"Amma, will you please calm down? I'm fine here. I've got about a week's grocery supplies and yes, I'm sanitising the whole house right now. I would finish faster if I could hang up now besides, I need to prepare my work from home station as well!" Kayal diligently answered her mother's questions while using her free hand to sanitise the door knobs one by one with diluted Dettol.

"Okay, I'll hang up. Is Reyansh with you?"

"No, Amma. Reyansh will be working normally I think. I haven't spoke to him today."

"What? Why you haven't spoken to him today? Didn't he say anything yesterday? Ada kadavuley! If Reyansh can't be with you, then you should have come home, right? You could have gone with Vijay also to your Thata's house! Are you going to stay alone during this time? Huh?" Her mother's worry was clearly evident through her panic-stricken voice. Kayal knew that if her mother continue to stress herself like this, she would need to rush to her asthma puff and interjected quickly.

"Amma, breath first! You are talking non-stop that I'm feeling breathless! Breath first, okay?" She paused, relived to hear her mother taking deep breaths, calming her own nerves.

"Okay, Amma, what does my husband works as? A marine engineer, right? You know how the mobile network is there in the sea. He will get it sometime and will be looking for it most of the time. So, when he can get a good reception, he will call. We haven't texted each other because I was busy arranging to accommodate the work from home schedule for my team and all. And yes, I really can't come back home. I was working till today unlike Vijay who got his off from the beginning of the weak. Besides, it is safe to stay where we are to prevent the spread of this virus. Travelling and going back to hometown isn't exactly a wise move."

"Hmmm, okay. You just take care, da kanna. Your attai was telling me that Shruti will also be in Bombay only. I'll be relived if you girls can stay together during this time." Kaniga sighed, thinking about her daughter and niece who are away from the rest of the family.

"I'll call up and check on Shruti later. If she can come, then we'll stay together, okay? Love you, Amma. I gotta go now. You be fine, okay? Take care of Appa and yourself. Don't worry too much!" Kayal reassured her mother before hanging up. A huge sigh of relief escaped her as soon as she slumped on the couch in the living room.

Kayal had never realized how huge Reyansh's condominium is until she had to clean it all by herself today. She had sent back her house help earlier after returning from work as she didn't want the poor older woman to get delayed to her home.

She had even booked her an Ola ride to her locality and given her a generous amount of money as she knew that her house help gets paid on a daily basis and has no financial help from anyone. How she wish her house help would have agreed to stay with her during the lockdown! Now, she has to stay all alone in such a huge condominium.

"That reminds me, I need to check on Shruti!" Kayal face-palmed herself as she quickly picked her phone and dialled her cousin's number. She was almost slipping into a slumber when the thought had woken her up. Kayal stood up involuntarily and began walking to and fro as she waited patiently for Shruti to pick her phone up. Just then, she heard the main door lock latching and rushed to the front, worrying that she might have not locked the door after sanitising it, being careless while her attention was on the phone with her mother. Much to her horror, the door was ajar and there was no one around.

"Your carelessness is going to get you killed one day!" Kayal reprimanded herself as she took quick strides to the door and was about to pull it shut when something or someone jumped in front of her, almost giving her a cardiac arrest.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Reyansh!" Kayal clutched her chest tightly, as she tried to get her vitals back to normal. She was too young to die from a heart attack and the chuckles erupting from her husband's mouth wasn't helping. It was only making her angrier.

"Whoa! Language! Tsk!" Reyansh shook his head in disapproval as he crouched down to untie the laces of his shoes.

"You came out of nowhere and jumped in front of me nearly giving me a heart attack! Instead of saying sorry, you simply laughed and now you are reprimanding me for using a cuss word? Really?"

Reyansh looked up quickly to find the woman having her hands rested on either sides of her hips as she frowned, staring down at his crouched self.

"Okay, this isn't good!" He sighed and gave her his best smile as he put his shoes away and locked the door.

"I'm sorry, Kayalvizhi Mehrotra. It was stupid of me to give you a jump scare and showing up like that at this time, but in my defence I was excited to meet you after three months!" He grinned further as he leaned his head to the right, batting his eyelashes.

Kayal tried so hard to keep the smile that was creeping up but she failed ultimately when he began to pout his lips as well. How can someone even fake an anger when the person in front of them is acting all cute and naive. She knew that Reyansh is anything but that however his adorable antic melted her anger away and her lips tugged upwards. Throwing her hands up in the air, she turned around to walk away when she heard him squeal.

