Ch26: New Beginnings
Ravi grinned from ear to ear as he sprinkled white pepper on the salad, "I can't believe this, Patil. You actually are sending your wife to college?" Dutta chewed the slice of beetroot and nodded, "Yes, I am. Why is it so surprising?" Ravi chuckled, "Just that it reminded me of your college days. I mean, you know right? What goes on in there? " Dutta stopped chewing and glared at Ravi as his friend waggled his eyebrows at him before ducking back to the dining table where Shonali and Nakkusha where arranging the table, "Accha Nakku.tumhe isne bataya na LLB ke bare mein?". Nakkusha looked up surprised,"LLB? Nahi to Ravi ji. Aapko galatfehmi huyi hai..main to history honors pardhungi. Law nahi. Waise bhi main.." Shonali looked at Ravi warningly, " Honey, that's enough! Kyun in logon ko tease kar rahe ho?"
Dutta came out and pulled a chair for Shonali and then Nakku while Ravi poured a glass wine for everyone and kokum juice for Nakkusha. Dutta took his seat saying," Nakku just ignore this pig. Ok! " Ravi sat down and grinned at nakkusha's confused face,"LLB matlab lords of last benches! Dutta sabse bada "lord" tha last bench ka in junior college and there was this girl..what was her name-wo iski "Lady" thi.padai ke alwa sab kuch chalta thaw aha kopchey mein " He winked at her mischievously. Nakkusha's eyes narrowed on Dutta who turned a shade of red even in the muted light and cursed his stupidity in accepting Ravi and shonali's dinner invite tonight. He looked at his wife testily as he tried to gauge her reaction,"wo meethu ye to..wo.." Nakkusha turned to Ravi," Aur teacher ne kabhi nahi pakada?" Ravi licked his lips in glee as Shonali tried to intervene but Ravi quietened her with another wink,"pakada na..kai baar..aur dono ko class se nikal diya." Nakku simply rolled her eyes and shook her head,"ab pata chala."
They all looked at her in confusion and dutta ventured to ask,"kya pata chala?" Nakku gave her most sweet smile as she said,"ki aap sudhare kyun nahi..teacher logon ko handle karna nahi aata tha.agar LLB se MFB banatey to aapke banawat ki ye takniki kharabi theek ho jaati." They chorused,"MFB?" Nakkusha heaped a spoonful of gravy on Dutta's plate while answering non-chalantly,"Murga on First Bench."
Ravi choked while Shonali gaped at her and Dutta simply closed his eyes thinking if the living room couch was large enough for his 6feet frame.
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As Shonali and Ravi saw them down to their car Shonali asked again,"par Nakku tum distance graduation kyun kar rahi ho? I mean you can just as easily join regular classes, hai na? Early morning classes karke tum dutta ke lautne ke pahele aa jaogi." Nakku shook her head as she answered,"maine iske bare mein bahut socha hai, Shonali'par saara waqt collge mein nahi bitana chahti'subha main inhe hospital jaatey waqt inhe tayyar hotey dekhna chahti hoon..jab ye lautey to inke liye darwaza kholna chahti hoon'aapko shayad ye sab bahut takiyanusi lagey par..ye meri zindagi ki bahut badi khushi hai'.ek aisi haasi hai jo chai ke mithas ki tarah hoothon pe baani rehti hai." Dutta who was already at the driver's seat stopped hearing her words and looked ahead listening intently. Nakkusha looked down shyly,"Agar main subha college jaaungi to mera saara waqt usmein chala jayega..saath hi college ka ek timetable hota hai'kuch extra kaam hota jo ki mera baaki samay aur attention le lega'main aisa nahi chahti'main ghar par rehkar wo samay padhai mein lagaungi jab ye mere saath nahi hotey'aur jab ye saath ho tab mera sara samay bas inka'bas yahi plan hai."
Shonali was stunned for a minute. She slowly smiled a genuine smile and hugged her,"You know what'Nakku..You are hopeless romantic'but pata hai..teri sweetness usko bhi fashionable bana deti hai'don't worry mera graduation major bhi History tha..you can always ask me agar koi problem huyi to. " Ravi cleared his throat,"really baby? But tum uski madat to tab karogi na jab tumhey kuch aata ho! I mean tumhe to ab bhi yahi lagta hai na..ki Birbal akbar ka beta tha?"
Shonali thumped him on the chest playfully as nakku smiled and waved them goodbye. Dutta nodded his goodbye nad started the car. As they sped away from the parking lot Nakku was looking out the window when she felt a warm clasp on her hand on her lap. She turned to look down at her right hand which he held in his left while navigating the steering wheel. He didn't take his eyes off the road but slowly pulled her hand to the gear placing it on the knob under his palm as he shifted gears. Wordlessly they drove towards their home. Harsh words and pain of the past few days washed away by the silence of that moment.
