"Tum Beetroot ka paratha khaoge? Mere paas hai..." Sameer asked a little boy sitting in front of him.

The kid just shook his head in no. Sameer persisted, "dekho, mujhe pata hai tumhe bhook lagi hai. Aur parathe bahot achchhe bane hai." He raised his brows to show appreciation for the food.

"Aapko pasand nahi isliye mujhe de rahe ho na?" The boy smartly countered.

Sameer pursed his lips and retreated a bit. Quirking his one brow, he asked, "Tumhe kaise pata?"

"Kyunki mai bhi aisehi karta hu..." The boy shrugged. "Aapki maa apko tiffin me beetroot deti hai?" He scrunched his nose.

Sameer grinned looking at the boy. Today, he had got the first seat in the bus on his way to the ad shoot, and a school kid, supposedly returning from his morning shift school, was sitting on the seat facing the crowd, right in front of him. The boy was of wheatish complex, his hair perfectly combed and him neatly dressed in a white shirt and blue half-pant school dress. Sameer had been observing the boy for a long time, and he saw him fiddling with the waterbag strap, drinking a sip of water from his waterbag after every five minutes, licking a chocolate wrapper and dipping his head in the school bag maybe to open his empty tiffin box. He knew the boy was hungry and checking if he could get something to eat in his bag.

Sameer bent towards the boy and whispered. "Yeh tiffin mujhe meri maa ne nahi, meri biwi ne diya hai... ab toh le sakte ho na..."

"Phir bhi nahi chahiye..." The boy answered nonchalantly. "Maa ne kaha hai kisi ajnabee insaan se kuchh nahi lena."

Sameer frowned but felt glad that the boy wasn't indulgent to strangers. He twisted his mouth and narrowed his eyes, "mai kya shakal se boora insaan dikhta hu tumhe?"

"Ho bhi sakte ho... kaun achchha hai, kaun boora... yeh shakal pe thodi likha hota hai..." The boy replied with utmost confidence.

Sameer laughed wholeheartedly. He was utterly surprised to see such a level of confidence in that kid. "Thik hai, mat khao. Mai jaa raha hu waise bhi, mera stop aa gaya." Sameer smiled and got up to leave.

"Bye Bhaiya." The boy passed a sweet smile.

"Bye." Sameer chuckled and descended as the bus stopped.

Sameer reached the shooting location 10 minutes before the given time of 12noon. He had started analyzing the Mumbai traffic at different hours and the estimated time taken to reach a destination by bus or local. The places like Goregaon, Bandra, Juhu, Dadar, Worli, in short what they call as 'South Bombay' would always be crowded. And as he would go to the north, he had seen that the areas like Malad, Kandivali, Borivali were the part of developmental phases, which he knew would be as crowded as South Bombay some 10 years later. The morning hours from 8 to 10 and evening hours from 4 to 7 would be the busiest ones due to the office-going crowd and students. He had never imagined how students starting from 5th grade could be so confident while travelling in buses and locals. Today, he had even put himself in place of that twelve year old boy sitting in front of him. He wondered how his life would have been, if not spent in that lavish boarding school in Nainital. Would he be so fearless while stepping into a bus full of strangers? How would he have reacted to the tussle while climbing into a bus in a sea of people? Could he stand for hours in the queue at the bus station to renew his monthly travel pass? He couldn't imagine himself going through such hassle daily just to reach the school. He himself, though being a 22yr old young adult now, still feared unknown people, unknown places, dark and lonely roads, and animals- mostly stray dogs. Being raised in a protective and financially sound environment, he wasn't explored to the battles of life in his early teenage. But experiencing it on an almost daily basis these days, he thanked his Nanu and his mother for giving him at least a secured childhood and wished for his present days to go with a little less struggle.

He entered the huge premise of the location and found multiple sets of different shoots in-line. Most of them were confined to only one dedicated room, though a big one. There was a noise of people screaming through a mic at one set, music playing in another and some orders like action and cut somewhere else. He crossed a few sets and asked a passerby for the set of McDonald's ad shoot and he was directed to another such big room. The room or the hall to be precise, had its walls painted in black. Wherever were the windows, they were covered with black curtains. The ceiling was covered with multiple rows of metal trusses, with focus lights hanging on them. He recognised that whatever light was there in that room, was coming only from the set lights. The set was designed for a small restaurant. Rest of the place was covered by the Camera, light equipments like Day-Light umbrella and light stands, the camera dolly and mics and speakers. People were moving here and there with some sheets in their hands, some of them were carrying water bottles and tea kettles, while a group was standing in a corner, just waiting. He guessed that the group could be the part of the ad just like him. After searching for someone in the crowd, he finally found a familiar face.

