Pallavi Raghavam

SHOT 3

It was 11 in the morning when she was running around the house to get things done. She washed her clothes and dried them while she was in the middle of a catering order for a small function for someone.

As she was carrying the bucket in her hand, she heard a couple of girls giggling and the sound came from the bedroom in which Raghav was staying. A deep frown formed on her face as she clenched her jaws, her muscles popped out in her throat.

There were 2 girls in lab coats who were not even around 20 years old, assessing the situation she could make out that they came to dress his wounds. She looked at Raghav busy in a business call and he was in his vest, one hand holding the phone and one hand on his hip engrossed in a call and these girls were checking him out.

She observed one girl was going overboard blushing while the other was telling her to get a hold on herself as they are on duty and he is their patient.

Raghav was done with the call and turned around, he was surprised to see Pallavi standing at the door crossing her arms across her chest, when even the girls noticed her.

P: arey! Ruk kyu gaye? Aur taado!

G1: ma'am?

Pallavi clicked her tongue

P: itna innocent banne ki zarurat nahi, aap log kahe toh vest bhi utaar dega, tum log dressing karne thodi aate ho? Tumhara primary job hai ladkon ko taadna

G2: ma'am aisa nahi hai

P: acha? Toh kaisa hai? Tum bolo, please enlighten me? Kya kar rahe they? Give me a valid answer nahi toh tum dono ki khair nahi!

G1: ma'am, we are sorry!

P: get out

G1: ma'am dressing?

P: bohot dressing kar liya tum dono ne, niklo!

G1: par ma'am?

P: sunaai nahi deta kya?

F: bhabhi?

P: kaise logon ko laaye Farhad? Gents ki baat hui thi na dressing ke liye?

F: bhabhi unki tabiyat bohot kharaab hai toh inn dono ko bhej diya

P: nahi, kisi aur ko bulao! Work ethics naam ki cheez hi nahi hai

F: par bhabhi, kisi ka itni short notice pe milna mushkil hai

P: theek hai, ache se dressing karwao... mujhe kya?

F: bhabhi please, aap dressing hue tak rahiye na, wo log seriously nahi karenge nahi toh... mujhe kuch important calls attend karne hai nahi toh main hi rehta

P: main kyu rahu? Mujhe kitchen me bohot kaam hai.

F: bhabhi please?

P: theek hai, aati hu

She goes to the kitchen and switches off the stove to resume cooking again and she wouldn't send burnt food to the clients.

She comes back to the room to see Raghav was still standing at the same place and waiting for her so that they would start the dressing.

He sat down as he removed his vest, his injury on the back was the biggest and deepest so they thought to start with it first. The girl who was the most sensible among the two took the initiative and started the procedure, sterilizing the wound and applying the medicine on the wound. As they were padding up the wound with gauze pieces, pallavi went to the window and was gazing out, she has once seen him shirtless working out and doing bharatnatyam before their marriage but the equation was different back then, she even dressed his wounds on the previous day of holi when she saw him lying unconscious on the road. Somehow, she didn't feel comfortable right now. She felt this is not right, as if she is doing a crime but by the time she turned around, the girls were trying to bandage his torso diagonally and they weren't able to bring the bandage forward over his shoulder to his chest and down to his waist. Raghav was in pain as they were trying to reach both the ends as they were pulling both the ends which is making the bandage stretch at the gauze pad making it move. Pallavi instantly held the bandage and she took it from the top end and gave it to them in the bottom end. As she did this, their gaze met, she bent to his level and they were caught in an eyelock. He could see her mangalsutra hanging at her chest as she was helping in the bandaging. His eyes glassed up and his chin quivered; they didn't go unnoticed by Pallavi. She broke her gaze as she's scared to get lost in those eyes and they were done with dressing his wound.

Farhad just entered

P: tumhara call ho gaya?

F: ji bhabhi

P: tum dekhlo, main jaa rahi hu

And she walked out of the room.

She went to her kitchen and resumed cooking while, there was a knock at the door,

Pallavi opens only to find her landlord who was a cousin to her sister in law in kolhapur

P: Varsha Taayi aap?

V: kaisi ho Pallavi?

P: main theek hu taayi, aap achanak?

V: haa, main guzar rahi thi toh sochi ek baar milke jaau... tumhe koi problem toh nahi hai na flat me?

P: nahi toh,

Meanwhile she sees Farhad coming out of the bedroom and Varsha's eyes widen

V: ye kon hai?

P: ye... ye...

And varsha walks towards the bedroom to see Raghav shirtless getting his wounds dressed by nurses

V: ye sab kya ho raha hai Pallavi? Kon hai ye log? Tumne bataya ki tum akeli rahogi? Tumhare husband Dubai me rehte hai?

F: ji ye unke husband hai,

V: kya?

F: haa, ye unke hi husband hai... bhabhi ko surprise karne dubai se hyderabad aaye aur aate wakt gaadi ka accident ho gaya tha! Toh aise suddenly yaha stay karna pad raha hai, isme bhabhi ki koi galti nahi hai

V: toh mujhe bolti thi na pallavi, tum saara kaam kar paa rahi ho? Ya apni kisi house help ko bheju?

P: nahi nahi taayi, sab sambhal rahi hu...

V: haaye! Ram seeta ki jodi hai! Kisi ki nazar na lage. Waise ganpati tak ruk jaoge na aap?

R: wo, wo...

F: ji, abhi kuch bol nahi sakte

V: aise kaise nahi rukoge? Tum dono ka pehla ganpati hoga na, aur isse acha mauka nahi milega, pallavi! Jaane mat dena! Bappa ka aashirwaad rahega!

Pallavi smirks sarcastically and nods almost with teary eyes looking at Varsha taayi's excitement

P: ho taayi...

V: chalo, khayal rakh apna, chalti hu, aur kuch chahiye toh call kiya kar! Itna bhi independent hone se koi medal nahi jeet jayegi...

P: ho taayi (chuckling)

Pallavi shuts the main door and Farhad was standing at a distance, he just caught his ear mouthing her a sorry.

Ra: madam, maine stove off kardiya, aapki sabzi pak gayi thi...

P: thank you Rama...

That evening

Pallavi was making some coffee for herself while Rama was making some juice for Raghav.

P: oh, toh tumhare sir fruit juices bhi peete hai?

Ra: waise toh kam peete hai lekin ab peena pad raha hai madam

P: chalo, kabhi toh kisi aur ki baat maante toh hai

Rama chuckles

Ra: madam aap sir ko nahi jaante, agar badi memsaab aajayegi na, wo fir 10 saal ka baccha ban jaayenge aur unki har baat sunenge... taras jaate hai unke liye aur unke pyaar ke liye, aur unki koi galti hi nahi hai, haalaaton ne unhe aise bana diya hai... agar wo kisi ko apna lete hai na madam, jaane daav pe laga dete hai.

Pallavi zones out of the window sipping her coffee.