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Nakkusha and Dutta fell into a pattern soon after that. It was difficult for nakkusha to get into studies right away. There was a lot she needed to cover and a lot she needed refresher on. She had never been a star student and now the pressure was too high. But now she had something which she lacked then- resources. Dutta was as excited as her about her studies and devoted as much time as possible in easing her into studies. He sat up nights with her reading out passages from books and marking out important notes. He taught her to use a computer and use internet. Nakkusha was observant person and what she lacked in brilliance she made up with hard work. Soon she was coping with her studies and was sufficiently computer literate too. Dutta's work kept him away the whole day and sometimes late at night too. She spent that time after whatever housework needed her attention on internet studying everything she could about her course material and sometimes she would just type a word and see what showed up on the net. She came across many amusing things which she then shared with her husband and made him laugh too. Time flew on sedate pace and soon a college term was over.
She was petrified on her first term exams. She had this churning feeling in stomach which was due to fear of letting dutta down. Leela tai tried to abate her fears by saying that even if she didn't clear this time she can try again. Dutta dropped her off to the exam center. "Nakku", he called out just as she was about to get down, he looked at her with calm eyes as he kissed her hand, " tujhe yaad hai..kaise tu mujhe apne Kanha ki kissey sunati thi kala tai ke chaat par uss charpai par? Kaise mujhse ghanto lardhti thi newspaper ke kissi editorial ko lekar? " Nakkusha nodded a little confused. Dutta smiled and traced a finger on her lips which she was biting in nervousness,"aaj question paper ka har answer bas aisey hi likhna jaise mere sawalon ka jawab de rahi ho'har jawab itihas ki kahani bata hai na..yahi kehti hai na tu mujhse'bas har wo jawab jar wo kahani tu aise likhna jaise mujh ko khat mein likh rahi ho..Can you do it?" Nakkusha nodded and smiled pressing his hand.
As it happened she did exactly that. Words flew easily when she thought of answers as if sharing them with her husband. She did better than she had expected. She passed barely but she passed. Slowly something inside her was opening up. She felt it herself. Nothing else pleased Dutta more than the look of confidence unfurling in his little wife's.
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"I can't belive they are doing this to me."Shonali wailed for tenth time,"Maine ek mahine pehle booking ki thi. Aur last moment pe ye caterer mujhe ditchu maar raha hai'dil kar raha hai..Aurgh!" Shonali wiped her tears in the tissue Jazz extended to her,"why don't you call other caterer? Wo Rainas ki anniversary party mein jo the. Try them." "I did" Shonali sighed,"par wo log kumse kum 100 people waali party cater kartey hai. Ravi ki surprise birthday party mein bas 30 log hongey! Max!" She pressed her fingers to her temple groaning,"parso party hai aur itne short notice pe koi caterer tayyar nahi ho raha..ya itne exorbitant prices maang raha hai'I say!"
Nakkusha looked Shonali's poffy eyed tear streaked face with sympathy,"Shonali, tum khud kyun nahi khana bana leti. Cake order kar dena aur agar sirf 30 hi log hai to aaram se do sabzi, dal, rice bann jayega na'aur meethai bhi dukan se le lena..humare rajnandgaon mein to yahi kartey hai. birthdays, anniversary mein koi caterer bula ke thodi na garibi mein aata gilla karta hai." Shonali couldn't help but laugh in between her tears at nakkusha's innocent metaphor. It had taken them all a long time to get used nakkusha's simple, humorous yet practical way of speaking. Beneath the simple quite petite form was razor sharp witty humor and intelligent objective mind. No one wonder now why dutta was so head over heels with his wife. Once nakkusha was comfortable enough to come out of her she was the most amazing interesting companion and friend. Shonali sniffed,"log bhag jayenge agar maine khana banaya to'mujhse to anda bhi jal jata hai'and to top it all I am so stressed out about my work'mera manager is being a total MCP. Last month he wanted me to work late and I refused as drop facility nahi thi..aur iske pahele bhi mujhe wo warning de chukka hai. mujhe is haftey late nights karne hongey so that main ravi ke birthday ke liye chutti le sakun."
Jazz looked at shonali worried,"yaar..firse. tera manager tujhse ab bhi dictatorship kar raha hai?" Shonali sighed,"I can't seem to handle it. Ravi se main kuch nahi kehna chahti as he will tell me to resign, which now even I am thinking of..but agar resign kiya to how will I pay my half of rent of the flat and other expenses. Hum log ke itne saal ke relation mein maine kabhi Ravi se paise nahi liye..i have paid for everything..aur main usse paise lena bhi nahi chahti. He is my boyfriend not husband."
