Knotty Affairs Read online

  Just before boarding the flight, Aakash had called up Kinjal and forced her out of bed to confirm what he feared the most. Kinjal had reported that it was, indeed, all true. She said that things had become quite tense the previous night as a trivial discussion had been blown out of proportions to become a full-fledged quarrel. They had stayed back at Powai and were planning to return to Chembur in the morning. Due to the firm persistence of Aakash and Kinjal, everyone had agreed to get together at their Hiranandani residence. Bharat removed his glasses and wiped them with the edge of his shirt. He broke the silence.

  ‘I don’t want to blame the children today. It’s more our fault than theirs. We got carried away and joined their plans, never realizing that it was a childish venture bound to implode like this. Aakash, Aneri… your intentions were really admirable. But both of you forgot a very important fact: that you have, after all, pitched two sets of strangers together. Two different lifestyles have been made to force-fit together. It’s the same for you both as well. But the only difference is that, while for both of you, it is something you have looked forward to all your lives, this new lifestyle has been thrust upon us with no prior conditioning.’

  ‘Dad, please tell us what happened,’ Aneri said emotionally.

  ‘Ask Kinnariben na. She is the one who started it all,’ said Chhaya, in an annoyed tone.

  ‘Dhanvantriben had warned me of Chhaya’s habit of living off other people’s favours throughout her life,’ Kinnari said angrily, struggling with words.

  ‘And so you went ahead and accused me and Aneri of living off your favours just because we agreed to stay here! How could you?’ Chhaya retorted.

  ‘Aakash, too, advocated this arrangement, and was equally in favour of all of us staying together.’

  ‘The worst part is that her words made me feel as if we are a burden on their easygoing life.’ Chhaya was on the verge of crying.

  Kinnari responded with fury, ‘That’s when you brought up Aakash’s monthly income. Aakash is running a venture and a lot of investment is required on a daily basis. You can’t compare it to Aneri’s monthly income! She is working in her dad’s firm where she gets clients who are already associated with the firm for years. She does not have to scout for them like Aakash has to.’

  ‘Stop it, you two!’ Ashwin raised his voice exasperatedly. ‘As if enough hasn’t already been said.’

  ‘You should have stopped her yesterday, Ashwinbhai. She has called me a son-snatcher and a parasite!’ Chhaya furiously pointed a finger at Kinnari.

  Kinnari was trying to hold back her tears, while Chhaya was already weeping. Aneri realized that the tears her mother-in-law had been holding back, had begun to trickle down her cheeks.

  Ashwin and Kinjal disappeared into the kitchen to get water for everyone. On seeing that the outburst had subsided a little, Aakash finally spoke in a terse tone, ‘Dad, Mom, do you regret coming and staying here? Please, tell us honestly.’

  Ashwin shook his head slowly, ‘It’s not that, Aakash. To be honest, I have enjoyed every moment here. And that goes for Kinnari as well. But have you ever tried building a castle out of a pack of cards? You really enjoy the hard work that goes in arranging stack after stack. But one gush of wind and your castle comes tumbling down. At such times, you never think about how much you enjoyed building those structures. This situation is also similar. One incident and all that joy goes out of the window.’

  ‘But, Papa…’ Aneri spoke tearfully, ‘that is precisely what we all are here for – to support each other in good times and bad. We can’t turn against each other in unfavourable conditions!’

  Ashwin looked at Aneri in surprise and said, ‘Aren’t we elders supposed to give you this philosophical advice? Normally, that’s the scene, right? You guys would come quarrelling and we were there to pacify and hug you.’

  He took a deep breath and resumed, ‘Aakash, I am really worried about this role reversal. Why aren’t both of you like the other normal “just married” couples? Bothered only about the upswings and downswings in your small world, while the whole world around you could go to the dumps for all you care. We were really humbled when you took us into account while planning ahead. But, do we visualize ourselves staying with your in-laws forever? I really don’t think so.’

