Monsoon

1. Four Years Later

The butter sizzled loudly with crackling sounds that Shardul had missed beyond imagination. Aroma of Aloo Paratha filled his lungs and he smiled at the laptop screen at memories that it brought with it. He used to burn his finger while trying to eat it hot.

Few minutes later a dish of hot Aloo Paratha was slid across the table at him and once again he did not allow it to cool. He struggled to break a piece as it burnt his fingertips.

"How many times do I have to scold you before you learn?" his mother complained while placing a glass of cool buttermilk in front of him.

"I waited for two months for you to come and cook this for me," he said blowing the paratha cool.

"You could have come home," she pointed.

"I was working, mom!" he reasoned patiently.

"If you are going to stay away so long then find a girl who can cook parathas for you," she said turning away from him.

"There," he snapped. "How do you manage to turn every conversation we have into my marriage discussion?"

"Who said anything about marriage?" she over her shoulder defensively.

"Who said - Find a girl who can cook paratha?"

"I was talking about a cook," she teased him while placing another paratha on frying pan. "You connected it with marriage."

"Shit," he said under his breath. He should have asked her what she meant before retorting, now he had opened the topic which he had been trying to shut since yesterday.

"Tell me," his mother teased while cooking. "Do you want me to find a girl who can cook parathas or I should teach your bride after marriage?"

He pursed his lips and gave his mother a cold look. His mother chuckled and said, "That works on your employees, not me."

He sighed and focused on his food.

"When are you going to introduce her to us?" she asked in frustration. "What is wrong if we meet our future bride?"

"Nothing is wrong mother," he mumbled at his dish. He would have introduced her if she had existed, he thought to himself. "You just don't understand."

"Come on!" Mom reasoned. "Luv had not hesitated before bringing Bhavya home. Then why are you?"

"Luv had no choice," Shardul chuckled darkly. "Bhavya was going to leave in ten days."

"Shardul," his father said entering the kitchen. "Is there any problem? How will we understand if you do not talk to us?"

Shardul turned in his seat. He had totally forgotten that his father was reading newspaper on couch in drawing room behind him.

"There is no problem dad!"

"See," his mother said calmly. "We never forced you to introduce her to us when you started dating." Shardul opened his mouth to argue but shut up as his mother raised her hand. "You did not even tell us her name. But we thought you would tell us about her atleast sometime later. You didn't and again I did not say anything. But now, if you have proposed her and if you are indeed going to marry her, we have all the right to meet her I think."

"Mom,"

"Seriously!" Mom insisted. "I would have never learnt about it if Brijal had not seen the ring in your cupboard. Do I have to learnt about my daughter-in-law from an aid now?" Shardul didn't know how to tell his mother that the ring Brijal had found was hidden in his drawers for last two years and he had no idea where the owner of that ring was anymore.

Shardul closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his clean hand. "I don't know how to explain this," he said to no one in general.

"And then he says such things!" his father said with frustration and left the room. When he opened his eyes again, his mother was looking at his with a disappointed look. He silently finished his food and got up.

He had to tell them, he thought. May be sooner the better. But getting a rejection after marriage proposal does make one doubt about everything he is doing.

"I have a meeting and thensome work," he said placing the dish in sink. "Let's talk this out on dinner."