The Parental Partners

9. Her Paal Packet

*Purely Fictional Story*

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Ashwin woke to the sound of a different calling bell. He stirred, trying to get up and carefully remove the tiny limbs that were across his shoulders and tummy, but Sivaangi, who had managed to extract herself easier, told him to go back to sleep while she went to collect the milk.

He came to the kitchen a few minutes later, to the humming of a pleasant tune by Sivaangi while she washed the milk packets and the bottles containing organic milk. He hugged her from behind "Madam eppolendhu milk packets wash panna start paneenga?"

"Andha kadhaiya yen kekkare Ashwin. Oru naal kaalankaarthala oruthan enakku class eduthan, about hygiene. Oorula irukara ella azhukum indha paal packets la dhan irukumaam. Adhunaala dhan." She said, her lips curving automatically in smile.

"Enna maa ippadi kalaikara" he whined into her neck.

"Indha organic milk kudichu paathen. Idhu eppadi rendu pasangalum once a day kudikaraanga nu therla. No wonder they are more enthusiastic about the night-time milk from my blue colour milk packets." As part of co-parenting, Sivaangi and Ashwin decided to merge the best of practices that they each followed. This way they had gotten to know not only about each child's preferences but also of each other's. They were thankful they had this worked out already, it should make this transition easier. What exactly the transition was going to be, they were yet to figure out. But they'd make it, they both knew that.

"Is that why you called me paal packet that night?" he asked when he suddenly remembered it. "That night on my sofa" he whispered reminding her in case she had forgotten, but mainly to witness again the reaction his voice has on her.

"Take my phone and see the nick name under your contact. That's how I saved it even before I met you." Without moving from behind her, he reached out his hand to pick her phone from the kitchen slab. "Paal Packet a? Should I be insulted?"

"Enakku unna maari paal varities theriyaadhu. I prefer these blue one (she help up the ones she had washed) because it has always suited Dvi and me. Just like you," She turned her neck to face him "and you were wearing a blue colour tee shirt that night." She shrugged and added "Nee mattum anniku vera colour tee shirt potrundha, nan un kai pidichurupena nu therile, ellame Kadavul Setting."

"Adi paavi, andha tee shirt choose pannadhu nan" but he was overwhelmed with how simply she conveyed his importance in her life. He didn't know how else to rightly show his emotions then other than to hug her even tighter.

"I could get used to these hugs Ashwin."

"I'll make sure you do, Dora."

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The couple and the kids were pretty much living at both the houses by now. They were loving this phase, enjoying the ample space and running crazy when they couldn't remember in which house they kept what. The set-up, the style and the furnishing of the houses may have been different, but the laughter, the fights, the tears, the cuddles - they remained the same irrespective of the door number.

In spite of having the luxury of space, Ashwin and Sivaangi had no space. They sneaked around like teenagers in forbidden love. A part of them was excited with the clandestine acts while the mature side of them kept them balanced. The baby-steps they took now included holding hands or sharing hugs in front of the kids. The couple still laugh thinking about the first time the twins saw them hug and immediately came in between to separate them. "No No No No" each twin had said. Oh the small joys in life! But then the kids quickly adapted to their new way of life; it was as if they had forgotten how they lived before the dramatic turn of events in their life. The same could be said for Ashwin and Sivaangi as well. The thinnest of any barriers and insecurities that they had were completely removed. They found intimacy not just in the physical sense, but in things ranging from taking decisions about their daughters to doing the most mundane of the chores like grocery shopping and washing vessels. Life felt beautiful. Maybe the hardships they underwent were destiny's map leading them to this destination. "Kadavul Setting dhan maa, oththukaren." Ashwin had surrendered once to Sivaangi when she argued in favour of Kadavul.