“What would I do without you two? After all, one needs worthy opponents to feel the satisfaction of a win,” Malini laughed mischievously. Aakash and her had won yet another round in the game.
As she glanced fondly at Meenu and SP, she thought of the hundreds and thousands of times she had uttered these words or formulated them in her mind in the last few decades. Each time, SP would come up with a witty response, and they would laugh off the moment’s seriousness. Meenu, vibrant and lively, now calmer with age or may be marriage; and Satya Prakash, the perfect complement to her vivacious personality, ready to take on any challenge head-on. The two pillars in her life that had allowed her to build a new world when there was little to look forward to. And today, they had it all – love, laughter, life, Sonali, Karan and little Pihu.
Malini looked across the table at her daughter, Sonali. Wise men say that time flies. One hears this cliché but does not believe it till time slips, like grains of sand through a closed fist. You don’t even realise when the palm is empty. Sometimes, you try to hold on, to make the laughter and celebrations last.
It slips away. The good and the bad times, both fall through the gaps equally smoothly. She could see the last two decades in her daughter, from the little girl with home-cut bangs on her forehead to this young woman, a picture of composure and maturity, shouldering enormous responsibility without a second thought.
Her gaze slid to Pihu, Sonali’s daughter, leaning comfortably against her mother. Sparkling, mischievous, intelligent Pihu – full of life. At times, she reminded Malini of Meenu. Both shared the same boundless energy and the ability to attract all eyes as soon as they set foot in a room. Pihu looked up to find her grandmother looking at her. She gave a naughty grin that warmed Malini’s heart. She looked like a miniature version of her father when she smiled.
Malini’s mind returned to the day her daughter first told her about Karan. To say that she reacted apprehensively to the news would be an understatement. They had nothing in common – different communities, different languages and different upbringings. Yet, they were similar in many ways – passionate, driven, mature beyond their years and raised by single parents.
Sonu and Karan got married within one month of meeting each other. Malini was a nervous wreck, unsure if the rushed relationship would last. But both of them appeared to know what they were doing. This year they would celebrate eight years of marriage.
Malini said a silent prayer that things worked out the way they did.
Life is not always kind to those who gamble with high stakes.
“Lucky in cards; unlucky in love,” Aakash intoned with a smile. Malini and he had won their card game yet again. But his smile was cryptic, hiding more than it disclosed.
“What do you mean by that, Nana?” Pihu was curious in the uncomfortable silence that ensued. Sonali gently tugged her to the food counter where a wide variety of dishes were laid out for brunch. The moment passed.
SP ordered some fresh coffee for them as they busied themselves with checking their phones. Aakash pretended to immerse himself in his WhatsApp chatbox but was restless. He wanted to kick himself for that loose remark. As she led her daughter away, Sonu’s warning glance made him feel ashamed. And angry.
It was their 60th day in the resort, and they were midway through a slow truce. No conversations, no companionship time, but each afternoon and evening, they met for a game of cards. Once a month, Sonali would drive down to check on them, carrying their medicines or other essentials unavailable in the resort. Sometimes, Pihu and Karan accompanied her.
All of it was very efficient, well-oiled and clinical. He swung between wanting to end this farce and being grateful for getting this opportunity to be with her.
He stole a glance at Malini. She was ruffling the paperback’s pages, trying to pick up where she had paused.
“Not easy finding the right page when you don’t use a bookmark,” Aakash chided her. Careful. His anger would scare her off. He gritted his teeth.
Malini looked up, startled. Then, she went back to her book. Or pretended to.
It was an old pattern that he was familiar with. Avoid eye contact and shut the world out by hiding behind a book or a deck of cards. It had blocked his every attempt to reach her for the last two months they had been here. Each time he caught her, she slipped away. Like stardust gleaming and beckoning, but always, always out of reach.
Aakash wanted to drag her out of the cocoon she had woven for herself, where she withdrew each time he managed to break through one layer of defence and put up another wall between them. He wanted to shake her till she responded with the fire he knew burned behind those calm, measured eyes. The tiniest sign of emotion was welcome. At the least, it would show she cared!
Their time together was drawing to a close. He was beginning to lose patience.
When Sonu invited him on this 90-day wellness package, he had grabbed the chance to spend time with Malini.
“Don’t get your hopes up, Papa,” Sonu had warned him. “Mummy has agreed to this trip with a lot of difficulty. She didn’t seem particularly excited to have you around, to be honest.”
“What makes you think I look forward to being with her?”
“Can we cut the bullshit, Papa?”
Aakash had burst out in laughter, hearing his lady-like daughter use cuss words. “Does your mother know you use this language, Sonu?” he had teased.
Sonu had laughed, too, not at all embarrassed. “You know, Papa. Some things are best not known to Mummy.”
They bonded for a moment in silence, Sonu recalling all the wild things her father had taught her, Aakash thanking fate for giving him the best gift he could have asked for – his daughter.
“Okay, so I will see you at Rishikesh. Let me know if you need help with a pick-up, tickets or anything else. And, Papa, let go. She is not coming back to you.”
“We Punjabis don’t know the meaning of ‘let go’, Sonali Divakar Bagchi. You can tell your mother that!”
Excerpted with permission from Mrs Happily Single, Shubha Sarma, Niyogi Books.
