'US' happened
3 days later:
After finishing our mini summer vacation in Greece, we came back to India again.
The question that arose now was that where was I going to stay in Delhi. I had two options in hand- 1. My rented apartment
2. Dev's house
The choice was visibly clear. Yet I was confused with whether I should really stay in that house or not. Afterall it was the same place I had abandoned three years ago and now walking back into it felt nothing less than weird.
-"This is YOUR house, Tara! Why are you getting so paranoid while walking into it??" Dev asked when he sensed my uneasiness.
"I am fine Dev." I lied to him smiling. Ofcourse he didn't buy that lie, but didn't pester me either.
He just smiled back at me and touched my face gently, letting all his warmth sip into my skin to fill me with strength, assurance and a familiar wave of nostalgia that made me raise my hand and press the calling bell.
A beautiful chiming sound reverberated in the inside and outside air soon.
The sound of the bell it was... selected exclusively by me and Dev, almost five years ago!
"Memsaab?" A male voice broke my reverie. It brought a slight cringe to my brows as well.
"Who are you?" I asked as I my eyes fell upon the lean, middle aged man infront of me. He was the one who opened the door for us. But who the hell was he huh? And what was he doing inside my house??
"Andar aiye na!!" He seemed to ignore my question or my questioning gaze and remained indifferent as if it was the most obvious thing to do.
Strange! My brows curved into a deeper frown.
-"He is Radheshyam, Jamna's husband. He works for me instead of her, nowadays." Dev informed from behind.
I turned back immediately and yelled- "What do you mean? Have you fired Jamna from her job or what??"
He left the handle of my trolley bag and sighed deeply. His one hand was already engaged in clutching our sleeping daughter to his chest. With the other one he held my wrist and kinda pulled me inside his house. "Come" said he and barked at Radheshyam- "Get the luggages."
Radheshyam left soon. Dev turned towards me after that and replied -"I haven't fired her Tara. She left the job on her own."
"And why would she do so?" I was flabbergasted, the least I could right then.
-"She said that your absence used to haunt her.
"But she worked for you even before I came to this house right?"
-"Things changed after you came." He sighed again. So did I.
"I always thought that she was there to take your care when I or your mother were away from you."
-"She gave this responsibility to her husband Tara... and don't worry, Radhe is a nice man. He does all the chores and brings me homemade food everyday."
"Hein! He doesn't cook here??" I craned my neck to watch the kitchen behind. Found out that it appeared clean and tidy for sure but the signs of not using it for years had been equally visible too.
Wait. Does that mean that...
"You don't let him cook here, do you?"
-"I couldn't." He sucked on his breath. "If you don't use this kitchen then nobody else will. Its as simple as that."
I didn't know what to say after that. A long pause fell inbetween. At the other end of that pause I opened my mouth to interrogate again-
"And what about the morning tea? Don't tell me that you have learned surviving without it!"
-"I got an electric kettle in my room."
"You make your own tea?"
-"Can't help otherwise." A sheepish but helpless smile popped on his lips.
And he had absolutely no idea how bad that smile was gonna wreck my heart.
"Ofcourse" I huffed in annoyance. "But how could you, Dev?"
-"How could I what?" He was shocked for a moment.
I pursed my lips at that and replied- "How could you act so stupid?" How could you not contact me inspite of suffering so much alone?? Was the other half of the question that didn't come out of throat anymore.
-"I...." even he was at a loss of words now.
"Leave it. Just call Jamna instead.. I want to talk to her."
-"But I don't have her number!" He shrugged innocently, making anger pile up inside me all over again.
Jamna had been working for him for almost seven years now. Yet he didn't feel the need to collect her number ever.... Like how reckless he could get!!
-"Fine. I'll take the number from her husband." I gulped my anger and shouted aloud- "RADHESHYAM."
Radheshyam came running within a moment. With his head bowed humbly, he then muttered in a low voice- "Ji memsaab?"
"Jamna ka number hai na? Call her right now."
He didn't waste another minute, just dialled her number and handed his phone to me.
Two rings later, his wife picked up the call.
