Page 18 of The Unwanted Husband
“Let’s take them upstairs.” Ashok gestured toward the stairs and she followed him.
While horrified she might drop the child down the stairs or worse, roll down with the child, she clung to the baby in her arms.
As if Ashok sensed her apprehension or was as worried as she was about carrying the baby up the stairs, he stopped at the foot of the staircase. Isha was terrified of every step she took but she knew he would hold her if she slipped.
At the top of the stairs, Isha paused to let Ashok walk past her toward the kids’ bedroom. It was at that point the baby in her arms wailed in objection. He paused turning to look and nodded toward one of the other bedrooms.
Isha followed him into one of the rooms she had not been in. It was the main bedroom and it had a large portrait of thefour of them. She suppressed a sob as she followed him into the dim room. She watched as he placed the sleeping baby on the large bed and she walked to the bed to do the same.
She gently sat on the bed and Ashok reached for the now calm baby girl in her hands. It surprised her that her instinct was to resist him from taking the child from him but she let go. She felt a keen sense of separation when the child was taken but a moment later, the little one let out a soft wail and came crawling back into her arms.
Isha let out a laugh, happy the baby came back and she wound her arms snugly around the ball of warmth.
Ashok smiled. “She likes her aunt.”
Isha felt like she was on the mountaintop. She had barely cared for what the kids felt for her. They were too little to have feelings that she cared about even if they did. But in that moment, it felt like she won the world.
How is that possible?
She looked up as she processed the novel feeling only to find Ashok smiling at her. A few moments later, he gestured to her to put the baby on the mattress.
She nodded although she wasn’t sure how to or rather not wanting to. She didn’t want the baby to be unhappy. So instead of pulling away, she lowered her back to the headboard, holding the baby.
Minutes passed and the room was so cozy, she was about to doze off herself when she felt some movement. She looked in Ashok’s direction and saw he was placing pillows next to the little one sleeping on the other side of the bed.
He walked over to her side and reached for the baby and stopped short like he realized he would be getting into her space to put the baby down on the mattress. She nodded as she sat upslightly, rolling to her side to set the clingy baby who was now asleep on the mattress.
She watched him cover both kids with the blankets and surround them with pillows so they didn’t roll over accidentally.
“Let’s go,” he said, holding the door open for her.
She didn’t ask the question that popped up in her brain about what they would do if they woke up. She went downstairs with him, as if she knew there was something they had to talk about. He led her to his office and gestured to her to take one of the chairs.
He called out to one of the nannies and asked them to keep an eye on the kids and also asked for two coffees. Thank goodness someone had the presence of mind. In all the chaos she had forgotten she had not even had her coffee that morning.
Why were the kids even sleeping at that time?
Ashok made his way back into the office a few minutes later with two mugs of coffee. He placed one in front of her and settled into the chair behind the large desk.
“I need to contact my family again.” There is no other way I can raise these kids.”
Isha had to take some time to process his words.
What did he mean by family?
There was no one else at the cremation other than their brother’s friends. Her brother had told her that Ashok was the only family his wife had. And he wasn’t asking her to be a part of raising the kids?
“Family? I didn’t know—”
“Estranged family.” His tone was curt.
Even more confused, she remained silent for a moment. “Where are they?”
He stood and looked out the window. “My roots are in the coastal region of central India.”
“Why were you and your sister…” she lost her voice for a bit and then she managed to ask, “Do they know about the accident?”
“Yes.”
