Forbidden To Love

10. Masterpiece!

"Guddan aaj teri pehli rasoi mein tu bas kuch meetha bana, baaki khana bahuyein bana chuki hain. Tu kar payegi na?" Dadi asked.

"Haan Dadi, aap chinta mat kijiye, hum kar lenge! Khana banane mein toh Guddan super se bhi upar hai!" She gloated.
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"Nehi nehi, kaise karenge? Khana banaya hi nehi hain humne kabhi. Ek toh koi kaam humse hota nehi, pehli baar mein kya hi kar lenge! Aur nehi toh kya karte, Dadi kitni pyaar se keh rahi thi, mana toh hum kar nehi sakte the.. Nehi tujhse ho payega Guddan, fikar mat kar aur lag ja kaam pe!" She muttered, gobbling down the fourth banana.

"You can't do it, your mistakes won't let you." Durga smirked.

"I can, if only I have the will!" She replied, her lively eyes laden with confidence.

She thought of preparing rice pudding, the simple yet sweet flavour of which could make your taste buds go yum. Pouring a jar of sugar into a bowl containing raw milk, she introduced some unboiled rice to the milk and sugar mixture. Letting it microwave for a minute, her pudding was all set. But, her Guddanish essence was yet to be added. Five packets of chilli powder would suffice for the sweetness should not end up inviting diabetes. Curd and cream are delicious, definitely not leaving them alone! As a final touch up, why not blend some capsicum and carrots along with the raisins? Perfect!

The appearance of the kitchen was worth the view. The empty packets in the fridge while the fruits and vegetables had their places in the dustbin. The floor was adorned with ingredients, leisurely scattering themselves all over.

Pleasured with her masterpiece, her hands craved to shape some puris, following her toothsome dish. However, the dough proved to be an arduous task. Sometimes the flour floated, while other times the dough stuck itself to the bowl, like a bratty kid. Emptying an entire jar of flour in her add flour and water process, her eyes searched across the kitchen, and lit up to find one in the upper shelf.
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She bit her lips and snorted, trying to stifle the chuckle threatening to escape her lips any time. She bit the insides of her cheeks, but a glance at his poker face and..... she was laughing her head off. He..He was giving perfect competition to the White Lady ghost, she had heard of in her childhood. But unlike that ghost, this white lad...Oops! White man, is a perfect comedy to laugh at. Smeared in flour, as he shook his head to dust it off, she snickered, yet again. His hairs coloured in white looked far better, complimenting his age aptly!

He shooted her a glare, his eardrums tormented by her idiotic laughter. She could have got an aching head, had not he saved her from the jar which could have landed on her head. And in return, the flour rained down, turning him into a white duck. And here, she dares to laugh her teeth off as a token of gratitude, unbelievable! By now, courtesy had finally enlightened her, and she pursed her lips, mouthing him an apology.

"Yeh kya hai?!" He asked enraged, as his eyes travelled through the mess.

"Yeh kitchen hain, aur hum khana bana rahe the toh cheeze thore bikhar gaye hain." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Who gave you the right to step into my kitchen?!"

"Kitchen mein ghusne ke liye kaisa hak? Hum toh bas khana bana rahe the.."

"Ise tum khana banana kehti ho? Did you just look around the kitchen, it's a complete mess! See, I don't like anyone messing with my things! And I warn only once, do you get that?"

"Maante hain ki thodi gadbad ho gayi, par aise kyun bol rahe hain? Koshish toh karte haina hum.."

"Agar ainda kabhi bhi mere kitchen mein kadam bhi rakha tumne, toh tum soch bhi nehi sakti ki main kya kya kar sakta hu!" He whispered menacingly, stepping closer, and she couldn't help but flinch at his intimidating demeanour.
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"Dadi bhuk lagi hain!" Kishore complained, descending down the stairs.

"Ha ha tu baith, Durga pados degi." Dadi replied.

"Dadi hum pados te haina. Waise bhi, humne aaj kheer banayi hai." Guddan chirped, excited.

"Haan kheer mera favourite hain." Rahul spoke, his mouth watering.

"Yeh kheer dikhne mein itna ajeeb kyun lag raha hain?" Durga asked, knitting her brows together.

"Arrey Durga ji, dikhawat mein kya hain? Aap khaiye na, khane mein ekdum first class hain humari kheer!" Guddan smiled sweetly.

"I am not going to have it!" Akshat declared, pushing the plate aside. This pudding would book them beds in the hospital!

"Meri bachhi ne bahot mehnat se yeh kheer banayi hain, tu aisa kyun keh raha hain? Agar tu mujhse pyaar karta hain toh yeh kheer tujhe khana padega!" Dadi trapped him.

"Par maa yeh kheer..." His protest died midway as a morsel was shoved into his mouth, by his dear mother.

The moment the taste hit their tastebuds, their eyes widened. This was a pudding, seriously! The rice was uncooked and instead of sweetness, they were gifted with burns. Their eyes watered, as they helplessly tried to force it down their oesophagus. Did she add all the chillies of the earth into the pudding, God spare them!

Guddan stood clueless as all ran for washrooms. She had stepped into Dadi's room to ask her about their weird actions, but her violent coughs answered it all. Her shoulders shook, and she took a step back. Their expressions have screamed it clear, it was awfully horrible! Not an eatable, not by any means.

She was supposed to cook but ended up messing things. Yet again, her mistakes failed her. Maybe, her pure intentions weren't enough. Had they been, she could have succeeded at something by now............. She has just been deluding herself everytime, the reality she knew real well. Tears rolled over, their disgusted faces flashing.
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"You call this rubbish an eatable?! This isn't some science experiment going on that you can add whatsoever you feel like! Sirf gajar, mirch, capsicum? Kitchen mein aur bhi bahot sare cheezen the, tamatar aur baingan bhi daal deti." Akshat criticised, dripping with rage.

"Shaadi karke chain nehi mila tumhe? Ab hume maarke jaidaad harapna chahti ho? Ise tum kheer kehti ho, itna teekha?! Ek number ki nikammi ho tum! Kitchen mein kadam mat rakhna, bewakoof ladki!" Lakshmi sneered, scratching the side of her neck.
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"Maa aapne dekha na, kaise humari wajah se sab pareshan ho gaye the aaj? Hume ek khana bhi dhang se banana nehi aata, hum koshish toh karte hai par kuch theek nehi ho pata! Hum toh ek achhi saas aur bahu banna chahte the, par kisiki khushi tak nehi ban pate hain!.......Lekin hum haar nehi manenge Maa.. Dadi ko hum par kitna bharosa hain, hum us bhadose ka maan zaroor rakhenge. Bas aap apni aashirvaad dijiye maa, sabka dil jeetna is Guddan se zaroor ho payega." She pressed her mother's portrait closer to her chest.