~ ~ ~
At lunchtime, Deepak asked Roshni what she would like to eat. Instead of responding to his question, she started to walk into the kitchen, and he stopped her. “Roshni, you are not entering the kitchen. I will cook, please.”
He was serious when he’d said he would cook, she realized!
“What can you cook? Let me do the cooking.”
“Ohoooo! You have no idea of my capabilities. Just wait and watch. Do me a favor, will you? Can you sit here at the dining table across from the kitchen and talk to me. Both of us will cook this way,” he said, feeling confident of his cooking skills.
“Can I chop the vegetables at least?” she asked.
“Okay, sounds good.” Then he continued, “Why can’t we just talk politely to each other? Why do we have to argue?”
Roshni glared at him and opened her mouth. He interrupted her, “Okay, okay, let’s just focus on cooking for now.”
Deepak was all professional; he wore an apron and brought vegetables for Roshni to cut while she sat at the dining table and he began to cook. He pulled a couple of pans from the cupboard, to one he added moong dal and water and allowed the dal to cook.
From the kitchen he said, “Roshni, how much rice should I make…one cup, two cups?”
“One cup should be good,” she replied.
He took the rice, rinsed it one time, and added two cups of water and left this pan on the stove. Roshni chopped green beans, potatoes and carrots. He decided to mix all three vegetables, placed a skillet on the stove, and added oil. To the heated oil, he added the seasoning ingredients and vegetables. He looked for spice powders and couldn’t find them in the cabinet. “Roshni, where are the spices?”
Roshni slowly walked into the kitchen and showed him the spices: cumin and coriander powders, red chili powder and turmeric powder. Deepak took pride in his cooking skills. Very confidently he added the spices, salt and water, and cooked the vegetables. Then he seasoned the dal. Intermittently, he sniffed the aroma emitting from the spices and smirked.
Roshni watched Deepak and secretly admired his efficiency. How well he had everything under control in the kitchen. Within an hour, Deepak had made a simple lunch – dal, curry and rice.
He came to Roshni. “Roshni, unfortunately I cannot roll chapathis well, so we will have to manage with rice, or if there is a caterer close by, we could buy chapathis?”
“I do not know of any caterer close by…let me talk to aunty next door; she might know of someone.”
Roshni called next-door aunty and found out that aunty herself made chapathis and sold them – some pocket money for her! Roshni ordered a few, and aunty agreed to have them ready in one hour. Roshni gave this information to Deepak, and he was happy.
When the chapathis were ready, both Deepak and Roshni were hungry, and Deepak warmed up the food. Roshni was quiet most of the time, and Deepak did all the chatting as they ate their lunch. Roshni was impressed! Deepak did a good job balancing the flavors and tastes with salt and spices. She took her first bite, and Deepak waited for her feedback.
“Good job, Deepak, perfect blend of spices. Thank you!” she said, smiling at him.
Deepak acknowledged her compliment and smiled at her.
“So where did you learn to cook?” she asked.
“In the US…necessity is the mother of invention, and practice makes man perfect, so this is the result.”
“Very nice, thank you again.” Roshni really meant it.
After lunch Deepak was in the kitchen doing the cleaning, and Roshni wondered how he managed all this work with such efficiency and was so proud of him. She wanted to test him for his patience, and here was the result…she was impressed.
Sheetal came home in the evening and could not believe Deepak had prepared the meal. She came to Roshni. “Roshni, you are so lucky, Deepak can cook such wonderful food.”
Deepak waited to hear Roshni’s response, but Roshni had no reaction at all. They had dinner, and Deepak made sure Roshni had her medicines before she retired. Sheetal was curious to know how the day went between the two of them, but she never got an opportunity to talk to Deepak without Roshni around.
~ ~ ~
The next day began as usual with Roshni again getting ready early before Sheetal left so that Sheetal could help with her clothes. Roshni kept Sheetal company in the kitchen for chai, and they decided to have toasted bread, butter and jam for breakfast before Sheetal left for work.
