AbihGya SS ~ Frozen

Chapter 5: Such A Small World - Part 2

I had come to her office for a photo shoot and promotion campaign meeting - the meeting was over around half past eleven at night and I was driving out of the parking lot when I saw her, she was sitting inside her car in the driver's seat and cursing out loud, "Damn damn damn! Damn it!"

"Need any help?" I popped my head out of my window. She looked up.

"Steering jammed. Only a mechanic can help"

"Well, hop on, I will drop you home - leave the car here and call a mechanic tomorrow?"

"Sounds good." She smiled.

She then hopped on to the seat next to me. "Fly now! I have to cook tonight!"

"Why so?" I asked curious, "Date waiting at home?"

"Bai on leave" she replied promptly, "And I am super hungry"

"Well, then let's dine outside" I tried my luck.

"No, no it's fine. I like cooking, it's therapeutic for me"

"Well then I have to go hungry tonight" I tried making a puppy face.

"Why so?"

"Well, I told my staff I would be meeting a friend for dinner today, so dinners not made. And the meeting got extended so had to cancel dinner plans. AND I hate dining alone."

"So what you're not at home, don't your family members eat? There must be food made for them?"

"My sister Aaliyah is in her ninth month of pregnancy, so daadi is staying with her at my brother-in-laws. So no one is at home right now."

"Oh. In that case let's do dinner together?" She smiled.

"Great! What do you want to eat? You like Thai? I know this place ---"

"Aah too tired to get out of my comfort zone tonight, I have a better idea - come home!"

"At this hour? No way! Your family will think I am mad!" I replied.

"There is no one at home." She replied quietly. I was surprised. From what I remembered, she had a bunch of people at home - mom, dad, and also a little sister if I wasn't wrong - and they all stayed in Mumbai.

"Where are they then?" I enquired casually.

"Bulbul is settled in Delhi."

"And parents?" The look that question got on her face, made me clench my fist. Suddenly her face shrunk and there was a thin film of water in her eyes. Wrong question Abhi, I thought to myself.

"They were going to Pune, my bua (aunt) stays there. The car toppled off Khandala highway. It's been a year and half now"

I gently held her palm, which was placed on the seat handle. "I am so sorry Pragya"

"Don't worry about it. You're coming right?"

"Where else will I get home-made food at this hour?" I tried to smile, and she returned the smile.

We reached her house around 1am. It was an independent house in a narrow residential lane in Chembur. After reaching home, Pragya went inside to freshen up and I started exploring the room. There were lots of photos of her family members framed on the walls, but in the centre there was a giant family photo framed. It was a photo of a very fair and slightly obese lady sitting on a couch with a very pretty girl with a childish face and sparkly eyes sitting at her feet clutching her knees. Pragya was hugging her mom from behind her, half sitting on the right arm-rest of the couch and to her left was standing a man with salt pepper hair and a thin frame. He wore glasses and had greyish receding hairline. If one looked carefully, he slightly resembled Pragya somewhere. But the younger sister had gone after their mother. As I stood there seeing their ones lived happy family photo, Pragya came back.