Two days had passed since Rajesh and Sharmi got married.
Two days since Meenakshi had started keeping her eyes fixed on the floor the moment she stepped out of her room. Two days of hearing the sounds of their intimacy. And a terrible two days since Sharmi had gifted Padma a saree, after which Padma had begun praising and adoring her as the most beautiful daughter-in-law.
The neighbors had plenty of gossip to share but the family ignored them. The news had already spread among the relatives. Padma tried to persuade Balaram to arrange a wedding reception but he remained firm in his decision and made it very clear that would happen only when Rajesh is employed.
Rajesh seemed to leave every morning in search of a job and would return by afternoon for lunch. The newly wed couple would then lock themselves inside their room until it was time for tea in the evening.
Meenakshi did not envy them but she felt extremely uncomfortable with their constant romantic exchanges, flirtations and especially the sounds coming from their room.
One night, Aakash woke up feeling thirsty. He looked around for the water bottle but realized he had forgotten to bring one before going to bed. He got off the bed quietly.
Meenakshi woke up instantly and saw him about to open the door.
“What happened? Do you need something?” she asked, glancing at the clock. It was almost her usual waking time.
“I need some water. Go back to sleep. I’ll be back soon,” he said and reached for the door once again but Meenakshi rushed to stop him and stood before door.
“No, stay here. I’ll bring the water,” she said quickly to prevent him from stepping outside. Aakash was puzzled on her actions yet he shrugged and nodded his head.
She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before stepping out of the room. She walked quickly toward the kitchen shutting the door behind her.
Aakash watched her leave and frowned.” Enna aachchu ivalukku ? ” (What happened to her? ), he wondered.
He felt curious and stepped out of the room to check on her. But the moment he heard the muffled moans from the next room, he immediately cursed himself for the thought and retreated back into the room and shut the door behind.
A few moments later, Meenakshi returned and quickly shut the door behind her before she handed him the water bottle.
Aakash couldn’t bring himself to look at her. He drank the water silently and lay back down immediately. Meenakshi simply shrugged and began getting ready to start her day.
Meanwhile, Aakash remained awake, lost in his thoughts.
” Is that why Meena stopped me? If it is this embarrassing for me, how must she be feeling? Especially when I haven’t even been a proper husband to her… What else might she be facing in my absence? ” he wondered and with those thoughts weighing on his mind, he turned and stared at the ceiling.
” She has never complained about anything that has been happening” he thought and watched Meenakshi put a bindi between her brows and he watched her leave the room to start her chores.
He couldn’t stay in bed or in room so he quickly followed her out. As he crossed Rajesh and Sharmi’s room, he momentarily shut his eyes before walking past it. When he looked toward the place where his father usually slept, he noticed the spot was empty.
He stepped outside and saw Meenakshi sprinkling water at the entrance.
“Meena, appa enga ? ( Meena, where is Appa?), he asked and Meenakshi looked startled.
“Weren’t you sleeping? Why are you looking for uncle at this time?” she asked in surprise to see him outside at the early hours.
“You haven’t answered my question,” he said again, stretching his arms against the morning chill.
“He must be sleeping in Aunty’s room,” she replied and continued with her work.
Aakash didn’t need to ask the reason. He quietly watched Meenakshi as she bent down to draw the rangoli. Her hair was wrapped in a towel after her bath and in the soft amber glow of the street lamp, she looked almost divine.
She then walked into the kitchen and Aakash followed her, which made her frown.
“Isn’t this your workout time? Why are you here? Do you need something… coffee?” she asked.
Aakash shook his head, a plan already forming in his mind.
“Don’t pack lunch today. There is a meeting at the office and lunch will be arranged there,” he said before returning to his room.
Later, Aakash came out of his room ready to leave for the office. The door to Rajesh and Sharmi’s room was still shut. He sat down for breakfast and Meenakshi began serving food.
A few minutes later, Rajesh and Sharmi joined the table. Aakash glanced at the time on his watch before shifting his gaze to Meenakshi, who was serving them.