'Ho, bata kya hai.' Came her thick barritone from the other side.
'Jamna can you please to my house?' I spoke in a measured tone... literally after three long years... and yet she didn't fail to recognize my voice.
'Dus minute me aati hu.' She said and hung up on me.
•
Jamna had kept her words. She was really there within ten minutes, initially rejoicing over my comeback but but later crying out her heart for being extremely emotional. Too much happiness did that to her, she told me once she was a little stable.
"Aai kaisi hai? Mujhe yaad waad karti haich ki nai??" She had to learn everything about Ma in details.
"Karti hai na! She misses you a lot." I spoke honestly and added- "Soch rahi hu ki iss bar Mumbai jate waqt tumhe bhi sath leti chalu.. afterall iss ghar me kaam karna toh tumne chod hi diya hai!!"
"Mai kaam chodna nahi chahti thi memsaab... par aapke bina..... mai... ek second.. kya kaha aapne? Mumbai jate waqt? Matlab aap firse iss ghar ko chodke chali jaengi??"
Jamna's question hit me in the heart like a sword. Becoz whatever she said was true, and I was anything but close to truth right now.
I had been living under a facade, an illusion of an imaginery world that didn't portray real life at all. It was like all a dream... a very beautiful, very precious dream that I didn't want to break any time soon by waking up from my sleep. Silly me, I was still reeling under the magical effects of Greece and had totally ignored the loopholes of my life as if they didn't exist at all.
Quite natural why I couldn't reply anything to Jamna.
And I was thankful enough that she too didn't ask me anything in return.
Things had fallen silent between us. Between all of us.... thats how the current day rolled into the next, with Amaya and Kshitiz's reception party becoming the most important part of it.
•
It was some twenty minutes past five.
Dressed in an ivory blue silk lahenga and a white sports bra on top of it, I was sitting upon my bed quietly, basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun and waiting for my husband to return. He had went out almost five hours ago and didn't show any signs of returning yet.
I had tried calling him for once or twice but he didn't answer either of them. Nor did he care to call me back.
Even my baby wasn't there at home. Jamna had taken her to a nearby park... not becoz she was keen to afternoon sports or something, but becoz she had been highly disappointed in me needed to be pacified with a good distraction.
Reason behind this disappointment- well, she had found out that the house we were living in belonged to us and not to any random stranger and that she had all the rights to take one of the crystal letters from the front door.
These weren't exactly her words though, but yes, whatever she meant to say was exactly this. She was still stuck on the nameplate for that matter and I had understood that this was not at all going to end up so easily.
Out of all the above mentioned problems, the only good thing that happened was Ma's phone. It came to me like an absolute stress buster and made me lose the track of time within a jiffy .
The track was however brought back by Dev's arrival inside the room.
-"You are going to wear this to the party?" He shouted as he saw me engrossed in a phone call.
Him and his manners!
"Yesss... nice na?" I retorted while disconnecting the call.
-"Yeah.. but its quite risky as well." He made a serious face.
"Risky?"
-"See, if you dress like this to the party then men are bound to throw themselves upon you, which I won't be liking for obvious reasons. This will lead to puching their faces and breaking their noses and ultimately I will be behind the bars at the end of this night, which ofcourse you won't be liking for sure. So.. I was telling you ki....."
"Fuck you!" I tossed my phone over the bed and got up with my blouse in hands.
-"I wont mind!!" He chuckled from behind.
I groaned in frustation as I wandered what a jerk I had been stuck with. But realising that nothing was going to change for the rest of my life, I turned back towards him and showed him my blouse.
"This has back hooks, you know?"
-"Your design?" He asked me in return.
"Yes."
-"Thats why." He nodded his head like a wise, old man. "You deliberately design such stuffs which have got hooks at the back only!!"
'Whaaat?" My brows were cringed to some other level.... Like what was he even trying to say?
Not that I had to wait for long. He took the blouse from my hand and started blabbing-
-"Yeah.. you want me to tie your hooks and feel your back and thats why you keep doing all these things.... You think I don't you know you or your ways? But you are so wrong Tara, I know you even more than yourself!!!"
