Paakhi

E L E V E N

** 4 months ago**

Nishant adjusted the cooling of the air-conditioner in his silver coloured Toyota Corolla Altis. The Sun shone bright, as the digital clock in his car showed 09:21 AM. Next to him, on the passenger's seat was his school friend.

He hated meeting her like this, being discrete, sitting in a stationery car like secret lovers who were committing some sort of blasphemy. But over the years, he'd gotten the sense that Vandana had simply succumbed to such a way of life. A life full of compromises for her husband. Her husband harboured insecurities that were simply unnecessary.

He'd often wondered what the man's deal was, he'd seemed quite...maniacal to him at various given points in time. But Vandana had stuck around; not for a year or two; but for five years and she had not once complained. Nishant had concluded that he'd been reading too deep into the lines, and let her husband's periodic, subtle verbal assaults directed towards him every now and then slide.

Today however, something didn't feel quite right about Vandana.

Her pregnant belly was rather too protruding as she sat next to him, her fingers fidgety; more particularly fidgeting with the wedding ring on her hand. Nishant sighed, trying to keep his voice neutral,

"What did he do?" He wasn't sure how he knew that this had something to do with Mohit; but he simply knew it with an unnerving certainty.

Vandana gulped, turning towards him with eyes that looked like they held a storm within. He felt a sudden rush of worry, feeling the need to pull her in for a warm hug before he asked her anything else. But they had maintained too much physical distance in the past year because of Mohit, and an action like that; even though it really shouldn't have; felt very, very wrong to him.

He hated feeling like this.

"Why..." he gritted through his teeth, "Why do you put up with his nonsense?"

"You don't know him." Pat came her reply.

"Are you defending that...that-"

"-I don't have time for this Nishant. I need your help."

He let out a breath of disbelief, gazing outside his car. "Let me guess? He's out running an errand and you have a limited few minutes to talk to me."

Vandana sighed, "I'm sorry. I wish I were stronger than this-"

"-You are stronger than this. So what if you fell in love with the wrong man? Everybody makes mistakes, but having a child with him? What were you thinking-"

"-Nishant please." She sounded desperate, "Please, you...you're getting it all wrong. Yes, he has some insecurities but we were happy otherwise. We were...we were fine."

Nishant let out a humourless laugh, "Just hear yourself Vandana. A marriage isn't supposed to be just fine. It is about companionship, it is about equality. And most of all, it is about trust. I don't see where there is any room for insecurities."

Silence filled the air. Nishant took a sip from the coffee he'd bought for himself, and Vandana continued to fidget with her wedding ring.

"Listen." She addressed after a pause, her palm had now landed on her belly. "I need to know if it's a girl."

Nishant coughed; almost spitting the coffee out; and the hot liquid tumbled onto his jeans; burning his thigh. He groaned and gritted his teeth together to keep from screaming in pain. It took a couple of more seconds after the pain faded for him to ask,