“Eat more, Sharmi. You are too thin. You will not gain weight if you eat a little more,” Padma said with a warm smile and served extra idlis onto Sharmi’s plate.
Aakash silently watched everything unfolding before him. He placed a plate and served breakfast onto it. Meenakshi watched him waiting for her to join so she sat next to him and only then did he continue to have breakfast.
Soon after, he left for the office and Meenakshi was busy with her chores as usual. She was sweeping the floor when Aakash quietly returned home.
He wanted to see for himself what was happening behind his back and how Meenakshi was treated in his absence.
He looked at his mother and Sharmi, who were comfortably sitting together and watching television with smiles on their faces while Meenakshi looked tired and was still working.
As usual, Meenakshi skipped Rajesh and Sharmi’s room while cleaning. That alone was enough to irritate Padma.
“You are such a stubborn woman. You do this deliberately to provoke me. What did Rajesh and Sharmi ever do to you? You are doing this on purpose just to irritate me. Go and clean Sharmi’s room,” Padma said through gritted teeth.
“Meena”, Aakash’s voice cut through the tension and only then did everyone notice his presence.
“Aakash, Why are you home so early? Is everything alright?” Padma asked in surprise.
Meenakshi dropped the broom and immediately rushed toward him wiping the sweat from her face with the sleeve of her salwar.
“The meeting was postponed, so I decided to work from home,” he replied to his mother and glanced briefly at Meenakshi before walking toward their room.
Meenakshi followed him inside with a glass of water and handed it to him with a smile.
“You could have told me you would be home for lunch. Wait, I’ll check if Uncle can buy some chicken. I’ll make biryani for you,” she said but Aakash shook his head.
“Cook something simple… maybe curd rice,” he said.
Meenakshi didn’t have any idea on why he wanted only curd rice yet she nodded and stepped out to finish sweeping before starting lunch.
Aakash purposely left the door slightly open so he could hear what was happening outside. After a while, he heard more voices and peeked out to see a few neighbor women gathered in the hall.
“Padma, how long will you hide your second daughter-in-law from us? Call her. Let us see her,” one of the women said playfully.
Padma immediately called for Sharmi and held her hand affectionately.
“Look at my daughter-in-law. I swear you won’t find anyone as beautiful as her. Our Rajesh is very lucky to have such a lovely wife.” Padma said proudly.
“You are right, Padma. She is very beautiful. You could have found someone equally beautiful for Aakash as well,” another woman said and Padma immediately hushed her, gesturing that Aakash was home.
“Meenakshi, bring some tea for everyone,” Padma called from the hall.
Inside the room, Aakash shut his laptop slowly. Anger simmered inside him as he watched the way his wife was being treated. He walked out and the women instantly stopped their conversation and smiled at him politely. But Aakash ignored them and headed straight to the kitchen.
Meenakshi was preparing tea when he entered. Without a word, he gently took over the task.
” Aakash, let me do it. Go continue with your work or rest ” she said but Aakash shook his head.
She watched in confusion as he stirred the tea.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me how you were being treated?” he asked quietly and Meenakshi stood frozen.
“I came back home on purpose today to see what was happening behind my back. I’m sorry, Meena. You don’t deserve to be treated this way. I may not be the perfect husband for you but at least I will try to do whatever I can to make things better for you.” he said and with that, he picked up the tray of tea and walked out.
Meenakshi panicked and tried to follow him but he stopped her with just one glance.
He placed the cups of tea before the women and everyone looked at him shocked.
“Aakash, why are you doing this? Where is Meenakshi? How dare she let you serve tea?” Padma asked angrily.
“Relax, Maa. What’s wrong with me serving tea? It doesn’t make any difference whether I serve it or my wife does. Besides, I’m sure you know she has been working since four in the morning. So I’m happy to help her a little.” Aakash said calmly.
Padma and the neighbor women exchanged awkward smiles.
