A Heart of Stone with a Coat of Gold

Cribs and Smokes

Note - The context and meaning of underlined words are explained beneath the chapter.

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The train was late by a few hours. They reached the apartment just when the clock struck nine. Anu had expected a fancy place; she had heard that her husband made good money. However, it was a small apartment, with one bedroom and a small living room with a balcony. It was neat and tidy and had a slight charm to itself.

Neel unlocked the door with one hand as he held his son and flung the gate wide open. A small crib lay towards the corner in the bedroom. His son was fast asleep, he laid him gently in the crib. Finally, he turned to his wife and said, "What should we have for dinner?"

Anu wanted to say she was not hungry but thought it would be too rude. She mumbled in a low voice, "Whatever you like, I am fine with it".

Neel stood awkwardly staring at her, then finally collecting himself he said, "Ok. I will order it on the app. Why don't you freshen up while it arrives." Although his voice was calm and gentle, Any felt a shiver run up her spine. She nodded and went to change. When she came out she was dressed in a simple plain navy blue sari, nothing fancy in particular. Anu sat across her husband on the dining table. Neel was busy talking a few calls from his office. He was still wearing his suit and tie. After finishing his calls he got up and went to the kitchen, and came back with two cups in his hand.

"Tea," he said as he pushed the cup towards her on the table. Anu noted, her husband seemed to be fond of tea. Her husband, she flinched slightly as she noticed the word in her mind. She took the first sip from the cup.

It was one of the most wonderful drink she had ever had. The ingredients were just the right amount, nothing more nothing less. It had some strange aroma which only heightened the taste of the drink. Cardamom, she guessed. For the first time since the morning, she felt a bit at ease. "It's very good", she told him.

A slight hint of a smile passed on the man's face, for just an instant. Then it was the same stone face she had seen since the day she had first met him. He took out a pack of cigarette and lit one. There was a small ashtray on the table, she noticed.

"Do you smoke?" He asked as he gestured to pass her one. She was flabbergasted. It was unthinkable of a girl smoking in her home. She had wanted to try it once, but seeing the TV commercials had stopped her. It was not worth the trouble. Neither if her family found out and killed her nor if the stuff was gonna harm her so much. Good girls never smoke or drink. Her mother had always said. She cussed a lot of ladies she had seen smoking when they went shopping. Anu shook her head and respectfully declined.

The man kept on taking the drags and blowing the smoke out. Since coming here, it was the first time Anu felt truly annoyed at him. Firstly, he had the audacity to ask her to smoke and now he was just throwing the poisonous smoke at her face.

But the man took no notice of her and lost in his own thoughts kept on nonchalantly smoking and sipping tea.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. He put out the cigarette and went. She heard a few heated voices and something about a 'wrong order' and then the gate closed. When he came back, he had 2 paper bags in his hands. Just then, her phone rang. It was a call from her home. "I'll be back" and she went to the bedroom to take the call. It was the same mundane talk she hated. How are you? Are you feeling Ok? How would she had felt if she had been married to a man she never wanted to. Would she had been Ok? Anu tried to make the conversation as short as possible and went back to the living room.

Neel was on the balcony with his back to her. He was smoking again, with his phone jammed between his head and shoulders, and had a plate in his other hand. He turned and shouted, "I'm having it here. I have to make a few calls also. Another thing I won't have more" he said as he gestured to his plate.

The food was really good. She hadn't realised how hungry she had been as she hadn't had a proper meal since morning. When she had eaten the amount she usually had, she eyed the leftover food.

Anu sneaked a glance at the man on the balcony. Neel was engrossed in his calls. He had said he won't have more, she mused. Anu proceeded to finish all of it.

She waited and waited for him to finish. Finally, she went to the bedroom and sat on the bedside waiting for the night she had been dreading for a long time.

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