".....Adit has gone to the hospital directly." I said to his mom while she arranged my lunch on a huge platter.
"Couldn't you stop him? He should have taken a full day leave today!" She complained grumpily. I just laughed out.
"We got a proper appartment in the first hour itself. Thats why I asked him to cancel this unnecessary leave.... besides that, you know right how workaholic your son is!" I said. And I meant it. Had it been some 8 years ago, it would have been a pun intended. But right now, at this point of life, Adit's dedication towards his profession is just not questionable.
"Hmm.. he is following the steps of De...." an unusual pause followed that made me look at her and gulp. But thank god, she chose not to make it anymore awkward for me and changed the topic instead- "shall I get you the kheer?"
"Umm..no... I don't think I can finish this already." I muttered looking at my plate. "I'll have the kheer later on."
"Chilled kheer, right?"
Urghhh... why do these people know so much about me?
"Hmm." I pressed my lips and nodded sheepishly. Couldn't find a find better response though.
"You are a grown up woman Nitara! And you still eat so less.. just like your daughter... no, probably your daughter eats more than you!" She chuckled and I hurriedly gulped a half chewed morsel to shut myself from this embarrassment.
Embarrassed, not becoz she was comparing my food habits with that of my baby, but that whatever she was saying was thruth personified. I indeed ate less enough to gain myself a pair of deeply prominent collarbones and shoulder blades and an all symmetric flat tummy. Needless to say, my figure was turning towards skinny that I never wanted in this life, neither could help myself otherwise when I lacked the motivation to eat a little more than that I needed for survival.
"Coco didn't disturb you a lot I hope." I said clearing my throat, shaking away all my helpless, baseless thoughts.
"No no...she is a good baccha. Only that she gets happy disturbing you."
True af. Has got this gene from her father afterall- disturb me in private and appear naive infront of the rest of the world as if you don't know how to turn and eat a fried fish!
P.S- pardon me for this fishy joke, but this is a famous bengali proverb... and yes, you heard that right.
"If Adit had cared to marry, he too would have been father to a lovely child today!" His mom probed absent mindedly.
"Adit is getting weird day-by-day."
"So do you..." she said immediately. I wanted to ask her back that when am I not weird, but remained silent and let her continue. "I mean, just look at yourself. You've got leaner than before.. got sunken pits around your eyes, lethargic skin and a jagged up face.... seems that you haven't slept for ages.. have you turned insomniac or what?"
Don't scrutinize me so much for heaven's sake!
"Its just the tiredness aunty. Nothing to worry about." I smiled meekly and she nodded in dismay. Typical mothers, I tell you.
"Incase you are tired, you should find ways to combat that tiredness.. and not just sit back at home and sulk!"
"Huh?" Now I was getting confused.
"Wait." She said as she left for the drawing room, with a dumbstruck me waiting behind.
When she returned to the table, she had a glossy envelope in her hands, looking at which my brows twitched in a small frown. The frown deepened further when she handed me the envelope, that too with a subtle, mysterious smile on her lips.
"What is this aunty?"
"Coupon for a Thai spa parlour.... I won this coupon last week in a stupid lottery game. Now that I am old enough for a spa treatment, I thought why don't I give this to you instead. Atleast you can make some use of it!!" She answered jovially.
Yes, this was the last thing left to do!
"Its not needed aunty. Just let me take a power nap and you'll see how all my tiredness vanishes away!"
"This spa would make you relaxed and rejuvinated... you'd absolutely love it Tara!" She kept trying.
"But I really don't need a spa!"
"You don't argue with your mom, right? So why argue with me??"
Here 'mom' meant Dev's mother, who had unofficially turned into my mother since the day she left her son's house for the sake of accompanying me to Mumbai!
She had been my shadow since that day itself, an inseperable half of my life... someone whom I treasured and valued... and argued with on every minor issue, only to get patched up in the very next moment.
Arguing had gotten into my genes maybe. I argued with every single person who tried to cross my point, although there was a certain loophole in this theory too. I argued, but only with those persons whom I really loved. To be honest, Adit's mother was also one of them. But somehow or the other, I didn't feel like arguing with her anymore. Here she was feeding me with delicacies and making arrangements to rub off my tiredness and I was still supposed to argue with her? No way! I wasn't that great a bitch!!
