Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt his angry gaze boring hole on my skull. I have never ever witnessed him this infuriated and that scared me to hell.
I retreated my feet back to the floor not daring to keep it even on the very first stair.
"Vir.." I whispered with tears. Even with the blurry vision, I can see him taking fast strides in my direction.
I felt his fingers run through my cheeks, wiping my tears off. I was very scared but by the time his fingers touched me softly, I forgot it all. I felt safe with him once again.
"Sshh. Madhvi. Sorry!!" He apologized and hugged me. It took me few minutes to grasp the incident and retrieve back to present.
I sometimes worry about him. What if he has an other personality? Just like how he shouted at me once and hugging me then?
He waited in the same position. His muscles were stiff and tensed as I didn't hug him for long. I slowly surrounded my arms around his torso and buried my face in his chest letting all the tears wet his shirt. I felt him relax with the simple gesture.
This man!
"I'm sorry Madhvi! The thought of you getting hurt scares me to an extent that I forget myself and react as such. Please Madhvi, don't do that again to me, my love!" He said after breaking the hug, looking at my rather wet eyes, caressing my cheeks gently.
I nodded and looked down.
"I'm sorry, Vir!"
"It's okay. Now tell me. How was the saree? You liked it, love?"
Love. That word became our sweet endeavor to eachother. We started pronouncing it often that we forget to address names at times. Funny, right?
"I loved it, Vir! But don't spend money lavishly. We are so much in need of it when it goes near future. Please, Vir. Have some control of it." I said cupping his cheeks.
He frowned. I know it upsets him whenever I ask him to control his urge to spend money for my comfort and all.
"But it's all my earnings. If not you, then whom am I going to spend for?"
"Vansh and our child." I replied.
As far as I know, Vir was working for daily wages. How daring of himself to think he has earned a lot and want to spend it all? This guy nah.. crazy!
"You think I'll forget them. You think I wouldn't have thought about them and only ourselves?"
"Sorry Vir. But when did you think for 'ourselves' as you mentioned? As far as I know, you've thought about yourself only once in hundreds of your thoughts that surrounded me. You never take good care of yourself."
"Madhvi, I-"
"Stop right there, Vir! Now, stop it all and listen to me. Will you?"
He folded his arms and looked at me pitifully. This guy though!
"Okay ma'am."
"Stop kidding, Vir!"
He just laughed and took a step forward suddenly that I took a step backwards in the rhythm of his ones. He placed his one arm around my shoulder and bent down while circling the other one behind my knees, picking me up in the bridal style.
"We can sit and talk. Can't we? I've told you a lot of times to not stand for too long. You are in your third trimester, Madhvi Singhania. Standing too long isn't good at this time. You know if you ever do this again, then I'll complain to your cook to not to make kheer for you for a whole month." He complained while walking towards our room, going inside and placing me on the bed softly. He took his seat beside me.
"See. You even appointed a cook?" I yelled at him.
He laughed shaking his head. Then He made me rest with my back inclined to the headboard with placing a soft pillow inbetween. Another pillow for me to cuddle and grabbed my feet to place it over his thighs caressing it.
I know it is irrespectful of ourselves to keep feet on elders/husband/anyone.
But I didn't try to pull them away because he does not like it.
He says, he sees his mom in me. He missed doing these things which he used to do to his mom when she was pregnant with Vansh, who became his first child ever eventually after his parent's death. He now wants to do these again for his wife and his other child too.
How can I even stop loving this man?
"I haven't appointed just a cook." He said while caressing my legs and pressing my feet gently. I felt all the pain and pressure in my body just evaporate out of me. I feel lightened.
"Then?" I asked while glaring at him.
"A Cook, personal caretaker, therapist, servant, pillow, massager and more like a person who will sing, dance, laugh and cry with you, carry you over, give you loads of hugs and kisses, make you sleep soundly and talks with our baby, sneakily complain about their mom to them at late night. All in one and it's just going to be Me in this life. No one else, just Me, my Love."
When he finished, I was just flabbergasted. How can he just manage to sweep my feet off effortlessly? I'm falling for him hopelessly.
I just wiped the tears off while chuckling.
"If you give me too much tension to my brain like this, you're going to give a good massage to my heated head after this." I said pointing at the footmassage he's giving me.
"Alright. My pleasure!"
I just laughed it off along with him.
.......
Brother Anuj, his wife, Vansh and all our friends graced us with their presence in our special day. My husband's most awaited Babyshower. He was finally laughing all toothy. Cute. Handsome as he is.
"Madhvi." He called and I turned from Rey's tantrums to look at Vir and Raghu standing with few men and a woman.
They're definitely new to me.
"Yes, Vir!" I said walking towards him.
"Meet my friends, my well-wishers. They have helped me a lot in the past and I'm indebted for them."
"Areyy, Vir! Stop exasperating!" Laughed a middle-aged man patting his back. He turned and smiled at me. I passed a smile back hiding my confusions and unfamiliarity with them.
"I'm Birendra Acharya." He said and I joined my hands to welcome him to the ceremony. He held my hands and let it down shaking his head.
"You are the one who tamed this hot-headed, workaholic, unconcerned guy and wrapped him all to your pinky finger."