"Ravi Sir..." He called the person walking a few steps.

The man in his fifties was surrounded by three boys, who looked like his assistants, looked up at him.

"Hey Sameer... come." The man gestured to him with his hands.

Sameer walked to him and shook his hands with him. They exchanged pleasantries and Ravi asked his assistant to hand a script to Sameer.

"Sameer, here's the script. Padho isse, aur kuchh doubts ho toh pehle hi puchh lena. Ask Viren, he is the director. Then we can start with your makeup. Okay?" Ravi instructed him.

"Okay Sir." Sameer nodded looking at the sheet in his hand.

"Good. We need to wrap this in three hours okay? So hurry up." Ravi commanded.

As Sameer nodded once more, he grabbed a chair in a corner and busied himself with the script. There were hardly a few lines, but a line written at the top was constantly bothering him.

'Say in Dev Anand style'.

What? He has to do these lines in Dev Anand style? He literally smacked his forehead after rehearsing those lines in Dev Anand style in his mind. He felt it so awkward to deliver the lines like that. He personally had seen very few films of Dev Anand like Guide, Jewel Thief, Johny Mera Naam and Tere mere Sapne, that too only because of Nanu. And except Guide, the actor was seen aging in the other films he watched. Also, watching his acting in films was a different thing but mimicking his style was so not like Sameer Maheshwari. Had he been asked to mimic Salman Khan's style, he would have given at least five-six variations. But Dev Anand is impossible. He sighed and got up to consult Ravi Sir about it. He looked around but Ravi Sir was nowhere in sight. He remembered he could ask his doubts to Viren, the director. He asked a spotboy sitting behind him about Viren and was pointed to a handsome man in his thirties, with a mic in his hand and talking to a camera person.

He walked to the man and muttered, "aaa... Viren Sir?"

The man turned to look at Sameer and stared at him for a second. "Aahh... you must be the model right?" He said.

Sameer smiled, "yes Sir. I'm Sameer. Actually, I had a doubt regarding this script."

Viren excused himself from the cameraman and said, "yes sure... puchho."

Sameer tried to be as gentle as possible, "Sir, yeh jo lines hai ad ki, woh Dev Anand ke style me bolna zaroori hai kya?"

"Of course!" Viren said. "Tabhi toh waha script me likha hua hai, right? Koi problem?"

Sameer got intimidated by the tone of the director. He stuttered, "Sir... actually... maine jyada Dev Anand ki filmein dekhi nahi hai... toh... samajh nahi aa raha kaise karu."

Viren passed a disgusted look to Sameer. But he put some decent expressions on his face, "no problem. That's why I'm here. Dekho..."

He explained to Sameer some signature moves of legendary actor Dev Anand and instructed him about how to perform. Sameer too tried to match his hand movements and voice modulation like the legend. Finally after multiple attempts, Viren approved Sameer and he turned to leave when Sameer stopped him again.

"Sir... ek baat kehni thi..." Sameer said.

Viren looked irked, he sighed, "yes please..."

Sameer found some courage and spoke, "Sir, yeh toh acting nahi hai na... yeh toh bass mimicry hui... aur yeh bahot loud lag raha hai..."

The director laughed wickedly, "what? What did you say? Acting?" And he laughed again. Sameer felt embarrassed but he truly wanted to ask his doubts. He just nodded looking down.

"Kitne ads kar chuke ho bhai pehle?" Viren asked.

Sameer didn't look up while answering, "ummm... ek..."

Viren laughed again and placed his hand on Sameer's shoulder, "ohhoo... sirf ek commercial ka experience aur aap mujhe gyan de rahe hai? Listen brother, mere paas tumhare iss faltu sawal ke liye time nahi hai... aur yaha tumhe sirf tumhari shakal dekhke select kiya hai, kyunki tumhari aawaz bhi koi aur dub karnewala hai.... No one is interested to see your acting... we have to wrap this in three hours.... So go get ready... okay?" He gritted his teeth as his voice turned stiff and he squeezed Sameer's shoulder with his palm.

Sameer looked at him and clenched his fists. He was raging inside but couldn't express it. Viren then rudely called a spotboy and asked him to take Sameer to the makeup room and give him his costume. Swallowing his anger, Sameer followed the spotboy into a room. He was given a retro suit and a scarf to give a Dev Anand look. He kept his bag on a chair and changed within five minutes.

