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  Aakash was reminded of the similar feeling he had had upon seeing them this morning. He was about to say something when Aneri cut him short. And when she spoke, the pain in her voice shook him to the core.

  ‘But, Aakash, my parents need me. More than that, I need them. When they are around me, I feel secure. I know that they are right beside me should I be faced with any dilemma. A daughter gets hooked to her parents’ love and affection and it gnaws at her to know that, one day, she will have to leave them for a relative stranger and his family. The heart of a rose trapped in a bouquet still beats for the plant it was plucked from.’

  Aakash saw Aneri on the brink of an emotional meltdown and put his arms around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. ‘Take a chill pill, Aneri! I don’t mind shifting over with your family. Vaise bhi, I love the whole in “town” lifestyle. You stay at Opera House, and where else would I get a better chance to become a true-blue SoBo!’ Aakash’s light-hearted comment made the intense mood lighter. Yet deep down, Aakash felt profoundly perturbed by Aneri’s hard-hitting words. They had created a storm in his mind. Yes, tradition dictates that the bride leave her parents’ home when she gets married. Which girl has ever been asked before whether she really wished to?

  After dinner at Ashwin Mehta’s home, the whole family settled on the couch. An old Hindi song from the movie Abhimaan: ‘Lute koi mann ka nagar ban ke mera saathi’, one of Ashwin’s favourites, played on the radio channel. Ashwin gestured Kinjal to lower the volume and dialled a number on his mobile. After few moments of silence, his face brightened up with a beaming smile as he spoke in Gujarati, ‘Kem cho, Bharatbhai? Joyo mara wife no juice no jadu! Ekaj divas ma discharge! (Hope you are well, Bharatbhai. My wife’s juice worked wonders for you; you’ve been discharged in one day!)

  As peals of laughter emanated from both the sides, everyone took turns on the phone to wish Aneri’s dad good health. While his mom was chatting on the phone, Aakash, out of sheer curiosity, tilted his head a little to read the words printed on the back of the newspaper his father was holding. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the caption and illustrations. With one sweeping action, he snatched the paper from his dad’s hands and the phone from his mom’s. Blurting out an apology to both, he spoke calmly to Bharat Doshi and his wife for a few seconds before asking them to call Aneri.

  When he heard Aneri’s pleasant voice on the other end, he began speaking with a sense of urgency, ‘Hey, Aneri! Could you give me fifteen minutes tonight? I will be driving through the new freeway and will reach Opera House in the next half an hour. Text me your address ASAP! I will be waiting for you at your society gate in forty minutes max.’

  Before a puzzled Aneri could ask any question, Aakash had disconnected the call. Ignoring a volley of surprised queries from his family, he stretched out his palm before his dad and said, ‘Dad, may I borrow your car? Bikes are not allowed on the freeway.’

  ‘So, what caused our great doctor to take this emergency ride at this hour, refusing to even wait till tomorrow morning?’ Aneri scowled at a smiling Aakash.

  Aakash fumbled through his back pockets as he replied, ‘Aah! The very thought of seeing you in a nightie,’ he laughed.

  ‘Ahem…that’s not the Aakash I know.’ Aneri replied with an obvious blush on her face, ‘making a night trip just to flirt with a girl!’

  ‘That’s not the Aakash you know,’ he said, ‘well then, I plan on remedying that from now on…’ Finally, he stopped playing with his pockets and pulled out a folded page of newspaper, laid it down on the bonnet of a nearby car and gestured Aneri to come closer.

  Aneri switched on the flashlight of her mobile phone and strained her eyes to read the paper. She read the headline Aakash was pointing at:

  ‘Living At An Intimate Distance’

  She turned her head and looked at Aakash with a puzzled expression. He prodded her to read on. As she did, Aneri realized that the article focused on how several elderly parents, who felt alone after their daughters were married, had ended up staying in close proximity to their son-in-law’s place. It had given examples of various youngsters who were increasingly worried about their parents’ debilitating health and had, hence, consciously decided to live at a stone’s throw away from them. Some lived in the same society, others in the same city to make it easy in case of emergencies.

