Love and Respect

Chap 19 - Family Dinner 1

Rudra's POV

We got into the car and headed back home. Dadaji and Moni (Monica) sat in the back seats while Mittali sat in the passenger seat beside me. As I was driving, Mittali pointed at the next corner and said, "Rudra, please stop at the next corner. I have to get down here. You can drive dadaji and Monica home so that they can have some rest first."

"Where are you going? " Moni asked out of curiosity.

I knew this question would come from Moni as she is always curious to know small things.

"She is going to make you dinner tonight to welcome you back. So she needs to go to the market to fetch some cooking materials," I said with a smile on my face.

"Oh? You know how to cook?" Moni was surprised to know that Mittali knew cooking. 

"Yes, she does. She is a great cook." I said while remembering the dishes which I had. They all were mouth-watering one.

"Don't believe his word. I only know how to cook some simple dishes. He is just flattering me," Mittali said with a red face.

Looking towards her I continued, Uff tariff kar na bhi guna hai (praising someone is also a fault),  and Mittali chuckled 

Hetal's POV

After meeting dadaji and Monica, I was touched because I never had such a warm family. I felt overwhelmed. In no time, I felt as if I was part of this family.

Monica said that I should call her "Moni" as Rudra calls and I was touched by her words. She was down to earth person. I thought that being an Oberoi heir she would rude and egoistic but I was totally wrong in judging her.

When Moni demanded what she wanted to eat for dinner, Rudra refused her saying I will get exhausted, but I was overjoyed and wanted to do it whole heartily so I glanced at Rudra. 

He said nothing more and kept his eyes on the road while driving.

But as soon as I say Rudra grin at Moni from the rear mirror on the topic of a child I shoot daggers on him

Since dadaji and Moni wanted to come with me to the market, I decided to go to the supermarket for shopping instead. Though the food in the supermarket was comparatively expensive, the environment was better. We got all the ingredients for the dishes Moni wanted to eat. Then we walked around the mall for a while and went back home.

Dadaji was chatting with Rudra in the study, while I was preparing the dinner in the kitchen. Moni felt embarrassed sitting in the living room, so she came to help me in the kitchen.

"Bhabhi, when did you learn to cook?" Moni asked out of curiosity.

"I... I stopped what I was doing for a second. I tried to come up with an appropriate answer. Remembering that Mittali had been abroad for a while. "While I was abroad, I didn't like eating foreign food every day. So I had no choice but to learn cooking."

As Moni was in the kitchen giving me company, I pour soup in bowl and handed it to Moni and said,"Have some. This soup is good for health, especially for women's health."

"Thank you, bhabhi," Moni took a sip and said, "It tastes really good." She liked its rich taste.

I replied with a smile, "If you like it, I can make it for you often."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Since I was busy cooking in the kitchen, Moni went ahead to answer the doorbell. And after a few minutes, she said,

"Bhabhi, your parents are here. I've invited them in." Moni shouted from the door. When I heard what Moni said, my hands trembled a bit and the spatula in my hand almost fell on the floor.

"What are you thinking? Why are you so absent-minded?" asked Rudra. 

When he heard the doorbell, he came downstairs. Standing at the kitchen door, he noticed my unusual behavior. but I never knew he was here at the kitchen door as I was in my own thoughts. 

"Nothing..." I forced a smile and said to Rudra,"The kitchen is messy right now. Please go to the living room first. There is still a dish left to be prepared. The dinner will be ready soon" saying this I stayed back in kitchen as I was avoiding them to meet. I never wanted to ruin my own happiness being with such a lovely family. For the first time I is was becoming selfish. 

Monica's POV

After meeting Mittali Bhabhi, I thought that Rudra bhai was so lucky to marry such a good woman.

I and dadaji never used to like Riya, bhai's girlfriend and we also thought that bhai should get his perfect match rather than any gold digger.

After hearing bhabhi could cook and was going to market, I wanted to join her so I took permission from dadaji as I knew if dadaji said yes then both of them would agree with it.

"Dadaji, Let's go to the market with her, shall we?" I was thrilled.

"Okay, let's go," dadaji said with a big smile. I was so happy to have dinner at home that I kept telling bhabhi what I wanted to eat, "Bhabhi, I want to eat chole bhature. Can you cook it for me?"

"Okay."

"Oh, I also want to try Ragda Pattice with onion and chatani on it."

"No problem."

"Oh oh, can you make it..." wow bhabhi my mouth is watering from now.

I was over-excited to have all his as I was not used to it in USA and bhabhi was ready to prepare it for me.

"No, she can't!" Rudra bhai stared at me through the rearview mirror and continued, "She would be exhausted to make all these different kinds of dishes for you."

"But I've just asked for two dishes..." I said with a puppy face.

I glanced at dadaji, who couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"It seemed that bhai liked bhabhi a lot. He never cared like this about any other," I said making every one grin.

I decided to tease them more so I continued, bhai I had a feeling that you should soon have a baby so that I can become an aunt.

And bhai grin at me from the rearview mirror

After reaching home and getting an answer from bhabhi how she learned cooking I was embarrassed.

"Bhabi I envy you," I curled my upper lip and said, "You had the chance and you were willing to learn how to cook. I would rather die than learn something that difficult. Did Bhai tell you that I don't know how to cook and never wanted to cook by myself while I was abroad? So he sent a servant abroad to cook for me every day. If it were not for that servant, I don't think I would come back alive."

Bhabhi laughed and said, "You silly girl, stop exaggerating. Don't say that you would die or something like that."

"Okay, I won't," I said with a smile. I started liking bhabhi a lot.

I always saw the love of bhai and dadaji as fatherly figures, but I used to miss a motherly love and affection as I had no sister, and mom expired when I was a kid. So after meeting Mittali bhabhi, I was feeling good.

I opened the door after the call bell rang, two figures were standing in front of me, the woman was in her early 50's and man in his mid 50's.

May I know who are you? "Vasundra Mehra and Rajiv Mehra", was the answer I got.

"We are here to meet Mr. Girish Oberoi (dadaji). We are Mittali's parents." Vasundra aunty continued. 

Please come in, and have a sit, I will call bhabhi, and others saying this I left from there making them sit in the living room towards the kitchen.