Nakkusha bit her lip to stay quiet about the last part of her statement and sipped her tea instead. Suddenly she was besieged by an idea. "Main khana bana doon?" she looked at them expectantly. The two women looked at her surprised. Shonali opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Nakkusha eyes sparkled as she continued,"arey main to wahan mere shaher mein bhi 50-50 logon ka khana yun chutki mein bana deti thi'aur abhi abhi to exam bhi khatam hua hai. time hai mere paas. Agar tumhe problem na ho to main bana dungi..koi chinta ka karan nahi." Shonali stammered,"nakku, tum? Par tum aisa..nahi how can I let you do this..Ravi and dutta will be pissed ki main tumse yeh sab karwa rahi hoon..its' a demeaning job, yaar?" Nakkusha looked at her in surprise,"Demeaning? Matlab chotta kaam? Kya keh rahi ho? Koi kaam chotta nahi hota. Aur tum meri dost ho. Jo log khane pe aayenge wo mere bhi dost hai..agar kal inka janamdin huwa to main meri party ke liye bhi to khana banaungi..aur khana banana to mera sabse favourite kaam hai..pata hai sabko mere haath ka khana 5star ke khane se bhi jayada passand hai..bas tumhare Doctor saab hi hai jinhe har roz mere khane mein ya namak jayda lagta hai ya kum'pata hai..paheli baar to inhone..""Bas bas bas!" Shonali and jazz spoke up together to stop nakkusha from repeating the " panch baar chai walla" incidence for the fiftieth time. Nakkusha blinked,"tumko wo 5baar chai walla kissa malloom hai kya?" Shonali and jazz shared a look. Jazz grinned,"Mrs. Patil, 5 cup chai walli kahani ab tak Mumbai se 50 50 kos durr tak ke gaon ka baccha baccha jaanta hoga..hum kya cheez hai." Nakku turned becoming shade of red as her friends had fun at her expense.
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Ravi's birthday party was success. The food was even bigger success. Guests were expecting cold-cut continental buffet of a mix of delicate sauces and flavors which was so much in fashion. They were pleasantly surprised by varied selection of dishes-gattey ki sabzi with missi roti, biryani with boondi ka raita, paneer makkhanwala and rogan gosht. For the weightwatchers there was lightly tossed mix vegetable and ussal dal, sprouts and wholewheat chappati and brown rice. For the sweet tooth there was gulab jamun and kheer. Nakkusha beamed as people cleaned the utensils and practically licked their fingers. Food was a hit so was she! Shonali was asked the name of the caterer and she hugged her savior, proudly presenting the super chef and dearest friend. Dutta who had guessed the cook from the smell of the food itself just raised a mocking eyebrow at nakkusha who met his gaze a bit shy.
At bed that night, nakkusha couldn't resist asking him," Sardu ji, sabne kaha khana kamal tha..aapne kuch nahi kaha apni biwi ki tareef mein? Khana aacha nahi tha kya?" Dutta bit the inside of his cheek and spoke matter of factly,"theek hi tha. Bas wo..khai jaane do..sabko passand aaya to theek hai." Nakkusha shot up turning to him, narrowing her gaze,"matlab..wo kya? Bolo!" Dutta shook his head,"nai meethu'accha than a..bahut accha tha." "Nahi bolo! Abhi!" Dutta sighed,"well, aisa kuch nahi bas Biryani mein spices jayada te. Aur raita kuch jayda hi meetha tha. Aur maybe the paneer was not fresh or something..mujh kuch jama nahi..and you always make the mutton too dry'bas!" Nakkusha narrowed her eyes to slits,"Bas? Itna hi..gulab jamun aur kheer mein koi problem nahi thi?" Dutta tsked his lips,"thi naa!" Nakkusha breathed deeply to keep her temper,"kya?" Dutta leaned towards her as she leaned away from him behind. He pressed his hands at her sides trapping her on the bed as he drew closer till there was no space between them. With a predators gleam in his dark eyes he said softly,"yahi ki wo rasgulley nahi the!" he looked down as she licked her suddenly dry lips and husked softly,"You know how much I love rasgulla, nai?"
His rasgulla-talk did help him score a point that night but next day he paid for his paneer-mutton-biryani-raita talk by eating karela in every meal. He had not even known that it was possible to make karela paratha and instant karele ka achaar!
