Chapter 17


    The next day morning I woke up Adam in my arms, cuddling. He was too cute and innocent while


    sleeping.


    Suddenly I check my phone and realized I got to call several people to who I missed calls. So I ced


    a pillow under Adam''s head and started walking towards the balcony. I thought I was going to call the


    person who called me in higher times. So I saw amma who called me five times at 3 am. And Arjun


    who called me eight times at 2 pm.


    As I said I going to call Arjun who several missed calls were high on my list.


    "Hello!" his voice damaged my eardrum as he shouted in excitement. We''d never been separated


    before like 6000 or 10000 miles.


    "Speak slowly." I scolded him...


    He groaned and asked, "How''s foreign?"


    "It has an amazing climate. There... cars go on roads. Flights... fly in the air. And Ships... in the_" He


    cut me off.


    "Water?" he mocked. "It''s how here as well. Say something different like I went to The Statue of Liberty,


    to the club, I was expecting more from you. Did you taste any alcohol?"


    "No! Why would I?"


    "Nah, I was just asking. How''s your husband, Arjun?"


    "Great. Do you know one thing? Here no water! Only toilet paper! Who would use that?" I hated when


    my voice sounded nervous and weak.


    "What? Did you didn''t say to him?"


    "How can I ask him? We were just married. I didn''t even talk to him after that engagement. You know,


    no? Then you are asking like you didn''t know?" I scolded him.


    "You need help? I can say to your aunty and she may change those things might only for your


    bathroom. And they are having a flight tomorrow morning. How is my idea?"


    Yeah,dies things would be safe withdies but Arjun knows the values of thedies. So I just said,


    "Okay." "So what else was going on there?" I asked him even though now I wasn''t living in India. I still


    care about my mother''snd.


    "Aah..." he was thinking. "Nothing much and nothing that you wanted to know." He said mockingly.


    "I''ll scroll down the news feed anyway, thank you." I hung up. We just hung up never giving any signs.


    That was our besties'' style.


    I heard my stomach grumbling in hungry. I took a fast shower and changed into a grey color taffeta silk


    mirror work Pati which dazzled as I stood in front of the mirror. It was a Punjabi traditional dress and


    also one of my favorite outfits. It wasfy wear. As we all know that I was married I''ve to follow some


    of the rules my amma put before I said goodbye.


    "First, wake up early in the morning and take a shower. Second, change into a decent dress that has to


    show that you were married and don''t forget to put vermilion on your head because that is the one who


    shows love, care and safe about your husband''s health and it''ll make a great bond between you too.


    Third, make a cup of coffee or whatever he likes and give it to him. Fourth, make a great breakfast that


    he''d never forget in his whole life." Amma told me. That was not it. She told me more than what I


    needed to hear or know. Thank god that''s when he came towards and said "Shall we?" that''s it that


    was a great excuse from my amma and escaped from her.Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Once I got changed I took a picture of myself and sent it to amma and Jo. Not bothered to send it to


    appa because I know that my amma or Jo would never forget to show my appa whatever I sent. We


    didn''t have any secrets between us I thought that what makes us a great and wonderful and doubtless


    family.


    When I opened the door I saw the same puppy waiting for me. When he saw he barks out a happy


    smile and started licking my legs instead of my face. Once I bent down and scooped him up in my arm


    and when he reached my head he started licking my face and barked in happy again.


    I descended the stairs to the kitchen with the puppy in my arms holding like a baby. I thought I can


    make a cup of coffee first and then think about what I''d make for breakfast with the ingredients that we


    have in this house.


    As I entered the kitchen a girl in herte twenties wearing a maid''s uniform, greeted me with a huge


    smile on her face. She was slender and fair-skinned with blonde hair. Her eyes were not too small but


    green in color. She was happy to see me.


    "Hi, mam. I''m Alice. How can I help you miss...?" she asked me her voice was so sweet and made me


    answer the second she asked and which I did.


    "huh... Anushiya. Tea? And just call me Anu." I requested her, grinning. When she took a single cup


    from the cupboard I told her to make it double.


    "Mam... Mr. Smith is not fond of Tea." She told me as refusing to meet my gaze like I was about to


    scold her. I''m not going to do that, ever. How she knows that I was asking extra cup for Arjun. Anyhow,


    she might saw us yesterday while we arrived and his parents were now in India, then how? How silly of


    me?


    "Okay," I whispered. "And... Don''t call me mam or Mrs. Smith; just call me Anu as I said."


    Her eyes widened.


    "What?" I asked.


    "Mrs. Smith? I thought you were his friend from India." She said in nervousness tone.


    What does nobody know that we were married? What is going on here? And yes, nobody from his


    family has also attended our wedding which was held in India a day ago.


    "No." my eyes widened because I can''t ept the "un-fact" that I was his friend. I wasn''t at all


    interested in married at first but when he wore that wedding chain on my neck and put that vermilion on


    my head from that second I''ve started considering him as my husband and he''ll be my priority whether


    he likes it or not.


    "How do you both meet?" she asked me smiling at me, relieved.


    "It''s an arranged marriage," I said forcing a smile.


