"Devi?" I called her as taking a seat beside her.
"What darling?" she smiled.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure,"
"Do you know what Arjun would like?" I asked looking away from her pretending I didn't ask anything.
"You mean?"
"Like favorite food?" I suggested. "Do you know what his Indian favorite food is?"
"Darling... I know you're trying to get to know him but he doesn't eat Indian foods more like he never
ate one. He'd always complain to me whenever I eat Indian food especially in banana leaf." She said
twitching her nose as if she was being mad at him for not letting her eat her favorite food.
I chuckled.
"Is that so?" I remembered the other day when I served him idli, sambar, and chutney, he ate
everything I put it on his plate without any word. If he doesn't like eating food he could've told me or
Alice to do some American foods. But he didn't! Did he think that I'd get hurt if he refuses my treat?
That was so kind of him. I didn't tell her about that day because if I said that she might start teasing him
for that. So I thought I better keep this way.
We heard a yawning sound from upstairs. And we look at each other for a moment as if we knew who's
that'll be. That was Adam. He took a nap and now yawning again like a mountain monkey. I laughed to
myself and let out a soft giggle.
"That's Adam," I told her. She knew who that was but I told her anyway.
"Yeah" she laughed. "It's his time to drink milk." She said as about to stand from the couch.
Before she could react I stood like fire and gave her an amazing smile and said, "I'll take care of that."
She nodded.
"Thanks, darling."
I went back to the kitchen where Alice was standing and cutting vegetables for dinner. I thought she
was already busy and I'd make it by myself. Then I took a big glass from the cupboard and poured
some milk into it, added some brown sugar in it, and mixed it well.
When I opened his room I was exclaimed, that a five-year-old kid can keep his room tidy? Wow, it was
shinning out there. Once I entered the room I closed it behind me.
His room looks like an adult room more than the five-year-old kid should be. His room was painted
black and white, the bed cover was white and the pillows were black. There were no toys but a 50" TV,
a PC sitting on the table with the laptop and iPad beside it. There was everything a five-year-old kid
shouldn't have.
"Hi! Anu." He shouted like he was excited. "What are you doing here?" he said, grinning. When his look
shifted to the glass in my hand his grin fade away and worry preoccupied his face. "No... no... no!" now
he shouted in irritation.
He slides out of his bed and started running toward his door. Now I got that reason for that faded smile.
He doesn't like milk. Yes, no kid likes milk even I don't like it. How so poor this kid was but he must've
drunk it because I won't accept my loss without even trying.
I smirked.
He sighed and shook his head. I like kids when they shook their heads with a pouting face. I love those
kids more than anything.
I took a step toward him as he took a step backward. I was grinning at him.
When I reached for his shoulder he opened the door ran away from there. Without any second thought,
I followed him outside. He was descending the stairs in a hurry as if he was followed by a king cobra.
While descending the stairs I heard laughing voices from the kitchen. I turned my head to see the
kitchen and saw Alice was laughing at me. I turned my head back to my way and started following him
again. It remembered me of playing with my sister in India running, chasing, beating and laughing,
together.
After a moment or two another voice of laugh joined the laughing at my community, Devi was laughing
at me, too, and encouraging Adam to run fast. That's not fair she'd have to support me instead she was
supporting him. I was the one in the drink milk war, not him.
I sighed.
It was really hard to make a five-year-old kid drink the milk. I've been following him around the house
wherever he goes for the past fifteen minutes. And the milk in my hand gets cold like a milkshake. Then
he suddenly changed his way to the main doorway as if he was trying to escape to the front yard.
While rounding around the living room couch the laughs and giggles behind us fade. Still, I didn't care
because my eyes were in Sam's legs as if to follow him.
I wonder, suddenly what'd happened to them? They were laughing at us for the past fifteen minutes or
god knows how long. I turned my head back as running to the doorway to see Alice and Devi who were
looking shocked at me like I was about to on a suicide mission, looking worried. Why were they looking
at me like that? I was wondering until I bumped into someone in the blink of an eye. The milk shoved to
the man's expensive suit I just bumped into and the glass hit the floor and crashed into millions of
pieces.
I was standing there awkwardly closing my two ears from the sound of the crashing glasses, scared. It
was that familiar rock wall I got bumped into when Arjun introduces his family to me. I removed my
hands from my ear and tilted my head up and saw Arjun standing in front of me, gritting his teeth and
holding his business bag tighter than normal. All I know for sure was he's going to scold and yell at me
because I can see that on his face.
"What the hell are you doing? Are you blind?" He yelled at me as I predicted before and I was aware of
that.
I didn't answer as frozen in the same place.
"Say something" he shouted as I shivered in fear.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered.
This isn't your first time you walked into me. Is it? And for god's sake, this is not your park, this is my
house and you have some sense in your head. You...." he said as clenching his teeth. His eyes were
disgusted to see me in my face. And that was the moment I felt regretted marrying him. I was married
to a monster. A monster!