  After having gone through the article, both Aakash and Aneri sat silently on the car bonnet for some time. Finally, Aakash broke the silence, ‘How different is this from my own neighbour, whose mother-in-law has been living near his family for the last many years. They decided to go ahead with this arrangement since the elderly mother has no one to look after her other than her daughter. They bought a one-bedroom flat for her right next door and cater to her needs throughout the day. ‘The solution was staring me right in the eyes and I just could not see it, Aneri. This is so simple! All we need to do is get a good house for your parents in Chembur, which is close to ours. Once that is done, you may not even feel that six degrees of separation pang that you talked about earlier this evening.’

  Aneri smiled at Aakash for his noble suggestion. ‘I really appreciate your suggestion, Aakash. We all read the papers, but who thinks of adopting the suggestions therein in such a wonderful way? But, before anything else, let me remind you, I have not even said a proper “yes” to you as yet.’

  Aakash made a face, ‘C’mon Aneri…now…’

  Aneri was clearly enjoying this ‘out of the box’ chat with Aakash, ‘Okay, let’s say, we adopt this interesting idea of yours. Wouldn’t it still be the same if worked the other way round? Suppose, you guys shift to town, near our residence, our plan would still work, wouldn’t it? Vaise bhi, you like being in town!’

  Aakash started fumbling. This was something he hadn’t thought about. ‘But Aneri, my dad’s office is near Ghatkopar, and Kinjal’s college is closer to our house. It would be highly disruptive to uproot the base and come here into town. Moreover, have you seen the property rates in town? It would completely axe us out!’

  Aneri nodded, ‘Hmm…that’s true. But the same applies to us. Our firm is near the court, which is closer from here. Dad and Mom’s entire social circle is based here. Most of Dad’s clients are from this area. Settling in Chembur would definitely be inconvenient.’

  Aakash shook his head as he realized that he had planned the execution of the whole idea based on his own comfort, without considering Aneri’s situation. He immediately said, ‘Chuck it! I just got fascinated by an unrealistic idea.’

  As he got down the bonnet, he brushed against Aneri’s hand just enough to draw her attention to him. He cleared his throat and said, ‘Aneri, I have driven twenty-odd miles just to see you smile over the idea.’ He slapped the folded newspaper on his palm, looking glum.

  Aneri gave a smile so gorgeous that this time it was Aakash’s turn to blush. She softly said, ‘Maybe that little idea did not work for your twenty-mile marathon, but you still got your smile. In fact, Aakash, let me add a bit more mileage to your long drive to my place at this odd hour…’ Aneri said playfully. Aakash was not able to fathom whether Aneri was being sarcastic or if she really had something important to say to him.

  Aneri came so close to Aakash that he could literally feel her heart thumping. She caught him playfully by the ear and whispered, ‘Mom’s calling you upstairs. Would a coffee treat suffice for a “yes”?’

  She turned around so swiftly that Aakash could not read her expression. A moment later, he felt a warm drop of water on the back of his palm. When Aneri looked back at him, she had wiped her eyes dry, but they reflected a welcoming happiness. Aakash stood up on the bonnet of the same car he was leaning on a while back and broke into an impromptu dance. He stopped only when the security guard at the gate blew his whistle furiously at him!

  Chapter 13

  ON HIS WAY to Aneri’s house, Aakash felt as though he was walking on air. Climbing the stairs of her classic Opera House building, he was reminded of the lo
go of DreamWorks Pictures: a kid sitting on a crescent moon, dangling his fishing line in the sky below. Today Aakash felt like that kid, seated on the moon with stars all around. Also, just as the kid’s fishing line creates ripples in a still pond, Aakash’s mind experienced a similar ‘ripple effect’ as it raced through thousands of questions about future.

  He looked up at Aneri, leading him upstairs and, just at that moment, she turned back, looked at him and smiled. Aakash smiled back at her. Transcending the boundaries of the spoken word, both Aakash and his lady love saw a sense of relief in each other’s eyes. The relief of finally finding someone suited to their choices.

