gaining scrutiny of her, Shivaay passed the bill to the cook inside the kitchen chamber and stood loitering for the dish.
"Thanks," Shivaay mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest. He let out relaxed breathing and shut his eyes, trying to relieve tension.
"For?"
Dia's tone was barely audible. She wasn't that naive to not understand Annika's willing intentions to discreetly reveal her wedding with the one she like.
When he didn't respond to her concern, Dia took it upon herself to initiate the talk. "Annika is lucky to get a husband who left his promising job for her study. Happy married life."
"I had intended to-"
"I know, I'm no one to you. But didn't you speak you aren't looking forward to seeing your student? Was that only to draw away me? What was I lacking that Annika didn't? Am I not well-behaved?"
"Listen to me-"
"How was she better? Didn't she humiliate you in class? That bit- ohh leave that. Wasn't I better? Tell me!"
Picking up the dish as the cook passed it, Shivaay calmly walked a step ahead.
"First don't talk shit about Annika."
Dia was amazed to see Shivaay curse. She had started liking him not because of his looks but because of his personality. His personality had attracted her. Arrogant. Calm. Proud And confident. "She is my wife. We got married in front of all our close family and friends. It's legally binding and you have no say. Secondly, I owe you nothing, you are no one to me. Third, it was a mutual decision in quitting my job since I had an interest in practising. I hope stay within your limits and allow Annika to attend classes peacefully. Or else-"
"Or else what? What would you do? Complaint to the principal. What would you say, sir, my wife is being bullied by Dia." Triggered by his unspoken enmity, Dia swanned her neck and asked gritting her jaws.
"None of these things you predict. Probably I would meet your parents and ask them to educate you well not to eye a married man." Dia appreciated the way his verdict was disaffected. Strange yet she liked it. "Thank you for helping my wife. Now I shall leave, she must be waiting for her husband."
Dia was somewhat disgruntled with his acceptance of Annika. From her analysis, she believed that Shivaay didn't share a cordial relationship with his wife and that was the reason why he was away immediately following his wedding day. Speculating that was a wonderful alternative, she had back then, called him up and inquired about his whereabouts.
She held up her hopes higher.
But now those hopes were losing bursting like water bubbles.
__🖤__
"Ahh!" Annika pointed at her mouth, gesturing for him to feed her when Shivaay handed over the plastic containers of lunch. Rolling his eyes, he wiped his fingers on his pants and tore a piece of puri and scooped it with aloo sabzi.
Annika licked her lips expectantly watching the mind-blowing, mouth-watering and at the same time sexiest thing that gave a feel of her toe-curling up in elation; and that was her food.
"Am I not aware how you wanna show that we are married," Shivaay mumbled in a stern tone. Annika slightly twisted her mouth and used her other free hand to guide him to feed her. Watching her so desperate for food, Shivaay sighed and leaned back to grab a water bottle.
"I remember you promising aunty Ji, not to eye someone else when her daughter-in-law is present."
"Achha? Saasu maa se direct aunty Ji." Shivaay taunted raising his brows, as he furthermore picked up a torn piece of puri.
[Trans- is it? Now mother-in-law became auntie and all of the sudden.]
Annika redden in embarrassment and struggled to hide behind her long straight hair.
"She was making up stories about the professor."
Shivaay nodded but said nothing.
"Are you angry?" Annika asked in a feeble voice. "I'm extremely ashamed back thinking about my behaviour. Because of me, my father attempted suicide, mummy loathes me, and you kind of met with an accident after my horrible words. I also know that my apologies don't do any corrections however I want to erase my guilt. The shame of the act is eating me up with every passing day. And on the cherry on top, you left the reasonable job. I believe that it was solely because of me, you were so ashamed to admit our wedding. I understand all those things yet another empty feeling fills up my heart. I guess any sane person wouldn't forgive me, moreover, I think you shouldn't begin to forgive me too. If you are comfortable I just wanna be a good friend of yours, until we decided,"
"Decide what?"
"You know, Uhm, I don't know how to get this straight."
"Just as tryout period. Like trying to make it as a couple by next six months if not possible separating with promising reason and part way."
"Exactly." Annika exuberantly slumped down holding the bedpost.
__🖤__
Soon after the college hours were over, her closest classmates paid a rapid visit to look after her. As they all entered the ward, they were left shocked to see Annika who looked cold and distant being scolded by a middle-aged lady. The lady subsisted as loud and bizarre, they had already set their interest and attention towards the happening.
"You shouldn't be this careless. Today is a full moon day and I knew something would definitely happen. If you daily pray to the Almighty this all wouldn't happen. You don't see the idol of Krishna immediately after you wake up instead this generation picks up their phone to check out notifications."