"Like seriously Dev? You think I don't have a mother or a best friend who can help me out and that I have to rely only upon you??" I rolled my eyes at him. It didn't bother him though.
-"Turn around." He said and twirled me to face the mirror, without really waiting for my response. "Now put your hands up."
I followed his instructions obediently and lifted my hands so that he could remove the bra from my chest. My blouse was an off shouldered one and hence removing the bra was necessary before putting it on. Interestingly, Dev had figured out the whole thing with a single look at the cloth.. but what he couldn't figure out was the fact that he would lose his control upon seeing my naked reflection on the mirror.
-"Can I touch you Tara?" He murmured into my ears as I felt his breathes becoming ragged.
"Coco will be back anytime soon." I replied in a whisper, looking deep into the reflection of his eyes.
-"She won't. She is busy enjoying her favourite icecream with Jamna.. I had met them near the park and gave Jamna the money for their icecream party."
"You bribed them for YOUR personal party?"
-"Not really.... Back then, I had no idea that things would turn like this!" He said as he squeezed my breasts slightly, feeling the presence of my hardened nipples under his palms.
A soft moan escaped my lips. I covered it up lazily by licking the length of those chapped lips.
-"So... can we move to the next step??" He asked, nibbling my earlobe. His hot breathes fanning over my neck did the rest of the job for me.
"Do we have another option?" I asked him back before losing myself into his arms all over again.
•
It was a short session, hardly lasting for about fifteen minutes or so. We promised to continue with this later on when we'd return from the party and got up finally to dress ourselves for the event.
-"Do the make up and all. I will get freshen up in the mean time." Dev said as he hooked my blouse and left for the bathroom.
"I'll take out your clothes first." I shouted behind him.
Not that it was needed much. Dev was back within two minutes and by the time was done straigthning my hairs, he had finished dressing up already.
"Woah.. that was fast huh!" I commented over it chuckling.
-"Men are fast. Can't help it." He chuckled too, while applying a generous amount of hair gel on his thick black traces.
"We women prefer to be late than arrive ugly!"
-"Yeah yeah.. whatever makes you sleep at night."
"Anyway, call Jamna to get your daughter. She needs to get dressed up too!!"
Jamna was called and within another ten minutes my baby was back at home. Thankfully she wasn't pissed off as before and even came forward to give me a kissie. I gave her two kissies in return and dressed her up like a barbie in blue. Leaving her with the cartoon shows on the t.v, I came back to my room after that and went to do the last of my touch ups.
"Dev.... I have got a surprise for you in the party." I said while brushing the highlighter upon my cheeks.
-"Is it? Even I have a surprise for you, you know."
I turned towards him like an excited kid and asked- "Surprise? Can I see it here itself??"
-"Ofcourse you can... infact, it is meant to shown here only." He smiled as he walked to the closet and took out a brown file. "Here." He handed the file to me.
I spared an inquisitive glance at him and opend the file.... only to find out that it contained his resignation letter from H.R hospital.
"What the fuck! You have resigned from your job?!!" I shouted to blow away his ears. But that jerk being least bothered about it like always, smiled back at me nonchalantly and replied-
-".....To take up a new job in Mumbai."
"Why though?"
-"So that I can live with my wife in the same city."
"Arey toh why did you have to resign for that? I was planning for my own resignation na!.. I had even typed that mail and its pretty saved in my drafts still!!"
-"Dare you think of leaving that company!" He was enraged all of a sudden. "AURA Internationals is one of the best fashion houses in India and I don't want you to leave it any time soon!!"
"But.."
He stopped me midway and continued- "We are not having another arguement over it. Just get that straight."
"I only wanted to do an internship over there. But now that I got a full term job and an opportunity to work there for three long years, I don't need anything else in my Dev!"
-"This is the high time of your career. Do you even realise that?" He hissed at me intimadingly.
I couldn't look into his eyes after that. Just dropped my gaze and murmured softly- "I do. But being the good designer I am, I know I would get a healthy job here also."
-"Likewise, being one of the ten best cardiologists of India, I know I would get a job in Mumbai without much efforts."