He sat for the makeup in front of the mirror but in a complete melancholy. He kept staring at his reflection in the mirror assessing his worth. Why can't people be humble and kind to each other? Why is it so necessary to display your power status to every person coming your way? He was just tired of getting insulted and humiliated by people and the destiny itself. At some instances, people had laughed at his album of his photos, while at some, he was insulted by assistants at a Production House for underperforming a scene. Whether it was a passerby on a road, or the passengers on the buses and locals, none thought of him as a human while passing crass remarks regardless of anything. And the same happened again here. A director, who should actually guide his actors, was uncivil with him while not bothering anyone else is listening due to his raised voice. Sameer was aware that the camera person was listening to every single thing when Viren was making sneering comments at him and he could do nothing. He was mortified with the way Viren talked to him and he lost all his interest in this shoot.

As the stylist applied a hair gel to set his hair, Sameer closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He knew everyone in this city is a frustrated person, everyone here has their own sufferings. But difficult situations should make one humble, and not bitter or rude. He felt something on his face and he opened his eyes to check. A make-up artist was applying foundation on his face as a base. He realized his purpose behind sitting on this chair. He was there for work and not to get upset on people. But he knew he can't just go like this and fail miserably there during the shoot. That may give someone more chances to show him down or lose his own chances of getting more work. He smirked mentally, seeing the layer of make-up being put on his face. He knew he never needed much of it as there weren't any spots on his face to conceal. But he certainly needed a facade for his lost mind, for his dejected soul. He felt the urge to get back into a cheerful mood to be able to mimic the great Dev Anand.

He closed his eyes again and pictured the most beautiful person in this world in front of his eyes. His wife, his life. Naina. He recollected the shine in her eyes whenever she looked at him, the cute smile her lips often wore, her giggles, her laughter, how she squeezes her eyes shut and clutch her stomach when she laughs hardly, how she clucks her tongue when she does a mischief or is upset about something, how she glares at him when he remarks something about her father. He tried to imagine himself in her arms, him holding her, laughing with her. And he felt every cell of his body getting activated, getting energized. He felt his nerves getting rejuvenated. And not just that, the memory of Naina also pulsed the heat and blood down his body, resulting into his growing erection and he crossed his legs. He smirked thinking of the kind of effect Naina has on him and he felt as if his soul smiled again.

'Agar hame Mumbai me rehna hai, toh beizzati ke kadwe ghoont bhi peene hi padenge... woh bhi smile ke sath...'

He understood why he had that smile on his face. How right Naina was every time! Because there would be so many such moments when he would need to gulp down every insult and put a smile on the face. Yes! He was prepared for it. The hair and make-up artists gave him a thumbs up as they were done. He glanced at his script once and left the room, fully prepared, for the shoot and for the humiliation, if any.

Thanks to Ravi Sir who had scheduled Sameer's close-ups first and later scheduled the master shots, so that Sameer would become free earlier. He still stayed there when the master shots of passing were being shot, and also to avoid any last minute rush if he is needed to give an OS shot**. Shooting a commercial was such a complex thing. Sometimes it would be so easy and sometimes there would be shots of mere one or two seconds, but still significant ones, to make it a complete 30second ad. Sameer stayed to learn the process of shooting, how it functions, how many people are involved in it, how the camera works etc. He was standing with his hands in his pockets and also observing the two different personalities, Ravi Sir and Viren, in front of him. Ravi Sir was the one who was present in his audition and supervised all auditions. He looked like a senior in that ad agency. While Viren looked like a freshman, who was only shouting and screaming at people for the smallest of things. He had shouted at him too, but Sameer had strategically ignored every comment from Viren and focussed only on his work. He wouldn't deny that there were moments when he was about to lose his temper, but he had become much calmer due to Naina.

At the declaration of pack up, Sameer immediately rushed to the changing room and quickly changed into his own clothes. He removed his make-up and dabbed his hair with a wet towel to remove the gel. He certainly wasn't carrying that retro look outside. He grabbed his leather bag, and rushed to leave the set at the earliest. He had just walked out of his set when a man standing in the open space of the next set, with a notepad in his hand, called him.

"Hey young man..." Sameer heard the person calling him. The man looked in his forties with his grey stubble. Sameer paused for a moment to check if the man was indeed calling him and when he got assured of it, Sameer walked to him with a smile.

"Yes..." Sameer said humbly.

"Hi... This is Piyush." The man extended his hand.

"Hello Sir, Sameer here..." Sameer shook hands with him, still ambiguous as why this man is talking to him.

"Mai Ravi se milne aaya tha, when you were talking to Viren, and I heard you." Piyush stated while putting his one hand in his pocket. "I'm glad that you understand the difference between acting and mimicry. Warna yaha toh aise log bhi hai, jinhe kuchh pata nahi hota aur phir bhi muh uthha ke chale aata hai." He chuckled.

A genuine smile crept on Sameer's lips to know that there are some genuine people too. "Thank you Sir." He muttered.

