Chapter 21
Just over a year after the marriage
"So Mrs.Scindia.. how does it feel to have completed one "WHOLE" year with your "patidev"" asked Pratik while holding a folded newspaper in his hand as a mike and trying to wake Pari from her sleep. The clock had just struck 12 O'clock and Pratik could just about contain his excitement to share this momentous occasion with his beloved wife.
"Pratiiik...if you do not let me sleep I will just hit you with that mike in your hand, I swear" murmered Pari drowsily.
"Come on sleepy head...it's our "FIRST" anniversary, at least fake some excitement for my sake" complained Pratik shaking a bit harder.
"Not now Pratik...please I am not a "midnight celebration" sort of a person. Don't get me wrong, but...just not now. I really... really want to sleep" with that she fell back to sleep or so Pratik thought much to his disappointment. He got up and went to the bathroom dejected throwing the paper away.
Pari immediately got off the bed rushed and took out the gift from the closet before Pratik could come back and tucked it under the pillow. It was a miniature painting of "Taj Mahal" on a rice grain. Which she had had encased in a small glass vial...she knew Pratik was not the kind to go for expensive gifts so she wanted something that would symbolise what she felt for him.
This one year with you Pratik puts the life I led before meeting you to shame. You have given me so much love that my heart sometimes struggles to hold all of it in it. And likewise my love for you too threatens to overflow. I love you so much Pratik...I wish someday I could make you fully understand what I feel for you. My day starts and ends with you and I never ever want to be away from you..ever.
After placing the gift box under the pillow, she folded the discarded newspaper and waited for Pratik to come out. When he did he was pleasantly surprised and immensely happy to see Pari fully awake sitting on the bed.
God she is a vision to behold. No matter how many times I look at her she is stuns me a new always. He opened his arms for her and Pari did not even wait a second before she ran across the room and into his embrace. There was love, familiarity and comfort in the hug. But she had some other plans so she distanced herself quickly and stuck the paper she was holding in front of Pratik's face and asked
"So Mr. Pratik Scindia you must be thrilled to be the talk of the town."
"Am I really? But I will accept it as the news comes from my lovely wife."
"Flatterer" she gently smacked him with the paper on his upper arm to which Pratik winked and gently rubbed the area where she had struck him.
"How does it feel to be married to Mrs. Scindia for a year now" she asked to which Pratik made a sad-face and signalled using his hand that it was just okay-okay and nothing great and then gave a thumbs-down sign.
"You...you...So you are feeling like that, are you?" Pari said angrily and started to hit Pratik with the paper which Pratik dodged easily and he started to run away from his charging wife. He was laughing and his laughter was making her angrier but she knew it was all in jest.
"You are a dead man...Pratik Scindia"
They chased one another all over the room and finally fell one on top of the other on the bed with a thud.
And all playfulness vanished. They were still panting but the breathlessness came because of a different reason now. They let the moment prolong and merely admired each other silently. Pratik then held Pari's face in his hands and brought it to him for a kiss. The kiss which showed her how much he cherished her and what she meant to him.
"Happy Anniversary wifey"
"Happy Anniversary hubby"
With that they kissed some more. Not needing words anymore. And one thing lead to the other and it was long time before either of them went back to sleep or even exchanged the gifts that they had got for one another.
*********
"You miss her don't you Pratik bhaiya?" questioned Aarti. She saw how disheartened Pratik was looking sitting on the garden bench...fiddling with a glass vial.
"Why didn't you tell everyone, bhabhi?" Pratik said deliberately avoiding answering by posing a question of his own.
"Why didn't you?" Aarti questioned right back, but got no answer.
"I was hoping there will not be a need for me to do so" finally Aarti answered knowing full well that she will get none from Pratik.
"What is stopping you from getting her back Pratik bhaiya? I know how much you love her, I know how miserable you are without her and I know you want her with you that you are regretting sending her away" Aarti continued.
But Pratik was looking at the sky far away. Aarti was not sure whether he was even hearing her or not. Finally she took the book she was carrying in her hand and placed it on his lap.
"You are "Chote Nawab"" she stated she said as a statement and not as a question.
Pratik could only stare at the book in his lap and then at Aarti. When she saw the shock in Pratik's eyes she went on to say
"No one can know your secret recipe for "Apple pickle" which you gave me once bhaiya. It was a dead giveaway"
Pratik smiled faintly.
"How is it that you have not shared all this with anyone in the family?" Aarti knew she was asking way too many questions and was sure Pratik was not comfortable answering any of them.
"Does Pari know?" she continued.
She was going nowhere with this. He was just not opening up. She was about to give up when Pratik spoke up.
"She does now"
Aarti sighed. Finally..finally a crack. Now if I could just get my foot in the door.
"What do you mean by "NOW"?"
"She interviewed me. She is now the host of "hot and happening". I had thought you had come to know about this by watching that programme before you corrected me."
"She got a job. So soon..how lucky? But then she was always talented" Aarti said recovering from her shock and feeling some joy for Pari.
"Yup "talented" is what she is. She did not even flinch while interviewing me. It was as though it was a case of me being "out of sight, out of mind". Can you believe that bhabhi?"
The hurt in his voice broke Aarti's heart. But she was sure Pari could not be as unaffected by this separation as Pratik bhaiya had claimed and she voiced her thoughts.
"No bhaiya..acutally I can't believe it. And I am left wondering how you could believe such a thing...even for a second."
