Knotty Affairs Read online

  Aakash whispered back, ‘Yes, exactly what we wanted!’

  Chapter 18

  Hitesh Puri’s residence Mahalakshmi,

  South Mumbai

  AS PROMISED, AAKASH and Aneri sat on the couch of Vishakha Puri’s residence on the fifteenth floor of Golden Heights Apartments in Mahalakshmi. Vishakha’s father-in-law, Vishambhar Puri, was a renowned name in the diamond markets of Mumbai. Thirty years of running a thriving business had earned him a royal lifestyle in the South Mumbai area. It was no surprise then that his only son, Hitesh, decided to follow suit after he graduated. The house was so richly designed that Aakash and Aneri were quite awestruck when Vishakha showed them around. As they sat exchanging pleasantries, Vishakha turned towards Aneri and gushed, ‘I have heard so much about you from Aakash that I had to meet you.’

  Aakash joked, ‘Didn’t you see a star missing in the sky tonight?’

  As Aneri blushed, Vishakha slapped Aakash on his knees and said, ‘Just look at this guy! Just twenty-five days ago, he was moping all over his hanky and being a grouch about the disasters of arranged matchmaking. And now, he is talking of stars!’

  Aakash pouted his lips, but joined in the laughter of the women. Just then, Hitesh, Vishakha’s husband, entered the living hall. A man in his early thirties, Hitesh carried a don’t-give-a-damn attitude around himself. Standing at 5’11’, a solid staure, hazel-brown eyes, a rugged stubble, Hitesh was as an exceptionally good-looking man. He was clad in khaki-coloured trousers and a formal sea-blue-coloured shirt with the top two buttons flung open. He warmly hugged Aakash and shook hands with Aneri, apologizing for being late on account of an international phone call he had to attend to. He congratulated them and was about to ask them about marriage plans when his phone buzzed again. He excused himself, leaving them for the rest of the conversation.

  As they sat at the dining table, Aakash eyed the red-sauce pasta and the steaming hot sizzler appreciatively. Vishakha had found out and got their favourite dishes made. Hitesh joined them for dinner, but his phone buzzed constantly until Vishakha gave him an annoyed look. Hitesh smiled apologetically and put his phone on silent mode. They all began to eat.

  A few minutes elapsed in silence, the clinking of cutlery being the only sound echoing in the room. Hitesh broke the silence and said, ‘Aakash, Vishakha was just tuning me into your live-in plans with both your parents. Don’t mind my saying this, but do you seriously think it’s going to work?’ Looking into his mocking eyes, Aakash understood that what Hitesh actually meant to say was that he thought they were crazy to do it.

  Unwilling to be drawn into a potential argument, Aakash smiled and said,‘Hitesh, what can I say? I really scratched my head hard, but couldn’t find a better gift for Aneri!

  Hitesh guffawed and responded, ‘Imagine what would happen if every girl in this country started expecting this gift? No, I mean, honestly, wherever you’d go, people would hail you as “the father of joint families and redefining live-in”.’

  Aakash put his spoon down and looked at Hitesh. It was clear that Hitesh was enjoying their little talk and showed no signs of stopping. He said, ‘Suppose this trend started by you catches on and many start following. Let’s for a second imagine the future scenario. You, their inspiration, had it easy, marrying the sole child of the family. What if your sister demands the same and brings her in-laws to your place? What if a family has two daughters – to which family would the parents go? Or will there be a merger of both their husbands’ families? Hold on, there is more. What if an inter-religion match paves way for two different religions to merge together?’

  He winked and continued, ‘In that case, you will be responsible for promoting secularism in the country or endangering it, whichever way the alliance turns out.’

  He was laughing openly now. ‘What if the guy is from Delhi and the girl from Bangalore? They should probably leave their cities and settle somewhere midway, let’s say, in Mumbai. But then, what if the same girl has a younger brother or the guy has an elder sister? Oh boy! I am so confused!’

  Aneri shifted uncomfortably in her chair, not knowing how to react to this sudden outburst. She looked at Aakash, whose blank face indicated his unwillingness to react.

  Vishakha kicked her husband’s shin under the table, glared at him and looked embarrassedly at her friends. She signalled him to refrain from uttering a single word henceforth.

