Sana looked at the house. It was a government quarter given by Sidharth's office. As he bathed, she went to see the kitchen and realised that there is hardly any grocery at home. She made a list of items to buy.

She bathes and they both have brunch at Narayan's house. Once they return from their house, Sana and Sidharth shop for the listed items.

As she cooked food for the evening, Sidharth insisted to help her with chopping. He shrieked softly as he cut his finger. Sana ran to him and looked at his finger which was bleeding.

Sana: Hey bhagwaan, maine mana kiya tha aapko. Main kar leti na yeh.

She holds his hand and immediately put his finger in her mouth. Sidharth was taken aback at her gesture.

Sid: Ch.. choti si chott hai, thik ho jayegi.

She looked at the wound.

Sana: Khoon abhi bhi beh raha hai, choti hoti toh muh ki garmi se rukh jaati. Rukiye ek minute.

She opens the little spice box and quickly applies turmeric powder on the wound and holds it for sometime to stop the bleeding. He feels happy to see her care for him. She sighed as the bleeding stopped. All this time he kept gazing at her.

Sana: Aap bahar jaaiye, main bana lungi. Waise bhi thodha sa hi bacha hai.

Sidharth nods and goes out. She served the food and gave it to him.

Sidharth: Tumhara vrat hai kya?

Sana: Nahi, kyu?

Sidharth: Toh tumhara bhojan kaha hai?

Sana: Main bhi bait jaungi toh aapko parosega kaun?

Sidharth: Oh!! Toh tum dono haat se khaane wali ho?

Sana: Nahi.

Sidharth:Waise mere paas bhi dusra haat hai aur main apne aap se usse paros sakta hoon. Mujhe saath bait ke khaane mein achcha lagta hai kyuki jo akhir mein bait te hai unka bhojan thanda ho jata hai. Bhojan hamesha garam khaa lena chahiye - swaad aur sehat ke liye achcha hota hai.

Sana nods and gets her plate to sit and have food. She felt happy for having a considerate husband.
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Shobha: Sana.. Sana.. (she called from her compound)

Sana: Yes, Bhaabhi.. (she looks from her straight grilled kitchen window)

Shobha: Can you come outside for a while?

Sana: One second.

Sidharth: (enters the kitchen) Kya hua?

Sana: Woh maine stove pe doodh rakha hai. Bhabhi bula rahi thi.

Sidharth: Main jaakar puchu ya phir doodh dekh loon?

Sana: Aap jaakar puch sakte hai?

Sidharth nods and goes out. Shobha gives him something wrapped in a paper and asks him to give it to Sana. He nods and takes it home.

Sidharth: Yeah, kuch diya hai bhabhi ne.

Sana: Mere liye? Kya hai?

Sidharth: Haan. Pata nahi.

Sana opens it. Inside was a wrapped green banana leaf and when she opened it, there was mogra flower. Sana sniffed it with a smile.

Sana: So sweet of her.

Sidharth: Kya hua?

Sana: Uss din Shobha bhabhi ne apne jude mein mogre ka phool lagaya tha, toh meine unko kaha ki mujhe iski khusbhoo bahut pasand hai. Toh aaj unhone mere liye ye bheja.

Sidharth: (smiled) hmmm.. sahi hai. Shobha bhabhi bahut khayal rakhti hai sabka.

He went outside while Sana finished her work in kitchen and went to her room, combed her hair into a bun and styled it with a mogra flower garland.

The room was filled with the fragrance of flower. Sidharth looked at her. She looked happy and beautiful.

Sidharth: Kahi jaana hai kya?

Sana: Nahi, aise hi phool daalna tha toh chotti kholkar juda bana liya.

Sidharth: Bahut pyaari hai.

Sana: (shyly) Thank you.

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Sidharth returned home from office. He gave her the bag of groceries. He used to get the fresh vegetables everyday while returning home. She took the bag to the kitchen and opened the bag to find a pack of mogra flower in it along with vegetables today. She grinned from one ear to another looking at them. She kept the vegetables properly in its place and went to her room to comb her hair and put the flower.

Next two days, this continued and the third day she had already been waiting with her hair combed by the time he came home. As soon as he came home and gave her the bag, she kept it inside and went to her room to tuck the mogra flower.

He saw her coming to the room and smiled. She looked at the flower in her hand as she stood infront of the mirror. His eyes were still watching her. She turned around and gave the flower to him and turned back to face the mirror.

He went behind her and neatly tucked it in her hair as she adored him from the mirror doing so. Once done, he looked into the mirror and she felt shy as he caught her looking at him.

Sana: Thank you. (She said with a blush and went back to the kitchen.)

Since that day, whenever he came home, she would be ready by combing her hair and he would tuck the flower in her bun.
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Sana and Sidharth waited for their turn to connect a trunk call outside the telephone operator.

Operator: Sidharth..

Sidharth nods and they both go inside the booth. He picked up the receiver and spoke loudly into it.

Sidharth: Hello.. Babuji meri awaaz aa rahe hai aapko?

Babuji: Haan Haan beta, aa rahi hai. Kaise ho aur bahu kaisi hai?

Sidharth: Hum sab thik hai. Aap sab kaise ho?

Babuji: Sab khush hai. Tum dono ko bahut yaad karte hai. Lo apni maa se baat karo.

Maa: Hello Beta.. Kaise ho dono?

Sidharth: Thik hai Maa.

Maa: Suno Deepavali pe ghar aa rahe ho na tum dono?

Sidharth: Maa lambi chutti nahi milegi mujhe office se. Main sirf chaar din ke liye aunga.

