XXVI

Sunita sat staring outside from the window when Rakesh came home. Rakesh said "Hi dear" and went upstairs. He didn't notice that he hadn't received any reply to his greeting. He went to his room and changed. Then thinking Sunita was resting, he went and made tea for her and himself. He came to Sunita, still sitting at the window and staring, holding two cups of hot brewed tea in his hands. He placed the cups on the small side table and sat down. "Sunita..." Sunita didn't answer, she was still sitting still. "Sunita..." Rakesh gently touched her by her shoulder.

"Huh??!!....Rakesh....when did you get home?" Sunita got startled by Rakesh's sudden touch. "Hey, it has been almost 20 minutes, dear....are you okay? how are you so lost?" "Oh God, I have no idea since how long I have been sitting here....." she dug her face in her hands. Rakesh lifted her face by her chin, "what happened, what's on your mind? Is something wrong?" Sunita told Rakesh about her conversation with Shiela, and how she is feeling empty since that.

Rakesh took a deep sip of the pipping hot tea and nodded listening to her. He had his own set of thinking clouds hovered over him. "Sunita, frankly speaking, now i'm really scared to even think about having children!" Rakesh shuddered. Sunita stared at him blank, deep inside she empathized with him. She knew he was right. "Rakesh," Sunita placed her hand on his right knee, "I know dear." she nodded, looking in his eyes. Rakesh felt confident by Sunita's touch, he smiled and nodded.

"Sunita!!" Shiela exclaimed, opening the front door to its full swing, " Oh I'm sorry,.....I should have knocked!" she stopped abruptly, seeing Sunita removing her hand from Rakesh's thigh. Sunita got up and welcomed Shiela. " No silly! its absolutely fine! Shiela nodded to greet Rakesh. Rakesh also smiled back and got up with the excuse to find the day's newspaper.

"I'm sorry Sunita, I didn't think Bhaisaheb would be here..." "Shhh...its okay." Sunita said, " so what's up?" Shiela regained her excitement, " I came up with a plan to organise a drawing competition in your school on the upcoming Republic day! So I came running to you, to tell you this" Sunita laughed, " You looked so excited for this?!.....okay okay, i'll talk to my principal Sir"

XXV

"Ding dong "went the front door bell, "coming....in a minute" answered Sunita from her bedroom. "Oh  Hi, yeah let's go..... could you just come inside and spare me two minutes?" Asked Sunita as she opened to the door to find Sheila on the other side. "Okie, be quick!" Said sheila as she entered Sunita's home and sat on the couch, "the movie starts in half an hour and we aren't on our way yet!"

"Yeah yeah..... come lets go!" Said Sunita as she pulled Sheila off the couch by her hand. 

Within days of their first meeting, the two women had become fast friends. They often had lunch together when their respective husbands were in office. They would go out for shopping or simply walks in evening. Sunita didn't feel alone anymore. Sheila would sometimes visit her school also, she also loved spending time with kids, just as Sunita. They often had dinner together with their husbands joining them. Rakesh and Tarun had mutual liking for each other too.

Sheila came to know of a kid at Sunita's school who had a very poor financial background and whose parents were planning to drop him off from school or switch him to a government aided school. Sheila extended her financial support to the kid. She vowed to pay for his education until he stands on his feet. Sunita was moved by her friend's decision. She adored her for her good heart.

Sheil
a once asked Sunita why she hadn't become mother yet when she was so fond of kids. A teary eyed Sunita then narrated her journey of her failed attempt to motherhood. Sheila remarked, how strong Sunita was, having undergone so much she still managed to smile and enjoy life. Sunita felt comforted by her words but suddenly felt very empty inside, as her past failures had been recalled today.

XXII

"Hmmmm....I love the smell of Chinese spices...." said Mrs Devi as Rakesh held the door of the restaurant for her, " hurry up Sunita...I'm feeling hungry!" she grabbed Sunita by her elbow. Sunita followed her inside the restaurant.




"Table for three please!" said Rakesh to the waiter waiting next to the entrance. The waiter led the three of them towards their table. They sat down and glanced at the menu. "What will my darling have?" Mrs Devi asked Sunita, "the regular?" She smiled and turned towards Rakesh, " you know Rakesh, when Sunita was young and whenever we had plans to eat out.....she would always insist on going to some Chinese restaurant....and she had the same order every time! " she paused to chuckle, Sunita smiled too. "She would always order American Chopsuey, she just loves it!" " Well, I never knew in so many years!" Rakesh exclaimed, "I'll also have chopsuey today!" Mrs Devi laughed, "Fine, lets all have chopsuey today!" All three of them laughed as Rakesh ordered three chopsuey for the table.

While waiting for the order to arrive, Rakesh was telling his mother in law, the regular course of his job, while she gave comparative responses about her garden plants. A family occupied the table next to theirs and they were a family of four, two young kids. The younger child smiled at Sunita. Sunita couldn't help but smile back at her.