  Hitesh looked at Vishakha with puppy eyes and said, ‘C’mon Vishakha, your friend is going to go down in the annals of history as a pioneer. He is going to be the epitome of “Vasudeva Kutumbhakam”. The world is one family!’

  Aakash, finally, felt he had had enough. He stared into Hitesh’s eyes and was about to say something when he was stopped by Aneri. The rest of the dinner was had in silence. There was an air of unfinished business, but everyone thought it was better not to ruin the meal any further by arguing. After dinner, Aakash and Hitesh stood in the balcony, looking at the city lights.

  Aakash broke the silence, ‘Hitesh, easy ya! I do not intend to turn into an epitome or an icon of any sort, even for a moment. This suited us; it suited Aneri, who is now an indispensable part of my life, and so we went ahead with it. It’s that simple. Fortunately, things worked out for us the way we wanted to, which strengthened our resolve further. I really don’t know about others or whether they’ll follow suit. To each his own, as they say.’

  Meanwhile Aneri had joined them and was standing right behind the two men.

  Hitesh, unaware of her presence, looked at the glittering skyline of the city and spoke, ‘Aakash, no offence was intended. I do not want to sound mean here. It’s just that it sends out a wrong signal. It is like you are toying around with an age-old tradition and tweaking it to your own convenience. It might be a dangerous thing to do, Dr Mehta. I gather that you have been lucky here with your initial efforts. But, I challenge you. I challenge you to make a success of it. Deep down, I believe that you are a man of pragmatism and reasoning. Beneath the façade of confidence, I really doubt if you truly believe that your noble experiment will pay off!’

  Before he could answer, Aakash felt his phone vibrating inside his shirt pocket. He received the call and walked to the other side of the balcony. Hitesh returned to the living room.

  As he heard the voice on the other side, Aakash’s face gathered clouds of concern and dismay. His eyes could only make out the blurred image of Vishakha carrying a tray of glasses towards him. He tried to reason with the person on the other end of the line, but eventually he had to accept the final authority of the incoming voice.

  Aneri, who had witnessed the change in Aakash’s expression, approached him as he disconnected the call. He rubbed his cheeks with his hands. Then, he spoke, ‘Mr Datey, Gaurav’s father, called. He got my number from Solanki, the dealer. He said that there had been some misunderstanding between him and his son regarding the terms and conditions of the Powai flat. He said that he was not aware of the property prices trending currently in Powai. He has called for an immediate revision of the rates and the terms that Gaurav had promised to us. He now demands a deposit of around three lakh rupees on the agreement paper and a revised rent of 1.5 lakh per month. He has said that since Gaurav has promised us the flat, he is making a rent offer that is fifty thousand less than the trending rent!’

  Hitesh had returned by then. Holding up a glass of falooda, he said, ‘Vishakha is calling you both for the dessert!’

  Aakash realized that Hitesh had heard everything that he had said to Aneri. He stood there with a smirk on his face, which clearly showed that he had taken his challenge seriously. And his glass of falooda still raised, as if raising a toast to his winning of his challenge. Aakash and Aneri stood frozen with a look of shock and disgust on their faces and absolutely no idea of what to do next.

  KNOTTY AFFAIRS

  Part III

  Chapter 19

  ‘THAT’S WAY TOO much, doctor! Two hundred rupees just for a case paper and an x-ray!’ Mr Puro
hit raised his voice in shock, ‘I had just come to enquire whether I should get a root-canal treatment or not, and I wanted to know your charges for it, that’s all!’ he looked at Aakash sharply.

  Aakash took a deep breath. This ‘window-shopping’ mentality of patients, as he referred to it, made him feel queasy. He tried explaining with patience, ‘Sir, my receptionist had already informed you about the consultation fees and…’

  Before he could complete his sentence, Mr Purohit cut him short, ‘Do you know that the dentist across the road offers free consultation and x-ray?’

  Purohit immediately took out his mobile from his shirt’s pocket and animatedly waved it at Aakash saying, ‘I get dozens of promotional messages from random clinics about free consultation and x-ray. And, look, some of these clinics are also offering a fifty per cent discount on treatments!’