  As they reached the house, Aneri’s face became creased with anxiety. She felt a mass of contradictory emotions going through her mind, which Aakash would have found hard to comprehend. Her heart was filled with happiness at finding Aakash but, at the same time, she was sad at the thought of leaving her parents and the house she had lived and grown up in for the past twenty-six years. The emotions aroused by these changes in her life overwhelmed her, crowding her mind with a whole lot of ‘hows and ‘what ifs’. She braced herself to face an uncertain future. She had known Aakash for a few days only, and yet she had taken the decision of spending her life with him. Something deep within her told her that it was going to work, and, hence, her affirmative decision a few moments ago. She brushed aside all her doubts and embraced the present moment with joy. A radiant smile lit her face and didn’t go unnoticed by Aakash.

  Aakash had heard many of his friends say that whenever it was meant to happen, it would happen so quickly that one would not even realize it. He was getting hitched! As he tried to come to terms with the magnitude of the situation, he realized that their words could not have been truer! Whoa! When was the last time he had had a breather? For unknown reasons, he felt more responsible and more real than he had in recent times! He closed his eyes and felt an imaginary arm around his shoulders. He looked up and heard a divine voice inside his head call out to him and say, ‘Aakash, I have rolled the dice for you and given you a perfect start. Your game starts now. Play well…’ He felt as if God himself had winked at him and wished him well for his new life!

  He stole a glance at Aneri and thought, ‘Isn’t she better than Kashish?’ Immediately, he threw the thought out. It was not fair to compare them. He promised himself never to repeat this mistake in the future. He nervously pressed the doorbell to the second floor flat above which hung a professional, glass-embossed nameplate, which read, ‘Adv. Bharat Doshi, B.A. LLB, LLM’.

  Amazingly enough, Aneri pressed the bell at the same time, thus brushing his finger with hers. Neither removed their overlapped fingers and the touch lingered on for a while before the door opened.

  Inside Bharat Doshi’s house, the ambience matched the mood of a party. Soft instrumental music of old Hindi film songs played on the music system, amped up at more than the usual volume. Bharat Doshi was proudly showing Ashwin Mehta his unique collection of old Hindi film songs. They were going over a long rack of CDs and Bharat was giving Ashwin some juicy gossip about the making of these songs. Ashwin, listening to him keenly, confessed that he once had nursed a major crush on the actress Jaya Bhaduri, and had stood in long queues for hours outside Liberty Cinema to get hold of tickets to her films.

  Aneri, silently observing the duo from her balcony, marvelled at how well they were bonding over trivial stuff. ‘We might try our best,’ she thought, ‘but certain moments can be gifted to them only by people of their own generation.’

  As a gush of wind blew at her in the balcony, she turned to look at Aakash who, too, was gazing at the two parents discussing old Hindi music. She suddenly felt the world around her go silent. She could hear the chatter in the background, but her mind was fixed on the same thought that Aakash had had in the hospital, ‘Though their parents would never admit it, but they cherish every moment of having like-minded company!’

  Seeing Aneri lost in some deep reflection, Aakash took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She blushed and quickly snatched it away. Regaining her composure quickly, she exclaimed, ‘Kitchen calling!’ and walked towards the kitchen with one swift motion before Aakash could hold her hand again. Aneri was smiling to herself, wondering what her mom and Kinnari aunty were up to.

  Left alone, Aakash silently thanked Aneri for her idea to invite his parents over as well. His mother, along with Aneri’s, was busy in the kitchen making rose milkshakes topped with vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, Kinjal had not been able to come, as she had an earlymorning official field trip to Ahmedabad.

  Admiring the city lights glittering against the skyline, Aakash felt at peace. The city appeared to be an intricate carpet of lights, big and small, winding round, pulsating dimly or brightly. Suddenly his reverie was rudely derailed by a burst of loud music. He turned around to see his father tinkering around with the controls of the player and soon, the sweet strains of a song began to drift from it. A lilting melody filled the entire house and wafted to the balcony where Aakash stood. Bharat Doshi was humming the song and, hearing him, Aakash’s feet involuntarily began to tap the floor and he started clapping to the beat of the song. Bharat saw him and gestured to him to join him in the singing. After a few seconds of hesitation, Aakash joined in and together they accompanied the legendary Mukesh as he sang, ‘Pyaar hua, ikraar hua hai…pyaar se phir kyun darta hai dil…’

  Aneri almost made her mom drop the tray of milkshake glasses she was carrying when she came from behind and caught her by her shoulders. Holding her mother thus, she sang the song and steered her forward, all the while looking at Aakash.‘Kehta hai dil, rasta mushkil… maaloom nahi hai kahan manzil…’

  One by one, everyone in the living room joined in and filled the air with the chorus, ‘Pyaar hua ikraar hua hai…pyaar se phir kyun darta hai dil!’

