Page 269 of The Circle of Exile
“You were saying?” Atharva cued.
“Oh… I was just thinking. This thing, with Yogesh Patel, you said it will mean more travel. How often will you be home?”
“Not very often, unfortunately. But it’s just a matter of seven, maximum eight months. By April, the election will be concluded and then I will be back to Shimla. But we can all travel. At least for longer tours.”
“You will accept the offer today?”
“Yes. What’s happening, myani zuv?” He turned to her. “We discussed this.”
She smiled, “I was just confirming.”
“Is there a problem?”
She shook her head. The exit came closer and her thoughts froze, as well as ran into overdrive. He needed to know. He wanted to be with her through this pregnancy. But now if he accepted this offer, became the North India In-Charge, it would mean… but he was also so excited for something after so long. Iram didn’t know what to do until the exit clearance paperwork happened at the booth.
He toggled the indicator to turn right for the Parliament House.
“Atharva?”
“Yes?”
“Can we go left and pick up a Dolo. My head is splitting…”
“Why didn’t you say it sooner?” He quickly changed the indicator and turned left, leaving the complex. “Input for nearest medical store.”
She grabbed her phone and did just that. It wasn’t too far and the traffic was light.
“You won’t be late, no?” She confirmed, even as she looked at the clock on the dashboard. 11:26. His meeting was at 12. Atharva quietly took a U-turn and parked outside a medical store.
“Go.”
“I am also coming,” Noora began to open his side of the door. Iram closed her eyes, thinking about how to escape that.
“Tell Iram what you want. We don’t have time for a shopping party,” Atharva asserted.
Thank you.
“Five blue Halls and two yellow Halls. And make sure he packs it in the brown paper bag.”
Iram quickly got off and strode up to the store. She asked for a strip of Dolo 650, Noora’s Halls and three pregnancy tests.
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Their car rolled through Gate No. 12 of the Parliament House — the entry reserved for members’ families and invited guests. Iram had never been inside the Parliament. Just seen it in passing, in movies, in news. Today, as they went through the standard frisking — both, their car as well as of their persons, she gaped at the vast sandstone circle, its red and cream colonnade repeating itself into infinity. Nothing registered.
An officer waited for them at one of the many doors that led inside and she felt her feet move on autopilot. Yathaarth was holding Atharva’s hand in front of her, Noora was walking behind her, and the wind was moving along with her. Her mind was frozen on the three pregnancy test boxes tied together in a rubber band and wrapped in brown paper, tucked inside her purse.
Bathroom. She needed to use a bathroom and know for sure. Five days after a missed period was a good enough place to check. She couldn't tell Atharva she suspected it withoutactuallysuspecting it. He was in too positive a space right now to be pulled out without a reason.
She was about to open her mouth and ask for a washroom when they were led straight into a waiting room. A private waiting room, done in rich darkwood polish and accents of gold. Fresh flowers in vases, a table of refreshments, crystal carafes of water.
“Sir is in the House,” the officer informed Atharva. “I will come and escort you as soon as he is in his office.”
“Thank you.”
“Excuse me?” Iram stopped him. “Can you show me to the washroom?”
He smiled, stepped back inside the room and crossed the wide space to the single door at the end — “Right here, ma’am. If you need anything else, there’s a guard outside.”