  Aakash snapped angrily, ‘Well, then, you should continue your treatment there. I can assure you that the charges here are reasonable and aptly fixed for quality work and the efforts we put in. You can decide and let me know if you wish to continue your treatment with us or not.’

  Aakash immediately sensed that his words came out more aggressively than he had meant them to. He quietly cursed all the random clinics flagging signboards of free consultation and discounts. He had always believed that he brought his ten years of experience in the field to the table. Right from the day he first started learning dentistry to this day of his twenty-minute consultation to Mr Purohit, where he had gone to lengths to explain about his condition and treatment plan. And not for a moment had he thought it was worth nothing, or absolutely free. From the slightly ajar door of his consultation room, he saw Mr Purohit paying his fees at the reception with a look of dejection and humiliation. Aakash was sure that this was the last time he would be seeing him. It made him regret his snappy reaction. He always despised such stinginess in people, but was usually successful in maintaining a calm demeanour. He wished he were not in such a bad mood today. There seemed to be no solution to what Aneri and he wanted.

  Suddenly the weight of everything seemed to bog him down. He stretched his hands behind his head and, cupping his palms, rested his head in them. He let out a sigh, reclined back in his chair, and closed his eyes. His thoughts went back to all the significant events that had altered his life in the last month.

  The image of a pretty girl in a yellow Anarkali suit, on the sands of Juhu beach, flashed on his mind’s memory screen. He remembered a face that was happy and content as it led him through the stairs of the Opera House building. He cherished the smile on her face when he had agreed to her crazy proposal.

  Why had he ever agreed to Aneri’s proposal? Why hadn’t he told her that it had ‘impossible’ painted all over it?

  He remembered the tears that had rolled down Aneri’s cheeks when their parents had shot down their idea.

  He had also understood by now that he had agreed to Aneri’s idea because there was a part of Kashish in her. And just as they had felt they were sailing smoothly, thanks to Kashish, they had hit a road block.

  He relived the ecstatic kiss he had stolen when he had embraced Aneri from behind. As her eyes gazed at the distant sea, the look of contentment in them had made him realize that she felt fulfilled as a daughter.

  There was no way he could let her down now. Aakash snapped open his eyes with a resolve. He made some mental calculations as he went through all the other flat offers that they had got. His parents were busy, running from one end of the town to the other, looking for a suitable wedding venue. Aneri’s parents were already in final talks with a couple of caterers and decorators. He checked his WhatsApp inbox and saw a tiny icon of Aneri’s, laughing radiantly in her profile pic. But as his eyes fell on the sad-faced emoji that she had last sent him; he realized he had to do something quickly.

  Could he buy himself some time? What if they asked their parents to postpone the wedding date? The banquet hall, after all, wasn’t finalized yet. Could he talk to Kashish again and persuade her to convince Gaurav for a better deal? If it still didn’t work out, he could talk to his parents to chip in some money and bail them out.

  Aakash and Aneri had met a week ago and had their first real financial discussion. Aakash, juggling between his clinic rent and lab and material bills, had not been able to save much in the two years of his practice. Aneri had a couple of lakhs in her account saved from the interim job she had held before joining her dad. However, the clauses stated by Mr Datey were beyond the reach of both Aakash and Aneri.

  Aakash and Aneri talked about seeking their parents’ help, but decided, ultimately, to refrain from it and keep it as the last resort. It was their proposal all the way and they wanted to handle it by themselves.

  The talk veered to the handling of finances in future. Aakash wanted to pursue a course in clinical management from a foreign university, but it was still a pipe dream. He also talked about how he planned to upgrade his clinic by investing his savings. Aneri joked, saying that, after marriage, she was bringing her dad’s entire business empire with her, and she may never have to ask for a salary slip from him.

  The mobile suddenly vibrated, interrupting Aakash’s chain of thoughts. He looked at the mobile screen and realized that it was a message from his father, reminding him to call a few resorts in Mahabaleshwar and enquire about their availability for hosting the wedding party. As he looked for the contact details, noted somewhere, he recalled a discussion he had had with his college friends long ago about the concept of destination weddings and movie-style celebrations. ‘Destination and film-style weddings cost a fortune and look good only on the big screen. Is it even justified to spend so much just to relive a few lavish onscreen moments in real life?’

