"Khaana laga du," Nandini asked as she handed over the glass of water to Manik. Before he could say anything, they heard Agastya screaming, "Mumma, Aahan ne potty kardi."
"Main aayi. Aap itne naha lijiye," Nandini said, hurriedly walking to the room while Manik sighed. He went to their room to freshen up. After he came out, as he walked downstairs for dinner, his mother got up to serve him.
"Nandini kaha hain?" Manik enquired from his mother as she served him dal rice.
"Woh Aahan ko sambhal rahi hain. Roh raha tha woh bohot," his mother replied. Manik stifled the urge to sigh in frustration. It wasn't that Manik didn't love his kids, he did obviously but recently Nandini was forgetting she was a wife along with a mother. Initially, he had tried to understand her predicament, but it had been three months since this situation was going where they would even go on days without speaking to each other, let alone sit together and he was now losing his patience.
Manik had his dinner half heartedly before he bid his mother a good night and retired to his room upstairs for the night.
______
As Manik stepped inside the room, Nandini was busy breastfeeding Aahan, who had started teething, while Mahir and Agastya were laying down, talking to each other in hushed whispers, waiting for their mother to make their younger sibling sleep before she will narrate them a bedtime story.
Manik laid down to sleep without a word. A few minutes passed by before Aahan fell asleep. Carefully, placing him on the bed, Nandini got up. While walking towards Mahir and Aagastya, she was surprised to see her husband, not realising when he came in.
"Aapne khana khaya?" Nandini suddenly enquired, forgetting all about it in her haste even though she knew her mother in law may have served him.
"Abhi Maa zinda thi meri toh khila diya usne. Tere jesi biwi mile toh tera bas chale maar de mujhe," Manik replied, frustrated. Nandini tried to explain herself, "Woh Aahan–"
"Kabhi Aahan toh kabhi koi aur. Saara waqt tera yahi chalta hain," Manik snapped. Mahir and Aagastya quietened down, looking towards their parents, immediately noticing the change in environment.
"Toh kya karu. Rota hua chod du inhe? Aapko toh bas ek cheez ke alawa kuch sujhta hi nahi hai," Nandini fired back, keeping her voice low.
Manik shook his head as he said, "Maine pehli baat toh aisa kuch kaha nahi. Chaar chaar din bina baat kiye din nikal jaate hain kyon ki tujhe kabhi fursat hi nahi hain. Aur agar mujhe kuch aur chahiye bhi toh isme galat kya hain? Mujhe maaf kar. Mujhe laga ki tere waqt par mera thoda haq toh hoga. Lekin main galat, tu sahi. Ab yaha se jaa, apne bacho ko sula jaake."
"Aap–" Nandini started, feeling immensely guilty but stopped as Manik glared at her in anger as he said with gritted teeth, "Maine kaha na yaha se jaa. Mujhe nahi dekhni teri shakal. Ek baar main samajh nahi aata?"
Nandini stepped back, her throat closing at hearing him as she walked towards Mahir and Aagastya. Nearly half an hour passed before both of them fell asleep. She quietly pried herself out of their arms and walked towards Manik, who had his eyes covered with his arm.
He immediately snapped his eyes open when he felt someone laying beside him. He looked at her and asked, "Ab ye kya tamasha kar rahi hain?"
"Kaunsa tamasha? Aapke paas aakar lait nahi sakti?" Nandini asked.
"Yeh khwahish kab se jaag gi tere mein? Tera Aahan uthne vala hai. Jaa uske paas lait jaakar," Manik said, irritated.
"Tere tere kya kar rahe hain? Maine akele paida kiye hai?" Nandini asked.
YOU ARE READING
Insatiable Desires
General FictionA story set in 1960s where an eighteen year old is wedded off to the Sarpanch of the village who is fifteen years her senior. 🔞 Contains mature content and domestic abuse. Reader's discretion is warned.
