Page 134 of Love after Marriage

he asked her was to go out to lunch with him. Couldn’t she fulfill this simple request of his? He had done so much for her…left his job and was here in India. He did not have to…but he did. This relationship meant a lot to him; he wanted to continue with her. Which part of this was she not able to see?

Several questions bothered her.

Finally she affirmed that Deepak was right. It was no longer her esteem or self-respect, it was her ego that took over her completely. She was never such a type of person, then why was she behaving like this? She needed to fix this – fix this immediately. She had to apologize to him for behaving so insanely on his birthday and ruining it for him. She wiped her tears and got up from the sofa. It was already 1 p.m., and Deepak had not returned. Regardless, she decided to prepare a good lunch for him and apologize to him after he arrived.

~ ~ ~

Deepak was angry and walked out of the house. He took a long walk, and when he felt tired, he went into a café to have some coffee.

During this long walk, his introspection began.

He should not have said so many things to her. He knew she was still upset with him. Something in her inhibited her from accepting him. He was aware of her not venting out her feelings, and…and suddenly he smiled to himself.

“Yes, yes! I think this is it! She blurted out things at me and cried…maybe this is what she needed. I hope this made her feel better.”

He could not stop thinking of her – how much he wanted to be with her, to console her at this time, to hug her and pacify her! She’d fought this struggle all by herself, and now again she was by herself.

Part of him wanted to go back home to her, but her words pricked him, “Leave me alone, go away,” and that was exactly what he did. With all these thoughts, he was ready to leave the café when he noticed an internet café inside. A good time to look for air tickets to Mumbai. Should he go to Mumbai, or should he stay here? He was in a dilemma. He found out that all flights to Mumbai that day were booked; the earliest he could go was the next day. He wanted to call Sheetal and tell her but decided not to. This was between Roshni and him. He should not be talking about this to others; Roshni would not approve.

Every moment he thought of Roshni: her likes, dislikes, her conversation, her sweet smile, speech, and her touch…so caring! Everything of her attracted him more to her. Suddenly, his emotions shifted to fear. What if Roshni did not forgive him, what if she did not accept him as her husband, what if he had to go back without her!

These thoughts bothered him, and he wanted to go back home to be with her. He looked at his watch, and it was 3 p.m.

Deepak’s thought process continued. Roshni must have had lunch and is probably relaxing. I can inform her of my plan to go to Mumbai tomorrow, and if it’s okay with her, I will stay one more night at that apartment.

With these thoughts, he left the café.

~ ~ ~

Roshni prepared a good meal. All his favorite dishes that he had mentioned on occasion. Fortunately she was a good cook and a fast cook too. She arranged the table for their lunch – plates, bowls, spoons and cups for water – the food she prepared was on the table. She gently placed lids on these dishes and waited for him.

It was past 3 p.m., and Deepak was not back. She was worried for him. Where did he go? Why is he not back? Agreed, I said things I should not have, but he could be forgiving. Why did he have to leave? She rested at the dining table with her head down, deep in thought.

She heard the door open, and Deepak walked in. Without saying a word, he walked to the room to change into comfortable clothes. Roshni slowly limped and knocked at the door to get his attention. He glanced towards her, not paying much attention.

“Deepak, it’s past three; do you want to have lunch?” she asked him.

“No, I’m not hungry. I ate already,” Deepak replied in an angry tone.

Roshni became teary and was ready to turn away, but paused for a minute, looking towards him although he was not looking at her. “Deepak, I’m sorry for what happened this morning. I should not have said things to offend you, especially on your birthday. Please forgive me.”

Deepak did not respond or even look at her. She waited for a minute and realized that Deepak was still angry with her. She limped her way slowly to the kitchen.

Deepak could not bear the thought of ignoring her. He nodded. “I should not have done that.” So thinking, he changed and walked to the kitchen.

The tears trickled down her cheeks. There was no stopping them, and she continued to wipe her tears and began to store the food in the refrigerator. He noticed two plates turned upside down on the table and quickly understood that she had not eaten either.

He changed his expression. “Roshni, you have not had lunch yet?”

Roshni shook her head, wiping her tears, and continued to clean the table. Deepak came closer to her and very lovingly held her hand and turned her to face him.

“Roshni, suddenly I’m feeling very hungry. Come, will you eat with me?”

Her expression changed, seeing him in a better mood. She wiped her tears and smiled back and nodded her head in approval. She took out the food and started to serve.

Deepak held her hand, and he helped her sit next to him. He looked over the dishes she’d made: onion bhajias, poories, potato bhaji, vegetable pulav with tomato and onion raita. She’d also made chole and, last but not least, rice kheer.

“Mmm! Did you make all these dishes?” He sniffed the aroma that was emitting from each of them.

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