The young girl got up from her seat and came to Sunita. She playfully touched her and smiled. Sunita called her near and started talking to her, where she lived and about her school. Rakesh and Sunita's mother also started interacting with the kid. Their order came, the girl also liked choupsey, she took some from Sunita's plate. Suddenly the child's mother came and said, " Garima....I think you have troubled aunty enough, now lets go and finish our dinner, and let aunty enjoy her meal too....come beta" Garima waived tata to Sunita and returned to her table.

Sunita had tears in her eyes, she just couldn't finish her meal. Rakesh and Mrs Devi insisted her to eat a litlle more, but Sunita couldn't continue any further. Rakesh got up and asked Sunita to come with him, get some fresh air outside the restaurant.

XX

"Superstitions.....superstitions.....superstitions...... is that all you got Mom?" Sunita lost her patience, "I just cleaned a dead animal and all you have for me is this one line....she killed it!"

" Sunita....grow up....open your eyes.." Mrs Devi took Sunita by surprise as she took hold of her both arms in her grip tightly and shook her, " this is what I have been saying since the first day I stepped into this house.....this is what guruji was saying......don't you and Rakesh realise this?"

Sunita paused for a moment, almost giving in to her mother's tight grip, then she shrugged her hands off her, and spoke in a determined tone, "Maa, I and Rakesh, we have no idea who this "she" is, what you both have been talking about. Also we have absolutely no interest in any sort of superstitions, so please just......"

"Just shut up?"Mrs Devi didn't let Sunita finish her statement, " this is what you and Rakesh want me to do, right?.....Sunita I hadn't expected this from you at least." Before Sunita could say anything, Mrs Devi left the room.

Next morning, Rakesh and Sunita went to see her off to the railway station. She didn't want to stay a minute more in that house.

XIX

After a few days, things became normal. Mrs Devi and Rakesh were still not very comfortable around each other, but somehow they were co-existing, with Sunita handling the environment by making their favorite dishes.

"Sunita, the smell is stronger today!" said Mrs. Devi after her daily morning Puja, " I can sense, she is not happy....something's about to happen". "Mom! please don't start again!" Sunita snapped, " I really don't want all that episode to repeat again"

" Sunita...you just never listen to me!" Mrs. Devi took Sunita by both her arms, making her pay attention to her words, " concentrate and smell! You will feel her....feel the smell getting strong". Sunita closed her eyes and and made an attempt to smell, just for her mother's sake. She smelled something really queer, and shook her mother, " whats that smell Mother?!"

"See, I told you....", " Wait...its coming from that side..." Sunita dragged her mother towards the balcony. "Wait beta, let me consult Guruji, she ...whosoever she is might attack us....what will we do then!!" " Oh God Mother!" Sunita exclaimed, rather unpleasantly, "just come with me" She dragged her by her arm.

"Its getting stronger...we shouldn't..." feared Mrs. Devi. Sunita hushed her and proceeded covering her nose with her handkerchief. They entered the balcony. The smell grew multi fold and became unbearable.

"She killed it.....what a bad omen!!" Mrs Devi shreiked in horror. Sunita rushed to bring a broom and dustpan. " Mom its a dead cat in our balcony, no "she" killed it, now you go inside, I'll clean it up"

"Sunita.....cat's death in your balcony......don't you realise what it means...." Mrs Devi shook Sunita by her shoulder. Sunita glared at her, symbolizing her to leave the place, "Ma, its a dead cat, let me just clean the place"

XVIII

Delicious aroma filled the house. Mrs. Devi could smell her favorite gajar ka halwa (carrot halwa) even through the strong smell of her aroma candles. She wondered from where the strong smell of freshly made halwa was coming.

Rakesh paused his favorite song in his mp3 player, his mouth started watering as his nose tickled by the smell of his favorite kachoris. Since the morning, thanks to Guruji's arrival, he hadn't had anything to eat. His stomach growled by the enticing smell of kachoris.

Mrs. Devi couldn't resist further, she paced up towards the door of her room, but then stopped, she just recalled she was angry. "Yeah, I'm angry...still I can go to the kitchen....it doesn't stop me from going there" Mrs Devi said to herself, justifying her act of getting attracted towards the smell of halwa. She gave up her control and rushed towards the dinning hall.


Rakesh couldn't control anymore, neither his stomach nor his watering mouth, he had to have kachoris. He rushed towards the kitchen. As he stepped inside the living room, he stopped seeing his mother in law on the other end of the hall.


Mrs. Devi also stood on one foot, her left foot almost still in the air. She had hastily stepped towards the dinning table seeing the halwa, but then didn't set her other foot down seeing Rakesh. " The halwa is towards this end of the table, and Sunita is also sitting, I should join her.....also why was I angry at Rakesh, again" thought Mrs Devi, and without looking at Rakesh she sat down at one end of the table.

