Have your cake and eat it too Chapter 14

If only this text message could convey my love for you…I love you more than ever, madly, badly and need you all the time.

Ashmi pressed send button and the message landed in three inboxes: Akhil, Mathias and Rajul

Immediately a revert came in her inbox. ‘Lots of hugs and kisses, I love you too.’ It was from an unsaved number. It belonged to Mathias.

Two hours later another message landed in her inbox. ‘I too love you very much. Sorry about my today’s behavior,’ Rajul messaged her back.

Around five she called Akhil.

‘Have you left for home?’ she asked.

‘Yes, I am on my way. I am about to enter the toll gate on the highway,’ he said. There was no indication in his voice that he had received the message of the morning.

‘I sent you a message today,’ she reminded him.

‘Really, what message?’ he said.

‘You forgot, I sent you a very nice message today,’ she was certainly angry by now and struggled to keep her tone patient at the same time.

‘Akhil, I did send you a message,’ Ashmi struggled with his intermittent memory.

‘Yes, you have,’ he admitted sheepishly.

‘You didn’t revert,’ she asked.

‘Oh! sweetheart I was busy in a meeting then,’ he managed to speak.

Ashmi thought about herself. She had sent the message in the midst of a press conference. But, then Akhil is the man of the house. She shouldn’t forget that and he is entitled to stay busier than her.

The day had started on a difficult note. Usually, her days were difficult, but this day was different. It marked the induction of her girls to the world of desi Hindi cusswords. Akhil was at home, when this happened. And he did take action.

‘Ashmi what kind of upbringing are we giving to our girls. They are swearing at each other,’ he shouted at her on the phone.

‘What do you mean?’ she demanded clarification.

‘They are using cuss words,’ he said in a tone that dripped acid and conveyed her of her negligent upbringing of girls.

What kind of cuss words? English or Hindi?’ Ashmi  needed to know even the trivial details.

Akhil suppressed a laugh, and answered, ‘The purest ones in the desi language.’  Before hanging up he added, ‘You take care and handle it. I am leaving.’

Ashmi had to discuss with Laily. ‘Why can’t he handle a small scuffle at home?’ she asked her.

‘Because he never did that,’ Laily said.

‘Eureka! You told me something, that I never knew,’ Ashmi said with sarcasm.

 ‘Don’t get mad, now think about what should you do? I suggest you talk to them separately, when you go home and pretend as if this episode never happened,’ Laily reasoned with her.

 ‘This makes sense,’ said Ashmi. Later in the day, she sent one message to three people, just to gauge, who is going to respond first.

‘What makes you do this?’ Laily asked a bit irritated with her act, when she divulged about her text message act to her.

‘Just to reason out why a woman like me should have an affair?’ she said in a tone, tinged with sadness.

‘And what did you find?’  Laily asked.

‘I need an affair, because only Mathias indulges me, makes me feel special and touches the right notes that make music. Unlike Akhil who touches discordant notes that annoy and create jarring music, where we fight on our turfs protecting our relatives with whom we are still attached to with our umbilical cord. It makes more sense to share good times with someone,’ she said.

‘When are you meeting next?’ Laily asked when they were driving back home.

‘Mathias is eager to meet me any day, but I am scared,’ she said.

‘That evening when Akhil came out of the blue has scared me.’ She voiced her worries.

Who is asking to meet him at your home? Laily spoke remembering her date fiasco. ‘Go and meet him at a neutral place.’  

‘And where will be that place?’ Ashmi asked.

‘Hey..sweetheart, trust me and all your worries will resolve,’ Laily assured.

‘Just now I got the whole retreat booked for the office at Pristine resort and I have got a complimentary stay for a day and night at the resort. You can avail it and have fun,’ she had a plan in place.

‘What about Akhil and children?’ She was concerned.

‘Has it been written anywhere in the law that you make love only at the night?’ Laily asked laughingly.

‘Your imagination is on overdrive,’ she explained hurriedly.

‘Yes, I know, you two will meditate there and do some sex-yoga too,’ she added.

This you got to find out.

The plan was chalked. On Wednesday, Laily would drive Ashmi to work and drop her at IIFCO chowk. Mathias would be waiting there. And the cab from Pristine resort would pick them up from there and take them to the resort. The room had been booked in the name of Laily, as she had negotiated the deal. Since, no-one had seen her, Ashmi could easily pass off as her. They would leave the resort at 5 pm and Laily would pick her up again from the IIFCO. She would go home, without anyone having an iota of suspicion on her.