"So? Here for modelling?" Piyush queried.

"Actually I'm looking for films. Phir socha commercials se start toh kar hi sakta hu." Sameer replied.

"Commercial is always a good choice by the way." Piyush shrugged. "But let me tell you one thing. Since you had asked this to Viren." He continued, "Films, Television, Advertisements and Theatre. These are all modes of entertainment. But all are eventually different. Inko kabhi mix mat karna. You need a different kind of screen presence in Film and television. Ads hamesha product ke liye bane hote hai. So don't think waha tumhe acting karne ka koi mauka milega. It's all about how convincing you are. And theatre is about voice projection and the intensity of your acting. It's about how you live a character."

Sameer was listening intently to the man who was passionately talking about these modes of entertainment. He could see a shine in his eyes when he was talking about it.

"Soooo...Am I going in the right direction?" Sameer was curious to know more from this knowledgeable person.

"Yeah yeah..." Piyush grinned. "you have to keep adding things in your portfolio right. But... make sure they are good ones." He placed his hand on Sameer's shoulder and shook it lightly while laughing.

Sameer's face brightened after listening to some good stuff coming from a stranger. He could have continued talking if not disturbed by a spotboy.

"Sirjee, aapko Ravi Sir bula rahe hai..." the spotboy informed while panting a bit.

Nodding to the spotboy, Sameer turned to Piyush again. "Thank you so much Sir for this. I'm obliged."

"Oh no. Not at all. Go now." Piyush tapped Sameer's arm.

Sameer reached the set again and walked to Ravi who was sitting on a chair with lots of papers and envelopes in hand. "Aapne bulaya Sir..." Sameer said.

Ravi looked up from the papers and exhaled deeply, "Sameer... come here man... sit... kyun bhai, tumhe payment nahi chahiye kya?" Ravi teased him.

Sameer mentally smacked his forehead. In the rush of leaving this place quickly, he had forgotten to collect his cheque. He sat on the chair next to Ravi. Ravi ruffled through some envelopes and finally found one.

"Ahh... here it is... yeh lo..." He handed an envelope to Sameer.

Accepting it, Sameer thanked him. "Sir, ek baat puchhni thi." He added.

"haan puchho..."

"Woh... bahar koi Piyush Sir hai, jo aapse milne aaye the shayad. Woh kaun hai." Sameer expressed his curiosity to know about the person.

Ravi narrowed his eyes for a moment and said, "ohh... you met Piyush? He is the Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather. Piyush Pandey. And I tell you, he's going to become a big name in the advertising industry."

Sameer was surprised to hear this information. He couldn't believe that a simple looking man was at such a big position in a company.

"Come Sameer, have lunch." His chain of thoughts was broken by Ravi's voice as he pushed his chair back and got up. Sameer stood up too and found himself in a dilemma.

Beetroot Parathe or a meal on set...

He was perplexed to make a choice between the two. Had it been any other day, he would have straightaway denied to have eaten something on set and gone for his lunchbox, but beetroot was something he didn't think he could ever eat. Naina would dish it out as salad with cucumber, carrot and tomatoes, but he never even touched it. And today, when he had sneaked in the kitchen for a kiss before leaving, he caught her secretly packing the parathas in his lunchbox. He had sulked over it, but the way Naina had traced her index finger on his throat and wished him 'all the best' in a sensual manner, he had lost all the points of arguments.

But now, he had an option. He closed his eyes for a moment and followed Ravi Sir into the cafeteria.

Sameer occupied a window seat in the bus on his way back to home and he leaned to the metal headrest of the seat. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He somehow was feeling so good and positive. Positive about this entertainment industry and the people working for it. He met Ravi Sir, Viren and Piyush Sir today, all with different characters and intent. When he had met Ravi Sir during his audition, he perceived him as a dedicated person towards his work. He hadn't seen him sitting idol even for a second or chattering casually today and also on his audition day. He was a jovial person but would talk only when necessary. Viren appeared to be a short tempered person, who was yelling and ranting on people for no reason. He also was carrying a sense of authority in himself of being a director or almost a dictator. Piyush Sir was a total surprise for him. He actually didn't have anything to do with Sameer. He happened to be a passerby and overheard Sameer asking his doubts to Viren. It wasn't his moral responsibility to clarify it, but still when he accidentally crossed paths with Sameer again, he happily shared the knowledge.