Rakesh also hurried along towards his end of the table, and gave Sunita a wide smile. Both of them attacked the kachoris and halwa. Sunita smiled to herself, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

III

Since she had hinted her mother about planning her future, Sunita now used to get daily dosage  of dos and dont's from her. She sometimes used to snap listening the same stuff again and again, but then a smile used to grow on her face thinking about how wonderful the years to come would be.

Sunita and Rakesh desperately started to look for a nice home, somewhere they could see their children laugh and play and live!

For weeks their luck didn't favour them as budget was still tight, but one Sunday afternoon, Sunita's eyes got set at a little bungalow in a colony nearby the famous temple. Rakesh found the price a bit steep but as Sunita was determined to go for the bungalow he had to cave in.

                         

Sunita and Rakesh felt as if they had found their dream house. They also convinced the owner to agree to let them pay a token money of around forty percent of the price and then later pay the rest as Rakesh would get the advance from his company shortly. Rakesh had been saving since a long time and was happy he was able to use his savings for the best, he was able to make his Sunita happy.

Sunita was on cloud 9, she started packing and planning and dreaming how she would decorate her new home. Rakesh laughed "Sunita dear, the advance is not even sanctioned yet and you have started packing!" Sunita said "I don't want to live a day longer in this society, I am tired of these deserted streets....I just want to run away to my dream home." Rakesh hugged her lovingly and started helping her pack.

II

“Doesn’t the society feels lifeless to you?” Asked a 20 years younger Sunita to Rakesh. “I know dear, very lifeless….. but this is all I could afford….you know…” said Rakesh, looking timidly at his newly wedded wife. “Its ok” said Sunita reassuringly, she didn’t like the society from the very first glimpse, but they didn’t have much options.

Sunita got to work, and decorated their new house like it was some festival around the corner! She thought she would go to meet her neighbours later that evening. Rakesh came home early that evening and brought her fresh flowers. Sunita was delighted, and they spent a lovely evening together at their new home.

Next day after finishing off her chores, Sunita headed to her neighbours Shastris. She rung the doorbell, after a short delay, the gate was opened by a middle aged Mrs. Shastri. Sunita introduced herself and that she had moved in a day before in the neighbourhood. Mrs. Shastri sounded uninterested, and didn’t even invite her inside her home. Sunita felt strange, but tried her luck at her other neighbours’ house. Mrs. Dey Invited her indoors, and offered her a seat. Sunita was a bit relieved, also Mrs. Dey seemed not too elder to her. She had a small chat with Reena, who seemed a kind lady but Sunita felt a strange air of sadness enveloping her. Sunita went back home, and prepared a sumptuous meal her for her husband, had dinner and went to sleep.

A few months passed, Sunita and Rakesh had setup their love nest, with some furniture from their parents’ house and some from their own money. Sunita had not made any friends in the neighbourhood. No lady ever came to peek into her house, only Sunita had made a few trips to Mrs. Dey’s. She wasn’t a chatterbox, but a patient listener, which kept Sunita company.

Sunita and Rakesh decided to plan their family. Their parents had been suggesting them from long, and finally they decided to heed to their advice. Sunita was unwilling to raise her kids in this lifeless society. She wanted to shift somewhere nice and then raise their family. Rakesh assured her, his work was running smooth and they could soon get loan from bank to buy their dream house. Sunita was thrilled by the thought of their dream house.

I

“Ding dong” went the main gate bell. It was a fine gate with a huge structure and solid iron which gave it a rich feel. Black iron not polished long ago gave it a royal look. “Ding dong” again went the bell which shook the silence of the deserted neighborhood.

A lady with a few greys walked up to the door and opened the solid cast for the impatient visitor. She looked down to find the young visitor wearing a smile prettier than her pink frock. “Yes? May I help you?” “Oh yes Ma’am, I have recently shifted in the house next to yours, and was looking for a friend to play with!” chuckled the little miss.

“You won’t find any company here! Or anywhere near!” said the lady clad in a very regular cotton sari, with more wrinkles than her face. Mrs. Sharma shut the door tight and returned back to her room, only to return to the door on the sound of the second bell.

“Namaste, you must be Mrs. Sharma, I’m Kamini, Katyani’s mother. I’m sorry, she is such an active child, must have bothered you.” “Umm, that’s Ok but I have already told her, there is no one in my house to play with her.” said Sunita in a rather strict tone. “Yeah, we would love you to join us for tea sometime! See you around. Bye!” Kamini said rather abruptly astounded by the unfriendly attitude of Sunita, and rushed back home taking Katyani by her arm, “don’t run off to stranger's homes dear, be careful…..”.

Sunita dragged herself back to her room, her mind unable to let go the 8 year old’s smile. Her voice echoed in her ears and a tiny tear fell off her left eye corner. Seated in her arm chair she gazed out through the dark big window. Her mind jumped back 20 years back….