How to Woo Your Bride

43| The Potty Excuse

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. 

Don Marquis

Chapter 43: The Potty Excuse

   Riya's condition didn't get better after two days. Madhan wouldn't have minded if she yelled, but she didn't do that. She hardly spoke to him. Whenever they sat to eat, Riya would simply serve him and when Madhan asked her to eat, she would reply that she wasn't hungry.

   Madhan never asked Riya the reason why she was acting detached. Riya wondered if Madhan had even noticed. He would leave for office and come back like nothing happened. He would act really normal around her. Did he care about her? It would have been nice if he asked her how she was doing.

   On Monday evening, Madhan hadn't reached home yet. He was an hour an a half late, and Riya was getting worried. She tried calling Madhan but his phone wasn't reachable. Finally, it was nearing eight and her phone rang.

   "Madhan," she said, breathlessly. "Where are you? You got me so worried."

   Hearing his chuckle lit up her soul. Much as those feelings made her guilty, Madhan had grown on her. She got so used to him, and these little things made her day.

   If she had to choose only Aakash or only Madhan, it would be a much harder decision to take now. Before a few months ago, she would have chosen Aakash hands down, and not looked back at Madhan even once. Now, she didn't know whom she would choose.

   Riya wondered when these guilty feelings would go away. She remembered the conversation she and Aakash had on the day of her wedding. He had told her to let go, and move on. She deserved happiness now, and just because she did something for her parents' happiness, doesn't mean she can't have her own. That's not what her parents would have wanted.

    Then why did they get her married to him? Did she regret getting married to him? Her answer surprised her. She regretted it only because Madhan was supposed to marry someone who could love him, and she can never give him that. Even if she did love him, betraying Aakash like that will kill her.

   Especially when she had no idea where and what he was doing. Maybe, just maybe if she knew he was doing okay, she wouldn't feel so terrible.

   "I'm on my way. Just bringing some guests. Have dinner cooked for four, okay? Preferably something heavy. We'll be there in half an hour," Madhan said, over the phone.

   That idiot just called her to tell her to cook? There was no way she was going to listen to him.

   "No," she said stubbornly and hung up on him. Madhan smiled uneasily at his mom. "Dinner will be ready," he said, lightly. He knew Riya would cook for them despite her annoyance. He had learned to handle her rebellious ways with grace.

   You tell her to do something, and she says no, and you act like it's fine. It was a normal everyday routine that he learned to follow for the past few weeks.

   Mrs. Roy gave him an earful. "How can you ask her to cook? Why are you making her work so hard? She's in such a delicate position now."

   Madhan was taken aback. "You know?" he asked, surprised. He wondered how they guessed she was having a difficult time to adjust. "It's a mom thing. Of course we know," Mrs. Sharma chimed in from the back.

   Of course, they were both on totally different tracks, which would come into light only two days later.

   Mrs. Roy and Mrs. Sharma could not stop about how handsome he looked. They rambled and rambled about how they were so proud he was fit and healthy.