  ‘Aneri, did you ever wonder why we agreed to this unique condition of yours? Because we strongly believed that both of you should start your journey together from a point where you witness love at its peak! We all had thought that if we came together, we would be able to create a summit of love and understanding beyond your expectations. We wanted to create a base so strong, it would ensure that you never faltered in life. But here, the entire point has been defeated. Like you, we wanted this to be novel and unique, but we have ended up showing you the same bad behaviour and intolerance. I think, since, ultimately, this has turned out to be the same old family story, then why not go back and resume our earlier lives?’ Ashwin sounded serious this time.

  Aakash huffed and shook his head in disbelief. This conversation had certainly not turned out the way he and Aneri had visualized it in the plane. He felt a lump in his throat seeing Aneri crying silently. He pleadingly looked at his father and said, ‘Dad, if you all had intended to shower love on us, don’t you think that it should be best if we decide whether we have felt loved or not? I don’t believe anything major has happened for us to take the decision of separation so hastily. I mean, look at us, Dad. We both have just come back from Dubai. At least give us a chance to spend a few more days with you all around in order to justify the decision we had made.’

  Kinnari raised her eyes to look at his son, ‘Aakash, don’t you get it? We don’t wish to be forced at this moment. I have nothing against Chhaya, but there is a lot of bitter aftertaste left to think about resuming our lives together.’ She was nervously twitching her fingers and intermittently looking at Chhaya, who looked the other way.

  Kinnari spoke again with penitence in her shaky voice, ‘Fine! I can’t hold this any longer. I have been trying to say this since morning. I know I have said offensive things to Chhaya and aggravated the whole situation.’ She got up from her couch and walked towards Chhaya, who was teary eyed. She placed her palms on Chhaya’s and gently pressed them. Drops of warm tears fell on Chhaya’s hand that made her turn sharply to Kinnari. Kinnari said, almost in a whisper, ‘Chhaya, I am really sorry. I lost my cool and said stupid, mean things just to get back at you when you talked about Aakash. I don’t even remember a lot of what I said. I am really, really sorry. You wouldn’t be wrong if you accused me of spoiling all the wonderful times we’ve had together.’

  Chhaya kept her hands on Kinnari’s hands, but her tone was still cold, ‘It’s all right. What hurt me more is that you believed all that Dhanvantriben told you. I have tried my whole life to please her in different ways, but she has developed a stand against me. That might possibly be because I was not her first choice for Bharat. It pinches me even today when she uses her blades of taunts and sarcasm against me. I did not tell you this earlier because she came to stay only for a very short period of time, but she was not at all happy about our decision to live with you and, as expected, she blamed me for feeding all these thoughts into Aneri’s mind.’

  She wiped her tears and added, ‘You have become a good friend and rather than staying together, I prefer we remain best friends for life.’

  Kinnari silently nodded her head and replied, ‘I totally understand…’

  Aakash shut his eyes. He wanted to think of something to hold everyone together, but all he could imagine was Aneri’s gloomy face. Hundreds of thoughts crossed Aakash’s mind in those few seconds. When he opened his eyes, he realized that the only thought that stayed was of Aneri’s smiling face. He had to do something to bring it back. He rubbed his palms together and spoke softly, ‘Now that your decision is almost final, Aneri and I are left with no choice but to follow it. But, Mom, don’t you think it’s a tad abrupt to jump to the decision? And that
too, based on a teeny bit of a fight. We are not refuting your decision, but can we, at least, have the consolation of postponing the inevitable by a bit? Don’t get me wrong, all I propose is this: why don’t we spend today together and if, by the end of the day, you still feel that you have made the correct decision of separating, we won’t stop you.’Everyone was silent, but no one found Aakash’s suggestion objectionable. Aneri still felt depressed, but welcomed the short extension.

  Chhaya put on a smile on her face for the first time that day and said, ‘Let’s all go out for lunch. Aakash, it’s your plan, so you decide the course ahead.’ Aakash smiled back, ‘Let’s put a perfect end to yesterday’s fight! I have an ideal place in mind where we all can have fun and have a go at each other if required.’ Before entering the washroom to freshen up, Aakash looked at both his ‘mothers’ staring at him wide-eyed. ‘Just make sure you wear jeans instead of your salwars today!’ he said laughingly as he shut the door.

