"She seems so cool, so focused, so quiet, yet her eyes remain fixed upon the horizon. You think you know all there is to know about her immediately upon meeting her, but everything you think you know is wrong. Passion flows through her like a river of blood.
She only looked away for a moment, and the mask slipped, and you fell. All your tomorrows start here."
― Neil Gaiman, Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders
"Anyone who has a continuous smile on his face conceals a toughness that is almost frightening."
― Greta Garbo
The thought of his wife though brings him back to reality, and the smile is wiped right off his face in an instant.
Sitting on his chair, in his cabin with an enormous pile of files in front of him he finds himself lost in the thoughts. She has been on his mind some way or the other ever since she made her presence felt in his life. The thoughts might have ranged from hatred, anger, annoyance to slowly amusement and awe – but they have always had one constant – her.
He finds it a little difficult to believe himself that this woman was a stranger to him barely a few months ago; sometimes it seems she has been around him forever. It hasn't even been six whole months since they met and he cant believe their relationship already has undergone the rollercoaster ride that it has. They have gone from being acquaintances to neighbors to sworn enemies to prospective spouses to parents as well as spouses and now.... friends. It amuses him as much as it baffles him now that he thinks of it.
Sometimes it feels he has known her forever, especially these days when he has come to accept her as a part of his life, has come to rely on her for his little things and especially Ruhi' upbringing.
Hence, the events of last evening have him disturbed. The atmosphere between the families was tensed because of Romi – his brother's blunders blew up one after another in his face. They have made things tensed between his family and that of his in-laws; however, he and Ishita are bound to look after both the homes and families.
The issue with Bala resolved has at least made it possible to face his sister-in-law and brother-in-law. He made Romi confess the truth and accepted the verdict of the board, that they rusticate Romi. His brother has ruined his future and he wishes he could change that but knows Romi had it coming someday with his actions.
He had been at his in-laws to meet Amma to check on her health in the evening along with Ishita; and was asked to stay for coffee and snacks. The gathering was awkward to say the least; things after all do not resolve in a moment. The only relief was Ruhi and Shravan were lost in playing a game giving the adults at least some reason to smile. Mihir had dropped by as well to ask about Amma and spend some time with Mihika in the process.
Things had barely settled when the doorbell rang. The sisters were busy in the kitchen arranging coffee and snacks and Mihir was busy playing referee to his niece and nephew. Appa was makings sure Amma took her medicine who grumbled about being stuck in a wheelchair. He asked Bala to relax and volunteered to check on the door only to be greeted with a tall, good-looking man holding a bouquet in front of him.
He was not prepared to say the least, as was neither of the gathered party for the stranger who arrived at their door.
He ushered in the stranger once he asked for his mother-in-law and upon learning, the identity of the stranger, the axis of his world shifted once again.
Shravan ran up to the man and hugged him by the waist loudly yelling Subu chithappa while the adults looked stupefied. The little boy soon launched into an animated chatter with his uncle while everyone else merely looked as if they had seen a ghost. His daughter walked up to her cousin who introduced his little sister and uncle proudly to each other.