"Fine. I'll go."
"In the evening itself." Her eyes sparkled up.
"Once I settle in my flat."
*A tiny wink followed*
•
2 days later-
"How can I help you ma'am?" Said the young north-Indian girl, sitting at the reception with a huge smile pasted on her lips.
"Actually, I know 'nothing' about spa... so it would be better if you help me from the scratch!" I confessed honestly, cringing my nose which she reciprocated with another of her prettiest smiles.
"Sure ma'am."
She handed me a board then, that held a long list of the varities of spa treatments which they provided at their parlour. The time durations for each treatment and their price range had been given accordingly. I was asked to go through the list, which I did, but with utter confusion, until that girl came to my rescue with her humongous knowledge about these treatments. She said and explained to me about each of the different spa therapies, their basic ingredients, uses and benifits. She was a thorough professional all the while that caught my immediate attention while her fluent english did the rest of the wanders.
Altogether, interacting with her went really nice and I decided to visit their parlour once again if the spa treatment went good this time.
For now, I was settling with the simple aromatherapy body massage.
"Ma'am, would you like to pay in check or in cash?"
"None. I'm going to use this coupon." I took out the glossy envelope out of my bag and placed it at her desk. "Its allowed here, right?"
"Definitely ma'am."
She took the coupon and made a bill. Handing me the receipt of which, she asked to wait in their lounge till I was called inside. She even asked one of their service girls to show me the way to the waiting room which was around the corner of this reception area, constructed with opaque glass on its three sides and the other wall being a normal one, but with a giant LED screen hanging on it.
"Please wait inside mam. I am sending you some beverage in the meantime." The other girl said to me as I spared a look at the lounge.
The lounge was relatively empty. Not that it was extravagantly spacious or something, but the low number of people inside gave it a different kind of solitary look. It was actually good for me though, I hated places overcrowded with people and maintaing the minimum communication was all that made me happy in my life.
I breathed out a sigh of relief and turned the girl to ask-
"Is masala chae available here?"
"You mean spiced tea?" She asked me back.
"Yeah... can I get one?"
"Sure ma'am." She said and left. Her pretty smile remained alluring behind.
This was one fantastic thing with this parlour that every woman working in here, owned such a beautiful smile that made the ambience feel like home totally.
Need not to mention, it was the same reason for which I already rated this parlour with five bright stars.
I was happy... or should I say 'satisfied'? Even 'contentment' was a good term to use. But whatever it was, it didn't last any long. For the moment I turned back, I received such a shock that withdrew away the land underneath my feet and pushed me to an unfathomable realm of darkness for the next couple of minutes.
Ask me what did I see?
I won't be happy to say what I really saw, but the truth was truth and it was unchangable. Unavoidable too...for right infront of my eyes was standing that person who meant the begining and end of this world to me!
Dev.
A sudden drop in temperature, an uncertain pause in the flow of air, time came to a standstill when my eyes met his. His eyes, loaded with thousands of questions, complaints, miseries, bore into mine and shook me up to my core.
A chill ran down my spine as an audible sigh escaped my parched throat.
This effect! How I hated this effect only I knew that! We meet so many people everyday but none of them can even scratch the soul. And then there was my husband, nothing different from the rest of the crowd but could still stir the entire of me in such a way that there was never any option, other than falling weak on my knees.
Such an effect and that too with a single look! Was he that strong to have such an infinite hold on me or was I a way too vulnerable?
You can think about it later... for now, just focus on why is he here.. that what is he doing here.... afterall you remember right how much he hates going to parlours and all?
Uh. I do remember... remember it all!!
3 years ago-
"What is your actual problem haan? Why can't you just accompany me to the salon??" I cribbed near Dev's ears.
-"I have told you fifty times before.... don't drag me in your girlish stuffs for heaven's sake!!" He answered lazily, disinterestedly, his eyes being fixed to the laptop screen.
"Acha? Girlish stuff?? So tell me one thing Mr. Heartologist, don't you really want your wife look clean and tidy and all dolled up?" I blinked my eyes cutely. But as usual, Dev didn't give a damn.
-"Honestly saying, I don't even care whether you get rid of your furs or not!"
