Aboli

Part 72

"So much fish! How many people are coming over for lunch?" Anju was surprised to see the variety of fish sent over by Harsh. An office assistant had come knocking on Anju's door bearing bags of fresh seafood minutes after Sanyukta was dropped off at her mother's doorstep. Sanyukta immediately dialled Harsh's phone but his number was not reachable, probably because he was busy in a meeting. She mentioned this to her mother.

"Never mind! Let's deal with all this fish first, we need to figure out what to make. I want the meal cooked before he comes over." 

Mother and daughter occupied themselves with the cleaning of the fish and prepping for lunch. Anju knew what Harsh's favourite dishes were, the menu quickly shaped up in her head. She would make a mackerel hooman, prawn and eggplant masala, shrimp pickle and fry the surmai and pomfret. On the side there would be beans sauté, salad, sol kadhi, bhakri and steamed rice. It took them a little over an hour and half to cook the meal. Anju took pains to sanitise the kitchen to ensure that no offensive fishy odour lingered behind even though she knew that Harsh would not mind.

"Sanyu, all this food could last us a week!" Anju remarked, and her daughter smiled. Harsh did not have to send so much provision, especially when the onus of making lunch was on Anju. But the generous man did not want her inconvenienced for his sake. Sanyukta knew Harsh was taking advantage of Renuka's absence to enjoy a hearty meal. The diet regime imposed by his wife had severely restricted his palate. All the food that came out of his kitchen was steamed or grilled, made with minimal fat, oil and spices. Randhir and Parth were used to it as they had eaten nothing else all their lives but it left Harsh craving for the tastes of his bachelor days, especially the morsels that Anju would share with him from her lunchbox. Now that Sanyukta had married his nephew it was Harsh's official privilege to enjoy her mother's hospitality.

The women had just spruced up the kitchen and changed their clothes when the doorbell rang. Sanyukta rushed to open the door and was surprised to see Randhir and Harsh standing there. She had not expected to see Randhir.

"How's Nicole? Hope she is feeling better!" Sanyukta blurted out. She knew how protective Randhir was about Nicole. 

"Nicole is fast asleep. She will not wake up before evening due to the medication. Don't worry, she will be fine. But hey, we are hungry, let's eat right away!" Harsh said cheerfully, and Randhir handed Anju a basket of fruit and a box of sweets.

"I should apologise for inviting ourselves over for such a lavish spread at such short notice, but I am certainly not going to! That's the benefit of being a co-parent-in-law!" Harsh grinned as he sat down on the dining chair. Randhir sat beside him.

"According to protocol this lunch should be on me, but Harsh, you bought everything, I just cooked it. That's not how I intended Sanyukta's Panch Partavan to be." Anju served generous portions of the food to Harsh and Randhir while Sanyukta got them fresh bhakris straight off the griddle.

"Let's not talk about the if-thens. Renuka would have pulled the plug on any arrangements you had intended for, I will not mince words. So let's just focus on the moment and enjoy this toothsome meal you took so much effort to make. And I reserve the right to show up uninvited at your doorstep whenever I crave normal  food and when the opportunity presents itself. Randhir, don't you snitch on me, although I am beyond caring for what your mother has to say!" Randhir gave him a reassuring smile but Anju and Sanyukta looked uncomfortable. The Renuka-Anju truce was never meant to be. Mother and daughter knew this very well, as did father and son. All of them decided to focus on the food rather than discuss the matter further.

"Randhir, please be careful, you have been away from home for so long, hope you can handle the spice!" Anju warned him gently. 

"I will always be a Goan at heart no matter where I live. Agreed, I don't eat much Indian food now. Nicole cannot handle anything spicy nor does she cook much!" Randhir admitted. Sanyukta stopped breathing for a moment as he mentioned Nicole, but said nothing, the way Randhir conducted his life was not her business anymore.