The Workaholic Wife ✅

Cricket-Obsessed Rats

"Ma, when did you decide to have a baby?" I ask, as my mother fusses over me. She tucks me into the bed, while Aruvi hugs me as she sleeps.

My mother sighs, sitting on the bed after tucking the blanket completely around my frame. "Well," She starts with a dreamy look in her eyes. Yuck. "I thought your father and I were quite settled— with our house, stable jobs and enough time to take care of a baby. I had to quit my job at the time as a event planner and handed the well established business over to my sister— you know Aunt Swetha?" I nod, a wry smile replacing my frown. Pressha's mother was not my favorite member in our extended family, but she was still my Aunt and she also had a part in raising me. "Your father and I were ecstatic when you were conceived. I decided that you were more important to me than my job, so I quit forever and started taking care of you." She says, a sad smile appearing on her face.

For the first time, I notice my mother's greying hair; the wrinkles along the seems of her lips more prominent to my eyes. She is still beautiful, with her doe-like eyes, sharp nose and symmetrical lips, but something was missing. Her shoulders are slumped, as if she has lost the hope to live. I understand that she has a lot of pressure, what with hosting my in-laws and worrying about me.

I made a mistake when I refused to inform her about my life-threatening injuries and my quest to save my husband from the potential good guys. I thought I would worry her when she came to know about my situation at the time, but now I understand that she would worry nonetheless.

That was practically written in her job description as my mother. Worrying is like sleeping and eating for her—something that occurs regularly and indefinitely.

"Why did you trust your sister?" I ask, suddenly curious.

A warm smile spreads on her thin lips, the smile enlarging as she opens her mouth to answer. "We didn't really get along in our childhood, but after we both got married and separated, we came to know how much we mean to each other. Space always solves things." Not in my life. Every time I lose Aniket, it seems like I'm losing a part of myself in the process. "I started to understand her. In fact, she conceived before me, since she was married off before me. And we always used to joke how if she had a boy and I had a girl, we would marry you off together."

This is too hard to think about. I'm can't even come to think of how my life would be if I married anyone other than Aniket.

I scoff, and my mother notices the expression on my face, laughing. I smile, glad that my actions made her laugh.

She deserves some happiness in her life.

"So, you're saying that if Preesha was a man, you would have married me off?" She purses her lips, unable to contain her laughter.

"Ultimately." She says. "But your father had other ideas. He knew who your soulmate was when you were in the womb and we came to know your gender."

"Aniket." She nods in a yes.

She pauses, her eyebrows shooting up when she remembers something. "You know, they don't actually tell the gender of a baby. At the time, people killed babies if they knew it was a girl. Everyone wanted a boy, and that's why so many men have trouble finding partners these days."

Karma is so sweet, handing the revenge on a silver platter to those who do harm, not instantly but indefinitely.

"Hmm." I say, my mind wandering to Preesha. I had promised her that I would explain her situation to my family, and here I was, forgetting about it completely.