Bade Acche Lagte Hain | MaNan

Love & Light -I

Critical comments on this story has my heart❤️.

17th November, 1995.

Decorating the diyas with a thin golden gota and stones, a smile adorns Nandini's lips. She loves celebrating all the festivals but Diwali was her favourite for many reasons. The sparkling diyas, house decorated with marigold flowers and fairy lights and lots of sweets - there was no reason for her to not love the festival. Every year she decorated her paternal home along with her sister-in-laws, nephews and nieces, but today she is doing all this with her husband in her own house. She feels nostalgic and happy. Everything is different- a good different.

Placing the diyas in the kitchen, Nandini picks up the thaal having the besan churma for making ladoos and strolls towards the living room. They had an ample amount of sweets to distribute to the relatives but she wanted to make some besan ladoos too for their home. This is the only sweet Manik ate on their wedding and his birthday, the only exception was the halwa he ate even though he doesn't like it.

Sitting on the carpeted floor, she takes a handful of the churma and starts making the ladoos. She looks up at the entrance of their house to see Manas standing with marigold strings around his neck and arms while Manik concentrates on striking the nail on the wall with a hammer. His face wasn't visible as his height exceeded the roof of the entrance even without using any stool.

He is her personal Amitabh Bachchan, she wonders with a silly smile.

Done with tying the toran at the entrance and other doorsteps, Manas goes to take a bath but Manik couldn't stop himself from going to Nandini. The smell of the ladoos was too tempting to resist.

"Aur kuch kaam baki h?" He asks sitting across her in an Indian style, with his gaze stuck on the sweet.

(Do you need my help in any other work?)

Nandini looks around to check if anything is left, starting from the small prayer area she had made on the floor. It was decorated with flowers and lights. Second thing she checks were the curtains that Manik helped in hanging on the windows. She had designed and sewed them from the old dupattas and bedsheets that she found in her mother-in-law's trunk, using her sewing machine, after taking permission from Manik. Her own sewing machine is in Delhi and she will bring it along when she will go there. Only a rangoli was left to be made but she didn't need his help for that.

"No, everything is done." She says with a relief but her eyes widens when she catches him stealing a ladoo from the plate. "Yeh kya kar rhe h aap? Wapas rakhiye!" She takes the sweet from his hand and keeps it back.

(What are you doing? Keep it back!)

"Arey! Hume khana hai." He demands with adamancy, his face falls when she shakes her head in refusal.

(I want to eat this.)

"Bhog lagne k baad aapko milega. Aapke liye alag se rakhungi, extra, thik hai?" She explains him like a child.

(You will get once we've offered this to the Almighty. I'll keep some for you, extra, okay?)

"Par wo toh raat k 8 bje lagega." His tone turns whiny and an amused smile breaks on her lips.

(But that will be at 8'O' clock.)

"Jab hum godown mein pooja krne chalenge, tab issi ka bhog lagayenge, tab aap kha lijiyega." Nandini tries to find a mid-way and he complies. It is just a matter of two hours but what catches his attention was 'hum'. Her 'hum' meant two people, unlike his.