"But this is compromise isn't needed Dev!" I looked back at him with remorse.
-"There has been no rule that only wives are meant to do all the compromises." He held my face within his palms and fixed our gazes together.
"I am not saying that!" I shivered under his touch. It was purely platonic but weirdly intimate at the same time.
-"What did you say then?" He clutched my cheeks in a tighter grip. "Acha leave it. Tell me something else instead...that don't you really love your company?"
"I do, Dev... I love that company a lot."
-"Then why are you willing to leave it? Just becoz you feel guilty of not staying with me after we patched up??"
"Yes... and there is lots more."
-"What more?"
"Your friends are here. How can you leave them just like that?"
He huffed at this and said -"Kshitiz is a married man now. He won't need me anymore.. and as for Adit, that moron will marry only he finds his friends too busy to spare time for him."
"Thats rude, Dev!" I couldn't help but chuckle this time.
He kissed over those chuckling lips and muttered softly - "Just work there for two more years. Make it a total of five.. or better, six.... and then we can come back to Delhi again."
"We will have to be back, Dev. We have got our house here... the one which we have invested all our love and emotions in."
-"We will be back for sure." He kissed on top of my head. "Now hurry up please. I need to go to the party to get my surprise."
"Oh yes. Just give me two minutes." I said and hurried towards my brushes again.
•
Kshitiz and Amaya were at last back from their five days long honeymoon. It was their reception today and they were royally decked up in blue as per the event theme.
With the spot light focussed totally upon them, they looked one heck of a ravishing couple who didn't fail to grab the attention surrounding them.
Of this I got a little attention too when Amaya introduced me to her invites as her personal fashion designer.
Dev couldn't be more proud about it while Raima was literally crying out of excitement. Little did I know that time that there were two more excited creatures present at the party who were going to come and bury me under their hugs very soon.
Ayan and Janhavi they were.
The two adorable munchkins, not caring about their makeup or attires, went on shedding tears as we finally met after three long years.
Needless to say I was guilty as fuck for not keeping contacts with them in all these years, but they forgave me within no time and started rejoicing over my union with Dev.
Their attention shifted to my baby after that. As such Coco was always alergic to people she didn't know, she threw her tantrums again while going to Ayan's arms. For some reason, she liked Janhavi though. But once she got both their introductions as 'Ayan mamu' and 'Jaan mami' (p.s- she couldn't get with the pronounciation of Janhavi) she finally agreed to go with them to food section.
Stranger or not, icecream was always the top priority for her amd she wasn't going to compromise on it under any possible situation.
" Nitara beta, how are you?" Another known voice came following soon.
I turned back to find Adit's mom standing behind me.
"Fine aunty." I bent down to touch her feet. "You say, how are you?"
"I am also fine." She smiled at me and looked at Dev to patt his face affectionately. "So you two are back together?"
-"Yep aunty, finally." Dev grinned sheepishly as he bent like me and touched aunty's feet to seek her blessings.
"Arey beta jeete raho." Aunty patted his head this time. "I was just saying ki.. why don't you get a girl for your friend as well? Don't you think its high time already? Look, even Kshitiz is married now and going to settle so happily!!"
-"He was telling me the other day that he won't marry unless he falls in love with someone." Dev shrugged his shoulders while I lazily commented from his side
"He'll get older this way!"
"Exactly my point." Aunty retorted immediately. "He is 32 already and only god knows when is he planning to settle!"
-"As far as I know, he doesn't have any girl in his idea.... or in his life." Dev spoke to ingite the fire further.
Such a jack!
"Do 'you' know anybody like that, aunty?" We can go for his arranged marriage then!!" I spoke after him.
"Yeah... there is a girl.. who happens to be your friend... and I think I really like her."
-"Who is she?" Dev asked on my behalf.
"There" aunty raised her finger to point towards the girl in blue anarkali, standing next to Amaya.
And it was none other than Raima!
-"Gosh! You are talking about Raima??" Dev asked again, clearly bemused at the thought of his best friend getting married to a hyperactive gujju like Rai.
"Umm.. yes.... I mean, she is a nice child right?"