It was again Deepak and Roshni back on their laptops, they cooked, ate and spent time together. Roshni didn’t say much. She watched Deepak closely, and as he had mentioned, she agreed to be patient until December 14th.
Deepak was back on his laptop when his phone rang. He recognized Sheetal’s number, and they had a brief conversation. Sheetal asked if all was well, and Deepak assured her it was. Deepak expressed his happiness that they’d sent Aunty to Mumbai, and Sheetal agreed. They hung up after a few minutes.
The idea of sending Aunty away triggered a thought in Sheetal’s mind. She wondered if she could do the same and go away to Poona, leaving Deepak and Roshni alone. This would give them the ‘bonding’ time they needed.
With this thought, she looked into the details at work and found out that she did have plenty of vacation time accrued that she could take advantage of. She wanted to do everything in her capacity to bring Deepak and Roshni together.
~ ~ ~
That evening, Sheetal was home, and as usual Sheetal helped with the cooking and they had their dinner. Sheetal discussed her vacation, saying she was over the limit to accumulate any more vacation days and that her boss had suggested she take some time off. Deepak asked her if she had any plans. She told him she’d like to go to Poona to visit her parents, especially since it was Dashera and Diwali time. Roshni had almost forgotten about these two major festivals, and Deepak had been out of the country for so long, he did not even remember the rituals and ceremonies associated with them.
The thought of festivals made Roshni sad. She was reminded of her babuji, and Deepak noticed this. He gently rubbed her shoulders and consoled her. She was happy Sheetal would be able to spend time with her parents during this festive season.
A few minutes later Roshni asked Sheetal, “So when do you want to leave, Sheetal? It will be a long break for you! I am so happy. When was the last time you visited Poona?”
“It has been about two years. Last year we were so busy with the launch of a product, I had no time to think of anything else.”
“You deserve this break. Enjoy!” said Deepak.
Sheetal was delighted, and Roshni and Deepak were happy for her. Roshni was more concerned now. Hey, Devi Maiya! This means I will be here alone with Deepak. Is this a good idea? she thought.
After dinner, Sheetal cleaned the kitchen while Deepak helped Roshni with her medicines. Deepak reminded Roshni of her appointment the next day. It had been two weeks since they came home, and Roshni showed good improvement.
Roshni was perturbed that she had to depend on Deepak for everything. Deepak and Sheetal chatted happily in the family room while Sheetal looked into air tickets to Poona. Roshni was quiet and slowly walked towards the window in her bedroom and gazed outside, unseeingly, into the distance. The past memories of celebrating festivals with her babuji came to her, and with a heavy heart she leaned on the wall next to the window.
Deepak did not see Roshni around. He left his laptop on the sofa and walked to their room and noticed Roshni leaning on the wall near the window frame and gazing outside. He went closer to her and saw Roshni was in deep thought with her eyes closed. He gently put his hand on her shoulder and awakened her from her trance. Roshni wiped her tears and looked around.
“Roshni, what happened?”
“Hmmm, nothing.” She tried to walk past him when Deepak pulled her to him, grabbing her by the waist, and she bumped into his chest. Roshni leaned against his chest and gazed at him with confusion.
Deepak stared into her eyes, holding he
r. “Roshni, what is bothering you?”
“Nothing, please leave me. Let me go.”
“No, not until you tell me what’s bothering you.”
He pulled her closer to him and held her tightly across her waist, and she felt his warm breath near her neck and cheeks. She became nervous, and her breath was heavy while he enjoyed her beautiful fragrance.
“Deepak, everything is all right. Please let me go.”
“Then why are you sad?” Not waiting for her response, he lifted her in his arms, and Roshni was embarrassed.
“Deepak, please! What is all this? Please let me go. I am fine. It’s just…it’s just that…”
“Just what?” And looking into her eyes, he carried her to the bed and gave her time to sit comfortably. He settled next to her and held her right hand in his. “Roshni, please tell me what is bothering you?”