I just laughed. But workaholic? When did he work? Where? Is he talking about the construction site he worked for wages? Oh god. He must have felt so much pain working like that. He endured a lot for me and my child. What am I going to do in return?
"Madhvi.." Vir called me and I was broke out of the trance.
He introduced everyone and finally pointed at the young beautiful woman who wore a shirt and pants. She looked too professional with her attire and personality. She was way more beautiful that me, I must admit it.
She was smiling eventhough her eyes showed some feeling like hurt or agony. Why am I overthinking now?
"She is Akanksha Roy." Vir said and I smiled joining my hands. She did the same and came forward for a hug.
I could say she's a nice person but seems lost.
Then Vir along with Raghu were talking with his so called colleagues whom I don't know where he got from.
I sat on the decorated chair wearing the red silk saree bought by my husband. I wore the jewels that belonged to his mother. It was weighing a lot. I could guess that he had a good life when his parents were alive. I always wished that they were alive to see how great their son is being.
I missed my parents too. I missed how they were with me when I was little. When I was a little girl, my parents and my brother were very close to me. They validated my needs, they heard my thoughts and appreciated my creativity.
But then, I attained puberty. It's the period where all the girls somewhat feel different from their past years of life. They feel somewhat isolated. Their father and brothers will be distanced. Their individual personality and decisions are blended according to the society. Their freedom gets shrunk.
They start to speak about marriage and all when the girl child wishes all for her studies, dreams and ambitions, just like my parents.
I wish I got a life where my parents and brother understood me, heard me and believed me. When they caught my pregnancy, I was more ashamed of them than myself. They could've heard my side of story. We were never at fault. It is written in our fate. What could I or he had done?
They would've accepted this pregnancy if I had married that man in late thirties, for whom they chose myself as a second bride. But not a fated pregnancy happened with no chance to runaway from.
But Vir, being mature and loving, handled the whole mess in his manly way. I hadn't seen someone more brave and daring than him. I could never. If he hadn't been responsible though it wasn't his mistake completely, I don't know what will I and our child be doing in this cruel world.
Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks. I felt someone touching them and washing them away. I don't have to see who it was. None other than My husband.
"If there are happy ones, I appreciate your emotions. But if rather, I can't help but scold you for this." Vir said wiggling his eyebrows while adjusting my earrings which tried to slip off.
"I can't be less happy when my sweet, caring husband is beside me." I said and he bent down, planted a soft kiss on my forehead.
"I'm forever indebted to do this."
"And I'm forever grateful to God for you."
He smiled. He took a few steps backwards.
"I'll ve standing at a distance. The ceremony is getting started."
It is a all-women ceremony so husbands and other male family members would be staying out or at a distance. But women? Except for my sister-in-law and my friend, there are no one. Elderly women? No way.
"This way, Ma!" I heard Vir's voice at a distance. I turned to look at him, welcoming elderly woman inside our home.
He turned to look at me and smiled while he took them towards me.
"They are farmers." He said to me while looking at them.
"They are the ones who feed and fill our stomachs with food in abundance. May their blessings bring abundance of happiness, education, food, shelter and wealth to our child. Sorry for not telling you in advance. And about grandma, she had given us shelter when we were at need. We are forever grateful to her and we ought to seek blessings from such pure souls." Vir said looking at me. I nodded with tears. He washed then away again and signalled me not to cry anymore.
I thought nobody's gonna attend the babyshower except for our friends.
Thank you Vir. For entering my life. Changing it for goodness sake.
The ceremony was over and everyone retreated back to their home. Vansh was reluctant to leave me and his 'mommy'. But he had school the next day which got to be an important one. So Vir had to bid him a painful goodbye until next time. Vir promised to bring him here for a whole two months during his summer vacation.
We both were on the sofa. He was sitting and I was lying down on his lap. He caressed my hair with one hand and my belly with the other. We both were hell tired. He had his rues closed but didn't sleep. He had a peaceful smile playing on his lips. He seems contented.
I was dozing off when we heard sudden smash of glass from upstairs. My eyes shot opened and I turned to Vir, who got stiff and tensed with the sudden commotion. I got off him and he stood up.
He pulled me to our room and looked inside before making me sit on the bed.
"Stay here till I come back." He said with a dangerously protective voice. I was scared and I held his hand. He looked at me.
"Please stay with me. Don't go." I whispered. He gripped my hand and pushed it slowly while nodding his head in assurance.
"I promise. I'll look at it and come back. It's just our house. Nothing to worry."
"I'll come too."
"You shouldn't climb stairs. Remember? And I'll return soon. You be calm and sit here." He said before rushing out of the room and closing it behind.
My heartbeat increased and my hands automatically circled around my big belly.
Glass breaking sound inside house is said to be a bad omen on an auspicious day. I was getting more and more scared as the time passed by.
What was it? Was it any incoming danger? Was it any hindrance to our life. Was it any bad omen?
I don't care if he scolds me.
I opened the door and went out and looksd up the stairs. My heartbeats paced rapidly and tears flowed down my cheeks.
"Vir.. come down soon. I'm scared!" I whispered looking at the staircase hoping that second for him to get down.