Big Fat Love – Chapter 8

After breakfast with the family, Aakash and Meenakshi took their leave and returned to their home. Balaram was shocked to see them back the very next day. Meenakshi handed over the boxes of sweets that her parents had sent for them. Padma looked uninterested but Meenakshi still placed the boxes neatly on the tea table.

“Aakash, Meenakshi, why did you return so early?” Balaram asked confused.

Before Aakash could speak, Meenakshi stepped forward with a smile.

” Mama, Keerthy is preparing for a government exam. We felt our presence might disturb her studies and she wouldn’t be able to spend time with us properly. So we thought we would visit them again after her exams,” she explained.

Aakash froze at her words. She had managed to keep anyone from misunderstanding him, not only at her parents house but also in front of his parents.

“This is exactly why I stopped him from going there. Now look at my son, he was thrown out just because her sister had to study,” Padma shouted before storming into the kitchen.

Meenakshi quietly carried her bag to the bedroom while Balaram looked at his son.

“She lied, Appa. She thought I would feel uncomfortable staying there, so she told her parents that I had to return for some urgent work at the office. That’s why we came back,” Aakash admitted with guilt evident in his voice.

His father simply shook his head and walked away feeling disappointed.

Aakash entered the room and saw Meenakshi arranging a few of her clothes in the small space available in the wardrobe. The rest of her clothes were still inside the trolley, which she pushed under the bed.

“I’m sorry,” Aakash said and Meenakshi only nodded her head before walking out to help Padma in the kitchen.

Later, Meenakshi served the chicken gravy during lunch. At the very first bite, Aakash felt the rich taste overwhelm his senses.

He looked at Meenakshi. Sweat glistened on her forehead from the heat of cooking and she quickly wiped it away with the edge of her pallu.

She poured water for him and Aakash expected her to sit and eat with the family but instead, she stood there quietly, serving everyone.

“You have magic in your hands, Meenakshi. All the dishes were so tasty. I might even gain weight if you keep cooking like this,” Balaram said with a smile.

Padma placed her glass on the table with a loud thud. “So, what do you mean by that? That I wasn’t cooking tasty food?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“Shut up, Padma. She is new to our home and it is our responsibility to make her feel at home. You cook well too but Meenakshi’s style of cooking is different and good in its own way,” he said calmly, then smiled at Meenakshi and asked her to serve him some more chicken.

Meenakshi glanced at Aakash. He had stopped eating for a moment, as if he were fighting a battle within his mind. She wished he had said something to support her.

” Why would he support me? I’m not the beautiful wife he could proudly flaunt“, she thought.

After everyone left the dining area, Meenakshi sat down and placed a plate in front of her to serve herself some food.

“Look at my son and then look at yourself once before you fill that plate. I don’t know how you lived at your parents house but now you should consider changing yourself for the sake of the man who took pity on you and married you. Try to lose some weight, so watch what you eat.” Padma said sharply and with that, she stormed into her room.

Aakash, who had come to pick up a water bottle, heard only the last sentence. He watched silently as Meenakshi walked away without eating.

She entered the bathroom and covered her mouth as a sob escaped her. After washing her face, she composed herself and stepped out.

At that very moment, the bedroom door opened and Aakash walked in, holding a plate of food.

“I’m sorry. I will talk to Amma. And please… don’t starve yourself. Just be yourself,” he said softly.

He placed the plate on the table and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Aakash then knocked on his mother’s door. Padma opened it and smiled when she saw him.

“Amma, I know you were against my marriage but please try to move past it. I’m married to Meenakshi. She is my wife. Please give her a little comfort so she can adjust to our family. She was someone’s daughter before she became my wife,” Aakash said and without waiting for her reply, he walked away.

Padma stood there fuming with anger and looked toward the closed door of Aakash and Meenakshi’s room.

” My son has never spoken back to me all these years. For the first time, he spoke as if I had done something wrong and he did it to support you. How dare you provoke him against me? “, she thought angrily before slamming the door.