  The old memory now stirred took a vividly clear life of its own. He jumped up from his chair and then again sat back. The solution stared him in the face. He just had to follow what he had said and believed in a long time ago and all his problems would be taken care of. A part of his mind fought with him again…

  Would everyone agree? The chances of convincing everyone seemed bleak.

  Yet, he had to stop his parents soon.

  But, before that, he needed to talk to Aneri. Would she agree?

  One can never second-guess a girl and her fancy fairy-tale imaginations.

  He hesitated. Was it too late to implement the plan? It would mean applying brakes on all the frenzied preparations. But, he had to give it a shot. Not because he thought it would work, but because he had remembered, just in time, that he had always believed in it. He again evoked the discussion where he had proudly let the world know his thoughts because he believed in them…

  As the thought shaped up, he absent-mindedly crumpled the paper, which contained the contact information of various resorts. He smiled and, taking careful aim, threw the paper in the dustbin lying a few feet away from where he sat.

  ‘What! No way!’ shrieked a disgusted Aneri.

  Before he could respond, Aneri added, ‘You know, Aakash, I have been looking forward to this day for a long time now. I really want it to be the most wonderful day of my life. But you’re suggesting that we go for a simple temple wedding! Aakash, this isn’t funny anymore. Mom and I had a long discussion yesterday about the sangeet sandhya. I was so upset that I did not have enough time for dance practice. Mom even suggested that we combine our ring ceremony with the sangeet.’

  Aakash knew this was coming. He rubbed his nose and confidently replied, ‘Aneri, I understand it sounds like a crazy idea when you hear it for the first time. But, think about it, it is the perfect solution. I know how much you had liked that Hiranandani flat. We can still move in there in spite of the sky-high rental. We both have by now realized that finding such a flat, which meets all our requirements, in such a short time, is practically impossible. Isn’t the thought that we are stalled here, killing you every moment? You might not say it, but I can see it in your eyes.’

  Aakash held her in his arms and said, ‘We nee
d this, my love. Think about what we discussed last week. If we pool in our savings and invest them in the Hiranandani flat, it would be the investment of our dreams. What seemed out of reach up until now can cross the shores of possibility! Actually, Aneri, you know what? This is the only option we have if we don’t want to burden our parents with the expenses. What’s the point of blowing up our entire savings on a single day?’

  He held Aneri’s soft, velvety fingers in his hand and said, ‘Wouldn’t you still be my princess, even if not declared so by the blow of a trumpet?’

  ‘Well, it’s our day, Aakash, our D-day! Every girl dreams of celebrating it in great style. It’s a day which comes just once in life. It’s a day where a girl takes her very first step into a new world of happiness.’

  Aakash smiled as he put across his point, ‘But, Aneri, you are unlike those other girls, right? Which other girl has harboured the dream of living with her parents as well as her in-laws under one roof after marriage? I think your dreams are bigger than celebrating a marriage in filmi style!’

  ‘That’s ridiculous, Aakash!’ Aneri was not sure where the conversation was headed. ‘Why are you asking me to choose between the two? Yes, I dreamt of something bigger. But, I want both my wishes to be fulfilled.’

  Aakash said with a strong resolve, ‘Choices always spell solutions. I feel that marriages in our city are highly overrated. Come November-December, or what people refer to as the marriage season, and everyone gets busy updating their marriage attendee score cards. I attended ten and he attended twenty! They attend and sing praises at one wedding and even before the memory of that wedding wears off, they end up attending another wedding!’

  Aneri simply rolled her eyes and said, ‘What’s wrong with you, Aakash? You’re sounding like a social reformist, droning on about how marriage celebrations are a stigma! But you are linking two completely different things. Let us, for a moment, assume that we go for a simple temple wedding and invest our savings in renting that flat. Despite that, the marriage expenses would be huge. Haven’t you seen our parents lately? They are so excited about making this occasion as grand as possible. Our savings would only be a small drop in the already oceanic budget they have planned for the ceremony!’