“Papa, aapki chai!”
Harshvardhan Birla, who was about to leave for the Birla Hospital, looked at the steaming cup of tea, at the girl who was extending it to him and bit back a curse. Akshara Goenka! Technically Akshara Birla now but for him, she’d always be the Goenka Girl who had tied his son to her pallu from day one.
“Where’s Manjari?” he asked, reluctantly accepting the cup. His head was splitting and he did need the tea.
“Maa has gone to the temple,” Akshara happily imparted the information, her eyes sparkling, her face full of childish delight. She was that way most of the time. A walking talking dreamer. God knows what his son saw in her! “She actually didn’t want to go because it was time for you to leave for your evening meeting. But I convinced her. After all, even I can make tea for my papa, right?”
Harsh bit back another curse. This was the reason he didn’t want emotional people around him. They didn’t respect the boundary that he drew around himself. And he couldn’t even shout at her like he does at Manjari, can he? Not when she kept calling him papa. Honestly! Why did she have to call him that? Who does that these days? She could’ve stuck with “sir” like Abhimanyu or “uncle”. But no. She had to go and pin the title of “papa” on him.
“Would you like to have some snacks?” she asked, like she didn’t register his silence or it didn’t matter to her. “Actually, I’m planning on making kachoris today…”
“No thanks. I need to go. I have a meeting with a few doctors. Waise… I thought you went around singing to patients. Have you decided to quit and dedicate yourself to the kitchen making these kachoris instead?” The words - Like your mother-in-law - went unsaid but the implication was clear as a bell.
Akshara smiled in response to his sarcasm. “I came home early today. Actually there’s a new batch of patients coming in tomorrow at Manaksh and…”
“Yeah, OK fine. Whatever.” Placing the empty cup aside, he got up to leave but halted, recalling what the team of doctors had mentioned the last time he’d met them. “Uh, suno, Akshara…”
“Ji papa?”
Maybe he should tell Manjari to convince this girl to ditch this papa business. But the last time he did that, Manjari got all teary eyed saying what is wrong if she calls you that, she never got to be with her parents and sees them in us. Akshara saw him as her father figure. His eyelids fluttered at the thought before he straightened his shoulders. Well, she can do whatever she wants. None of his business. After all, it was just a word. It didn’t matter to him in the least and it didn’t affect him either.
“Uh, we’re opening a new block in Birla hospital for oncology. Cancer patients. Two top doctors of this country have agreed to join us.”
“Arre waah! That’s great news! So many people can get…”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s a huge milestone for Birla hospital and…uh, oncologists…I mean, I thought that it would be great if we have a music therapist, after those chemo sessions and all…” Noting her eyes bright with interest, he added in a casual tone. “So, if you want, you can rejoin Birla Hospital.”
Fact was that the doctors had known his daughter in law was into music therapy and had taken it for granted that she was going to be a part of the Oncology department. They had bloody well not given him a choice but to say yes, of course.
“Oh! I would love to help them out any way I can. Currently I’m at Manaksh and one more NGO for three days a week. The rest of the three days I can come to Birla Hospital. Would that be OK?”
“Of course. Come over tomorrow and meet the HR. You can meet those doctors too.”
“Pakka! Such a big milestone to Birla hospital and you’re making me a part of it! Thank you so much papa!”
Harsh watched as Akshara skipped and bounded her way into the kitchen, tripping twice on the way before righting herself. He shook his head. Honestly, couldn’t his son find himself someone a bit more world-wise and tough? The way this girl is, people would be walking all over her and she’d let them. And what did Abhimanyu think? That he would be there 24*7 to protect her? Fine. Let her start with 3 days a week and he would find a way to make her quit all other places and join Birla hospital full time. That way, he could keep an eye on her and she would in turn convince Abhimanyu to come back full time once again. With that thought in mind, he left for his meeting. Waise ladki chai toh kaafi achha banaleti hain!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abhimanyu was tired. It had been a long day, first at Manaksh and then at Birla Hospital where he had performed one heart valve replacement and another Maze surgery. Right when he had been about to leave, his tauji had called him in for a second opinion on one of the CABG procedures he’d performed a couple of days ago. It had developed complications and they had to reopen the patient. He had ended up being the extra pair of eyes and hands for tauji because they had to locate the bleed with the clock ticking.
Screeching his bike to a halt in front of his house, he let out a tired groan. The shower he’d had before leaving the hospital helped a little but all in all, he was exhausted and in desperate need of…
Both his thoughts and his feet came to a standstill.
"Moh moh ke dhage…
Hmm.. hmm..
Yeh moh moh ke dhage…Teri ungliyon se jaa uljhe
Koyi toh-toh naa laage…Kis tarah girah ye suljhe"
That voice had the power to bring him to his knees every single time he heard it and marriage didn’t change that fact even an inch. Eyes lit up with joy and anticipation, face turned aglow as delight suffused it, body shed its lethargy and bounded over the steps, propelling him in the direction of the owner of that tone. His feet barely paused as he threw his backpack over the center table, adding mess to the scattered books and magazines.
