Serendipity

37

Anupama closed her eyes, awaiting the impact of her fall only to feel a strong pair of arms snake around her waist to break it. She tentatively opened her eyes, first one and then the other to stare into the chocolate brown counterparts that belonged Anuj Kapadia. She noticed that they weren't really that chocolatey. They had a hint of moss green with small golden flecks in them.

Nestled in his arms, for the first time she was close enough to notice other things about him - the finer details that separated him from the boys; his salt and pepper hair that was prominent near his sideburns, the way his glasses perched just away from the bridge of his nose, forcing him to constantly push them back, the raw stubble that was developing around his jawline. Her hands itched to run over them. The crinkles around his eyes, when he tried to smile. And his chapped lips. He wasn't hydrated. But her mind was thinking of other ways this problem could be rectified. Reflexively, her tongue darted out and moistened her own lips. And she noticed the golden flecks in his eyes disappear and moss green turn to a stormy grey.

*****

Anuj rang the doorbell to his house. Then he rang it again. And again. He was tired. He was annoyed. Recently things had been rather cumbersome to deal with, especially his unknown equation with Anupama. A man of honour, he was, however, finding it more and more difficult to keep his end of the bargain he'd struck with Anupama. Sure, it had all started due to necessity, but now... He was surprised at the intensity of his feelings for her. He hadn't anticipated things to go this far. But she was a breath of fresh air, unpretentious. And in his fake world, she was the ray of reality he needed to hold onto.

He'd stopped discussing much of his work with GK. After the stroke, he didn't want to burden GK with unnecessary baggage. But Anupama had come as a response to his prayer, to fill his lonely life with laughter and a liberal dose of kindness and common sense.

Lost in his thoughts, Anuj didn't realize when the door opened. But when he zoned into the present, Anupama had slipped on a puddle of water and was about to fall. Instinctively, he'd dropped his bag and snaked his arms around her waist to break her fall, and waited for that awkward feeling she was bound to feel as a result of his proximity to become evident.

Instead, she'd looked up at him, her eyes questioning his. He could see the concern. And something else. She definitely felt something more. Was it friendship? Everyone had a different definition of friendship. Is that all she felt for him?

A few strands of her hair came undone from her messy bun and he used his other hand to gently tuck them behind her ear. And then his finger lingered, teasing her earlobe, mimicking his earlier movement. She smiled and blushed. His arms were still around her waist, and she was almost going to lean into his form when Sheela's voice interrupted.

"Sorry Bhabhi, I didn't see that spot of water. I'm glad Bhaiyya managed to stop the inevitable fall."

Anupama abruptly moved away from him, turned, and without saying a word to Anuj, ran towards the kitchen, leaving the latter confused.

The entire revue didn't go unnoticed by GK. He facepalmed and then made his way towards Anuj to welcome him back home.

*****

Once in the safety of her own kitchen, Anupama clutched onto the counter and willed her racing heart to slow down. She turned and her eye fell on her reflection on one of the stainless steel plates. She was blushing.

She tried to purse her lips to stop the blush but failed miserably, aggravating it instead.

"What's wrong with you?" she chided herself. "You're 44 years old, a mother of three, and you're behaving like a teenager."

But nothing she said could stop her smile. She felt loved and cherished. For the first time, she understood what the word love meant. And she wanted to give love back in return.

She had loved her parents, her brother, her children but all of that had been platonic. In the six months since her divorce, she'd sadly admitted to herself, that she'd never loved Vanraj in the first place. How could she? She'd never had the opportunity to fall in love with him. She'd never had the chance to know who he was? She'd been married to him for 26 years and yet all she knew about him were superficial things. Their relationship had never progressed beyond that.

"Anupama... Look what I got for you." Vanraj handed her a beautifully wrapped box. Her face glowed with anticipation. Like every newlywed girl of 18, Anupama had certain romantic expectations from her marriage - that her husband showered her with love, compliments and gifts. She didn't expect anything fancy or expensive; just something that made her feel special, that proved to her that Vanraj thought she was special, that he cared.

She quickly opened the wrapping and looked at the beautiful baby pink salwar kameez.

"I love this. Thank you!" She squealed and got up to hug her husband when her mother-in-law Leela walked in. Picking up the kameez with the tip of her thumb and forefinger, she sighed her displeasure. She dropped it on the box, eyeing Vanraj's gift to Anupama with disdain.

"You very well know Vanraj that Shah family daughters-in-law's don't wear such clothes. All Shah bahus wear saris and I'm not going to change this tradition because your new bride has an objection."

Vanraj immediately moved away to infuse some space between him and his wife, while his mother placed herself squarely between the two. "It's okay Baa, I'll have this changed to a sari."

"No need," Leela's voice thundered. "Stop wasting your money on gifts for your wife. Save your money instead. You're young. You have a life ahead of you. If your wife wants some saris, she can take some of mine."

Vanraj mutely nodded his head, while Anupama blinked rapidly to keep her tears from spilling out of her eyes.

Leela looked at the salwar kameez once more. "Return this," she ordered her son before walking away.

As Anupama had watched Vanraj neatly fold and pack his gift back into the box to return, something inside her had cracked. She never thought it would heal, but then again she'd never thought she'd meet someone like Anuj.

"Kanhaji," she whispered. She didn't know what she was asking for. "Please..."

And then she smiled, blushed some more, and twirled around before scooping the poha into a serving dish and taking it to the dining table. She stopped at a decorative mirror in the hallway to look at herself and fixed her hair. Touching her hair reminded her of his touch and she shivered. She smiled some more and gently tapped her head. She believed she was insane. Insanely in love...

In love?? Where did that thought come from?

"Anupama," GK called and she hurried down the hallway with her bowl. With Anuj back two days early, the atmosphere of the entire house had changed. Suddenly it seemed as if spring was in the air.