two stories of marriage

chapter 23

Ishita woke up the next morning as her gaze fell onto a sleeping dushyant, she admired how cute he looked. She thought of yesterday, this was a marriage she thought she never wanted, but boy she was happy that she was wrong.

She remembered the diamond earrings he brought her on their first night, she remembered how they were just another thing at a shop she overlooked its beauty for because of its price tag, but he just got it for her because she liked them and she'll be happy. She thought of the evening at the beach, a simple wish she dismissed her whole life as unreachable and silly, but just to make her happy, he did that too.

She had been the girl who never really thought what she wanted but rather did what she was supposed to. But this new found feeling that she could want something, is the greatest gift he gave her in this marriage.

                                                                ***

Purvi was feeling utterly unwell this morning. The nausea which caused her to hug the toilet for an entire hour of the morning, she couldn't even drink water without a terrible cramp in the stomach which would cause her to feel extremely queasy.

She lied in her room, thinking rest would help, only now she was hyper aware of her head spinning around.

'kavin yaar aaj ka plan cancel karlo, meri tabiyat thik nahi hai...' said purvi on the call as she was about to hang up.

'arre, par kya ho gaya tumhe?' asked kavin, extremely worried.

'pata nahi, chakkar aa raha hai, ultiyan ho rahi hain, kuch khaya bhi nahi jaa raha..' explained purvi, knowing she could tell kavin, she never felt uneasy being vulnerable in front of him.

'aur tumne doctor ko toh phone kiya nahi hoga..' kavin remarked with a stern voice.

'arre kavin doctor ki kya zaroorat-hai..' she stopped in the middle as she felt queasy again.

'tum abhi rest karo, aadhe ghante mein pahunch raha hoon main doctor ke saath..' informed kavin as he hung up.

'arre par...' sighed purvi as she couldn't finish but still smiled at kavin's concern for her.

                                                                ***

'doctor, sab thik hai na?' asked kavin, getting emotional.

'arre iss ladki ko kitni baar kaha hai, mat kahaya kar ulta seedha bahar ka...par nahi! Ab dekho apni haalat!' exclaimed her mother, almost crying. Kavin rubbed her shoulders in consolation as purvi rolled her eyes.

'kya aise dekh rahi ho? Bilkul sahi keh rahi hai aunty, zara sa bhi khayal nahi hai tumhe apna!' scolded kavin, as purvi just shook her head.

Suddenly, kavin's phone rang, as he answered,

'kisliye? Nahi, matlab, kisliye? Kya chahiye, kya, isse? Saala aadmi hai ki bhatakti aatma, kabhi bhi ulte paon lekar tapak jaata hai khoon peene...' yelled kavin on the caller.

'kya sorry? Ullo ke pathe ko wahin aake thik karta hoon main! Ruk!' continued kavin as he hung up. Basically, just don't mess with kavin when purvi is involved.

'aunty, main...' kavin started to inform, when his to-be-mother-in-law intervened.

'nahi beta jao, zaroori lagta hai...'

As kavin left, completely enraged, boy you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of his anger.

Her mother walked to close the door, still shaken from seeing kavin that angry for the first time.

'i think aapko apne husband ko bola lena chahiye...' said the doctor.

'ji?' asked purvi in confusion.

'arre, aap maa banne waali hain..' informed the doctor with a smile.

'doctor, aap, sure hain? Koi galti ho gayi hogi...'

'nahi, aap pregnant hain, i'm very sure...' confirmed the doctor, leaving purvi shocked.

While her mother was about to enter purvi requested the doctor,

'doctor, yeh baat mummy ko mat batana please...'

'arre par..'

'woh main...surprise dena chahti hoon, meri pati ke saath sabko..' lied purvi with a forced smile, while the doctor, who anyways would be happy to leave with taking her fees, agreed.

'no! no!no!' exclaimed purvi as she face palmed herself, this was an unwanted mess she could have lived without.

                                                                       ***

Purvi, unsettled and nauseous, sat by her laptop, as the mail she had been expecting for finally arrived. She was selected for the internship, this was her dream job, her stepping stone for the big dream, but there was no joy or excitement on her face that she should have, but rather terror was spread in her entire body. It wasn't even about the internship, it was something else. She was never in such a situation where she was so terrified to not know what to do, and this time, she really needed help.

She picked up her phone as she dialled her sister's number, the only person she could trust here, but it went straight back to voicemail. She was annoyed by this, but calmed herself down, as she recorded the voicemail,

'di, i need to talk to you, it's urgent...' she finished as the voicemail was sent, she brushed her hand through her stomach as she thought,

'yeh kya hogaya!'

She face-palmed herself with panick.