Sameer's mind forced him to compare the gesture by Viren and Piyush Sir when they put their hands on his shoulder. Viren's palm squeezing on his shoulder conveyed a kind of depiction of power and superiority. While that of Piyush Sir was so friendly and contained an unknown affection. Maybe he was happy to find someone enthusiastic about acting and someone who probably shared the same interest as him. Being at such a reputed and responsible position in such a big advertising company, he didn't possess even a pinch of arrogance or ego of his position. And Sameer was genuinely grateful to the man who shared such valuable information with him. Sameer had never looked at the entertainment industry this way. He was glad that he had taken a course for acting, but even in his acting class, he wasn't taught about the nuances of how this industry works. His ad shoot today had brought lots of learning for him, be it about the technicalities about shooting or about human nature. Whether it was about meeting good people or not so good people, he was learning and growing as a human being.

*****

Sameer was walking behind Naina who was just avoiding him and roaming angrily in the house.

"Naina, suno toh..." He tried once again.

"Maine kaha na... nahi sunna mujhe kuchh..." Naina slightly turned back to glare at him and continued to walk away from him and headed to the bedroom.

"Maine bataya na tumhe, Ravi Sir ne itni zidd pakdi ki mai set pe hi khana khau, toh mai unko mana nahi kar paaya." He tried to reason why he brought back the lunchbox without finishing.

As Naina reached the corner of the bedroom, she stopped and made a frustrated sound. She turned to almost collide with him, "achchha? Jaise tum chhote bachche ho, aur woh Ravi Sir tumhe mana rahe the, 'beta please khana kha lo, please kha lo...' Hai na?" She was piqued.

Sameer pursed his lips at the way she was making faces. He stifled his giggle as his wife was still in a Devi mode. Naina twisted her mouth and again started walking to the living room. Sameer caught her dupatta midway and followed her like a kid following his mother holding her pallu.

"Itne pyar se banaye the parathe tumhare liye. Socha salad me nahi khate toh parathe toh kha loge..." She continued her rant. "Lekin nahi, janab ke toh bass nakhre hi nakhre hai." She entered the kitchen after passing the living room.

Rakesh was sitting on the sofa with a book in his hand and a handkerchief on his mouth behind the book. He would press the handkerchief hard on his mouth and try to suppress his laughter when Naina and Sameer would come in sight, and as they would disappear to another room, he would laugh hard. It was the third round of Naina and Sameer roaming from kitchen to living room to passage to bedroom and back. And he was just being a spectator and completely enjoying his daughter's angry avtaar and his son-in-law's sorry state.

"Naina, mai na agli baar pakka khaunga... promise... ekdum pakka wala promise..." Sameer pinched his throat though not visible to her. Naina reached the corner of the kitchen again and stomped her foot in agitation.

She turned and passed him a deadly stare. She raised both her hands around his throat as if to murder him anytime and he retreated slightly with widened eyes. "Ugghhhhhh..." She could only utter and walked back to the living room.

"Papa, aap bataiye... parathe achchhe bane the na?" Naina asked her father for his opinion, keeping her one hand on her waist.

Rakesh peeped through the book pretending he was busy reading. "Ummm... kyaa... haan, achchhe bane the parathe..." He replied with a serious face. He looked at Sameer once and added, "Sach kahu toh bahot achchhe bane the. Aur dahi ke sath toh ekdum swadisht lag rahe the..." He put an innocent smile on his face.

Sameer gaped at his father-in-law in disbelief. When would this man take his side? He wondered.

"Dekha..." His thoughts were smashed by Naina's voice. "Achchhe bane the Parathe... lekin tumhe toh try bhi nahi karna hai na..." Naina almost pounced on Sameer. And before he could defend himself, she walked to the bedroom again.

Sameer stopped for a moment before following his wife for the hundredth time now, and he turned to Rakesh. "Aap na kabhi mera sath mat do... bass apni beti ki side lo..." He complained sarcastically.

Rakesh answered nonchalantly, "maine kya kiya? Tumne uske andar ki 'jhansi ki rani'  ko jagaya hai, tum hi sambhalo usse..." and he dipped his head in the book again.

Sameer shuddered, reacting to his unbelievable father-in-law. Sighing, he rushed to his bedroom. As he entered, he found Naina standing near the window and looking out. She still looked enraged. Taking slow strides, he reached to her and sensing him around, Naina tried to move from her place. She just took one step back and was caught in the strong arms of her husband.

"Sameer chhodo mujhe..." Naina berated him.

He held her tighter turning her fully to him and spoke in astonishment, "baapre...!! Baapre...!! Itna gussa... kya hua hai??"

She just wiggled and tried to free herself, not preferring to answer. But it was of no use compared to his muscular strength.

"Shant ho jao... shant ho jao..." He tried to comfort her while rubbing her arm affectionately. "Naina... periods aane wale hai kya?" He looked straight in her eyes, but asked softly.

