Marriage

Tarun paced angrily on the porch. Paused once or twice to glare at his cellphone. It glared back. He tried Nakti again. No reply. Where WAS the fool woman? He cursed a little more.

Kooky, their German Shepherd, woofed appreciatively. Tarun stopped, directing a look of unrestrained ferocity at her. She subsided meekly, suddenly wary of this large useless creature that fed her for no particular reason. She whined apologetically and slunk away.

Kooky wasn’t too worried about Nakti. Her shrewd canine senses told her Nakti had just forgotten to turn up the volume of her phone, YET again. But now wasn’t the time to clue Tarun in. She might forfeit a midnight snack in the mission.

Nakti paid the cab, dropped her purse, dropped her umbrella while picking up her purse, and drenched herself while picking up the umbrella, heard the cellphone for the first time, scrabbled desperately in her handbag for it, didn’t find it and arrived home elegantly with a singing handbag, a muddy umbrella, a dripping purse and mascara streaking down her face.

This was actually a blessing in disguise. Tarun, mad for so long, was about to pounce, when the sight of her melted his heart. He asked tenderly “What happened dearie?”

Kooky sniffed delicately. Men! Nakti stared at him quizzically “Happened? Whaddya mean happened? I had a blazing day… I’m still blazing actually, need to dry off so that the embers can start blazing again”

Tarun’s temper began to blaze. “I get it! Blazing! Where the BLAZES were you? Why can’t you answer your BLAZING phone? I was worried sick about you!”

Nakti snorted. “I can’t imagine why. I am far more capable of taking care of myself than you are, Mister I-Have-Testosterone-So-I’ll-Drive-Without-Lessons”

“That was ONCE, TEN YEARS ago! Will you stop using that as an example once every three days?” Tarun was shouting

Nakti smiled. “Why?”

Tarun was momentarily speechless. “What do you mean why?” he ventured uncertainly “Because it was a long time ago, that’s why!”

“So?” Nakti had her hands on her hips and was glinting dangerously

Tarun became resigned. “So I’m thirty-five now, I drive beautifully and if you ever bring this up in front of my employees, I’ll feed you to Kooky”

Kooky coughed delicately. Not that she wanted to interrupt the fascinating conversation, but speaking of food…

She was ignored. Nakti was becoming thoughtful. Kooky winced. “Honey, what are you really mad about?”

Tarun got purple – “You didn’t answer the damn phone and its midnight!!”

Nakti was soothing and radiated patience “I know, I know, but that’s just an excuse. Now tell me, darling, what is REALLY bothering you?”

Tarun floundered helplessly for a while opening and shutting his mouth and then gave up – “Anyway, doesn’t matter. Lets just have dinner”

“Awww you cooked for me! You darling! And you haven’t eaten yet?” She gave him a hug and a kiss.

He thawed a bit and was feeling more kindly towards her when she headed for the bathe. “I’m hungry dammit!”

“Then eat darling!”

“ I wait and worry for hours, make dinner and go hungry and this is the thanks I get?” He was getting purple again.

“No dearie” she was puzzled “The kiss was the thanks you got. How can a bathe possibly be a Thank You? I don’t smell THAT much, you know!”

“WHY CAN WE NOT EAT NOW?”

“Because I want to have a bathe…If you made dinner expecting something in return, that wasn’t very Christian honey!”

“WE AREN’T CHRISTIAN”

“Details” she waved airily and disappeared.