"Hai rom-rom iktaara..aa…Hai rom-rom iktaara
Jo badalon mein se guzre..ae"
Akshara was kneading the dough, lost in her world, eyes full of contentment, lips stretched into that beautiful smile and the pink cheeks giving away the naughty thoughts that were revolving around her husband. Her Abhi. The way he had refused to let her get out of the bed that morning, how he had grabbed her when she made faces as he was trimming his stubble and got her face smeared with his shaving cream, the mischievous glint in his eyes as he pointed out the sari he wanted her to wear…
She glanced down at his choice. At the teal blue sari with its silver border and silver blouse she was wearing just as a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her snugly into that hard body.
“Yeh moh moh ke dhage…” The song came to a predictable abrupt halt. “Abhi! Tum kab aaye?”
He didn’t reply. Merely tightened his arms, sliding his lips over her shoulder and neck. “Sing,” he entreated in that deep voice that never failed to melt her insides.
Tilting her head a little, she placed a gentle kiss of welcome on his cheek before obliging him.
“Tu hoga zara pagal, tune mujh ko hai chuna
Kaise tune ankaha, tune ankaha, sab suna”
Her hands began making the balls, flattening them, carefully filling it with the onion stuffing that had been her mumma’s special recipe and closing it. Abhi didn’t move from his place. With his chin resting on her shoulder, he took over the job of filling the raw kachori with the stuffing.
“Tu din sa hai, main raat Aa..na dono mil jayein shamon ki tarah…”
Seized by an impulse of mischief, she took the stuffing between her two fingers aiming to stuff it in his mouth but going awry, smearing his cheek instead. His eyes turned dark with desire and retribution as he caught her wrist and brought it to his mouth, sucking each of her fingers clean. Not to be deterred, Akshara rose on her toes to catch the onion slice stuck between his cheek and chin with her lips.
Abhi’s arms tightened around her waist and as he turned her to face him, she yelped, “Arre, I forgot to add salt in this. Wait, wait! Abhi, let me go!”
Squirming out of his arms, she began modifying the onion stuffing. “We already made two. What do I do with them? They won’t taste as good.”
Abhi let out an exasperated sigh. “This is what we call pouring ice water on fire. Kya yaar, Akshu!”
Akshara giggled. “Let me share another quote. Good things come to those who wait.” When he looked like he wanted to retort, she quickly diverted the topic. “So, tell me, how was your day?”
“Long and tiring. Almost lost a patient but Mahadev saved him.”
“Mahadev saved him through you, Dr Abhimanyu Birla,” his wife declared with a proud tilt of her head that brought an awkward grin and shrug from him. “Hey, you know, today papa asked me to join Birla hospital as a part time therapist. I’m going to come there tomorrow,” she squealed out excitedly, her fingers deftly lining up the raw kachoris on the thali.
Abhimanyu’s smile disappeared as if it had never been. “When did he ask you?”
“Right before you came. He had been about to go to some meeting, I gave him tea and…”
Abhi knew what had forced sir to extend that particular olive branch to his Akshu. A part of him took sadistic satisfaction in the position the oncologists had put that man in but another part of him wanted to keep his Akshu away from that hospital and that man his Akshu insisted on calling papa. Papa, he muttered to himself with a scoff. If he wasn’t careful that papa will one day hurt his Akshu with his manipulations and barely veiled taunts.
“So you’ve thought through and decided to join?” he asked Akshara, who had begun frying the kachoris.
“What’s there to think? Of course I’m joining! 3 days a week.” Akshara was facing the stove but she could read the thoughts racing through her husband’s mind as clearly as if he was speaking them aloud.
“OK.” Abhi who’d been leaning against the counter until then straightened. “Chalo, I’m going to go have another shower.”
“Arre but…” Too late. He had already left the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~
Abhi stood in front of the mirror in his room, dressed just in tracks, hair still wet from the shower. His towel was looped around his neck but he made no effort to dry his hair. Everyone in his family said he was the most stubborn. Huh! Let them get to know his wife and they’ll declare him the most accommodating. He might yell and do thod-phod to get things his way but Akshu’s silent stubbornness had the ability to wreak havoc. Once she decided on a path, there was no budging her. She ignored all the noise around her and did whatever she’d decided she’d do, wearing that oh so innocent sweet smile on her face. And now she’d decided she would join Birla Hospital. Dammit! Why couldn’t she understand that…
“Ke teri jhooti batein, main sari maan lun
Aankhon se tere sach sabhi Sab kuch abhi jaan lun”
Akshara picked up the song where she’d left off in the kitchen as she placed the plate of kachoris on the side table, took the towel off his shoulders and led him to the bed. Nudging him to sit on the edge, she kissed his forehead, removing the frown of worry that he himself hadn’t realized was there and began toweling his hair dry.
“Tez hain dhara, behte se hum, awara aa tham ke sanse le yahan…”
The turbulence in his mind settled, bringing the dormant desire to the forefront. Eyes closed, his face searched and found her waist, digging in, caressing, kissing, tasting. Gentle hands pushed him back. He opened his dark slumberous eyes to watch her slide up and onto the bed, resting her head on the pillow. And when she opened her arms to him, everything was forgotten except his need for her. And his desire to find himself in her.
Yeh moh moh ke dhage…Teri ungliyon se jaa uljhe
Koyi toh-toh naa laage…Kis tarah girah ye suljhe
******
A prompt-based original story.
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