Radha heard her mobile ping indicating an incoming message. As she wound up the cleaning of the Kitchen, she smiled to herself knowing it was her husband Prakash becoming restless as he waited for her upstairs in the terrace. She did not bother to reply as she could just save time and reach him faster. She completed her work and peeped out and could see that the family had retired to their beds. The children were already asleep in their bedroom shared with Prakash and Radha. Her in-laws had also retired, and she could see her brother-in-law, Ramesh, fast asleep on his mat in the hall. Poor guy who had a job that entailed a lot of physical activity could normally barely complete his dinner before he was ready to sleep!
Radha peeped into their bedroom and found that the kids were as usual whispering to each other under their bed sheet. The minute they realized she had opened the door they were silent. She gave an indulgent smile and closed the door knowing they would drop off to sleep in a few minutes.
With a final sigh she switched off the lights in the hall and switched on a small night lamp before going to the balcony from where she climbed the stairs to the terrace.
She went up silently and stood near the terrace door to watch Prakash. He was standing near the far end leaning against the parapet wall. But his eyes were watching the sky. She looked up and was also enamoured by the full moon in the clear sky with a dusting of a few stars. She could hear the old Tamil song playing from Prakash's mobile. A beautiful song by Kannadasan. "Andru vanthathum idhe nila" the same moon that met us on that long ago day!
Radha smiled. Love and affection burst in her heart. Her partner of 14 years was such a romantic under all his practicality and down-to-earth nature. She quickly moved to his side, and he turned to her, the smile started in the depth of his eyes, they glowed with the same love and affection she felt. He clasped her palm below the parapet wall and said, " I was waiting for you" and she murmured "I know". Such mundane words but they expressed all the romance , deep love, warmth and even a bit of ardour. They were definitely each other's better halves. They helped each other to bring forth the goodness and positives and suppress any negatives they may possess.
Radha joined him in gazing at the moon above, the stars, and then at the leafy mango tree as it rustled with the breeze. The rains a few days back had washed out all the dust from the trees around them. The trees seemed to be glorifying in imbibing freshness and sharing it with the world outside. Both of them smiled at each other, most probably thinking similar thoughts, and then together gazed down at the street below. Very few people were walking down the street, a lone man probably returning from office , the tiredness in him emanating from every step he took, a shopkeeper closing up his little shop , pulling down the shutter. They could see the workers in the small restaurant cleaning up the tables and putting the chairs up on the table and cleaning up the floor. The little temple at the end of street was closed but the street hawkers nearby had made their beds in the pathway and huddled together to chat and relax as they settled for the night.
The familiar daily scene helped relax Radha and Prakash. They sighed and turned away just as the song ended and walked towards the corner of the terrace where a quilt made of old bed sheets was spread out and a few old, cylindrical cushions were propped against the wall. Radha noticed the bag of mixed dry fruits and the bottle of water set nearby and smiled. Prakash always came prepared. The snacks were very much part of their day end routine.
They both settled down to sit back against the cushions and the wall, shoulder to shoulder, stretched their legs and sat quietly for a few minutes.
Radha turned to Prakash after a few minutes and asked Prakash, "So why the messages? What was the hurry! ". He turned to her and gave her his impish grin which was so endearing she started grinning too. He said "Nothing. Just wanted to see you soon!". "You just saw me at dinner!". She mocked playfully. "So what? I can miss my wife any time!" he said. They flirted with each other for some time like they were young teenagers who were dating. This was an inherent part of the " terrace rendezvous" they enjoyed most of the days.
After a few minutes of comfortable quiet time just enjoying each other's undisturbed nearness under the stars, Prakash started talking about a conflict he had with his boss that day. Radha listened and asked a few questions to understand the issue, and then gave some points of view, some in support of Prakash but a few in support of the boss too. Prakash was adamant about his point of view for some time and then started understanding Radha's points of view. Finally, he reached a clarity of thought which he felt would help him deal with the issue the next day. As they closed the discussion he said, "Thanks da it really helps when I talk to you". Radha smiled warmly at him and started sharing an experience related to her WFH/Freelancing job. She was doing some SOP creation and documentation work for a company, and she had some hilarious interactions with the team she was working with.
After some shared fun and laughter, Radha brought up the issue she wanted to discuss. She said "Praks (her private pet name for her husband) did you check for a 2nd hand settee for the hall, with your friend who is vacating his house?". Prakash knocked his head and said "Oops I forgot Rats (his pet name for the wife) totally forgot I will check tomorrow". Radha chided him "What pa I reminded you in the morning too. Ok tomorrow I will keep messaging you till you ask. I feel so sad for Ramesh bro. We need to at least give him a bed to sleep in, if not a room for himself". Prakash clasped her hands and promised to take care of the issue the next day.
They spent some more time discussing and dreaming about the additional bedroom they would build in the future in the terrace area so that Ramesh and the kids could have their own bedroom. Of course, it was a long-term dream, as they were quietly putting aside a bedroom fund with a small savings made using Radha's income while Prakash's income was fully used up for the family's expenses. The little that Ramesh was contributing was put into another fund for Ramesh's future which will be gifted to him when he decided to marry and setup his own house. Prakash's fathers' income was put into a medical insurance kitty which would be only used for emergency purposes.
After about half an hour of discussing all these plans Radha and Prakash sat for a few more minutes to listen to a couple of old moon songs as they munched the snacks, and then decided to call it a day. They got up and packed up the quilt and pillows and put them in the inside rack of the terrace to protect them from potential rains.
As they went down the stairs and moved towards their bedroom, they felt light-hearted and content that they found at this hour on most nights. A beautiful time to savour and cherish. They valued it as their private time to just talk , enjoy a bit of music together and romance a bit and discuss some serious issues in their lives. While they loved their family, they ensured they got their terrace rendezvous time at least a few days a week . They truly believed it strengthened their married life .
Prakash went and peeped into his parent's room to check on them, and then moved to Ramesh and adjusted his bedsheet. He looked down fondly at his brother and softly caressed his head. The poor boy loved his job but as a large-machinery mechanic it involved a lot of physical labour and by the end of the day, he was absolutely deadbeat! Prakash had hopes for a future where he dreamt of setting up a mechanical unit for Ramesh so that he became an entrepreneur. He said a small prayer as he thought about these dreams.
He turned towards Radha who was standing near the bedroom door watching him fondly. She smiled understanding the nature of his thoughts and gave him an encouraging look. She held out her hands and he clasped it. She started humming the tune of the song they had listened to upstairs, very softly and Prakash held her hands as they smiled at each other and stepped into their room and closed the door softly.
YOU ARE READING
The Terrace Rendezvous! (PIECES OF LIFE - SERIES)
Short StoryHey! In the recent past I have been infected by this bug which keeps giving me an urge to write. I had started writing at least 3-4 stories which stopped midway still awaiting their completion. I keep making some mental drafts which are yet to be pe...