Naina stopped moving, she looked down and whispered, "shayad..."

Sameer smiled gently but remained silent for few moments. He knew some more was coming from Naina.

True to his belief, she uttered after sometime. "Sameer... pata nahi sham se aise chidchid ho rahi hai... aisa lag raha hai kisi pe gussa utaaru... bahot saara..." She phrased her exasperation.

Sameer furrowed his brows, "Haan toh... mai hu na... mujhpe nikalo gussa... kaho toh ghar ke aur char-paanch chakkar lagate hai dono.... " He suggested.

"Sameer..." She tried to push him at his chest.

"Achchha sorry.... Soooorrrryyyyy...." He laughed and pulled her closer. Keeping his big palm on the back of her head, he made her head lie on his chest and stroked her back with another hand.

Naina didn't reciprocate first but listening to his heartbeat, which she knew was only for her, she wrapped her arms around him and she was rewarded with a kiss on her head. She couldn't put in words what exactly was happening to her. She knew her periods were nearing, but she never had this level of mood swings. But now being in her most favourite and the safest place, she let her irritation subside and relax herself.

"Sameerrrr.... Tumhare liye phone hai..." The tranquility between the couple lost in each other's arms was broken by a loud voice of Papa.

Naina slowly withdrew from the hug and tugged a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "Tch... aa gaye mere pyar ke dushman... meri biwi ko mujhse alag karne..." Sameer grumbled.

Naina giggled listening to his complaining tone and Sameer heaved a sigh of relief, seeing her smiling.

"Jao dekhe kaun hai..." Naina prodded him. He grabbed her hand and took her to the living room along with him.

"Hello..." Sameer said as he took the cordless receiver from Rakesh's hand.

"Hey Sameer, this is Aryan here. Aryan Saxena..." the person at the other end of the call spoke.

The name immediately struck in Sameer's mind and his eyes widened, "ohh... good evening Sir." He greeted.

"Aah... please call me Aryan. Yaar Sameer, I've called you for a reason." Aryan said.

"Han bataiye na..." Sameer's eyes brightened with hope.

"Yaar I saw your audition. It was good. And I'm thinking of you for a role. Just thinking haan..." Aryan made it clear. "Toh kuchh cheezein mujhe discuss karni hai. So are you free tomorrow?" He voiced .

"Yes Sir, I am free tomorrow." Sameer made sure he didn't sound desperate, which he was.

"Good. Toh kal aa jana office me. 2-3 baje aa jana... Actually meri kal Dharmendra Sir ke sath bhi meeting hai... Isi film ke silsile me... Toh please consider if you have to wait for sometime." He mentioned.

"Ahh.. it's totally fine Sir. Mai 2 baje pohoch jaunga office me.... " Sameer assured, his mind jumping inside listening to the great Dharmendra's name.

"Ek aur baat... I may need one more screentest of yours, or just a little audition, before I take it to the production house. So abhi please kisi ko batana mat. Coz that's why I'm personally calling you." Aryan's voice contained a request.

"Don't worry Sir... mai nahi bataunga..." Sameer assured him.

"Okay good. See you tomorrow then. Bye." Aryan said.

Wishing him goodbye, Sameer disconnected the call and stood stunned for a moment. He turned and found Naina and Papa rooted at their places, Naina near the entrance of the passage to bedroom and Papa near the sofa, keen to know the details about the phone call. He smiled a little. He always found it funny that even if they had the cordless now, they would mostly talk standing near the cordless stand itself. He exhaled heavily to control his excitement and sat on the sofa chair.

Seeing him sitting calmly, Naina frowned, "Arey, batao na kaun tha.... Suspense kyun bana rahe ho?"

He laughed, "pehle baitho toh sahi... Papa, baithiye na..." He wanted to avoid any jumping in exhilaration kind of thing.

Naina and Rakesh acquired their seats and Sameer finally revealed, "ek film ke liye audition diya tha maine... uss film ke casting director ka phone tha... woh ek role ke liye mujhe cast karna chahte hai..."

"Kyaaa?" He heard two loud screams at the same time. Naina had almost jumped on her seat and Rakesh's smile and eyes had widened.

Since when did Papa start showing his excitement?

"Arey shant shant..." He gestured with his hands to hush them. "Abhi woh sirf soch rahe hai... toh filhal kisi ko batana nahi hai..."

Rakesh voiced, "Haan haan nahi batayenge bhai... lekin achchhi khabar hai..."

"Kab jana hai?" Naina asked.

"Kal dopahar ko..." Sameer shared. He was asking them to calm down but he couldn't control his own excitement of sharing one thing. "Waise... Sir bata rahe the woh Dharmendra ke sath baat kar hai, isi film ke liye." He smiled brightly.

