Prem Vivah

• Tel Malish •

Sameer systematically sat down on the floor, cross-legged, waiting to gobble up the dinner after having a satisfying ginger tea. He completely forgot that the food was cooked by Naina, and hence he kept playing with his hands zestfully, eager to extinguish his appetite. Naina and Savitri brought vessels and the namkeen needed with the Misal Pav, and Sameer gleefully stared at his two women, bonding up with each other slowly but surely. That inevitable shine in his eyes while looking at them laughing over some funny incident could be seen by anyone. He thinned his lips and cutely told his mother - "Aai laukar...bhuk lagi hai bahut."

(Aai Jaldi)

"Haa bala do minute." Savitri went inside the kitchen to bring a lemon, and Naina sat in front of her man, looking at him with a lopsided smile.

They all sat down for the dinner, and Sameer enthusiastically opened the lid only to see a drowning Misal asking for help to save him. He gulped down in terror, fearfully looking up at his mother, who, in response, sniggered at his expressions. Naina was moistening her lips while waiting for the shower of compliments from her boyfriend and his mother.

Sameer frightfully poured the dancing Misal on his plate, dipped the morsel of pav inside the fluid while shivering, and slowly pushed the soaked bread in his mouth, chewing it with a forceful smile on his face. The taste was horrible with no proper amount of salt, spices, and water. Everything was overloaded, and he didn't know how to finish this bouncing liquid.

"Kaisa hai?" Naina asked him with a bright smile.

"Very tasty," Sameer said in a soft voice while swallowing down the stuck morsel in his throat with much difficulty.

"Really? Bahut mehnat gayi hai meri...I never made Maharashtrian khana. First time banaya hai kuch maine." Naina told him with a sweet smile, serving the delicious food to Savitri, who feared having this for dinner now. Sameer meekly requested his mother through his glum eyes to not tell Naina that the food is genuinely horrible for their taste buds, and quietly finish whatever she made with her immense hard work.

Savitri slightly nodded, tasting the wavy fluid while holding back her tears.

"Bahut hi tasty hai." Savitri lied to the young girl for the sake of her son.

"Thank you so much." Naina was very happy that these people loved her first experiment. In the future, she might make more tasty food for them.

"Aur do na naina," Sameer demanded, forwarding his plate to get more dancing Misal.

"Haa ek minute." Naina poured a few more drops of watery food into the bowl.

"Itne se kya hoga mera? Ek kaam karo, sab de do mujhe." Sameer said with a childlike smile, snatching the bowl from her soft hand.

"Sab? Phir main kya khaugi? Maine itna hi banaya tha first time hai isliye." Naina spoke with a woeful expression, blinking her eyes.

"I will order your favorite food. Yeh mujhe khane do." Sameer looked at her with pouty lips, and Savitri was overjoyed by seeing her son's unconditional love for this young girl.

"Ek piece toh mujhe taste karne do." She furrowed her eyebrows, pleading with him.

"Kyun? Tum khao na apna pasta ya chinese food...hume yeh tasty wala Indian khana khane do chup chap." Sameer spoke with a cute smile, drinking the drowning water arduously.

"Ajeeb hai." Naina looked at him in confusion, and before he could coax her heart with his cute pouts and gloomy eyes. She forcefully took one morsel from his plate, putting it inside her mouth. The moment she experienced the disastrous results of her hard work, she couldn't help but cough aloud, asking for water from Savitri. The middle-aged lady quickly handed over the bottle to the coughing girl, and Naina gulped down the soothing liquid in thirst.