"I think I saw you smile, so I take it as a sign that you forgave me?" His stupid grin increased as he walked up towards her, trying to throw his arms around her.

"Yes, you're forgiven." Kayal moved backwards from his arms and pointed out the fact that he should take his shower and sanitise himself first before anything else and pushed him towards his room.

"Le fine!" The six foot tall man dropped his backpack and stomped all the way to his bedroom.

"Such a child!" Kayal muttered as she noticed his shoes lying around carelessly at the front and his backpack left abandoned at the sideway towards his bedroom.

"Indeed a child!"

* * *

By the time Reyansh had showered and came out of his room, Kayal had already prepared dinner and was sanitizing everything, again.

"I thought I had smelled a faint Dettol smell when I walked in earlier?" He airquoted with a sly smile on his face.

Kayal turned to take a quick glance at him before she continued with her work. Oh how she wish she could erase that stupid smile on his face. It was just always there, melting her anger away. She was supposed to reprimand him for not putting his shoes away and leaving his backpack unattended, all alone in the sideway, but she just can't do it when he always look so cute, right?

"Yeah, I sanitised it earlier, but a sea monkey jumped around and I have to do it again since I'm not sure whether or not the sea monkey had brought the virus into the house!" She returned his smile and put away the atomizer bottle containing her diluted Dettol.

"The land monkey seems to be so insensitive today. You didn't even greet me properly, neither did you gave me a welcome home hug!" He turned away and settled down on one of the bar stool by the kitchen counter.

Kayal shook her head in amusement and took quick strides to Reyansh, engulfing him in a friendly bear hug. Despite him being seated, on the bar stool, he still stood taller compared to her five foot one figure. Conveniently reminding Kayal of how short she is actually.

"How on earth are you so tall?" Her muffled voice was a little hard to interpret but once he was sure of what he had heard, a deep chuckle escaped his throat as he pulled away and booped her button-like nose. "It's because you're so short!"

"Anyways, what are you doing here? I thought you had to work even during the lockdown?" Kayal raised the question that has been there in the back of her head ever since Reyansh showed up.

"I was supposed to work, but suddenly the company decided to relief us and I came flying right away. I think this pamdemic is going to stay for a while now. It's really bad all over the world and going around in the ship isn't exactly safe. This is actually a good preventive measure to cut off the spread."

"Hmm, agreed, but most people are heading back to their hometown which is really stupid, I think." Kayal told him her opinion as she took two plate and began serving their dinner.

"Oh my God! Thosai with coconut chutney! You just really read my mind. I really missed Indian food back there. Damn!" Reyansh moaned as he relished the Indian spices which had been deprived of him for as long as three months now.

Kayal chuckled at the way he was eating, like a child, yet again. "This is your welcome home! So, is it good? Is it too spicy?"

"Nope! It's perfect, thank you! Hmm, you eat too!"

While they continued to eat in silence for a few minutes, Reyansh suddenly spoke out. "I don't think it is stupid to be returning to their respective hometown. You know, most people here in India rely on a daily base minimum wage to feed their family back there in home. So, if their income isn't here, they would have more expenses to cover, hence they go back. In their hometown, mostly villages, they might have their own crops and dairy. It's a difficult phase, everyone has a different approach to tackle it, I guess!" He plainly shrugged his shoulder as his fingers tore a piece of the thosai, dunk it into the chutney and stuffed it into his mouth.

"You're right! I didn't think of it that way. Anyways, I gave some extra money to Tai. I had asked her to stay with me but she refused." Reyansh nodded and continued eating.

"Vijay managed to go back while Shruti is still here in Mumbai. And, Mummy Ji informed me that everyone except us both have gone to stay with them in Delhi. She was asking me to come over, but it didn't feel right without you here as well, so I just stayed here."

"Thank God! Otherwise I would have to stay here all alone!"

"Don't thank God, dear husband, thank me! And thank you for showing up. I was actually kinda worried a little about staying all alone here."

"You're always welcome!"

After the simple dinner and doing the dishes together, Reyansh had rushed to his gaming room while Kayal decided to make herself a cup of coffee and have a quick read on the latest updates about the virus on the mini swing in their balcony.

"I wonder what more 2020 will bring!" She sighed as she saw the devastating increase in the rate of infected people.

Picture above might give you guys a brief idea on how huge their condominium is actually. The room on the first floor is his gaming room while the rooms above are where their bedrooms are.

Do drop your thoughts and don't forget to press the little star at the bottom!

Until the next Echo,
Nivaa.