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It set a precedent of things. Nakkusha received many friends' requests to help out at small house gatherings from her new found friends. A small Rajnandgaon was taking birth in Mumbai suburbs. Nakkusha had no problem in helping out her friends in the way she had most expertise. She realized how much she had missed being wanted in this way here. Kaladidi had always despaired at her for lending out help in kitchen to her neighbors in her town. Even babuji and jiju had sometimes tried to make her understand. But they had never understood how much she loved it all. Dutta was not different in it. Ironically, he thought it was making her miss out on her studies. She had laughed at him and asked him if he was not doing the same thing to her that according to him they all were doing to Sonu. That had shut him up.
"Arey par sonu to dance mein career banana chahti hai'you are just slogging at these peoples kitchen and they are saving their money." Dutta argued.
"Fine'sonu ka passion hai, wo usse career banayegi..ye mera passion hai. chalo theek hai main isse paise nahi kama rahi par kya mujhe jarurat hai mere passion ke liye charge karne ki?" Nakkusha reasoned with him.
Dutta shook his head," No but I don't want them to start taking my wife for granted like they did in Rajnandgaon. Meethu, main jaanta hoon ki tujhe bura nahi lagta tha. But I can't forget ki tu un sab thank less logon ke liye kya karti thi. Mujhe wo holi yaad aati hai jab tu unke liye andar khana bana rahi thi aur wo log jashn mana rahe the. It grates on my soul every time I think of that day." Nakkusha smiled at him as she hugged him from behind,"aur main? Main jab bhi us holi ke yaad karti hoon to mujhe bas yaad aata aapka sparsh. Aapko yaad nahi aata?" Dutta smiled and closed his eyes thinking of the abeer clad girl who had peered up at him that day, holding her hands he leaned his head back,"I remember. Tujhe pata hai..shadi ke waqt sindoor daalne ke piche kya logic hai?" Nakkusha grinned at his back and shook her head. Dutta turned around to face her,"a very basic need to mark territory. A primitive instinctive urge of the animal inside man to declare his possessiveness in front of others. pahele ke zamane mein talwar se auraton ke sirke beech mein ek zakhm banadetey the taaki sabko pata ho jaye ki this woman is already taken. " At her wince of pain he gave a sad nod and continued,"but bahut barbaric tradition tha. So they started using a red powder instead of blood to mark a woman as their own." Nakkusha frowned,"aurat possession nahi hoti." Dutta shook his head,"Hoti hai. Itihaas gawah hai. aadmi aurat ko ek possession ke tarah hi dekhta aya hai. A man's most precious and loved possessions are his women-mother,sister,wife,lover or daughter. They humble him, mould him. They possess him as much as he possesses them." He moved his dark gaze over her as if looking at her but seeing something else deep inside,"Us din anjaane mein hi maine wo sindoor tujh par daal ke tujh par aapna naam likh diya tha. I marked my territory, I possessed you and unbeknown to me, you possessed me. Only when some other male stumbled in to take what belonged to me I realized that." Nakkusha whispered in a trance," main aapki hoon." He nodded cupping her face and leaning down to touch her forehead with his.
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Shonali yelped as she cut her fingers while chopping coriander for their friend Ashka's anniversary. Nakkusha shook her head,"sambhal ke shonali. Dhyan kahan hai tumhara aaj." Shonali blinked as the cut stung a bit. Sucking the finger she looked at nakkusha forlornly,"I am sorry nakku. I know you don't want me making a mess of everything when I volunteered to help you with this party but.." Nakkusha smiled at her pressing her shoulder lovingly, "it's ok! You are helping. Par koi baat hai tumko pareshan karti huyi.kya hua?" Shonali sighed as she said in dejected manner,"I resigned yesterday." Nakkusha shrieked,"Kya?" Shonali shushed her and looked around to see if ashka and the maid's heard her,"shh! I know I said ki main resign nahi karungi but he made it impossible aur ab mujhe mere field mein koi interest bhi nahi raha" Nakkusha looked at her worried,"par ab kya karogi?" Shonali shrugged,"Socha nahi."
