Arjun and Priya's First Night
Arjun stood on the balcony of his bedroom, nervously staring at the sky, unsure of what to say to Priya on their first night. He lit a cigarette, lost in thought.
Just then, Priya entered the room wearing a white saree, adorned in gold jewelry, holding a glass of milk. She looked divine—like a goddess herself. Without reacting to Arjun's smoking, she placed the glass on the side table and silently walked to the cupboard, took out her nightwear, and disappeared into the washroom.
Arjun glanced at her from the corner of his eye, tense and unsure. The moment she closed the washroom door, he panicked. He quickly stubbed out his cigarette, paced the floor, and muttered to himself, "What do I talk about? How do I sleep beside her? What am I even doing right now?"
When Priya returned wearing a night t-shirt and pants, adjusting her hair, she saw Arjun talking to himself and walked toward him with a curious, serious expression.
"Why are you pacing like that? What’s going on in your head?" she asked.
Flustered, Arjun stammered, "That... I mean... Hey, I’m your husband now, you know! Should I fall at your feet and ask permission to sit on the bed like some mythological husband?"
He tried to act tough but failed miserably.
Priya, unimpressed, replied coldly, "If it were any other girl in my place, she'd have beaten you to death for the torture you've put me through."
Arjun fell silent, guilt flooding his face. He looked down. Priya glanced at the stubbed cigarette on the floor and shot him a sharp look.
"From tomorrow, if you want to smoke, go outside. And if you drink, don’t bother coming home. This is not a hotel for your comfort."
Arjun looked at her seriously. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he muttered.
"You have no idea what kind of pain I’ve endured for the last two years," Priya snapped. "You’ll learn now."
She stormed off. Arjun, gritting his teeth, watched her go. But then she paused, turned around, and asked with irritation, "What? Planning to sleep on the balcony tonight? Come in!"
Startled, Arjun silently followed her. She closed the door behind him.
---
The Next Morning:
Arjun came downstairs from his room.
Jyoti was cleaning the hall. Anand Rao sat outside in the garden reading the newspaper. Ashok was paying the caterers. Jyoti's mother Radhika and other helpers were cleaning the front yard.
Arjun stopped near Jyoti. "Where’s mom?"
"In the kitchen, brother" Jyoti replied.
"Okay," he said, and then paused. "Aren’t you going to college today?"
"From tomorrow, brother."
"Don’t stop going to college. If you need anything, ask Mom. Okay?"
Jyoti smiled and nodded.
Arjun walked into the kitchen and was about to call for his mom when he saw Subhadra and awkwardly said, "Hi, Aunty."
Subhadra gave him a puzzled look. "What’s with the sudden awkwardness?"
Kausalya was smiling softly as she cut potatoes.
"You used to call me 'Aunty' without hesitation. Now that you married my daughter, you’ve suddenly gone shy? Listen, first you're my brother’s son, and only then my son-in-law. Don't act weird with me. Got it?"
Arjun chuckled and walked in. He sat at the gas stove and picked up a piece of carrot.
"Why are you giving these TV serial-style emotional speeches today? I've been like this with everyone for two years now. I’ve hurt Priya, I’ve hurt you, I’ve hurt Uncle. You’re the only one big-hearted enough to treat me like nothing’s wrong. But I’m not that good. I can’t pretend like everything’s okay."
Subhadra was speechless.
"When I see all of you, I feel like the villain of this family. It'll take time for me to be the old Arjun again. So please, no dramatic lines," he added.
He turned to Kausalya and said, "Mom, I’m heading to the showroom. Call me if anything’s urgent."
"Okay beta, come home early this evening."
"Sure, mom," he replied, and glanced at Subhadra, who was still staring sternly. "Keep cutting the onions, or what—going to murder me with that look?"
Subhadra laughed softly as he left.
"Kausalya," she said, still chopping onions, "sometimes I feel terribly guilty. Arjun lost his parents so young, and I didn't want to take him in. I was scared—you were from another family. I didn’t know if you'd treat him like your own. But you’ve given him more love than any mother could."
Kausalya smiled and continued cutting vegetables.
"If we believe only those born from our womb are our children, then so many kids in this country would grow up without anyone to call their own."
Tears welled in Subhadra’s eyes.
A moment later, she smiled and said absentmindedly while cutting onions, "I just worry sometimes about how Priya and Arjun’s married life will turn out."
Kausalya looked at her, sharing the same worry. After a few seconds, she suddenly remembered something and said, "I'll be back in a moment." She rushed out, leaving Subhadra watching her curiously before returning to chopping onions.
To be continued.....