"What? Furs?...Did you just say that word Dev??"
-"Yes. Sweetheart." He replied, blinking in a way similar to me.
"You are a big, big moron!!" I spat the words right in his ears, got up from his study table, gathered my handbag, phone and wallet and turned to leave, not forgetting to shout behind- "....and yes, learn some basic biology you Heartologist, so that next time you can differentiate between body hairs and furs!!"
I could still hear that teasing, yet sweet, sensuous roll of laughter that followed after I left the room that day.
-"So! You are in Delhi!!" A voice coming from the opposite direction, broke my reverie in a jiffy.
Goddd...Tara! Couldn't you find a better timing to get lost in your dream world? You had to loose it specially when Dev is around?!!
I squeezed my eyes shut and turned around. There was no point arguing with mind, I knew. For she was the only one who pulled me to that track and now that she managed to embarrass me so successfully, she had to blame the whole thing upon me. Quite good, isn't it??
"So! You are in a parlour!" I bluttered sarcastically once I turned towards Dev. Thing to be mentioned, I took very little time..hardly five minutes...to gather some voice in my throat and speak, in the right tone ofcourse.
-"I asked you first!"
I rolled my eyes and threw my hands in air. I just wanted to say- as if I care!
Little did I know that Dev was going to take this eye-talking game rather too seriously..
-"that same attitude, same arrogance... you haven't changed even 0.1%" He said, cringing his eyes and brows in various shapes.
"Why the hell would I change for anyone?" And now, even I was an active part of this game. "...besides that, you are changing the topic. I asked you what are you doing here.. becoz as far as I remember, you hated going parlours right?"
-"I am not fucking answerable to you."
Ofcourse. Why would he be answerable to me? Won't it hurt his ego otherwise?!
The only thing this stupid human being knew was that when I wasn't saying anything, he too was going to stay with his mouth sealed. Like a vaccum sealed potato chips packet?... the only difference being that the packet has got carbondioxide filled in its empty space while Dev has got his big, fat, useless male ego filled in him.
Jerk!
"Just the same thing Dev, even I am not answerable to you!!"
-"No one knows that better than me!"
"You are sick. That's why."
-"And you are psychic?"
"Mind that bloody tongue of yours!!"
"Ma'am, your spiced tea." Said the service girl from behind, bringing both of us back to reality.
I huffed and looked at her. She was carrying a tray with a lovely white cup filled with the aromated tea. The vapours rising from the hot content of that cup, travelled to hit my nostrils directly.
And damn, it just made me realise that it was my special order which had grabbed Dev's attention... else he would have remained seated at his place and never cared to notice who the hell was walking in or walking out of that lounge.
"Ma'am?"
"Deeeev.... I am done. Lets go.." came another voice.
In a reflex, my gaze shifted from the harmless tea cup to the entrance door, through which the owner of the voice walked in.
Guess what? I was well aware of that voice as well as its owner!!
That person was none other than Priyanka... Dr. Priyanka, if I say properly... the one who handled my entire pregnancy, helped my baby see the lights of this world....... and the one who didn't think twice to snatch away the most precious possession of my life.
Damn man, she snatched away my life itself and wasn't even a bit apologetic about it!
Bloody bitch!!
"Oh....she is also here.. err, I mean she's in Delhi?" She chirped 'innocently' as she strode towards Dev.
"Ma'am, your tea." The service girl, a confused spectator of our undecipherable battle, spoke to me slightly miffed.
"Keep that with yourself and cancel my slot... I am done for today!" I muttered quickly, holding my breathes in my chest.
"But ma'am..."
"Excuse me."
And I stormed out of the room as fast as my legs could permit. Released my breathes only when I was atleast ten hands away from that parlour. My heart still kept aching though and its bleeding continued, but well, some things are not in our hands rights? They happen becoz they are bound to happen.. as accidents.. as encounters..
The worst encounters......
____________________________________
Author's note :P
Drumrolls please, Dev is back!!!
And so am I🙈
My exams are finally over. Hopefully I'd give regular updates from now onwards.
Coming to the chapter, what do you think has happened between this new trio that led to such a seperation between Dev and Nitara?
Answer your feedback in the comment section. I'll be waiting for it.
Will meet again in the next update. Happy reading till then :)
~