Prejudice

5. Moments...

The entire day, Pranav did not enter the room, and had himself busy with the birds.

Shraddha had to follow the custom of her first kitchen ritual that night. She settled on simple kheer and warm pooris. When she entered the kitchen, she saw a couple of maids already working there for dinner preparations.

Neetu welcomed her and told that this kitchen was used only for the cooking for Jay and Pranav. The staff kitchen was located in another wing of the house. All the maids were just allowed to help with the preparation while she and RaniMaa was the one to actually perform the cooking.

RaniMaa was a middle aged lady. She was dressed in traditional Rajasthani attire. Her eyes had a wise glint that had matured with her age.

When Shraddha told Neetu about her plan to cook that night, both Neetu and RaniMaa, looked at each other.
Finally, Neetu asked her to cook for either Pranav or Jay. She told her that they don't eat same food, if not cooked by RaniMaa or herself. They do not break their rules, under any circumstances.
Shraddha was shocked to know that.

She realized that it was more to these two brothers, than what actually appeared.

She finally was done with the cooking, as planned, assuming that the brothers would not be able to make out the difference.

At the dinner table, when Shraddha, Jay and Pranav were settled for the dinner, Neetu silently served everything in their plates. Shraddha was assuming that they would dive in their food, but whatever happened next was a shocker to her.

Both Jay and Pranav looked at Neetu with brooding eyes. She quietly went inside and brought out two casseroles.  She used an empty plate to serve plain rice and tampered lentils in a bowl.
Pranav, without a word, pulled that plate to him. Jay on the other hand, picked up Shraddha's plate and replaced it with his. Now she was having the plate served for Jay and Pranav had the plain Dal-Rice, cooked by RaniMaa.

Shraddha did not know what to make out of the situation.

She was not left with any choice but to eat the food in silence as the brothers did the same.

Both Pranav and Jay are the first serving and left the dining room.

Shraddha came to her chamber, anticipating her husband there. As expected, he was in the balcony. With his palms flat on the railings, he was looking far away, lost in his own thoughts.

She halted at the threshold and the clinking of her anklets made him turn to look at her.

"You did not eat the food cooked by me." She asked offended.

He turned around to face her.

"Jay told me it was good. Thanks for that. But it would be nice if you don't interfere with the few things here."

Shraddha widened her eyes.

"It was meant for you." She raised her voice.

"Tone down your voice Shraddha. Didn't Neetu tell you about our eating habits?"

Shraddha was taken aback.
"She did. But you can eat the food cooked by her, then why not by me? Don't you trust me?"

"I don't trust my own shadow. I trust just two men. One of them is Jay. And I have my reasons for that." He simply replied.

She was offended by his statement.

He walked closer.
"Trust is a strong word. It can't be donated. It needs to be earned with time and with actions. Loyalty can be bought with money and actions. Trust can't be sold. We hardly know each other. It will take a lot of time." he explained in a much calmer tone.