Indian Wedding Tales

A A K A S H : part I

A A K A S H

"Excuse me, Sir?" I shifted on my seat and gave the attendant a sheepish smile before pursing my lips. She raised a delicate eyebrow at me before walking a little more and noticing where my eyes had been.

Her mouth formed an 'O' once she realized my eyes had been glued to the laptop screen on the shared seats beside me. I had been invested in the movie just as much as the couple who was watching it. How could I not? It was one of the most iconic movies of my time.

"Would you like anything Sir?" She whispered, catching onto what's going on.

"No, nothing" I answered quickly before shifting again so that I could watch the movie discreetly. The husband already knew that his screen was being viewed by his neighbor but instead of frowning at me, he simply gave me a thumbs up and told me to enjoy.

Thankfully, the movie had subtitles so I didn't mind the lack of audio.

Aamir Khan was looking monstrous as he tore through the crowd in pursuit of his next victim. I marveled at the way he portrayed himself. Angry, strong and dangerous. Very dangerous.

No wonder my wife was crazy behind this actor.

A warm feeling nestled in my chest at the thought of her. I longed to get back home and have her in my arms while she passed yet another comment about my disheveled hair. It had been exactly three weeks since I left home for a work-learn seminar. Four thousand kilometers from home with a single suit case and a halfhearted will to get past fifteen days of training. The only thing I looked forward to was the hearty breakfast buffet and the streets of Singapore to get my wife an enthralling anniversary gift.

A sweet memory cleared up in my mind as I saw Ghajni. I and Runi often found ourselves passionately discussing our favourite movies and actors. I was lucky to find a filmy and dramatic life partner who never let a single day pass by without banter.

While having crunchy rusk with evening tea, Runi had demanded I cleaned the bathroom sink. I had quiet frankly left the chore to future but my procrastination had to end at that moment. So as Runi hummed along a Kishor Kumar song I found myself with soap and scrubber heading into the bathroom.

I have always been an absent minded person, often forgetting minor details while trying to fix the major ones. When I had walked back to the coffee table with a whistle on my lips and a triumphant smile, Runi sat silently and observed with me as if I was an artifact of a museum.

Only when I slumped on the chair did she narrow her eyes at me.

"You're such a Ghajni" she had said while shaking her head like a disappointed teacher.

"I'm a what?" I chuckled at her.

"Listen," she instructed," you forgot to close the tap"

Realization set in quick after her words and I rushed to stop the wastage. Once back, she smirked at me while muttering under her breath Ghajni and shaking her head. I feigned hurt while I pulled my cup of cold tea towards me but ended up laughing along her.

"You know I don't understand why people use this reference, Ghajni wasn't the one who hadshort term memory loss" I pointed out.

Runi bent a little to the right so the laptop didn't hinder our view of each other. She did a little act of thinking by placing her finger on her chin and then looked at me with a devilish smirk.

"You're right," she nodded, " But Ima still call you Ghajni"

The way her nose slightly scrunched up while trying to smirk and tease me made me stare at her. We were newly married and these were small things that had me immediately falling for her. Her mischievous demeanor still hinted at pure innocence.

Almost four years together and yet I never got tired of her. She always found ways to keep that spark in our relationship alive. I learnt many things from her. We agreed on bimonthly dates apart from the shopping ones at D-Mart. We planned trips every three months with either friends or family and yearly vacations.

The couple was fast asleep as the climax approached and yet I managed to finish watching the end while feeling sad for Kalpana. I stretched my hand and carefully clicked the power button so as to not disturb the couple. The husband had been kind enough to me and even shared a polo while engaging in small talk.

When we landed two hours later, at three in the morning, I greeted the Bombay air with open arms. The ground felt familiar and the crowd too. I was fortunate enough to get my luggage quickly after which a taxi was no big deal.

Quarter to four, I unlocked my house door while being as soundless as possible while. Once inside, the smell of home made me smile. I put my suit case in a corner, discarded my shoes and socks by the rack and made my to the bedroom.

Runi was asleep with the curtains drawn and the ac at twenty two. Tiredness didn't make its presence known to me until that moment. I slipped under the covers and wrapped an arm around my wife while closing my eyes. My heart witnessed a leap when she snuggled closer to me.

***

My lips curled as I open my eyes. Right in front of me, Runi, bent while looking at me with a breathtaking smile on her face.

"Hey, I missed you," she mumbled tilting her face to one side.

"Hey" I ruffled her hair a bit and watched her groan, "and I missed ghar ka khana"

My statement had her rolling her eyes. I laughed and try to grab her arm but she got up quickly and duck my attempt to catch her. She moved out the room while tying her hair in a bun.

I kicked the cover and jump out of bed determined to smother my lovely wife with kisses and get my body fresh with a cup of tea. I entered the kitchen with one goal but the way Runi moves inside the kitchen in hurried, unplanned steps makes me halt. It is then I notice that her face looks swollen. The carefree radiant face is now lifeless and upset with dark under eyes.

Runi's phone on the refrigerator basket rang and she leaped to take it. I watched as she shuffled out of the kitchen, whizzing past me and received the call.

She talked in short words and nodded distractedly while talking and when the call ended, her shoulders slumped. My heart began beating faster as I saw her stressed form and my legs in no time brought me in front of her.

I squatted down in front of her while taking her hands in my own. My concerned eyes tried to look into hers but it felt like a punch to the gut when she stood up freeing her hands and walked away.

Something was definitely wrong with my Runi and I didn't know how I'd fix it.