  The song ended with much applause and cheers from everyone! Enjoying their cookies and milkshake, both sets of parents excitedly started discussing probable dates of engagement and marriage.

  Before they parted that night, Aneri firmly held Aakash’s hand when her father commented, ‘We stole your thunder! That song was meant for both of you.’ As they parted, the smile on both their faces was as bright as the Mumbai city skyline.

  That night, Aneri tossed and turned in her bed. Sleep evaded her. As she lay awake thinking, she saw in the dim light of the night-lamp, the newspaper that Aakash had come with earlier that night. She got up and took it in her hands. Switching on the table lamp, she went through the article once again: ‘Living At An Intimate Distance’.

  She almost whispered under her breath, ‘How lucky is the daughter who gets to stay at an “intimate distance” from her parents.’ As she mulled more over this subject, and in spite of knowing that Opera House and Chembur were like two different ends of the city, her wings of imagination took her on a flight that bridged this gap. Soon she had fluttered off to a faraway land.

  After an hour of sitting absolutely still, Aneri suddenly jumped out of bed. Her face beamed with hope and happiness. She grinned to herself. She had finally found a solution to the most vexing of questions that had dogged her ever since the prospect of marriage with Aakash began to seem real. She uttered to herself, ‘Impossible! How greedy does this mind get? Yeh dil maange more, more, and more!’

  In some corner of her heart, she realized that the idea was too good and insane to become a reality. But Aakash’s sincerity had given her hope. That night, as Aneri finally tucked herself into bed, she thought of Aakash and how she would need to see him first thing in the morning.

  ‘No…I mean…it’s not weird, it’s insanely impractical!’ Aakash stammered. Aneri’s proposal had stumped him. Quick to dismiss it as another melodramatic notion, which occurs to a girl when faced with having to leave her folks after marriage, he looked at Aneri with the expression of intent empathy.

  ‘Arghh! Why is it always so easy for men, huh?’ said Aneri angrily. ‘You all talk big about being sensitive to gender equ
ality, but where is it now when it comes to this?’

  Aakash ballooned his cheeks and let out the air purposefully. He stroked his chin and said, ‘Hold on, what’s the point of arguing over this when our parents are never going to agree to your proposal?’

  ‘Precisely the reason why I want you, for heaven’s sake, to back me on this,’ Aneri’s excited tone was now difficult to restrain. She ruffled Aakash’s hair and collapsed on the couch in the reception of Aakash’s clinic. Aneri had dropped by late in the evening, after work.

  ‘Look, Aakash…I know what I am proposing affects you more at an emotional rather than at a practical level, but I seriously don’t want these emotions to get washed away with pragmatism. I know that, among our acquaintances and friends, no one has tried this before. But do you really think that it is practically impossible? It’s only one step ahead of the newspaper article you brought home yesterday.’

  Aakash clicked his tongue and simply shook his head before speaking agitatedly, ‘What do you want me to understand, Aneri? You are suggesting that we, meaning you, me, your parents, my parents and my sister, basically all of us, live together under one roof after marriage, correct? Aneri, you know, you sound like Kareena Kapoor’s character in Jab We Met who says, ‘Sab ek sath rahenge pahado mein…bada maza ayega!’

  Aakash paused for a moment before resuming. ‘Aneri, I do care about your bond with your parents. I also realize how difficult it is for a girl who dreads parting with her folks post-marriage every single moment, to get hitched. I showed you that newspaper article, keeping in mind your attachment and concern for your parents. But we ruled out that option as being impractical yesterday, and today you come up with this proposal, which seems far more impractical than that. Precisely, how do you plan to make it work? I agree, it makes for a picture-perfect situation for all of us, but it sounds too idealistic to be true! To me, the idea of inviting both families to live together for the long haul is a sure recipe for chaos. Also, the question remains, who stays with whom and where? Do you imagine the four of us joining you at your house, or vice versa?’