Manjiri was cooking lunch when her phone kept ringing. She ignored the first two calls but by the third one, she cleaned her hands and picked up her phone praying everything was okay.
"Hello?"
"Maa?!? Maa sab theek hai na? Akshu kahan hai? Akshu ko kya hua? Woh theek hai na? Main abhi aa raho hoon!" Abhi sounded hysteric.
"Abhi! Abhi! Kya hua Akshu ko? Arrey tum kya keh raha ho?" She looked out of the window where she saw Akshu last and found her still there playing her guitar. "Akshu theek toh hai! Woh yahan garden mein toh hai mere samne!"
"Kya?? Maa uski tabiyat subah theek nahi thi aur main kab se phone kar raha hoon woh receive e nahi kar rahi."
"Abhi shant ho jao. Tum apni biwi ko nahi jahnte? Aaj tak kisi ka phone receive kiya hai?" Manjiri laughed.
"Acha ab woh kya kar rahi hai?"
"Woh garden mein Mia ke liye guitar play kar rahi hai. Aaj Mia ka birthday hai na? Main bhi cake bana rahi hoon."
"Guitar play kar rahi? Mia ka birthday? Maa yeh Mia kaun hai?" If she was not feeling well, why is she singing away for this Mia?
"Offo Abhi! Hamari Mia! Nishta ki billi."
"BILLI???" Akshu didn't come to work so she could celebrate a cat's birthday?? "Yeh Nishta ke paas billi kahan se aayi?" Abhi tried to calm down. He spent the whole morning worried that Akshu was sick and she was at home celebrating a cat's birthday.
"Agar tume apni Akshu se fursat miley toh tum aur kisi ko bhi notice karoge." Manjiri laughed. "Acha why were you screaming when you called?"
"Akshu wasn't feeling well this morning but I see she's fine now."
"Haan! Woh toh hai. She is not herself. Subah breakfast bhi theek se nayi kar rahi thi...she looks pale to me. I asked but she said she feels off."
"Okay I'll come home early and take her to the doctor. Magar otherwise she's okay na?"
"Haan. Now focus on your work. I need to finish making Mia's cake." Manjiri said hanging up.
A cat's birthday. Abhi started to laugh. His wife was going to be the end of him.
+++++++++
Due to an emergency, Abhi was late coming home and missed dinner as well. As he was hungry at work, he ate a sandwich and messaged Akshu to eat dinner and not wait for him. When he got home, he realized everyone was asleep. He went to his room and found Akshu in bed reading a book.
"Hi Jaan! How are you feeling now?" He said as he kissed her forehead. She didn't look up from the book. He went and got changed and got into bed next to her. She kept reading her book.
"Akshu? Naraz ho?"
Akshu put her book down and turned to sleep but Abhi stopped her. "Akshu, kya hua meri jaan? Sach mein aaj bohat busy tha na iss liye main jaldi nahi aaya. Sorry Baba."
"Haan toh maine kaha tha I'll send your pillow and blankets. Ghar aane ki kya zarorat thi?"
"Okay pehle batao why did you want me to stay home today? For the cat's birthday? Tum ne toh kaha tha tumhari tabiyat theek nahi hai magar tumhe toh cat ke liye ghar mein rehna tha, na?" He joked with her.
"Really Abhi!" Akshu sat up. "Tume lagta hai ke main aisi hoon ke tume main excuses banaogi?" Her big eyes filled with tears. "I thought you knew me by now." With that she started to cry.
Abhi sat there for a moment confused. What just happened? "Jaan! Jaan...I was just joking! Please calm down." He pulled her in his arms. "Calm down na? Tabiyat bohat karab hai? Chalo abhi chalo Doctor ke paas."
Akshu pushed him away. Laid down and covered herself with a blanket.
"Akshu yaar! Kya hua hai? Tum bataogi nahi toh mujhe kaise pata chaley ga? Tum aise naraz hoke sojao gi?" Abhi tried to pacify her but to no avail. At the end he was already exhausted so laid next to her. After a few minutes, Akshu turned around and came close to him and put her head on his chest hugging him.
"Don't think I'm not angry anymore. Mujhe sirf aise e neend aati hai." She said hugging him tightly. He put his arms around her and kissed her forehead and smiled.
"Theek hai. Waise I only have one surgery tomorrow. "
Akshu looked up to him suspiciously. "Toh?"
"Toh I'll come home early and go for lunch."
"Nahi tomorrow I'm busy. Krish Bhaiya is visiting so I'll see him."
"Acha toh we will go somewhere after that, okay?"
"Mmm....abhi mujhe sone doh."
"Akshu, mujhe bhi neend nahi aati jab tak tum mujhe pyar nahi karti."
Akshu looked at him growling....kissed his cheek and put her head back on his chest and went to sleep. Abhi tried not to laugh. Abhi beta tumhara hoga?
++++++++++
"Yeh cheating hai! Bhaiya how can you do this to me?" Akshu cried with big fat tears rolling down her face.
"Calm down, beta! Nobody cheated. Why are you crying?" Kairav exclaimed.
Just then Abhimanyu arrived at Goenka Villa and saw Akshu sitting there crying with Vansh, Kairav and Krish trying to calm her down.
"Akshu?!?" Abhi ran to her. "Kya hua? Tum theek ho na? Tumhari tabiyat theek nahi hai? Kairav, call for an ambulance now!"
"Ambulance? Bhai! She lost a game of Ludo! Why does she need an ambulance for?" Vansh said as Krish bursted out laughing.
"Yaar Akshu tum ne jaan nikal di. Tum aise Ludo ke game ke liye roh rahi ho?" Abhimanyu asked shaking his head.
Akshu looked at him and bursted out crying again. "Haan tum bhi mujhe dantho."
What was wrong with her? "Okay sorry now stop crying." He said as he pulled her into a hug.
Just then Mimi and Badi Mama came. "Akshu beta tum phir se roh rahi ho! Aye kya hua hai tumhe?" Badi Mama shook his head.
"Haan Badi Maa. Dekho toh na." Abhi said softy as he stroked her hair. He was getting very worried now. This was very unlike Akshu.
"Bhai, aisa hota hai jab tum apni biwi ko aise laad pyar karoge." Kairav laughed.
"Bhaiya!" That made Akshu cry harder.
"Kairav behn ko tang mat karo. Aur Abhimanyu ab toh tume roz Akshu ke naye rang dikhenge." Both Mimi and Badi Mama started to laugh.
Abhimanyu looked at them confused. He needed to go to university again to learn how a woman's mind works.
++++++++
Once Akshu was in a better mood and they had dinner, they left to go back home.
"Akshu meri Jaan. Mujhe pata hai kuch toh baat hai. Please mujhe batao. Tabiyat bohat karab hai na? Kya hua tabiyat ko?"
"Abhimanyu you are the one who went to medical school for 20 years....you are the top notch doctor not me." Akshu said angrily to him.
"Okay but I don't know. Please batao ab."
"Doctor tum naam ke ho. Bohat bade buddu ho!" With that she turned around and stopped speaking to him.
Tomorrow morning I'll take her for a full check-up first thing in the morning. Full blood tests, kidney tests, lung X-rays, MRI, CTI, EGs, everything. He looked at his wife, she was staring out of the window with a small smile on her lips. Abhimanyu had never been more confused in his life.
Who else feels bad for poor Abhimanyu?