As the party progressed and people came to compliment nakkusha for her cooking Shonali looked at nakkusha with odd look on her face. Before nakkusha could ask her anything a plump lady in bold pink Punjabi salwar came to her and smiled,"Jee khana bada changgaa tha. Kamal ke baturey the jee!" Nakkusha smiled and thanked her. The lady went on boisterously,"Main Mrs.Bhatia hoon. Ashaka ki 1st floor neighbor, jee." Nakkusha shared a look with Shonali,"jee? Jee!" Mrs.Bhatia went on" Wo jee kya hai na, agley haaftey jee mere Preeti ka birthday hai, jee. Seventh wala,jee. Main kiaa..aap log kitney per plate charge karety hon jee?" Nakkusha looked at her baffled but as she understood she started shaking her head. But before she could refuse Shonali jumped in the conversation,"400 per plate dessert included." Mrs. Bhatia turned to her thinking her to be the manager,"300 nahi hongey jee'ek do item kum kar denge." Shonali ignored nakkusha's pinching and went on,"Phir quality bhi kum hogi jee'aur birthday mein to jee bacchey hotey hai jee..wo to per plate se khatey kum giratey hain na jee..to thoda consider karna pardhta hai. Kyun jee?" Mrs. Bhatia blinked and looked at nakkusha,"Ok jee! Main mere hasbaand se pooch ke batati hoon..aapka contact number?" Shonali rattled off her number. As the woman left her she turned to nakkusha,"I am sorry but it just slipped out'it was sign nakku. Main yahi soch rahi thi ki why should we slave off like this. I mean, you are amazing cook and you have a gift. Tum seedhey saadhey dishes ko aise combination mein present karti ho ki bas kamal ho jata hai. I know I am no chef but most of the times mein tumahari assistant ban jaati hoon. Ab I am unemployed and I was just thinking ke jab hum log ye kaam kar hi rahe hai'.why not make some money?" Nakkusha looked bewildered,"make money..matlab catering'aur main! Bewail gayi ho kya? Mujhe nahi hoga." Shonali grinned,"bewail nahi gayi hoon madam..aur wahi to tum itne saalon se kar rahi ho catering wahan tumhare shaher mein bhi aur yahan bhi..infact you are the best caterer I have seen because you love it with passion. And we can do this..mera marketing skill kab kaam ayega. I'll handle that side and you be the talent and we will hire some help. Bas thodi planning shanning karni hogi." Nakkusha thought about it. Could she really do this? What would Dutta say? Tai and didi say? Maybe this was going too far? If things went wrong then? But Shonali was right she loved doing this. So what was the harm in trying it out. Nakkusha looked at shonali,"Mujhe inse poochna hoga." Shonali gave her a smile,"Sure! Go ahead ask him. waise bhi tum usse bina poochey to makkhi bhi nahi maarogi. Hain na jee?" Nakkusha poked her,"ahaa haa! Aise bol rahi ho jaise tum Ravi se kuch nahi puchti?" Shonali winked,"wo mujhse puchta hai, samjhi! By the way, madam not bad! Tumhari English improve ho rahi hai." Nakkusha sighed,"Mujhe darr lag raha hai. man is known by company he keeps'filhaal meri company thodi khiski huyi hai."
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As it happened Leelatai loved the idea. So did Dutta. He let the women plan out their own little business venture while leelatai promised to find proper maids to help out. Since they just cooked at the venue and took only small exclusive house parties hardly any investment was needed. But Shonali was as good as her word about her marketing skills. Within few months their small catering service called 'Indian on plate' was household name.
Nakkusha had her days full of activity and jumped around to balance work,study and her home. Shonali made sure that they took only those orders which fell on days when Nakkusha could give her time without hampering her studies. She revealed in it as her work didn't need her to be on foreground but stay in sidelines yet get all the praise. Soon they had a decent profit and legalities in place. She was known by her right not just as Dutta's wife.
Who would have thought that? Nakkusha wondered how it had all come to this. How she got to be so blessed in life?
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Nakkusha placed the last cherry on the cake and stood back to see her work. Their first anniversary! She sighed. They had their own little celebrations all the time but this was their first wedding anniversary. Though they were told nad ribbed by their friends to throw a large party Dutta wanted it to be just two of them. Nakku wanted what he wanted. So she planned a special treat for him. Thai food from his gifted book from Raipur. She had never tried anything from that book. Surprisingly! But then she thought it was fitting this way. She laid out the table. Leelatai had gone to Kolkta a week ago to meet Madhu didi and Mary had discreetly left them to visit a church friend and would be staying over there.
As she heard the doorbell she smiled and rushed to open it. Her smile froze on her lips as she saw his dark face. "hey Kanha!" she thought. Dutta eyes where bloodshot as he looked at her. She could see the demons back in them. Demons she had seen him struggle to keep down so many times in his professional life. Voice of little pinky wafted in her ears as she stood there looking at him.
"H..Happy anniversary, meetha!" His voice broke in husky barely audible croak.
She opened her arms as he walked into them dropping his bag and coat. He crushed her small frame to in his arms almost lifting her off the ground as he buried his face in the nape of her neck like a lost child. She could feel the shiver in his strong frame as she held him to herself telling him with her heartbeat that she understood that even though the moon was glowing in the sky he was having moonless night.
...To be continued
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