“Aakash, in that case you could hire a maid to help her,” one of the women suggested and Aakash nodded thoughtfully.
“I think that might be the only way to give my wife some rest,” he said before returning to his work, leaving Padma fuming at his words.
Later, when Meenakshi called him for lunch, Aakash noticed that Rajesh had returned home. Meenakshi served lunch to everyone. Rajesh and Sharmi frowned when they saw the curd rice.
“Curd rice? Amma, what is this?” Rajesh asked.
Padma immediately turned toward Meenakshi. “Why didn’t you cook any curry? Do you expect us to eat whatever you cook?” she asked irritably.
“Amma, I told her to cook curd rice. And even if she had cooked it on her own, what is wrong with that ?” Aakash said calmly.
He looked at Meenakshi and then back at his mother.
“Look at her, Maa. She has been working nonstop, cooking three meals a day and handling everything in the house. Don’t you feel even a little pity for her? You don’t have to treat her like your daughter-in-law but at least treat her like a human being.” he said feeling extremely frustrated and took a long breathe before continuing.
“I think it would be best to appoint a maid to help Meena. I’ll adjust my budget and cut down on some expenses to pay for it.” he said firmly and served curd rice onto his plate.
“Meena, come and have lunch. From tomorrow, you will also have breakfast with me before I leave for the office. I don’t even know if you eat properly,” Aakash said.
Meenakshi quickly sat beside him, hoping to stop the conversation from escalating further.
“Chitti Robot 2.0 is always dangerous,” Balaram commented with a smile and amused by this new version of his son.
“I’m sorry, brother-in-law. I don’t know how to cook,” Sharmi said quietly, without touching her food.
Aakash looked at her calmly. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to ask you to work. You are my brother’s wife and I know my boundaries. But if you really want to help Meena, there are plenty of other things you can do… like cleaning your own room.” he said and glared at his brother.
Before he could continue, Meenakshi gently placed her palm on his thigh, silently asking him to stop.
Aakash froze at her touch. His heart suddenly pounded against his chest at the unexpected touch. For a moment, he lost his words and simply sat there quietly until Padma broke the silence.
“Sharmi is newly married. Let her get comfortable first. You are scaring her, Aakash. Don’t make her feel unwelcome, this is her home too.” she said and Aakash slowly removed Meenakshi’s hand from his thigh and stood up.
“You made Meena cook and take care of everything from the very first day she came here. And it hasn’t even been three months since our marriage, yet you treat her like an unpaid maid. I’m not scaring anyone. I only want my wife to be treated with respect. I hope that’s not too much to ask.”, he said lookinng directly at his mother.
He was about to leave when Meenakshi stopped him and gestured for him to finish his food. Unable to refuse her, Aakash sat back down and continued eating.
“Are you serious about hiring a maid?” Balaram asked, not wanting to let the topic drop without finding a solution.
Aakash nodded firmly. “Yes, Appa. Talk to your friends and see if they can recommend someone. I don’t want to order anyone around in this house but at the same time, I don’t want Meena to suffer alone.” he said and his words shocked Padma and Rajesh.
“But how will you manage the expenses?” Padma asked.
Aakash took a deep breath before answering. ” Naan paaththukuren maa”, ( I’ll handle it ma )
He then walked back to his room with Meenakshi, leaving Padma and Sharmi to deal with the remaining work.
“What have you done? They will think that I provoked you against Sharmi.” Meenakshi asked anxiously once they were inside the room.
Before Aakash could reply, they heard unfamiliar voices and laughter from the hall. They looked at each other and together, they walked out.
Meenakshi saw Padma and Balaram smiling warmly at a couple who looked around their age. Padma was hugging a young woman who was strikingly beautiful.
“Who are they?” Meenakshi asked Aakash.
When she didn’t hear a response, she turned to look at him.
He stood frozen.
His face had turned pale, as if he had just seen a ghost. His hands trembled slightly and she saw him swallow hard as if he was having a panic attack.
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A/N:
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