  ‘Really now! You have lost your mind. If this is your idea of making them realize how lucky they are to spend time in each other’s company, then it sucks big time,’ shouted Aneri. They stood behind the railing of a huge circular ground tilting slightly towards a slope. Two spherical globes with striated transparent plastic moved at the slow speed of 20 km/hour. At both ends of the ground, workers manually pushed the spheres which carried either a single or two persons inside the orb.

  Aakash smiled.

  Lunch at Mehman-Nawazi Restaurant, located in the Supreme Business Park of Hiranandani, was followed by dessert of a red velvet cheesecake at Love and Cheesecake. Aakash had implemented his plan of bringing them all to try Zorbing at Hakone Gaming Zone, Powai. Aakash was now a certified lunatic who had brought them for the adventure of globe-riding after a heavy meal.

  Zorbing, a recreation sport, consisted of adventurous humans gripping firmly onto a plastic bar and rolling on the ground inside a spherical globe. This globe has to pass through a few wooden ramps, making the person inside feel the bumps on the ride. In the final round, the two globes dash against each other a few times to complete the fun ride. To put it plainly, it was the perfect place to hit out at each other. Aakash knew he would be chased out of the Gaming Zone for this recommendation, but he persisted excitedly. He volunteered for the first round with Aneri. Both sat in the orb and as it moved, they turned upside down and flipped back immediately. This continued as they felt the jerks on the ramps. They tightly grasped each other as they rolled again and again as the orb picked up speed on the slope.

  Seeing them having fun, the adventurous spirits of their parents rose. Kinnari hesitatingly tried the first round with Kinjal, but the funfilled topsy-turvy ride made her go for multiple rounds with Ashwin and then with Aakash. Finally, Aakash walked up to the worker who was in-charge of pushing the orbs and gave him some instructions for the next round.

  This time around, Kinnari sat in one sphere and Chhaya in another, both by themselves. Two workers on either side got busy following Aakash’s instructions. They shoved the spheres with all their might, causing them to gain speed. As Bharat and Ashwin looked on in horror, both spheres moved towards each other at high speed, collided with great impact and pushed away again. The staff, without a delay, pushed them again. The initial fun-filled screams were later replaced by ‘what-the-hell’ exclamations from both Kinnari and Chhaya. With the fifth collision, they shouted at Aakash to stop the ride. Aakash screamed back, ‘Have you both had enough of hitting at each other? Get some more,’ he winked at the staff, as Bharat and Aneri giggled.

  As the next collision happened, Aakash shouted again, ‘Have you both had enough?’ Aakash clearly heard an affirmation, but refrained from stopping. As the globes collided at a reduced speed, he again shouted, ‘I did not hear you clearly, have you both had enough of hitting?’

  He then heard a loud scream saying ‘Yes’ as the orbs came to a halt. Huge applause from the small crowd of their family erupted as Kinnari and Chhaya emerged from the orbs. The first thing they did was to run towards Aakash in mock anger. This time around, both Kinnari and Chhaya chased Aakash, in a real sense, out of the Zone.

  For the rest of the evening, they roamed around the bylanes of the Hiranandani area. They shopped at the arcade before settling down at Starbucks for a cup of coffee. The attendant behind the coffee counter looked admiringly at this happy family and their excited chatter. Aakash and Aneri filled them with details of their Dubai trip and Ashwin and Bharat talked about their small trek on the Powai hills last Sunday. The attendant who brought their coffee to the table was astonished to see Aakash examining Bharat’s upper lip to check how it was healing.

  While Aakash was busy inspecting Bharatbhai’s oral condition, Aneri was showing Kinjal the rest of the Dubai photos on her mobile screen. She was alerted by an email notification in the middle. Clearly, her mobile had hooked on to the open wi-fi connection of the café. As she opened her mail, her eyes narrowed with interest. She read the whole mail sent by a certain Woodson & Associates from London. The endnote on the mail requested her to reply as soon as possible.

  She clicked on the reply icon, hesitated and then, changing her mind, clicked out of the mail folder. She thought to herself, ‘Will talk to Aakash about this before replying.’

  After a light dinner at home, when Ashwin suggested a night stroll together, Aakash knew it was the time of reckoning. He turned to Aneri who raised her crossed fingers. Deep within his heart, he knew that they all had spent a great day together. They were so much into each other the whole day that he strongly believed that they might reconsider their decision of parting ways.