Maa: Par beta, Bahu ko apne maike bhi jaana hoga na?

Sidharth looked at Sana's sad face.

Sidharth: Haan, Maa. Sana ko ek mahine pehle hi main rail se yaha se rawaana kar dunga aur aap waha station se lene aa jana. Thik hai? Woh apne maike reh legi aur baad mein hum dono saath main aa jayenge laut the samay.

Sana eyes gleamed with joy. He gave her the phone to speak to Meena and his mother for sometime.

Sidharth: Thik hai babuji, main rakhta hoon. Main ticket book karakar aapko taar bhejunga ki Sana kab pahuchegi.

Sana was very happy and excited the whole day after they reached home. The next day, Sidharth went to the railway station and got her the ticket for next week. He sent a telegram to his family about the details of her arrivals.

Sidharth: (tucking flower in her bun) Sana, main rail ki ticket le aaya hoon. Agle hafte ki hai. Tum akele jaa paaogi na? Main tumhe puchna bhool gaya tha phir yaad aaya. Waise maine ladies compartment ka ticket liya hai, tum surukashit hogi waha.

Sana: Aap chinta na kare main chali jaaungi.

Sidharth: Hmmm.. maine ghar taar bhej diya hai, woh waha se tumhe lene aayenge.

Sana: (nods) Thik hai.

Sidharth: Tum khush ho na?

Sana smiled and nodded yes. She looked into his eyes and felt an unknown pain in it.

Sana: Aap khush hai?

Sidharth: Hmmm.. Haan. Tumhari khushi mein hi meri khushi hai. Main ek mahine baad aa jaunga, Deepavali se pehle. Bhai dujh bhi hai na toh Meena aur Seema di bhi pratiksha karengi mera.

Sana: In sab mein main bhool gayi ki Deepavali se dus din pehle Karwa Chauth hai. Main kaise jaa sakti hoon, mera pehla karwa chauth hai.

Sidharth: Hmm.. Babuji jab army mein the tab Maa unka chitra dekhkar apna Karwa chauth vrat khol leti thi. Koyi kuch nahi kahenge. Tum nischint hokar apne maike mein rehna.

Sana: (nods) Aur aapka bhojan sab?

Sidharth: (smiles) Aadat chhoot gayi hai par main kar lunga jaise shaadi se pehle karta tha. Nahi hua toh baahar khaa lunga. Bola na tum chinta mat karo.

There was an unknown silence between the two. It had been over six months that they were staying together. They knew each other's taste preferences, likes, dislikes, habits and also to some extent picked up each other's habit.

It was Saturday evening. There were just two more days for her to leave. Though he showed a happy face to her, he had a gloomy feel inside. Having missed her parents and brothers from past 6 months, Sana was excited as she packed her bag. However, for Sidharth, every passing moment made him more depressed from within. He wanted to make the most of the Sunday to survive for a month without her starting from Monday.

Sidharth: Sana kal cinema dekhne chale? Aur phir bahaar bhojan bhi kar lenge.

Sana nods to say okay.

The next day, they go to the movie theatre. He goes to ticket counter to buy tickets for the movie, Silsila. It was a blockbuster movie of that time.

They watch the movie together. She gets emotional at times when she finds the agony of the protagonist, Shobha played by Jaya Bachchan in the movie for her husband. She smiles at the ending when the two couples reunite with their respective spouses. He observes her each and every expression.

As they walk out the movie hall, he starts the conversation.

Sidharth: Kaisi lagi cinema?

Sana: Achchi thi, mujhe cinema ka anth bahut achcha laga. Dono ko apni galati ka ehsaas hua aur apne pati aur patni se milan hua.

Sidharth: Mujhe ismein unki koi galati nahi dikhi. Woh dono ek dusre se prem karte the aur kisi karan vash unhe kisi aur se vivaah karna padha. Prem karna apraadh nahi hai.

Sana: Prem karna apraadh nahi hai kintu vivaah ke paschaat vishwaas ghaat karna apraadh hai.

Sidharth: Aisa vivaah jaha pati patni ke beech prem hi nahi hai. Humare desh mein hum prem ko bahut manyata dete hai. Hum aaj bhi RadhaKrishna ko Krishna Rukumini se adhik poojhte hai.

Sana: Haan, wahi Shri Krishna, jo Rukumini se vivaah ke paschaat Radha ji se kabhi nahi mile. Unhone apne prem se adhik apne vivaah ko nibhaaya. Aap ke hisaab se humare vivaah mein prem nahi hai toh kya aap mere pith peeche kisi aur se sambandh sthaapith kar sakoge?

Sidharth was speechless. He advocated for love because he loved her. But her statement gave him the feel that there was no love in their marriage and that she was just ardently following the married women's responsibilities. Whereas, he couldn't think of losing his love as shown in the movie.

Sidharth: Apni baat alag hai Sana. Khair, choddo iss vishay ko. Hum ab bhojan karne chalte hai.

It was their first argument in this 6 month since their marriage. Sana wasn't happy about him advocating against marriage. She felt that she doesn't hold any importance in his life as a wife while she had put all the efforts to keep him happy. She had left her parent's house and all her loved ones to stay with a person who didn't feel that the marriage was binding them. She thought that all he cared was love and if there was no love, will he leave her for someone else in future?

With these thoughts she frowned and didn't even talk to him for the whole remaining period. She ate the food in silence and they went back home. They lied on the bed turning their back to each other.

Sidharth couldn't sleep the whole night thinking about the seperation and the fact that they weren't talking to each other.

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To be continued.. ❤️❤️