"Kya? Dharamji ke sath? Sach me?" Rakesh sat on the edge of seat and held the seater with his hands.

"Haan, keh toh rahe the...." Sameer tittered.

"Matlab... matlab tum... tum..." Rakesh was trying to frame a sentence amidst his happiness. "Tum... Dharamji ke sath kaam karoge?"

"Haan agar sab sahi hua toh...." Sameer shrugged. He could already see Rakesh dreaming of meeting his favourite actor Dharmendra.

"Papa Papa... aap... sapno ke duniya se wapas aaiye... abhi mujhe role mila nahi hai..." Sameer teased his father-in-law.

"Haan... toh... maine kuchh kaha thodi na hai..." Rakesh stuttered on being caught.

Sameer and Naina just laughed softly seeing Papa's happiness.

"Sameer, mai kuchh meetha banati hu..." Naina got up and turned to go to the kitchen.

"Naina..." Sameer stopped her. "Hum hamesha aise calls aane par khush ho jate hai... lekin phir, aage kuchh nahi hota uska..." Sameer sounded a little disappointed. He didn't want to let this one call overpower them, celebrate it and then get rejected.

Naina smiled warmly, "toh kya hua Sameer. Khushi khushi hoti hai... chahe chhoti ho ya badi..." Saying this she went to the kitchen.

Sameer too joined her to help her with the preparation of dinner, knowing her mood swings some time before. Kheer was prepared as a sweet dish, which was a favourite of all of them. The dinner was full of Rakesh Papa's chatter about Dharmendra and his films, him sharing his younger days and his attempts made to watch various Dharmendra films in the cinema hall.

*****

It was 11:30 in the morning when Sameer and Rakesh were preparing for lunch in the kitchen. They had kept it a simple meal as bottle gourd sabzi, roti, Daal-Chawal and salad. Sameer was chopping the bottle gourd while Rakesh was making a dough for chapatis.

"Abhi kaise so gayi Naina... tabyet jyada kharab lag rahi hai kya uski?" Rakesh voiced his concern.

"Pata nahi uski bass chidchid ho rahi hai kal se... padhai me bhi dhyan nahi lag raha tha uska, toh maine hi kaha thodi der so jao..." Sameer reasoned.

"Hmmm... aur ab kab jana hai woh Sir ke yaha?" Rakesh queried.

"Raat ko 8 baje bulaya hai..." Sameer told as a crease took place on his forehead. He wasn't stressed about his visit to Aryan but he was feeling a bit worried about Naina now. If she doesn't feel good for the rest of the day, then he was thinking of postponing or even cancelling the visit today.

When he had woken up in the morning, he saw that Naina had turned to the other side in sleep and had cocooned her knees near her. He hadn't woken her up then thinking about her irritability since yesterday, but when he had come back after having bath and adjusted her duvet, he observed blood stains on her night suit and the bedsheet.

He had to wake her up given the situation. "Naina... uthho..." He had shaken her arm lightly. "Tumhare periods aaye hai..." He almost whispered.

Naina had gotten up with a jerk and sat straightened. She had shifted a little to spot the stain and mumbled in disgust, "arey yaar... yeh periods aise subah neend me kyun aate hai..." She rested her cheek on her palm.

"Koi baat nahi Naina..." Sameer had eased her then and helped her as she got up to gather the bedsheet.

While Naina was having her bath, Sameer had informed Rakesh about Naina's 'those days of the month' and they both entered the kitchen. Naina was still dull during the breakfast due to the pain and couldn't eat much of it. Also, her irritability seemed to have increased. She even hadn't been able to focus on studies which had actually added to Sameer's worry for her. He hadn't seen Naina in this much pain and seen her so restless during her periods. And leaving her in this state hadn't appeared to be a good option for him.

A phone call at 10 in the morning had proved to be a savior for Sameer. It was a call from Aryan's assistant informing him that Aryan would be busy with meetings for the whole day and that he had asked to have a meeting with Sameer in the evening at his home. Had it been another day, Sameer would have had a mixed reaction to it, given that his day would have been wasted. He could have gone with Aditya to an audition, to which he had refused yesterday evening giving some excuse. But looking at Naina's condition, he had felt thankful to Aryan for delaying the meeting. He would now get more time to spend with his beloved wife.

"Sameer, ek kaam karte hai..." Papa's voice brought him back to present. "Tum sabzi ko chhounk laga do, aur mai daal-chawal ka cooker chadhha deta hu... phir Naina ke liye garam-garam rotiya bana ke dunga mai... Pehle uska khana ho jane do, phir hum dono baithte hai, thik hai?" Rakesh proposed, grabbing some vessels and a pressure cooker.