    "Ooh..." Maybe she was thinking or she was wondering how''d a handsome man like him, marry a


    normal chubby girl like her. Who knows? That why we were having a mind for private conversation and


    opinion to store and think of.


    She looks at me like she needs more than that detail I''d given her. But I don''t know if I was allowed to


    say that out to everyone. Because if they were keeping this wedding a secret then I''m not going to


    share this kind of information with anyone not even with my family.


    "Then what''s his daily liquid?" I reminded her. "Just trying to know him, you know." I tried to change the


    subject that she noticed and smiled at me and nodded. "Just feel free to talk to me as a friend."


    She was surprised and she was speechless like I did something she''d never thought of. "What?" I


    asked her, again.


    "Nothing." She shook his head. I know that she was hiding something from me that she was afraid to


    share with me. I understand that and I didn''t press her up.


    "Coffee. His daily... liquid." She assured me.


    "Okay," I nodded. "I was thinking that I''m going to cook today," I told her as she ced a cup on the


    table and pouring the coffee from the coffee machine.


    For the first minutes, she protested against me. Then, atst, I won by pouting my eyes and newly


    married couple as an excuse. That was true though. We were a newly married couple.


    Once she made his coffee I took it from the counter with one backward nce at her smiling and I


    walked away from the kitchen. She went back to her work. I think I just minus some of her work for the


    day and I was d.


    I knocked at the door and went inside. My heart was beating than normal and my hands and legs were


    shuddering in excitement. I guess because I was going to see him again?


    I saw the bed expecting him to still sleepy head in his bed. But what I''d seen was the straight opposite


    of that. His bed was already made and I wondered that he was good at what his work was. I ced the


    cup on his table and without any backward nces, I went to an empty room, the next room I saw.


    When I entered that room, it was empty, and once he also mentioned that I can also take this room as


    mine. I closed the door behind me and started jumping in excitement and dancing inside the room and


    humming. My hands were up in the air as I threw my dupatta(shawl). I felt excited and wanted to go to


    his room very often. I know this was kind of silly but my mind wanted to.


    "What''s so exciting?" I heard a strong velvet voice from behind me and I jerked in a statue.


    Arjun, that was "Arjun", I thought.


    I was thinking that what was he doing in this empty room? And how long he''s been here? And did he


    saw me jumping and dancing? That was so insane side of me. I turned around like a statue and fixed


    my gaze on the floor as usual and that when I saw his reflection on the clean ssed tiles. He was


    wearing a crispy white shirt with well-ironed grey suits and polished shoes. I wonder how he can wear a


    shoe inside the house that wasn''t an educated of him. Both of his hands were resting in his pocket.


    And his gaze was fixed on my face expecting to meet his gaze.


    I can''t say him the truth. If I said I don''t know what he''d think of me.


    "Look," he ordered me. "Look at me."


    I tilted my head to meet his but I can''t see his face and my eyes widened and I bit my inner cheeks in


    anxiety. The dupatta (Shawl) I threw in the air was now on his face that shows him as he was wearing a


    ghost costume for a fancy dres''petition. I tried to control my giggle.


    "Sorry" I whispered and also slightly made it a giggled tone as well. I took a step forward to him and


    took that dhupata from his face and ced it around my neck and turned away. "I don''t know you were


    here."


    "This is my house and I have every right to wander around my property." He tried to spoke m.


    "I know but you''d have called me," I said starring at the wall in front of me.


    "I came here to tell you that tomorrow my parents wereing back from India," He told me what I''d


    already know.


    He walked to the door and stopped in the middle and turned to face me. "And... on that day we''re


    having a media meet to announce that we are officially married." He turned his heels and grasped the


    doorknob and tried to open it.


    "Your coffee was on your table," I said as he nodded and opened the door and flew away like


    yesterday''s jet we traveled.


    When he went from that room I realized that he was a bipr man. One time he was shouting and


    yelling at me and next he was asking to apologize. I didn''t know how he''d react based on the situation.


    Did he now just shouted or scolded me? I don''t know and what did I do wrong? I was just jumping in


    the room which he offered to no one, which was also empty and didn''t disturb anyone.


    I set the table for breakfast and eagerly waiting for him to taste the magic that I put in the cooking.


    I don''t know what changes me I think I was started liking his bipr-mask. Before I married him I


    thought studying and working was the most adventurous thing to do but I was wrong. Living with him


    was more adventurous than anything. If in any cases I saw Bear Grylls I''d challenge him to live with


    Arjun first, then go into the forest for less adventure because if he can bear him then he can bear a


    dinosaur all by himself. I wasughing for my super gifted mind.


    Today I cooked a mas dosa which was my favorite and idli and ulundha vada and for dipping such


    as, coconut chutney, onion chutney, mint chutney, and sambar. I''d made all of them because I don''t


    know what was his favorite and what would he prefer. When I asked Alice she told me that he''d never


    eaten Indian foods before and this was going to be his first time. And also I added only a little bit of


    spicy for his taste because I''d say millions of Hollywood movies and they''d not forget to mention that


    most Americans were not fond of Spicy food, so.