Love, par sex ke baad (Love, but after sex)

Chapter 29

"Mom, Salil, and I have to go out shopping for a bit. Why don't you join us?" I asked over breakfast.

I saw Sahil still mid-chew from the corner of my eye. Dad glanced at me as well. Only Aaliya seemed unperturbed and said, "oh shopping, can I come too?"

"NO!" Sahil said, and she glared at him.

"I don't need to shop for anything," Niana said.

"I need some Indian clothes, and I wanted your opinion," I said sweetly.

She nodded.

Salil was visibly shifty, and I glared at him and mouthed, "calm down." He glared back and shrugged. If this wasn't so important for him, I would have giggled at his reaction.

"So tell me, Avantika, why have you asked me to join you on this fake shopping trip," Niana asked the moment we sat in the car. I grimaced. I was hoping for a smoother opening.

"I, umm, I just, you know, wanted to spend time with you," I said lamely. I was still trying to figure out how to discuss sex with my mother-in-law. I saw Salil roll his eyes from the corner of my eye. Niana said nothing.

We drove in silence for a while, and I began, "I hope you enjoyed your time with us, Mom." She took her time answering and said, "it was interesting."

I turned to look at her. Her expressions were unreadable. "Interesting? Well, that is better than boring," I said with a small smile. She gave me half a smile, much like her son did many times.

"So, where do you want to go?" I asked her.

"I thought you said you wanted Indian clothes," Mom answered.

"I thought you said the trip was fake," I said, grinning, and she chuckled. Things were beginning to look up.

"I am driving to the beach," Salil said.

The beach was deserted for a warm Saturday afternoon in Boston. We sat down on a rock, and I looked at Salil, hoping for some guidance. His head was bowed; he was trying to gather his thoughts. Niana just sat there looking at us; I think she knew why we were here.

I hoped someone would say something soon because the silence was getting to me. "Great weather," I exclaimed. Salil and Niana ignored me. Wow, I am glad I was better at presentations; otherwise, I would have been fired from my job. I looked all around me, waiting for someone to say something, took a deep breath and plunged on when five minutes later no one had uttered a word. "Mom, Salil, I mean I, I mean," I said, pointing first at Salil and then at myself, "we want to understand; I mean, are you angry with us?" Glad that my product presentation skills were better than this, I thought.

She looked at me for a moment before saying, "no, I am not angry." I smiled at her, but she didn't return the smile, "but I am disgusted and ashamed to call him my son." Salil looked away from us.

"But-but why Mom?" I asked, exasperated. My parents would have been proud to have a son like Salil; he was highly accomplished and extremely caring. I considered my average self to be fortunate to be desired by someone like him. So, hearing someone say that they were ashamed of him made me mad.

"Did he not tell you the filth he does? Maybe he spares you because you are his wife, maybe which is why he keeps his whore around," she spat angrily.

My hands balled into fists; I wanted to punch her. What Salil does to me, to anyone, is with consent. Who is she to judge him? What annoyed me is that Salil didn't say anything in his defense. I looked at him, beseeching him to tell her off, to say something, but he remained silent.