"Ji Papa." Sameer agreed. He smiled at the fact that how they both were concerned and thinking about the only woman in their life. His wife and this man's daughter, who was sleeping in the bedroom and was a little ill.

Both the men then speeded up their tasks and in half an hour, they were ready with the sabzi and Daal-Chawal. Rakesh started making chapatis while Sameer cut the salad and served the items in a plate for Naina.

As the second chapati swelled into a perfect ball-like shape on the burner, Rakesh said, "yeh do rotiya leke jao Naina ke liye aur usko khilao. Aur nakhre karegi, toh zabardasti khilana." He served the second chapati on the plate.

Sameer grinned at his father-in-law's raised brows and widened eyes. But he knew how much care was there in those eyes about his daughter. He was also pleased to see the privacy he was giving to both of them and not complaining about it. He took the plate and walked to the bedroom.

"Nainaaa... utthoo..." Sameer knelt down on the mattress and shook Naina with one hand, while holding the plate in another.

She stirred in sleep but didn't wake up. He placed the plate on the side table and sat beside her. Caressing her cheeks lovingly, he tried again. "Nainaaa... uthho..."

Naina opened her eyes at his touch and slowly got up. She sat by folding her legs and scooted towards Sameer while resting her head on his shoulder and circling her hands around his waist. Sameer too wrapped his arm affectionately across her shoulder and pulled her closer.

"Abhi thik lag raha hai?" He softly asked, putting a kiss on her forehead.

"Hmmm...." She replied like a kid.

"Pet dard kam hai?" He asked further.

"Haan..."

"Good... chalo khana khalo abhi... Papa ne garma-garam rotiya banayi hai..." Sameer gently stroked her shoulder with his palm.

On the mention of hot chapatis, Naina straightened and her eyes twinkled. Sameer chuckled seeing her. He knew how much she likes to have chapatis directly from the Tawa.

He held the plate in his hand and fed a morsel of roti-sabzi to Naina. She gleefully ate it and narrowed her eyes. "sabzi tumne banayi hai?" She asked.

Sameer nodded. "Achchhi nahi bani?" He asked with disappointment.

"Achchhi bani hai..." Naina answered with a grin.

He then fed her the items one by one, including salad. Naina hadn't even taken an effort to eat by herself and Sameer happily pampered her. He queried if she wanted one more chapati or rice but Naina declined to both, saying she would eat again if she's hungry but not now.

Sameer was about to get up to keep the plate, when Naina mumbled, "Sameer... aaj pata nahi maa ki yaad rahi hai..."

Sameer paused for a moment. He knew Naina addressed Vishakha as Maa but she wasn't talking about Vishakha, but her mother today. "Kya hua Naina? Koi sapna dekha kya?" He asked worriedly.

"Nahi... bass yaad rahi hai..." she rested her cheek on his shoulder again.

He asked if she wanted to talk to Vishakha, but she denied saying she had already spoken to her yesterday. He suggested a couple of more options which may make her feel good, but she refused all the things.

Sameer sighed, "toh mai kya karu Naina?"

"Bass mere paas raho..." She tightened her grip on him.

He frowned, sensing something odd in her behaviour. "Naina, mai sham ki meeting cancel kar du kya?" He questioned.

She looked at him. She wanted to say yes. She wanted him to not go anywhere else from her side today. But she can't play with his career. Getting a personal call from a casting director meant big. And he can't cancel a meeting just because she wanted him to. That would be so selfish of her.

"Nahi... bass abhi ke liye mere paas raho..." Naina's eyes softened.

Acceding to his wife's trivial plea, Sameer returned to Naina with a hot water bag for her and helped her with it on her stomach. After some time, Rakesh came to the bedroom with two plates in his hands and the sasur-damaad duo had their lunch grabbing the cane stools while Naina rested back on the wall, with the hot water bag in help. The stories of Dharmendra by Papa continued again.

Sameer was standing in front of the big posh building in Malad West at 7:45pm, as per the address given by Aryan's assistant. Marking his entry for the 10th floor at the security check, Sameer entered the lift.

He pressed the bell of the flat number 1002, and Aryan opened the door within seconds. He leaned at the door frame staring Sameer for a moment. Sameer was indeed looking dapper in his black shirt with folded sleeves and black jeans.

"Hey Sameer, you're quite punctual haan... come..." Aryan gestured to him to come inside.

Sameer followed him inside and looked around. It was a well decorated and well maintained 3bhk flat. He heard the sound of a latch and looked back. Aryan had locked the door behind him and greeted him with a smile.

**OS Shot: over the shoulder shot

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