Scanning across the room, Annika set her eyes on them, as they entered with the biggest smile and chocolate in their hands. They weren't exactly friends with her however being generous classmates, they came. Annika wasn't a favourable friend. She was selfish and didn't want to fit into the game friends circle. So as soon she join the college she decided to layer her authentic self with this cold and distant individual.
Annika smiled at them and waved her free hand at them. The five to eight classmates waved back at her, while Siri stood at some safe distance not exactly meeting eyes with Annika.
After a few minutes after their greetings and hellos, Pallavi, one of her classmates raised a quick look at her and asked a question. "Is this your mother?"
Annika quickly glanced at her mother-in-law and smiled honestly thinking she too is lucky enough to have a mother-in-law who cares and scolds like a mother. "Not exactly Mother. But can't even deny her being my mother. She is my mother-in-law."
Pinky's heart swelled in happiness, yet she controlled it. Covering up her contented look into a stern and straight look, she struggled to keep it under control.
There was a collective gasp immediately after what Annika spoke.
"You married?" Raahil wheezed.
"Well, Aadi lost his chance," Neil mumbled with a small giggle. And when he realised her mother-in-law standing straightening glaring at him he apologised and smiled sheepishly.
"I have been married for two months now," Annika said with a relaxed smile.
"Ohh."
"Siri, why aren't you surprised? Did you know that?" Raahil raised his brows to his hairline as he poked Siri's ribs.
"Don't tell me," Neha whined.
"Kind of," Siri whispered. "And you all have met him too."
"Is it? Don't tell me what I think is-" Raahil leaned closer to Siri and murmured asking if what he was thinking about was true or not. "That kadoos and old man J.S. professor is her father-in-law. That's the reason he always favours her."
[Trans- Grumpy]
Siri clenched her jaws tight and flared up glaring at the dumbest guy beside her. While others face palmed themselves as their friend again doesn't understand anything.
"Maa discharge papers pe sign hogaya. Taxi bahar hain, Annika ready?" Shivaay entered the ward with his eyes stationationed on the papers, flipping them as he read them. The ward the pin drop silence and sensing the awkward atmosphere around Shivaay lifted his head and was shocked to the core to meet accusing eight pairs of eyes.
[Trans- Maa discharge papers are ready with doctors' sign. Taxi waiting outside,]
He immediately wished to undo it.
"Why do I always enter at right places at the wrong time?" He grumbled internally smacking himself.
Pinky not knowing the secrets of the Professor and the student completely, and didn't understand. Wanting to clear the air, she incited the conversation. "Shiv they are Annika's classmates. They came to check on her health."
"Good evening sir." There were choruses of greeting as they threw stink eye at him.
Dodging the glares that there threw at him, Shivaay smiled politely and greeted him. "Hello, Raahil, Pallavi, Neil, Neha, Faaiz, Siri-"
"You know them?" Pinky frowned.
Sighing with responsibilities on his shoulder, Shivaay gave an apologetic look to the students and then his mother. "Maa, they are I mean they were my students. I used to teach them."
"So?" Neil enthusiastically pushed his classmates away from his reach and began to stroll near his former professor.
"Can we meet another day? I need to go home." Annika asked understanding the internal combustion Shivaay was having. His students were giving accessing stares and she couldn't tolerate it.
"No Annika. Let me speak." Clearing his throat, Shivaay began. "I got married in an arranged marriage. I was told that my fiance was a microbiologist working in the pharmaceutical industry and since I was busy I had overlooked meeting her and also the photos my parents had sent. On the day I realised it was someone who I knew and she was from the college itself. So after lots of talks and discussions about her education furthermore noting that I wanted to experiment with a career, it was decided that I would resign from the University and start practising. I thought it would be unfair if I correct the paper of my wife so Abhay was handed over. Some of the higher hierarchy faculty know this and accepted the reason for the resignation. It so happened that I had violated the employment contract, along with it."
The students clapped their hands in appreciation while Raahil stood dumbfounded. "Let me get straight to the point. I'm dumb and take a lot of time to understand and the same with classes also. Now you gave a speech with big-big words I fail to realise not that I understand in class." Others giggled at his blunt answer and called him a tube light.
"So in small words, please."
"I meant that Ms Tripathi is no longer known by a maiden name but now as Mrs Oberoi."
"What is the maiden name? Where did it come from now?" Raahil scratched his head being confused all over again.
Smacking Raahil's head Siri explained. "He meant to say that Annika is his wife and that was why he left the college."
"Whoa!"
"Tube light! Actually, nowadays led lights are best so we ought to dump this one."
So the problem is kind of solved now.
Inline comments are highly appreciated.
Do let me your views on these pages so that I can have basic knowledge of what is understood. So can I have a few more votes? 😃