Song of the Firebird

Twenty Nine

'The baby may come out in less than a month.'

The couple was unable to hide their surprise at Ob-Gyn's words. The doctor continued, 'Well, since it will be quite earlier than the expected delivery date, I will advise you, Ms. Mandhira, that you do less strenuous activities and less climbing of stairs. The growth is almost complete but let's keep the little bum until 39th week, if possible. And,' she paused, regarding her patient, 'don't take any extra advice from people for normal delivery. Owing to your current state, it will only speed up, ending in a premature birth. If there were any, I would recommend that you try them after a week or so.'

Jeeva chuckled. 'Sure, doctor. I will make sure to keep an eye on her.' He winked at his fully pregnant wife, who blushed and turned away from him.

'Ah, lovebirds! Meet me in a week. And, Ms. Mandhira, you must continue to take barley water for your swollen ankles.' The doctor shooed them away, prepping the files for the next patient.

'Stop babying me, sweetie,' pouted Mandhira. Collecting her scan reports, she followed Jeeva to their car.

'I don't see any harm. Besides, Paari is back, Poorani is at school and your parents don't have to come every single time to the hospital. I wish I could spend more time with you, you know. Like old times.' He smiled at her. When he rushed before her to open the back door for her, she giggled. 'What? I am doing it for my wife.' She ruffled his hair, receiving a snort. 'Come on, darling, I took fifteen minutes for this hairstyle.'

The car passed through the Masi streets struggling to go past the all-time peak traffic. The streets were bustling with people who were grossing over food and shopping. It might be possible to locate A to Z items in your house in those streets. When the car stopped on a red signal, Mandhira asked Jeeva, 'Why are we taking the slowest route back home? Don't start all with that doting-on-your-wife part.'

There was no answer.

'I know you're listening, sweetie.'

Jeeva let out a sigh. 'I choose not to talk about it, though.'

'You better get them out before you go through another meltdown. I'm all ears.' Stubborn and proud as ever, Jeeva remained silent till they reached few metres past a roadside sugarcane juice shop in the city outskirts. He got down and ordered two glasses of the juice. He passed a glass to his wife in the car.

'I think we should pick a bride for Jay. A lot of names with equal societal status as ours came across my desk. This has been going on for months.' Taking a short sip, he continued, 'That brat is getting old. I feel that it is my duty in my parents' stand. I want to see him get married and have children so that he will have someone to cherish in his life.' Mandhira stopped savouring her drink. When there was no response from his wife's side, Jeeva panicked and looked in her direction. 'Tongue-tied?'

Her eyes narrowed. 'Have you forgotten about YOU paying ME two thousand rupees on the bet? Sweetie, can't you see that he is so into that woman, so far that he would want to propose to her.'

'What if she says no? What if she is not Indian? What if she is not willing to move in with him after the wedding and insists on staying in America than here? Don't you see-'

'That, the entire pre- and post- wedding part, is up to them for deciding. Do you think that he is too dumb to ignore such sensitive things before falling for her? What makes you say that, Jeeva?'

'Sweetie, he hadn't spoken to anyone but Danny all this time. I—I happen to peak at his notifications in his phone. Not a single text addressing our mystery woman. Sometimes, I feel that he is sugar-coating his words about being in a relationship so that he could spend some time without any company! And, we all know that Danny is not a woman!'