Chapter 3

Marybarton

@Marybarton

Part 2:

A few months ago...

Arpita smiled to herself and watched as Imlie and Aryan bickered at the table.

Aryan: Use the freaking chopsticks!

Imlie: It's sushi! The Japanese traditionally have it with their hand, hence, the cube shape!

Aryan whispered angrily: I don't care what the Japanese do, we are at a restaurant, people know who I am here.

Imlie: Toh meine kab kaha ke tumhe bhi haat se khana hai? You use my set of chopsticks too aur dono set se khao.

Aryan grabbed the chopsticks and shoved them back into Imlie's hand: No scene. No! I don't want to hear another word. You know all this by now. You do it intentionally just to irritate me.

Imlie: Ha! You get irritated at the drop of a hat. What's new in that? I don't even have to try. I just have to exist and you will find that irritating.

Aryan signed for the bill as they prepared to leave at the end of dinner. The waitress beamed as she saw the tip and decided to return the favor with a compliment.

Waitress: You two look really cute together. New couples are always so cute. Hai na, Arpitaji?

Arpita raised her eyebrows.

Aryan and Imlie in unison: We are not together!!!

Waitress, startled: Oh! I see, sorry.

She took the receipt and ran off.

Arpita hid her smile in the napkin: Toh aaj ka jagre ka quota toh khatam hogaya, ab chale?

Later that night...

The ladies of the house sat watching TV as Imlie tried again to broach her new favorite topic for Arpita. Men. Eligible men. For Arpita.

Imlie, excitedly: I was saying na, Didi. He's my new supervisor at work and SO MUCH better than my last one (she looked pointedly at Aryan working on the laptop, he just rolled his eyes). He's really tall and so handsome. Ek coffee date ke liye toh aap ja hi sakte hai. Itna cute toh hai woh. And he will pay too. Cheap nehi hai. Very gentlemanly.

Aryan called out: Itna gentlemanly aur handsome hai toh tum chali jao na?

Kakima: Arro!

Imlie called out: No one is talking to you. Tum apna kam karo, thik hai? Yaha ladies baat kar rahe hai.

Arpita sighed: I don't feel like it. I have no energy to make small talk.

Imlie: Moving on and living life is so important, Di. Kakima? Aap kuch bolye na?

Kakima sipped her tea: I would say the same for both of you.

Imlie's face closed up and she immediately got busy with the remote. Aryan looked up from his work and observed her reaction.

Arpita shared a look with her mother. They nodded slightly at each other.

Arpita: Tell you what, Imlie? Since you are talking about moving on so much, I think it is time you moved on too.

Imlie shrugged: I am fine as I am.

Arpita: Then, I am fine too. If you want me to date and marry, you have to do it first. Otherwise, I swear to you, you will be banishing me to a life of loneliness.

Imlie, distressed: Don't say that, Didi! What does my life decisions have to do with your happiness? Just do it for yourself. You have been widowed for four years now, Bhaiyya bhi chahte honge ke aap khush rahe aab. Aise toh zindeji nehi kategi na?

Arpita: I swear to you then, first you will marry and then I will, Imlie. You have also been divorced for three years now. That's long enough. It's time to live a little.

Imlie mock laughed: Mere liye thori hi line lagi hui hai, Didi. Ek husband hi samhalha nehi gaya mujhse. Aur nehi chahiye.

Arpita: You just want to live a life of regrets and you accuse me of it, Imlie. Jah, tujse baat nehi karti mein.

Imlie: Nehi, Didi! I promise, I will go on a date too. But if I do, you have to promise me to go with my supervisor.

Aryan looked taken aback. He turned back to his laptop when his eyes met his mother's all-seeing ones.

Kakima: Great! Double date! Lehkin...ladka kaha milega Imlie ke liye?

Arpita looked around the room and saw Aryan sneaking off: Yeh Aryan ladka hai na? Aryan chalega humare saath.

Imlie: NEHI!!!

Aryan dropped his laptop in shock: Mujhe nehi jana! Or iss jangli ke saat toh bilkul nehi!

Kakima looked at Arpita. As if they did not know how he liked to watch Imlie when he thought no one was looking...

Arpita: Arro, you want me to try living a little or not?

Back at the mehendi...

Arpita smiled to herself, thinking of her machinations.

Ma approached her and held her hand: I can't believe you goaded them all way to wedding. I still can't believe...it happening!

Arpita: That's my magic, ma! Oh shush, they are coming out.

Aryan stopped the statue from falling over when Imlie bumped into it: Watch where you are going!

Imlie: I did! That thing was in my way.

Aryan, irritated: You are not to break anything today. You understand?

Imlie: It's good to see you care more about that ugly statue than my toe, which I just bumped.

Aryan, angrily: It's a Degas!

Imlie looked confused: So?

Aryan: So!? (He shook his head) Kya hua tumhari payer peh?

Imlie smiled: Nothing! All good now.

Aryan: Drama queen.

Imlie: Kya! Mein drama queen hoon!? You bought this massive lehenga that I am tripping over to make a grand splash for the newspapers and I am the drama queen!?

Aryan: You are supposed to appreciate a good gesture, not whine about it. Ek toh ye unfair hai kyun ke I bought it for you, not the newspapers. Do...

Imlie: Do or tin koh udhar rah ne dete hai, thik he?

Ma and Arpita giggled from a little distance, but Amma came and put a stop to Imlie's rant.

Amma: Imlie! Behave! The guests are coming at any moment.

Imlie: Tell him. He's ruining my mood over his ugly little Dogos statue.

Aryan: Degas!

Imlie made a face mocking his "Degas" silently.

Amma: Imlie, chup chap jake wahan baitth, ja! Sorry, Aryan babu. I don't know when she became so argumentative. Bilkul pagliyat hai pura ka pura.

Imlie made a face, picked up the skirt of her lehenga and went to sit by the cushions set for the mehendi. Aryan watched her exasperatedly.

Aryan approached Arpita: Didi, the mehendi artists are coming right? The showroom already messed up with the jewelry delivery. I don't want anything else to go wrong.

Arpita rested her hand on his arm reassuringly: All the artists are already here. Don't worry. Everything will be good now.

Aryan: She didn't have a mehendi before, I want her to have a good evening. The only mehendi Imlie attended was that Malini Chaturvedi's and she had to put the henna on for that lady.

Arpita, shocked: For Aditya and Malini's wedding?

Aryan nodded.

Arpita, shocked: That's heartless...I didn't know...

Aryan: This is her first mehendi, I don't want it to get affected by old memories.

Arpita: I understand, Arro, don't worry. I will see to it that it all goes well.

Let me know in the comments, what you thought of this part.

Index (thanks to SundariP)

Part 1

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/159734452

Part 2

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/159745711

Part 3