Around 9 pm in the night, she called Akhil to find what time he would come home. On the first Tuesday of every month, he worked extended hours, as there would be team building party at his work. This was good for her. She needed time to contemplate. Tomorrow was a big leap in her life. It wasn’t happening on spur of the moment, rather it was pre-planned and she was feeling guilty too, but then she was getting too carried away with him. The attraction was too huge. The girls had gone to bed and she turned on the TV while waiting for him.

A program was running on the TV and she began to watch it absentmindedly. A faded actress from yester-years, who was not even a TV star was selling an extended mop. Ashmi was all attentive. She had a fascination. And it was for cleaning the home. She would collect all kinds of mops, brooms, extendable brooms for cleaning the home. And this one was pretty high-tech. It had a spinner attached to it, which could wring the water out of it. While waiting for Akhil, she punched in her credit card number on the telephone and ordered two of it: one for herself and another for senior Mrs Mishra.

Even after death of her dad, her mom stayed alone at Ranchi and she would buy in duplicates all the teleshopping stuff. Her transaction went through which was timed with the ringing of the doorbell. She opened the door.

‘You are awake. Why don’t you sleep? I have a spare key, and I could enter the home,’ said Akhil, well aware that she would be awake, waiting for him. 

‘And, don’t you know that I can’t fall asleep until I hug you?’ She went ahead and sniffed him. ‘Why do you drink so much?’ she questioned.

‘Darling, when I am high on life then a bit of drink doesn’t hurt. After all, I have Charlie’s Angels with me,’ he said referring to his daughters and her.

Akhil had got philosophical. He always did after a couple of drinks. He sank in the ottoman and turned on the TV. Mandatory cricket session, she thought and stomped off to their bedroom.

‘Pass me your phone please,’ Akhil requested, ‘I need to talk to didi.’

Just then she remembered that she hadn’t deleted the last two messages that she had sent to Mathias. ‘Woman, think of something fast, or your tomorrow’s plan goes kaput’ she thought.

‘My phone is running out on battery,’ she said.

‘One call will not hurt. Your phone is just there, pass it please,’ he said. She was caught in a sticky situation. Just when she was keying in her credit card details on the mobile to buy that extendable mop, a message had beeped on it. Obviously, it was from Mathias. Then she didn’t get an opportunity to read it.

The moment Akhil took her phone, he would see the notification. He would read the message. Then? Ashmi picked the phone to give to Akhil. He extended his hand. She stretched without making an attempt to cover the distance of four feet between them. Just when, Akhil was going to hold the phone, she left it and the phone fell on the floor.

‘Couldn’t you just take a step?’ Akhil said.

‘Couldn’t you get up and take it?’ she retorted and bent to pick the phone, whose battery had come off.

‘Now, you are arguing with me, for no reason,’ Akhil was in a nasty mood.

‘Yes, I am,’ she said and banged the door close and went out to retrieve Akhil’s phone from his Toyota Fortuner, with her phone firmly in her hand.

‘I am going off to bed. When you are through with didi, please join me,’ she said curtly and handed him his mobile. Akhil found the whole episode funny.

She knew that Akhil wouldn’t come to bed for the next one hour. Whenever he and his sister-in-law talked the conversation would keep stretching. Earlier Ashmi would eavesdrop and try to figure it out. So many characters would appear from nowhere who would make no sense for her. Then she gave up.

Once inside, she checked her cellphone. The message read,

Hi..the plan is on..I can’t wait for tomorrow morning, good night,  hugs and kisses.

She texted back, ‘Sure, sweetheart, I will text you tomorrow morning.’

Akhil joined Ashmi an hour later.

‘I am so sorry, Ashmi, I acted irrationally,’ he said and snuggled her.

‘It’s okay. Let’s catch up on some sleep. Anyway, tomorrow is a long day for me,’ she blurted.

‘Why?’ he asked.

‘There are two late evening meetings planned, I might get late,’ she concocted a lie right away.

‘No worries baby, when you work these things do happen,’ he was clearly placating her. He inhaled deeply in the smell of her body.

‘I absolutely love this about you,’ he gushed.

‘What?’ she said turning on her side to face him.

‘You have a fancy for these delectable smells,’ he specified.

‘I am getting in the mood,’ he said.

‘Stop it, Akhil, I have to wake up early tomorrow,’ she said.

‘Darling, half an hour extra will not hurt,’ he was negotiating now.

‘Who told you that half an hour is sufficient for me?’ she played along.

‘How much time you want? You never said this before?’ he noted her candid approach.

‘Now, I am saying it,’ she winked at him.

‘Okay, as you wish, then let’s slot it for weekend, he said and dozed off. Sleep eluded her.