  Aakash walked silently alongside Aneri, frequently looking at her and then at the distant Powai Lake. The senior members were trailing leisurely behind them, indulging in their own chatter. Kinjal had ducked out the stroll, citing a project deadline.

  They had almost reached the other end of the lake and decided to take a break on a wooden bench. After a bit, Aakash reluctantly popped the question, ‘So, what have you all decided? Are you okay with staying together here? I know we all want that. Look at us; we are having such a whale of a time.’ He laughed nervously.

  Kinnari and Chhaya immediately looked at each other and realized that they had nearly forgotten last night’s incident. Kinnari uttered an almost inaudible monosyllable. Chhaya hesitated, opened her mouth and then closed it. Aakash looked at Aneri, amused. They both knew what was going on in their minds. They expected either to speak up, but surprisingly, heard Bharat’s mildly gruff voice instead. ‘You guys marketed a wholesome entertainment package the whole day, but do you seriously feel that this could change such an important decision?’

  He stared at his daughter unblinkingly. Aneri, completely puzzled, looked at her dad enquiringly. He continued, ‘We allowed you both to take charge of an entirely unknown territory. Just like you both, we, too, were in the dark. Aneri, do you remember your mother’s words early this morning? She clearly stated that she fears losing a lifetime friendship in this arrangement. Aakash, you are mature enough to understand that the relationship between in-laws is governed by certain social implications. We, as the wiser lot, are expected to be ultra-cordial with our in-laws all our lives. There is no second variable about this. Your smartness and zeal to stick to your plans saved the day today. But, can you assure us that it won’t happen tomorrow? If you both get into petty fights, it’s accepted and normal. But, it’s a social stigma if we start doing the same.’

  He paused for breath and summoned his final verdict. ‘We may take every precaution to avoid trouble in paradise, but a slight tiff, however small, could lose us our friendship and, in turn, jeopardize your relationship too. No, Aakash, no Aneri, I can’t allow that to happen. None of us can allow that. Let’s give this arrangement a break for the moment. We can return to its fold any moment if we feel the need for it.’

  ‘Fine, Papa. If that’s your decision, however hard it is for us, we accept it,’ Aneri said, grasping Aakash’s hand.
‘But, I can’t give up so easily. We will wait here in the current flat for you people for a fortnight. If you feel you are missing out on something important, do join us. In case, that does not happen, I will return with Aakash to Chembur.’

  Aakash and Aneri lingered back a little, while their parents went back to the apartment to pack. Aneri almost screamed. ‘They are right. We were wrong all along! They can’t risk a fight between themselves. Because they are expected not to have one.’ Aneri stomped her foot in anger, ‘All our efforts down the drain. They don’t care. Forget it, Aakash, we were fools! We don’t need them. Let them spend their lives alone.’ Sensing Aneri talk gibberish out of anger and hurt, Aakash moved closer to her and put his finger on her lips. He whispered, ‘Are you giving up? That’s not my Aneri.’ As he felt Aneri’s anger subside, he held her more closely and spoke, looking straight into her eyes, ‘They came together because we wanted them to. If they realize that they miss each other, they will come back, for their reasons this time.’ Embracing Aneri, as cool winds blew from over the lake, he spoke softly, ‘There is one minor thing which we can try. It may not work, but we can try.’

  Early next morning when Ashwin, Kinnari, Bharat, and Chhaya went to the park for their morning walk, Aakash and Aneri sneaked into their parents’ room. Making sure that no one was watching them, they set to work. Aakash talked to himself. ‘If we just make them realize how much they will miss not having each other around, they will be forced to rethink.’ The plan was simple. The packed cartons and bags were right in front of them. Their plan was to interchange a few belongings. It was all very simple. Bharat’s karaoke mic got pushed into Ashwin’s carton. Chhaya’s recipe book was placed in between the neatly stacked clothes in Kinnari’s bag. Bharat’s photo album was interchanged with Ashwin’s. A few of Ashwin’s favourite CD’s from Bharat’s collection found a place in Ashwin’s carton.