Poles Apart

Chapter Sixty-Four

Arjun

I enter the house, looking for my mother or wife but come to face with my father, who begins to laugh loudly on seeing me.

"Ah, she made you come, didn't she?" He booms with laughter. "I knew we made the right choice with her!"

"Where is she?" I ask him after I hug him in greeting.

"She's in the living room, watching TV with your mother," Naanna lets me know. "I'm going out for a drink with my friends, I'll come back in two hours."

"Late avuthundi," I remind him. [(Telugu) It's getting late]

"I'm the father," he retorts, slapping my back. "I will be back soon. Rest up, we'll talk tomorrow."

"Take the driver, stay safe," I call after him, only for him to wave me off. Expecting that he would be taking one anyway, I go to the living room to say hi to my wife and my mother.

"Arjun sir!" A maid greets me on my way. "Do you want tea or coffee? Arvi madam said to make rasam for you since it's your favourite."

She's already told them I'm coming? Did she ask Sai? But how could he have told her? He'd been with me all this while.

Doesn't take much to send a quick text, though.

"I will eat in a bit," I tell the maid. "Can you bring me some tea, though?"

"Yes sir."

When I get to the living room, I see Arvi and my mother laughing together at the TV, looking like they're having a jolly good time.

"Hello," I greet, shrugging my jacket off.

"Arjun!" My mother yells with excitement. "You're actually here!"

"Why's everyone already expecting me?" I ask, hugging my mother back.

Arvi grins proudly, jumping into my arms at her turn. "I knew you were coming," she says, squeezing the life out of me with her arms around my neck.

I chuckle at her excitement, pressing a kiss onto the top of her head. "How's that?"

"Just wishful thinking," she says. "For your sake."

~.~.~.~.~

Arvi

The next morning, I wake up with a full, happy heart and let Arjun sleep while I get dressed for the day.

When I'm finished getting dressed and ready to leave for work, Arjun is still sleeping without any movement.

Assuming that he must be tired, I write him a note for when he wakes up and sit next to him for a couple minutes, appreciating his presence back here, and the feeling of homeliness that he brings with him.

I kiss his forehead before leaving the room, making sure to close the door without any noise behind me.

At the breakfast table, Gayatri Athayya tells me to come back home early today since I'm yet to buy an outfit for the Pranathi Vadina's function in two days.

"I could wear one of the sarees from my wedding trousseau," I tell her. "There's quite a lot of them in it."

"Yes, but Jyothi Athayya wants to gift you a saree," Gayatri Athayya says. "So just buy one for her sake."

"Athayya, I have so many sarees, I don't even wear them enough," I complain. "They're all such heavy ones too!"

"That just means we've got to have more parties!" She exclaims. "Don't worry, we'll make use of all of your sarees. Come back home early, though."