Khabar-e-Tahayyur-e-Ishq

Piya Ghar Aavenge

Anu cursed because it was 4:15 am and she hadn't had enough sleep while the alarm buzzed incessantly. Her head was spinning, and she was having trouble opening her eyes. She squints her eyes to block the phone's brightness and then turns off the alarm. She eventually gets out of bed and adjusts her vision to the dim surroundings. She offers a quick morning prayer in gratitude to Kanhaji for the fresh day and wonders if Anuj is awake by now and if Mira will accompany them to Bhuj; after all, this is Adhira's first Diwali with them. Her life was a complete mess, and she had no idea how to sort it out. She calls Samar to make sure he, Toshu, Kinjal, and pakhi are awake and getting ready for the trip. He picks up the call after a ring and says, "Ha mummy aap chinta mat kariye, Sweety k alawa hum sab uth gaye hai. Kinjal bhabhi fresh ho rahe hai, toshu bhaiya chai bana rahe hai, and main sweety ko utha ne jaa raha hu."

"Sunn Samar pakhi ko uthate waqt usko pareshaan mat karna aur tum log time se ready hoke 6 baje tak vaha se nikal jana. Aur nikalne se pehle baa-bapuji ka aashirvad leke nikalna"

"Ha, mummy ha. Aap tension mat lijiye. Hum yaha se nikalte hi call kar denge taki aap niche ready rahe aur zayada time waste na ho. Waise Mummy, aap theek hai na"

"Main bilkul theek hu. Acha main phone rakhti hu mujhe devika ko uthana hai aur safar k khanaa banana hai. Chal phone rakhu chu. Jai shri krishna."

She takes a deep breath and resolves to unravel this tangled web. She's going to get up and stop crying. She then moves to the kitchen to cook for the trip.

Anu had finished all of the cooking and had prepared everyone's favourite dishes. Halva for GK kaka, Dhokla for Kinjal, Thepla for Toshu and Pakhi, and Khaman for Devika and Samar. The only thing left to make was chocolate fudge, but she wondered if she had the right to do so. Her mind was clouded by unwanted dark thoughts and it wandered back to the day she last made the fudge.

Getting out of bed was the last thing Anupamaa wanted to do when she woke up that morning. She groaned, blinking her eyes open, trying to adjust to the bright rays that beamed through their room's window. When that didn't work, she rolled to Anuj's side, stuffing her face in his shirt-covered pillow, basking in the comfort of their cosy bed. At that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than sleep. Despite a full night's rest, she was exhausted and groggy, as if she hadn't slept at all. Anuj was the reason. It was frustrating with Anuj gone for almost a month. She probably wouldn't have been so ticked off if Anuj hadn't promised that his trip to the USA would only take 20 days. She had kept herself extremely busy with a dance class to fight the loneliness she felt in Anuj's absence. Apparently, it was difficult to rest without Anuj. It did not matter how she overworked herself or how early or late she went to bed, she just cannot sleep. She was simply accustomed to his soft touches on her waist, the lingering smell of his overpriced Noir extreme, his hot breath tickling the nape of her neck, his warm embrace and the ringing sound of his rich, deep laughter while he recalled a funny incident from his day. She sighed slowly, finally waking up. She pouted, took the pillow with Anuj's shirt in her hand, and started talking to it, "Kab aa rahe ho wapis kapadiaji?" Ye shirt aur pillow bikul bhi kaam k nai hai. Jaldi aa jao warna main aapse baat nai karungi. Main bahut bahut bahut naaraz hu aapse."

She then picks up her phone to WhatsApp her darling husband to message him regarding how much she misses him, but her happiness knows no bounds when she sees the message from him stating that he will be reaching home tonight. She curses herself for delaying today's schedule and waking late. She is also irritated at her real estate agent for being unavailable for the next 3 weeks, so she cannot postpone today's meet. Hopefully, she would be able to choose a location for the expansion of her dance academy in the satellite area, or there would be a delay in opening the new branch. Unfortunately, this means that she will have less time to prepare a surprise date for his arrival. Anupamaa quickly says her morning prayer, thanking Kanhaaji for Anuj's arrival, and rushes towards the bathroom, taking the clothes she had prepared the day before.