Roshni tried to avoid it, but he was so persistent, she had to give in. “It is a festive season, and I could not stop thinking of Babuji and the good old days we spent together, and now…and now everything fell apart. I am so lonely, and…and it is so dull. Look at me – with my accident, I can’t even go anywhere. I m-mean–” Tears trickled down her cheeks.
And she abruptly discontinued what she was saying and wiped her tears. She tried to pull herself away from him, but Deepak pulled her to his chest and gently rubbed her shoulder and back, leaning against her head.
“I can see the pain in your eyes, Roshni. You are not a very open person. You can talk to me when you’re ready, but know that it cripples me to see tears in your eyes. I know you don’t trust me yet. Is there anybody else you would like to talk to so you can open up? You’ll feel better.”
His comforting words were like a balm to her, and she buried her head in his chest and started to weep. Deepak let her cry. He consoled her by gently rubbing her shoulder. His eyes were glassy too. He was unable to bear the pain she was going through, and unfortunately, she would not confide in him…at least not yet! This one little act of hers gave Deepak some confidence that one day she would believe him.
She came back to her senses in a few minutes and wiped her eyes. “Deepak, I became weak for a moment. I could not contain myself. I’m sorry, but thank you for your support. I really appreciate this.”
Deepak let her free and assured her, “Roshni, any time, I am here for your support.”
In the meantime, Sheetal had peeped into the room, wondering if Roshni was all right, and witnessed the private moment between Deepak and Roshni. She walked away without disturbing them and got back to her work of looking for dates and tickets. She found a very reasonable deal and was excited and could not resist sharing this with Roshni.
Roshni was heartbroken because she would be celebrating these festivals without her babuji; however, when it came to others’ happiness, she was with them to celebrate their joy. Deepak noticed Sheetal and invited her into the room while Roshni slowly moved away from Deepak. Sheetal informed them of her ticket to Poona. Without a moment’s hesitation, Roshni looked at Deepak and asked him to drop Sheetal at the airport.
Later Roshni had milk and medicines, and Deepak helped her settle for the night. He kissed her good night on her forehead and came back to the family room and started scanning his e-mails. He was unable to focus; the memory of Roshni crying and missing her babuji came back to him. In spite of her own sadness, she remembered to ask him to drop Sheetal at the airport; he was so touched!
Deepak was learning more of Roshni’s personality. She was a woman of principles and educated, but was very loving and affectionate, cheerful, and bubbled with positive energy. She was simple but assertive and very mature, and he had ample proof. His own brothers were turned around; the entire environment in the house changed tremendously. She was a person who put others’ happiness before her own. How could one not see all these wonderful qualities in her and not fall in love with her. I must be an idiot, he thought.
However, for Roshni, she was brought up being cheerful and happy, and of course, she had good values. She was taught to bring something positive out of every negative; she was taught to have high self-esteem, confidence and self-respect, but all that she saw after marriage was bitterness, unhappiness, and humiliation, not only from Sashank and Akash but her own husband. Her beliefs and her righteousness were crushed to pieces and lay shattered in front of her on their wedding night.
However, she was determined to fulfill her promise to Babuji. She made sincere efforts, and her efforts paid off. Things had changed significantly around the house, but what about her feelings, her suffering and her pain? She appeared to be happy, but there was a lot of struggle that went on internally. She felt caught between a rock and a hard place. She’d made a decision to remain with Deepak’s family to fulfill the promise she’d made to Babuji, but in the bargain, she’d had to compromise her dignity and her self-respect. Was it worth it?
Several times the past came to her, and she was depressed. She wanted to run away and hide from all that went on, but she never did. She carried on only to see a smile on Babuji’s face, and now…he was gone. There was no succor for her.
She had a lot of hidden pain that she did not share with anybody. The first person she came close to sharing any pain with was Deepak himself, but could she forgive him? Was her ego obstructing her from seeing the love and affection Deepak was showering on her? Only time would tell!