Meenakshi ate very little and slept for a while. Later, when she entered the kitchen, the sink was full of vessels, while Padma and Lavanya were watching TV in the hall.

She heard footsteps and saw Padma glaring at her.

“Do you sleep like this at your home too? Now make tea and coffee and wash the vessels,” she ordered before walking away, as if she had just given instructions to a maid.

“Who even orders maids like this these days? People treat them like human beings”, Meenakshi thought.

She poured milk into a vessel and began washing the pile of dirty dishes. Balaram entered the kitchen and noticed how hard Meenakshi had been working the very next day after her marriage. But he knew that if he said anything, it would only provoke Padma and make Meenakshi’s life even harder. So he quietly walked away.

That night, after everyone finished dinner, Meenakshi cleaned up the kitchen. Aakash remained in the hall, watching the cricket match with Rajesh.

Once she finished, Meenakshi entered the bedroom and lay down on the mattress on the floor.

Aakash entered the room a little later and was shocked to see her sleeping on the floor.

“Why are you sleeping on the floor? Please go to the bed. I will sleep on the floor,” he said but Meenakshi shook her head without looking at him.

“I’m fine. It’s comfortable here on the floor. This is your room, so you don’t have to sleep on the floor. I know my place,” she said.

Aakash felt a sharp pang in his chest. He realized how deeply hurt she was and he stood there unable to justify anything, neither what he had done nor what his family was doing to her.

“Please, Meenakshi,” he said, trying once again.

Meenakshi closed her eyes when she heard him call her name for the first time.

“Please… just let me be,” she said, almost pleading and her voice was merely a whisper.

Aakash sat down on the bed, feeling a headache build from everything that had been happening around them.

When he lay down, the soft fragrance of jasmine from the pillow reached his nose. He turned his face slightly and realized it was the same pillow Meenakshi had used on their wedding night.

” Evlo kanavugaloda enna nambi inga vandhuruppa ? ” he thought, rubbing his forehead. (How many dreams she might have carried in her heart when she came here trusting me?)

Two days passed with the same routine. One evening, Meenakshi was preparing tea and coffee for the family when Balaram called her and Aakash.

“Aakash, a new movie has been released. Meenakshi must be bored staying at home. Take her to a movie and have dinner outside for a change. You both are newly married, you should even be planning a honeymoon,” Balaram said.

Padma, who was folding clothes nearby, glared at her husband.

“Why a honeymoon now? You know we have a wedding in few months and we must give an expensive gift. Otherwise, my brother will think we are drowning in poverty. We can’t spend money like water,” she said sharply.

Meenakshi felt humiliated. She quietly walked to the kitchen and returned with tea and coffee for them.

Her head was aching from hearing Padma taunt her repeatedly. She badly wanted a cup of tea for herself, but she felt it was better to bear the headache than listen to another remark from Padma just because she had a cup of tea.

So she returned to the room and began folding her clothes along with Aakash’s, arranging them neatly in the cupboard.

Aakash entered the room a few minutes later and cleared his throat.

“I’ve booked the tickets. Get ready,” he said before entering the bathroom to change his clothes.

After he walked out, Meenakshi got ready as well. When she stepped outside, she saw Aakash waiting beside an auto.

She glanced at his bike but said nothing. Quietly, she got into the auto while Aakash sat beside her, leaving a noticeable space between them.

” He might have thought my weight would damage his bike… or maybe he was ashamed to take me on it” , she thought and looked outside as tears gathered in her eyes.

They reached the mall and Meenakshi followed him silently.

Aakash sat down in his seat in the theatre and pointed to the seat beside him. Meenakshi sat down and noticed how he kept his hands on his thighs instead of placing them on the armrest.

” Maybe he doesn’t want our arms to touch even by mistake” , she thought once again and leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She was in no mood to watch a movie.

When the movie started, Aakash turned toward her and noticed that her eyes were closed.

” What happened to her? Is she not feeling well? Or does she not like movies? “, he wondered.

Clearing his throat, he spoke softly.