"Ofcourse aunty. She is the best." I muttered inbetween. "And if you want, I can contact Raima's grandparents as well!"
"Grandparents?"
"Woh her parents are no more alive na.."
"Thats sad." Aunty gasped a sigh. "But thats not a problem. I will shower that poor child with all my love and affection!"
"That you will surely do... but aunty, we need to talk about it with Raima and Adit first."
-"You don't worry aunty. We will sort this matter within two days only." Dev commented back to back, his excitement making aunty smile at us the fullest.
"My babies!" She patted our cheeks once again and muttered before leaving- "Okay now. Enjoy the party... the couple dance is just about to begin."
The brighter lights were switched off next and the softer ones were allowed to glow. They created a mezzaine of light and shadow everywhere and filled the place with a seductive shade of love. Dev and me came close to each other in its presence and raised our steps to the tune of the romantic meddley set in the background.
It was all a moment of sheer magic and we were ready to get ourselves lost in it for the next couple of minutes or so.
However, when the time of reviving ourselves from this magic really arrived, Dev didn't get a chance to open his eyes.
His eyes had been covered by someone from behind. He tried to remove that cover with all his might, but failed miserably. And it was then when he asked back with a dash of irritation in his voice
-"Who is it? Janhavi??"
"Um hmm." The person covering his eyes, replied from the back.
-"Then you must be Priyanka for sure!"
"You are wrong!" The person replied again.
-"Wrong? Yeah... your voice..its so different." He didn't struggle anymore, just kept his finger's upon the person's hands and tried to feel the texture of her skin. "Who are you huh??"
"No further guesses?" The person smirked at him.
He shook his head in reply.
"Welllll....." she removed her hands from top of his eyes and came hopping before him. "Its me- Tasha.. Tasha Trivedi." Said she.
-"Tas...." thats how words trailled off his mouth the moment he saw his sister for the very first time.
Dressed in a sky blue, criss cross top and a matching skirt, there she was standing right infront of his eyes... the person whom he had waited for, for so many years... and the only one who was supposed to complete his family.. like, finally!!
"Yeah bhai, your sister is here." Tasha grinned ear to ear at the sight of her speechless brother.
-"Bhai? Did you just say..." Dev blinked his eyes repeatedly. "Can please say that again?"
Tasha nodded at this, stepped closer and kept her hand upon Dev's right cheek. "Bhai" She mumbled as smoothly as her hand gazed over his one day old stubble.
-"Fuck! This sounds so perfect!" Dev said in return and towered upon his little sister to take her in a bear tight hug.
"Now that you have accepted me, everything is gonna get perfect Bhai." She replied while hugging him back.
-"Don't say like that kiddo... It makes me feel guilty." Dev pulled back and looked into Tasha's eyes with remorse.
"You don't need to be guilty okay? You didn't do anything wrong. You just refused to accept me earlier and I am completely fine about it. Not everyone has the heart to accept the darkest past of his life, I understand that Bhai."
-"But you are not that darkest past Tasha. You are way too sweet to be dark and scary."
"Can I take it as a compliment?" Tasha rolled her eyes dramatically.
Dev giggled at that and said- "Yes you can.. afterall this is the only thing I can give you... I wanted to give you my father's surname, but alas, I don't use that myself!"
"I don't mind. I am happy with my mom's surname."
-"You are so like me huh?!"
"Maybe... and maybe not. Becoz I am one such who forgives everyone easily. But you are definitely not like that, isn't it Bhai?"
-"I do forgive eventually!" Dev defended himself in a stronger tone, making Tasha chuckle all the way more.
"Acha? So have you forgiven your wife?"
-"We are a happy married couple now." He beamed with pride while putting an arm around my shoulders.
I just shrugged under that protective touch of him.
"Okay... and what about your mother? Have you forgiven her too?"
A short lived silence fell between us this time. But Tasha was really quick in wrapping it up. "Listen, I wanted to get a brother but now I want to get a mother as well... I don't want to spend my entire being an orphan!!" She said with her brows tightly clenched in mid forehead.
He smiled at that and muttered softly - "Ma will be more than happy."
