"Saru, isme tumhe thoda salt extra nahi lag raha hai?" Nishikant asked his wife's opinion for the fourth time with a puzzled expression.
"Uffo...achi bani hai sabzi, kitni baar ek hi sawal puchoge tum mujhe?" Sarita said annoyingly as her husband was cooking on the occasion of his daughter's arrival at his place.
"Kya karu, main itne time baad cooking kar raha hoon toh samjh nahi aa raha kuch." Nishikant looked at her with a despondent face.
"Toh tumse kisne cooking karne kaha tha?" Sarita asked him in a firm voice.
"Meri beti shadi ke baad pehli baar yahan rehne aa rahi hai. I want to make her feel special and happy." Nishikant expressed his excitement in a gentle voice and resumed making spicy dal for his queen.
"At least let me help you," Sarita suggested, but her husband blatantly refused to accept her offer.
"Aaj sab kuch main akele banauga, tum sirf mujhe guide karo," Nishikant said stridently while chopping onions and peppers.
"Dadu." Parisha's sweet voice brought smiles to her grandparents' faces, and the buoyant man asked her - "Aagayi tum school se? How was your day?"
"It was good, teacher ne mujhe star diya for making a cute origami owl," Parisha said with a toothy smile while showing her right palm where they could see a beautiful little star drawn by the teacher.
"That's great beta." Nishikant happily patted her head and got back to his work.
"Dadi, dadu kya kar rahe hai?" The little curious girl asked her grandma.
"Aaj aapki Aatya aa rahi haina rehne...toh usi khushi me woh lunch bana rahe hai." Sarita informed her granddaughter with a sweet smile, but Parisha frowned, saying - "O dodh (god) aap mat banao tus bhi pelease."
"Kyun?" Nishikant asked her with furrowed eyebrows.
"Ek baal Baba ne school me tooting (cooking) tompitisan (competition) tha tab unhone sab burn kal diya tha. Zilo (zero) marks mile mujhe...oll teacher ne taha (kaha) ki next time apne Baba toh (ko) saath me mat lete (leke) aana." Parisha spoke with a displeased expression while shaking her head, and Sarita couldn't help but giggle as her husband stood there with a flummoxed face with a knife in his hand, wondering if he should go ahead or leave the cooking midway.
"Main acha banauga, don't worry. Aapke baba ko toh kuch nahi aata waise bhi." Nishikant tried to coax the little girl.
"Jab aapto (aapko) tooting (cooking) aati hai toh unto (unko) tyu (kyu) nahi aati? Aapne sitaya (sikhaya) nahi unhe?" Parisha questioned her grandfather like a Dadi Amma in a disgruntled tone, her teeny-weeny hands folded around her chest with big-doe round eyes staring at his bumfuzzled expression.
"Maine sikhaya tha...par unhone sikha hi nahi," Nishikant said with a cute smile.
"Dont (don't) div (give) me excuses," Parisha uttered, angrily.
"Arey sach me, your baba is a very slow learner... slower than a tortoise," Nishikant spoke with an adorable smile while silently chuckling at his granddaughter's furious facial expressions which seemed way too cute and funny.
"Mele baba te (ke) against ek wal (word) nahi sunugi main," Parisha warned her grandfather in a stern voice, and both Sarita and Nishikant gasped in amusement at the little girl's audacity to shut them up with one gesture of her finger.
"Okay." Pouting. Nishikant said in a meek tone.
Parisha's heart melted when her grandfather stood there with a disheartened expression, giving his best puppy look, and she said innocently - "Solly...but I lub you all."
