City of Dreams

7.

Love is never far from us.  Hopefully, we begin our journey conceived in love.  We are nurtured through parental love before growing up and finding our own romantic love and life partner or maybe multiple partners.  We may then create our own family so experiencing parental love as the caregiver and nurturer and thus the cycle endlessly perpetuates itself.  We still have the enduring love of our parents whilst they remain alive and other family members such as siblings and grandparents.  Love is at every turn.
                               ***

Shehnaaz was tired after a long day. She was hungry and wanted to clean herself before she went to kitchen to cook dinner for herself and Karou.

"Sunn na Karou, tu bindi kat dega aur atta bhi maad de, main jaldi se naha ke aayi phir aake subzi aur roti bana dungi." She requested him with assertiveness.

"Kya hain Naaz... kitna kaam karati hain tu..." Karou sulked, slouching down in sofa with exhaustion dropping down the two reusable grocery bags he carried up the floor to their apartment. It was an old style-built apartment which did not have elevators. They must walk up to their floor, which they were thankful that it was just one floor up.

Keeping the bag in the kitchen slab which Shehnaaz was carrying, she drank a bottle full of cold water from refrigerator and walked to the living room with another chilled bottle for Karou. It was a wet, humid June month in Mumbai. Sweating and exhaustion comes in package with this weather especially if you are commuting by metro and by foot to home.

"Please na bhai... I need to shower! Bahut tak gayi huin aur bhook bhi lagi hain. Fresh hone ke baad, dekh kitni mast subzi banaungi..." she added not having an ounce of strength to argue. Grabbing the bottle, he gulped down the full bottle. "Jaldi aana" he ordered, wiping his mouth with his collar, and agreeing to her request.

"Main humesa jaldi hi aati huin woh toh tu hain jo ek ganta lagata hain naha ke aane main, patlu Ram. Jaa rahi huin main aur jaldi se apne haath per chalaa aur kaam katam kar jo bola hain... come on come on... get up get up" teasing him with animatic actions, she ran inside her room and shut the door before he could chase her for a banter.

She kept her phone charged as it was showing low battery, not before checking if there was any message from Sidharth. But to her dismay there was none. He had not even bothered to read any of them. She typed in 'Reached home' message to him, no smileys or with any catch, hoping he will get the cue that she was upset of his cold behavior. With an overturned lip she glanced a look on suitcase, untouched from Kailash trip, making her more anxious! She had so much to do, with that thought she grabbed towel and clothes, she wore in the morning for few hours and exited out of the room to the common bathroom she shared with Karou in the apartment.

Karou had completed chopping, kneading and sorted the grocery items out from the bag when Shehnaaz returned after having a cold shower getting much needed relief from the heat.

"Oye, jaa aur naha ke aa.. main tezi naal khana pakanga" rushing towards the stove she started to chop onions and cook vegetables. She heard him yell from his room, "Kya hain?" she screeched while making balls from the dough for roti.

"Stupid, tera phone baj raha hain kab se, behri ho gayi hain kya?" he screamed, taking her phone to the kitchen. Her heart skipped a beat expecting it to be Sidharth's call but his next words ruined her hope, "Aunty ka call hain."

She swiped the icon right to attend the call, it was a video call as she expected.

"Mumma, kaise ho? Aajo khanna kha lo... Meri subzi main tuhade haath wala taste kabhi nahin aata par! Aapka secret batao mujhe" placing the phone in rack she started to roll the roti, chit chatting with her mother and her brother. She was eating bites in between making roti's as well, finishing one completely. Karou made a plate for himself and served a few roti and subzi grabbing the phone to talk to Baaz and walked to sit in the couch. She also made herself a plate and joined him in the living room.