Ma? Did he really take this name??
"Does that mean that you..."
-"When I said that I want to get my family back, I meant all of you Tasha..all single of you.. my mother, my sister, my wife.. my child..."
"Your child.. yes.. where is she? I want to her meet so bad!!"
-"I'm getting her. Just wait for two minutes." Dev said, and left. Tasha turned towards me after that and threw her arms around my neck to pull me in the tightest of her hugs.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you.. thank you so much Nitzy!!" She cooed into my ears excitedly while I simply frowned at her.
"Pleasure is mine. But hey, just call me 'bhabi' okay?"
"In your dreams!" She pulled apart to make a face, but ended up giving a strong peck on my cheek instead.
Well, we always had been good friends like that. But I guess I friendship just turned better with time.
"So mean of you Tasha Trivedi! But its okay. I forgive you." I said feigning disappointment, when I saw Dev and Nirvana walking towards us and gestured Tasha to turn behind ".... there comes you neice!"
-"Princess, this is your pishi. Say hi to her." Dev said from the back.
Tasha rolled her eyes at this. "Pishi?"
"Father's sister." I replied hurriedly.
"Oh! Bua it is." Tasha huffed smiling. "Yes baby, pipi is here.. won't you come to meet her huh?"
Nirvana had a strange expression saved for this moment. She looked at Dev and cringed her brows, and with a sad pout lingering on her lips she asked him in a serious tone- "how many relatibhes do we have daddy?"
"The list ends here." Tasha pointed towards herself. "But what is it honey? You didn't like to see me here?"
"Are you going to shtay with us?" Nirvana asked back in return.
"Umm no.. I have my own house in Hyderabad."
-"You're seriously not going to stay with us?" Dev questioned her this time.
"I have my job as well... and I can't just leave it Bhai!" Tasha smiled to reply.
-"Oh. I understand that.. but you can atleast stay with us for tonight, right?"
"Ofcourse. And I will try my best to spend the maximum number of vacations with you people only."
-"That will be great."
"Yeah.. so now can I take my princess to the dance floor? I am literally dying to dance with her you know!"
-"Yeah, why not?!" Dev looked at his daughter in his arms. "Princess, you wanted to go and dance there na? See, Pipi wants to accompany you now.. go with her."
"I want a ish-cream after that."
Oh, she was always this quick with her demands!
"You already had one!" I rolled my eyes with the intention of scaring her to back off. But Tasha just dismissed all of it by replying-
"You'll get two. Now come with me."
Needless to say, my not_so_obedient child really left for the sake of her ice-cream bribe becoz that was what she was like... a big time foodie.... just like her own mother.
*sighs*
-"So, this was your surprise huh?" Dev asked after a long silence.
"Hmm." I replied without really looking at him. My eyes had been fixed to the dance floor ahead, at the gleaming faces of those peole whom I loved the most in this world.
-"Thank you, Tara." Dev spoke again. My reverie just broke along with it.
"Mention it not, Dev." I pouted at him.
-"I was thanking you for everything.. for the happiness...."
"...that we found after such a long time!" I completed the sentence for him.
-"Yeah. And that too out of nowhere!!"
"I just hope that we manage to preserve it all." I crossed my fingers against the wine glass in my hands.
-"Don't worry. We won't let anything will go wrong anymore" He kept his hand upon mine.
I breathed in his assurance and replied- "I trust 'US', Dev."
-"So do I."
"I am glad that it happend."
-"It was meant to be."
"You mean to say it was all destined?"
-"I don't believe in destiny. I just believe in 'US."
"Now we are repeating words!"
-"Can't help!!"
He replied with such innocense that I broke out giggling.
"You know right that I love you?"
-"I love you more, if only that can describe my endless feelings for you!"
"Huh... lier!"
"Hey, don't call me that!"
I stuck out my tongue at him and thats how our giggles rolled into jolts of laughter for now and for the rest of our lives...
____________________________________
Author's note :P
And thats a wrap!!!!!
Rest of the note is given in the next update. Do peek there for once. Thank you.
P.S- reread the 2nd chapter for better understanding of the last two lines.
~