“Meenakshi, udambukku mudiyalaiyaa ?” he asked.( Meenakshi, are you not feeling well?)

Meenakshi shook her head and watched the movie, but her thoughts were lost somewhere, silently cursing her fate.

“Saapida yedhavadhu venuma? (Do you want anything to eat?)” Aakash asked her during the interval.

Meenakshi shook her head again. They remained seated and Meenakshi sighed in relief once the movie was finally over. She walked behind him while Aakash turned every now and then to make sure she wasn’t lost in the crowd.

They entered a restaurant in the mall and sat opposite each other.

“What do you want to eat?” Aakash asked, placing the menu in front of her.

“Tea, please,” she replied in a low, gentle voice and Aakash looked at her in shock.

He ordered dinner for both of them and Meenakshi ate quietly since she was starving. Finally, he ordered tea for her and Meenakshi felt relieved as she tasted it.

By the time they returned home, everyone was asleep. Balaram, who usually slept in the hall, opened the door for them.

Meenakshi quickly changed into a simple salwar and lay down on the mattress on the floor.

Aakash stood by the window, rubbing his forehead. He looked at the woman whom he had dragged into his mess and whose happiness he felt he had ruined forever.

” What will I do now? How do I fix everything? This is the reason I never wanted to marry. I’m not a normal man who can give every happiness to his wife. I’m a ruined, wrecked, worthless piece of shit… and it hurts seeing her suffer every day. She doesn’t deserve this life”, he thought.

In frustration, he punched the wall. He wiped his tears and lay on the bed, watching her back as she slept.

As usual, she had tied her hair in a bun before sleeping. Her hair wasn’t too long or too short, but it was thick.

The next morning, Meenakshi was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. She placed the dishes on the dining table and was shocked to see Aakash dressed formally.

He looked very handsome and confident after changing his hairstyle and the new glasses suited him perfectly.

“Aakash, are you joining the office today?” his father asked and Aakash nodded as yes.

“Meenakshi, did you pack lunch for him?” Padma asked, looking for the lunch box on the table.

Meenakshi stood stunned since she had no idea he was going to the office after the break he had taken for the wedding.

“Aunty, I didn’t know he would be going to the office today, so I thought I would cook later as usual,” Meenakshi replied nervously, looking between them.

“You don’t even know that he is joining the office today? What kind of wife are you?” Padma thundered.

Before she could say anything more, Aakash quickly intervened.

“Amma, Meenakshi didn’t know. Even I had no plans earlier. I just received a call this morning, and Meenakshi was already in the kitchen. It’s okay, I’ll manage,” he said and glanced at Meenakshi, who still stood there embarrassed.

She quickly served breakfast and Aakash left for the office on his bike.

Meenakshi washed the dirty vessels, dried the clothes on the terrace and cleaned their room. By the time she finished cooking lunch, it was already 1 p.m.

She ate very little while Padma constantly watched her.

Later, in the room, she opened the book she had been reading earlier and tried to continue. But exhaustion took over and she fell asleep.

A loud bang on the door woke her up. She quickly opened it to see Padma glaring at her.

“Look at the time, and you are still sleeping? Go prepare tea, coffee. And the vessels from lunch aren’t washed yet. Also prepare something good for dinner. I don’t know if Aakash even had his lunch,” Padma said sharply.

Meenakshi quietly resumed her work. She noticed the fish kept aside for dinner and started preparing to cook dinner.

Aakash returned home by 7 p.m. He saw everyone watching TV in the hall and the sounds coming from the kitchen confirmed that Meenakshi was still working there.

Soon the family gathered at the dining table for dinner. Meenakshi served idly and fish gravy to everyone.

“Meenakshi, sit and have dinner with all of us,” Aakash said, noticing how exhausted she looked.

Meenakshi glanced at Padma and hesitated. But Aakash placed a plate for her and served dinner.

Confused yet unable to refuse, Meenakshi sat down. Aakash noticed that she ate very little compared to how she had eaten at the restaurant the previous night.

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A/N:

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