Chapter 29
Deepak and Roshni Celebrate Dashera Together
Roshni’s second appointment went very well, with great improvement in her mobility. Her fractures were healing. During the appointment, Dr. Swaminathan said, “Roshni bete, good recovery, I am so pleased with the progress in your health. If this continues, you will be off the crutches in a few weeks.”
He turned to face Deepak. “And Deepak, you’re doing a wonderful job taking care of her. Roshni, you must be so proud of your husband. Great teamwork…keep it up.” He appreciated their efforts to help each other.
Roshni could not deny the efforts Deepak put in to take care of her, and she admitted this to the doctor; a positive sign indeed for Deepak!
After the appointment Deepak helped Roshni to the car, and since it was past lunchtime, he asked Roshni if she wanted to go out to lunch. Roshni reminded him of a team meeting at 2 p.m., so they decided to conference from the apartment.
They talked about the project on the way home. She discussed her project with Deepak and how her part of the project was transferred to somebody else because of the accident. She began to open up, and this was great positive feedback for Deepak. They talked more and argued less.
Since both of them were on the same team, they decided to attend the meeting and check out the latest developments.
Both were hungry, and it was too late to cook at home, so Deepak suggested buying chapathis and bhaji from aunty next door. Roshni objected and volunteered to make dosas for Deepak.
Dosa is a thin crisp that is made with rice and lentil flour. This is a very popular South Indian dish served with potato curry and chutney – both wet and powder. Having lived in Bangalore for a few weeks now, Roshni had tasted this dish frequently, and she had learnt to make instant dosas.
Deepak liked dosas. He had tasted them in the US, and he was happy to help Roshni. However, the actual process to make dosa batter was very elaborate, and Deepak was aware of this. He wondered how Roshni would accomplish this instantly. He was curious!
Roshni was very efficient. She mixed lentil and rice flour with salt and made a batter for dosa. Living in Bangalore, it was unheard of not to have dosa chutney powder at home. She poured a ladleful of dosa batter on a hot pan and spread it in circles, then she sprayed oil at the edges, and within a couple of minutes the lentil crisp was ready. Deepak was amazed at her skills; he watched her as she served him hot dosas with chutney powder. He had the option to add oil to the chutney powder. He had not heard of this, so he tried it and liked it, although the chutney powder was spicy.
“Mm
m, wonderful, Roshni, these are so good, thank you.”
“Deepak, you were hungry, and hence everything tastes good,” she said, being modest.
“No, Roshni, I mean it. These are so tasty.”
He enjoyed the dosas. They were not the same as authentic style because of the instant method she followed. The spicy chutney powder induced a light layer of sweat on his forehead and a runny nose. In spite of this, he ate and relished wiping off the sweat. Roshni watched him and smiled, and he responded the same. He had not eaten anything that spicy in a while, and his body reacted instantly. Roshni fed him some homemade yogurt to buffer the heat his body generated.
Deepak wanted to make dosas for Roshni but failed miserably at spreading them in circles. Finally he said, “I guess one needs practice to spread these. Sorry, Roshni, I tried.”
“It’s all right, Deepak. Please go ahead and do what you need to do. I will eat and then join you.”
It was ten minutes to 2 p.m. Deepak brought the telephone to the dining table and set it up where Roshni sat. It was time for the conference call.
The phone rang, and Deepak picked it up. “Hello.”
“Hello, this is Bhaskar, the project manager.”
“Hello, Bhaskar, this is Deepak. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Deepak. How are you? I’m so glad you’re here and able to join us for this meeting. Is Roshni around?”
“Yes, Bhaskar, I’m right here,” Roshni answered.
Bhaskar enquired about Roshni and moved on with updates from team members. Everybody in the team gave their updates, and the project was progressing well. There were a few questions regarding the software, and Deepak was able to help them.
After all the updates, Bhaskar continued, “As you all see, we are making good progress, and as of now, we are on target for implementation mid-December. Good job, everybody. Roshni, Nikhil took over some of your work, and we have made good progress, so don’t worry.”
Love after Marriage Page 33