Deciphering His Love

52 | The One With The Diwali

Diwali Day,

14th November 2020,

Munnar, Kerala

Shree walked around the Nadumuttom, the central open-air courtyard of the house towards sunset. Her bare feet on the cool stone floor as her anklets, which Madhav got for her on her birthday, tinkled. The twenty-four urlis- flat brass pots filled with water, had little clay lamps floating on it. Shree pours more oil into each of the eight ashtalakshmi hanging lamps and aligned the clay lamps that were decked around the Nadumuttom.

She was wearing a simple red sari with a gold border along with a green blouse. Her hair was wound into a neat bun with several inches of stringed jasmines draped around. She wore a simple gold chain and a pair of simple jhumkas.

She smiles, breathing deeply in the familiar smell of incense and lamp oil. The sound of the fireworks from the village not far could be heard clearly somehow magically blended well with the mantras coming from the mantra chanting box in the prayer room.

Shree walks towards the kitchen. Madhav was making laddoos, while Madhu and Meow looked up at him. She was wearing a yellow silken blouse with a red skirt that had peacock and lotus motifs. Shree had tied Madhu's medium length hair tied into two pigtails and wrapped a few inches of jasmine around each pigtail.

"Nanna!" Madhu says as she tugs on his tee-shirt. "Give me one, please!"

"You've eaten too much, da! Your Mumma is going to scold you!" Madhav says.

"Please Nanna, just one. You love me no!" She pleads.

"Here!" Madhav says as he give her a perfectly spherical laddoo.

Madhu happily takes the laddoo and the banana from the kitchen counter before she runs out the kitchen with Meow following her.

"Aren't you going to shower and change into the veshti I got for you?" Shree whispers into Madhav's ears as she wraps her arms around him. She breathes into the nape of his neck. "I brought it for you with so much love using my hard-earned money."

"Okay, but let me-"

"Go shower, now!" Shree tells him. "I'll make the laddoos. Amma and everyone will be arriving here anytime!"

"There's no need, chellam! Because I'm done!" He says as he makes the last perfectly rounded laddoo.

* * * * *

"Madhu, where is your bindi?" Shree asks as she finishes the rangoli in the Nadumuttom.

"Don't know!" Madhu shrugs as she sits on the diwan, kicking her legs in the air as she looks at Shree's baby shower album. "Meow, you saw my bindi?"

"I'll get you another one!" Shree says and walks into her room.

Shree gasps as she sees Madhav standing in front of the mirror, with a towel tied around his waist.

Shree watched intently as a few drops of water ran down his sculpted back into the crevice between his back and his towel that hung low on his hips.

"Hey Chellam!" He says as he notices her standing near the door of their bedroom.

"Uhm-uhm, hi!" She says nervously. "I-I-I- came to get a bindi for Madhu. Do-do-do you want me to come back late-"

"No! No!" He says as he takes the bottle of deodorant. "I don't mind."

Shree nervously walks towards him and fumbles with the drawers in the dressing table. She pushes the bottles of baby cologne and powder as she looks for the brown box that had the same red and black bindi Madhu was wearing. She groans as she notices the box on the other side of the dresser.