IBTIDAA ابتدا

three

" Zayd uth jaayein " Gulaisha tried shaking her husband awake but he wasn't moving an inch.

" Zayd fajr chut jayegi aapki, uth bhi jaayein ab " she caressed his curls and moved them back from his forehead.

" Hmmm" Bakhtaawar moaned sleepily and moved onto his wife, caged her waist and snuggled her chest, falling even deeper in sleep.

" Kaun kahega ki aap Abbu banney wale hain kuch mahino mein? Khud bhi ek chotey bachhey se kam nahi hain" she leaned down and kissed his hair, holding his massive back in her frail arms.

The back that had witnessed the heights of her ecstasy last night with all the gripping and scratching she had done on it when her husband took her to the edge of the universe and beyond.

Gulaisha blushed furiously when she saw a mark redder than the others and she knew when and how it was formed, reddening her face even more than it already was. Shaking her head off of these decadent thoughts, she shook awake her husband again.

" Zayd meri peeth mein dard ho raha hain" she ran a finger on his sinewy arms, tracing the bulging muscles of his biceps.

" Kaha?" Bakhtaawar came awake with a start, his reflexes kicking in as soon as he heard of his wife being in pain.

" Wo rassi peeth mein chubh rahi hain" she arched her back feeling the ropes digging in, even through the thick cotton mattress.

" Pcch, yaha aao" Bakhtaawar laid down on the mattress and pulled her body on top of his, not letting her even touch the bed.

And that is how they slept everyday, with Bakhtaawar being her mattress and she snuggling in his arms, their baby resting securely between his parents.

The chaar paayi was what he had always slept on and what his wife has always slept on too. She never once complained about it but her pregnant body has become very sensitive to little changes. Bakhtaawar made a mental note to ask his boss about giving him an advance on his salary to get a new bed. He also needed to call his friend at the local bed and linen store and ask about the memory foam mattresses that are good for pregnant women. It will be costly and cause a dent in his earnings but then again, who else will he spend it on if not his wife and child?

" Zayd aapki sandal ka buckle toot gaya hain"  Gulaisha pointed out to him when he picked it off the shoe rack.

" Kal Mill me pair fisal gaya tha, shayad tabhi toota hoga" Bakhtaawar bent down and inspected the damage, reprimanding himself on not seeing it yesterday itself.

" Aap woh joota pehen lein aaj, mein ye repair karwa laaungi" Gulaisha moved to pick the sports shoes off the second shelf but her husband beat her to it.

" Tum chappalon ko haath nahi lagaya karo, mujhe achha nahi lagta hain" he dusted the shoes, for it has been a long time since he's worn them but they will have to do for today.

" Aur tum kyu jaogi repair karwane? Main jaate hue karwa lunga. Tumhaara bhi kuch repair karwana hain?" Bakhtaawar looked around for a plastic bag to put his broken sandal in and found one at the bottom of the rack.

He retrieved the bag and kept his sandals in it when his wife handed him his socks and took the plastic bag from him.

" Chappalon ko haath nahi lagaya hain, bag pakda hain sirf" Gulaisha told him cheekily and he shook his head at her.

" Amma aur main bazaar jaane wale hain aaj.  Waise bhi Rafique chacha ki dukaan itne jaldi nahi khulti hain. Main karwa lungi, aap fikr na karein" she kept the bag back on the shoe rack and went to the water tub they keep outside.

" Aayein haath dho lein" she filled a mug of water and waited for him.

" Bazaar se kya laana hain? Mujhe batao mein le aata hoon. Aur sabziya maine kal hi laayi tha na?" Bakhtaawar rubbed his hands as his wife poured water on them, cleaning it off the dirt from the shoes.