"You were not there bhabhi..my eyes saw what even my heart refused to believe. But then this was what I was afraid of... and this is what actually got realized. My worst nightmare has come true, bhabhi" said Pratik on the verge of tears.
"What do you mean by that bhaiya?"
"Pari used to eat, drink, sleep her work. When she had to give up her work after our marriage, I tried to fill up that void for her by showering her with my love. But she was never satisfied. My love was never enough for her. She always wanted to go back to her first love ---- her work." Pratik said with a heavy heart.
"Bhaiya how could you think of such things"
"It's the truth bhabhi...I cannot deny it anymore."
Pratik bhaiya was having certain misconceptions. I need to clear them.
"You love Paridhi. Do you not?"
"What difference does it make now?"
"Just answer the question, bhaiya, you love Pari ' Yes or No"
"Yes"
"And you are passionate about cooking"
"Where are you heading with this bhabhi"
"Bear with me...just answer...you love to cook"
"Of course I do."
"There..then...problem solved"
"What... I did not understand"
"Bhaiya it's all very plain and simple. When you can love cooking and Pari at the same time.. why ...ask yourself why you think Pari is not capable of doing the same"
He was stunned by what Aarti just said. Pratik could not believe it. For so long he had had this notion in his mind that he was competing for her affections with her love for her work, yet he never thought..that he was insulting Pari by doing so. He felt ashamed of himself for his narrow-mindedness.
"Oh God ! bhabhi...I drove her away. I thought she is better off now as she has a job she always wanted. Oh God! Oh No ! what have I done ! What have I done" Pratik buried his face in his palms.
"Will she ever come back to me. Will she have me back?" Pratik slowly lifted his head seeking some assurance.
"Bhaiya...calm down. Calm down. Of course she will come back...she has never left Bhaiya..she is and will always be there in your heart" Aarti tried to comfort Pratik.
Pratik nodded his head he desperately wanting to believe that he could have his Pari back that he could get his LIFE back. What he now had was just not worth living for otherwise.
************
"Choti malkin...someone has come to meet you" Shyamu informed Pari who was at home after the day's work and just pressing the TV remote and surfing the channels without actually paying attention to what was being shown. She was trying to divert her mind but failing miserably as all she could think of was the one person who did not want anything to do with her.
"Uh...what...OK...ask them to wait in the living room, I will just come down soon" she told Shyamu but wondered who it could be at this time of the day and how they could have known that she would be available here at her parents place. Her parents were not at home so maybe Shyamu might have informed her about the guest for that reason she reasoned.
When she got down she was in for a shock when the person who had his back to her stood up and turned towards her as she approached.
"Paridhi...I have come to talk with you, if you could spare me a few minutes of your time. I will be very glad" said Yash.
What is Yash bhaiya doing here? What does he want from me? Is there any chance that Pratik might have sent him? Does Pratik miss me too as I miss him? Does he want us to get back too as I want? Just wait Pari no point getting all excited she admonished herself stopping her runaway thoughts.
"Hello bhaiya. Of course I have all the time in the world for you, just tell me what this visit is about"
"Pratik"
Just a single word and it sent a shiver through Pari.
"What about Pratik?" she asked cautiously.
"Why have you left him Pari?" he went straight to the main issue without wasting time skirting around it.
"Why don't you ask your brother that? You could have saved yourself this unnecessary trip. And he did ask me to leave himself before I chose to move out myself" she said trying to be nonchalant but not succeeding.
"I came because I could not see the misery Pratik has been in of late. He does not eat...does not sleep. He is just keeping up pretence for the sake of rest of the family. And by the looks of it...you are not altogether thriving here" Yash said taking in the haggard appearance of Pari and the dark-circles under her eyes. She must have been crying as her eyes appeared red,puffed and swollen.
"Is he alright? "She asked as her first instinctive reaction which she curbed immediately and concentrated on the fact that he is pretending in front of the family. Why, what was the need for that?
"Of course he is. I saw him...rather interviewed him."
"What?" blurted Yash not quite following what Pari just said.
"Oh! so just as Pratik has not told of our separation he has hid that he has published the cook book as well. Now why does that not surprise me" Pari said mildly.
"The question is why did he hide such a thing from all of us Pari, including you I presume?"
To which she nodded.
"Don't you think it shows that Pratik is unsure of its reception by his family members? Don't you think all this proves that he has doubts about his worth in everyone's eyes? He has been working like crazy too Pari as if trying to prove a point to someone. I am guessing it you whom he is trying to impress. But I know you do not want him to burn out like this" Yash drew some conclusion based on the happenings around him. Silently burying the hurt he felt at not being kept in the loop by Pratik. This was not about him now he told himself.
"Of course I do not want him to burn out. Bhaiya all I ever wanted was that he succeed in his career. Whatever he chose, of course, unfortunately I did not envisage that I was pushing him towards the family business which did not hold much interest to him"
"Oh! I have said such terrible things to him. I am so ashamed of myself" Pari blamed herself recollecting having called him spineless and a shadow of his brothers.
"How can I ever face him again...he is better off without me" Pari decided.
"No he is not you are two-halves of a whole, Pari. Come with me Pari..right this instant..your place is with Pratik...you know it is the undeniable truth...you know in your heart that it is the truth"
He could see the play of emotions in Pari's face. Doubt, fear, unhappiness and then finally the one feeling he was counting to win the battle over the rest settled over her face as Yash waited expectantly to hear Pari's decision.
TO BE CONTINUED...
