Mrinalini♦

23. Insecurities

"The many intricacies of a relationship lie not in what we express, 

but what we try and keep at bay in our hearts, struggling to suppress."

- Elegiac_Damsel

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Kolkata, The City of Joy

11th December

Third person's point of view:

Winter, the cold dreariness in the atmosphere, saturated with fog and an uncanny haziness, is when Christmas vibes take over the world. Kolkata, the City of Joy, the capital of colonial India, celebrated the spirit of the joyful season with lanes and avenues decked up with lights. Old bakeries like Nahoum's and Flury's saw bustling crowds as people gathered, scrounging for delicacies to mark and celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas.

It was evening, and Mrinalini and Debarghya were at New Market, shopping for clothes and other items that could be gifted to Anumegha's son who had his Annaprashan or rice ceremony on the 14th. The market area was crowded, unlike every other weekend, but more people were around today given the ongoing wedding season and upcoming festivities. The excitement that Kolkatans bear in their demeanour during any festival lies in testament to the phrase, baaro maashe tero parbon, which literally translates to 13 festivals or celebrations in 12 months. 

"Mrinal, I am tired. Can we go home now?" Debarghya asked Mrinalini as she kept scrounging through the aisles of the different stores looking for toys and clothes fit for a baby boy. They had been going about shopping for a couple of hours now and it would be late if they didn't start to return home now.

"The annaprashan is just 3 days away, Arghya," she replied, cautiously. "We need to buy some more gifts. Ma asked me to buy a set of clothes that she can gift with the gold chain that she has bought and Rishi had called earlier in the afternoon saying that he has no clue about baby sizes and what toys can be gifted to a six-month-old kid safely without worrying about a choking hazard. Moreover, there have to be more gifts from our end as well. You are the child's maternal uncle. You are supposed to feed him his first morsel after all."
"We have already ordered the small gold bangles and a ring, haven't we? The goldsmith said that it will be ready by tomorrow," he replied, shaking his head and looking at his watch.

"Gold or silver has to be given by close family members and relatives, Arghya, because it symbolises auspiciousness and purity for the child, but we should also give the kid a few things that he'll be able to understand the use of and enjoy with. For a baby, a silicone ring and a gold bangle aren't much different. Moreover, the gift is for the child, the piece of jewellery is merely given as a blessing, right?"

"I can't win against you in dialogue, Mrinal," Debarghya replied, smiling slightly. "However, it is late, and we have spent quite a bit of time and money on your shopping shenanigans today. The baby isn't old enough to crawl around properly and at the rate that you are buying things for him, he'll be grown and will have younger siblings before he can go through all the clothes and toys."

Mrinalini laughed. "This dog car is the last toy we are buying, I promise."

They stepped out of the market, armed with numerous shopping bags, and approached the metro station. 

"It's 8 pm already!" Mrinalini exclaimed in a horrified tone. "I have to make dinner once we get back."

"Take a break tonight, Mrinal," Debarghya told her softly. "We can order something."
...

13th December

With Debjani at Anumegha's place to prepare for little Archisman's annaprashan ceremony, Mrinalini was alone at home when the doorbell rang. It was a lazy afternoon and she had got back from the university earlier. The floor of the living room was strewn with gift-wrapping paper, sellotape, gift items, and a pair of scissors that kept disappearing every time she had to cut off a piece of paper or sellotape.
Sighing in exasperation as a stray piece of sellotape got stuck to her feet, dragging along, she walked towards the front door.