"I'm... so... s-o sorry" I pleaded. I'd never seen this before. I know he wasn't talked to me that much but
I thought that must be his habit or even a character because I also don't talk to people until I felt
comfortable around them. Now I got the real reason behind that. He wasn't interested in talking at all.
He'd had to hate me then How can he talk? How can you talk to people you hate? How can you see
the people with affection when you hate that person more than anything in the world? That was the
look he was giving me, the disgusting-looking face.
"What sorry? Huh? Do you even have an eye on the right place? You... can't you see I was holding my
important file in my hand and now it was all milk for your sake. I don't have enough time to make a new
one either. This deal is a big deal for me and my company. But you just spilled it and destroyed it.
You're responsible for this." He shouted at the sentence. And looked away with the same disgusted
look but this time anger filled his face as he clenched his teeth.
And that's when I saw his right hand his hand was full of paperwork but without a file to protect it. I was
one hundred percent sure I was an idiot. Because when I saw Alice and Devi's shocked reaction I'd
have frozen in my place or Devi had warned me. Anybody could have warned me.
After some moments later I felt rain on my face then I realized I was inside the home and that was my
tear. I was sobbing like a child I couldn't control my tears. I'd never get a scold from my teachers not
even from my parents. But this thing is killing me. First, I told him to stop this engagement but he didn't.
Second, he'd never talked to me for more than a moment or two. Third, whenever he opens his mouth
to talk, he only opened to scold me. Enough is enough.
I'd always wanted a man who loves me and spend time with me. Yes, of course, he'd scold me but he
was always scolding me.
"Don't cry! Why are you being silent? Open your mouth and say something." he yelled. Now his face
was locked on mine but I was staring at the floor with fear as he took a step forward.
Devi and Alice were standing in the corner of the living room, looking as scared as me. Sam was hiding
from me somewhere outside in the backyard, escaping from drinking milk.
"s...orr....y" I said, sobbing.
Now he lost his patience and took a deep breath like he was maintaining it. And took another step
closer as I was standing in the same place because I know I did something wrong so I can't move from
there and in fact, my legs were frozen.
While he taking his steps forward I was holding my fingers in fingers tightly in anxiety.
Suddenly he froze on his feet of a sweet voice.
"Anu ma, what are you doing here? You're supposed to seek me and make me drink milk. That's the
deal. What are you doing uncle Arjun? You're stopping her from playing with me?" We all turned to see
the voice that was coming from the doorway. And our eyes landed on adam's. When I saw him I
whipped my tears off and tried to act like a normal Anu.
Wait. Did he just call me ma? Amma? Mom? I was shocked more than shock, I was surprised. He just
called me ma. I was getting goosebumps. He's the first kid who'd just called me ma. Not even my kid.
Well, I still didn't have one, not yet. I'd never forgotten this.
"You guys are playing hide and seek?" Arjun asked before I can answer like he was acting cool like our
captain cool. But there must be only one captain cool. And it must be MSD. I laughed inside my head
thinking of punch dialogues even though I was crying just a second before. I thought he was bipolar but
I was too. 'Don't be a dummy Anu', I said to myself.
"Yes. I was hiding in the front yard for past one hour." His face went sad. "She was supposed to seek
me but she is here talking to you," he said disappointed. He was supposed to say that, 'I was hiding
from the milk in her hand. She wasn't supposed to seek me'. He was happy when he saw the milk
glass was broken and milk spilled on the floor.
Arjun turned to me before he'd answer. Then turned to look at Sam who was making the; disappointed
face. "I'm sorry. I don't know you guys were playing. Sorry for stealing your playing partner." He said,
smiling at Adam who didn't return it.
Sam crossed his arms against his chest and ducked his head.
"What? I said sorry. Why that face?" He asked, confused.
"You're supposed to say to Anu ma, not me," Adam said still with that same expression on his face.
When Adam mentioned me "Anu ma" Arjun's face got more; angrier than it should be.
I started wondering for how long Adam was here? Did he saw when Arjun scolded me? Was he trying
to do me a favor? Why was he doing that? Making him say sorry? That's not fair. I was the one who
bumped into him.
"Say uncle, Arjun" Sam pleaded.
Arjun frowned angrily. He turned around to face me and took a step toward me as I stared at the floor.
He opened his mouth as if he was going to speak.
"SORRY" He and I both said at the same time. Arjun looked at me little less angry this time. He may be
forgiven me, I thought.
He smiled and walked away from there.
Sam walked towards me. I smiled at him in sorry and thank you. I kneeled to match his height. "Be
careful!" I heard a familiar voice shouting from the distance. Then I looked down and realized the
broken glass crystals.
That was him. Arjun. He shouted from the stairs. He does care about me.
But I was still angry with Arjun.
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