Naina tried to get the pleats right for the third time and hoped there was some truth to the saying Third time's a Charm. She glanced at her wristwatch nervously, they really should be on the way in the next five minutes, but it seemed impossible.

Eight minutes later as she rushed to the main door, she saw him in Jeans and a white and green striped t-shirt, standing in the porch looking inside impatiently. She called out "Bus ek minute... sirf chappal pehenni hai!" As she stepped out, he showed her his wristwatch shaking his head disapprovingly and then looking her from top to bottom asked "Tum kya kissi party mein jaane ke liye taiyar hui ho? Ek kaisi saree peheni hai?!"

She looked down at her saree uncertainly and asked "Kyun isme kya kharabi hai? Yeh toh maine pehele bhi peheni thi... yaad hai? Uss din jab main aayi " Sameer cut her short "Achi tarah yaad hai mujhe! Rustam uncle aur family aaye thay, tab peheni thi... par uss din ghar pe party hi toh thi! Abhi kaha jaa rahi ho, yaad hai na?!"

She cast a slightly annoyed glance at him and said "Sameer... main pehele hi bahoot nervous hu... please aap aur tension mat dijiye..." He shrugged his shoulder in surrender and started climbing down the step. She now called "Sameer, such mooch bahoot buri lag rahi hai kya? Change karu??" He looked at her turning half way and said "Buri nahi, bahoot achi lag rahi ho... mera matlab... saree achi hai, bus office ke liye kuch jyada... (not quite finding the right word) kuch jyada lag rahi hai. Par ab socho mat. Aur jaldi chalo warna late ho jayenge." As she got in the front seat with him, he muttered "Maine toh kaha bhi tha, shalwar-kameez hi peheno... par meri sunta hi kaun hai!"

For the next few minutes as he drove in silence, Naina recalled last night's events.

At the dinner table, she had reminded Nanaji that she was starting the apprenticeship the next day. When Nanaji enquired how she planned to get there, she had explained that she would take a rickshaw. Nanaji had asked her if she had been to that industrial part of the town before, and when it turned out that she was completely unfamiliar with the area, Nanaji had asked Sameer to drop her off. Sameer had mumbled that since it was her first day, he would make an exception, but it was not something he could do every time, he had his college to think of too.

A little later finding him alone in the lounge watching TV, she had asked "Sameer, aap ke office mein aane wali ladies kya pehenti hai?" He replied absentmindedly "Kya pehenti hai matlab? Sadiya hi pehenti hai..." Then seeing her looking very thoughtful he asked "Tum kyun poonch rahi ho?" She replied "Woh... bus soch rahi thi ke mujhe uss office mein kya pehena chahiye..." He explained "Aare, humare factory mein toh aane wali sari aauratan mostly labourers hai, toh saree hi pehenti hai, par tum toh student bankar hi jaa rahi ho... toh bus jaise college jaati ho waise hi jao, shalwar-kameez mein."

His words made sense, but she had still not felt convinced. Just then Nanaji entered the lounge and she asked "Nanaji, agar aap ke office mein koi aaurat job ke liye aaye ya job se bhi pehele interview ke liye... toh aap usse kin kapdon mein expect karenge?" Nanaji replied "Interview mein toh formal hi acha lagta hai... saree hi theek lagegi... tum kyun pooch rahi ho?" Naina nodded smiling "Bus decide karna tha ke kal kya pehnu... aap bilkul theek keh rahe hai. Mujhe saree hi peheni chahiye."

She wished them both Goodnight and then went to her room to pick the outfit for the next day. All the Taiji sarees were out of question... and most of her other sarees were too heavy, leaving only a couple of them as likely candidates. Knowingly or unknowingly, she had picked the one which held a special place in her heart.

Sameer his eyes on the road, now asked her "Aur baad mein college kaise aaogi? Lene aayu? Matlab, sirf aaj ke liye..." She smiled at him thankfully "Nahi... uski koi jarurat nahi. Woh baaki teeno... Namit, Ashish aur Mohan honge... main unke sath hi aajaungi. Woh log koi humare ghar ki taraf nahi rehte... toh subhe mujhe akele jaana hoga... par baad mein college ke liye company hai." He nodded thinking, Dekhna padega ek baar kaun hai...

When they approached the big gate at the entrance of the Industrial area, Sameer slowed the car and asked the Gurkha at the entrance for the exact directions to this specific organisation. As the car halted outside the gate of her office, Naina noticed a man on a motorbike, who was presenting his Employee ID card to the gatekeeper. The man probably in his early to mid-thirties, curiously looked at the car and peeked at the passengers, before heading inside. Naina exited the car with a thanks to her husband and waving quickly headed to the gatekeeper to show him the letter she had received from her professor.

Sameer watched her walking to the gate and talking to the gatekeeper. Seeing her in this specific saree felt a little disquieting, bringing back memories of that evening. Seeing her entering the gate, he drove away.

Naina found her other classmates waiting in the reception. She was extremely pleased that nobody had come to meet them yet, which meant nobody would know that she had made it just in time! As they all conversed excitedly, Naina noticed how the other three boys were dressed in formals, but nothing that made them stand out. She looked at the two receptionists and noted that both the women were wearing crisp cotton sarees in beige. Well, considering the sarees were identical, they were obviously donning a uniform.

Couple of minutes later, they were greeted by a Mrs Shah from HR, who welcomed them warmly to their organisation and showed them around for about 15-20 minutes, giving them an overview of their operations and what exactly was done from this location. It was a company into production of Electronic Circuit Breakers and was very highly regarded in that industry. She then took them to the Accounts department and introduced them to a Mr Joshi, that they would be reporting to during their apprenticeship. 

Mr Joshi and Naina looked at each other with a feeling of familiarity, before realisation dawned on both, he was the same guy she had seen arriving on a bike and entering the gate a little earlier, while still in the car. This realisation brought a thoughtful look on Mr Joshi's face, but he carried on with the introductions and a small presentation that he had put together to give them an overview of what the Accounts department did in this office, how it fit in with what was done in their other offices and their head-office in Bombay. Thought it all sounded very important, most of it seemed to fly over their heads.

Mr Joshi introduced them to different members of his team and explained what areas he wanted them to start familiarising themselves with. He then asked them to take a short fifteen-minute break and then start looking at some ledgers. As Naina made her way to the ladies on another floor as the one on that floor was closed for some maintenance, she observed that there were only a handful of women working in the whole building.

It seemed strange that schools had almost an equal number of male and female students, colleges probably a little more weighing towards the male gender, but then suddenly there were very few women in the workforce. On her way back, she took a wrong turn and ended up in a viewing gallery with a view of the shop floor. Surprisingly there was a much larger number of women working there on the packaging. As she turned back and made her way towards the Accounts department, she wondered, why was it that there were more women in the unskilled jobs compared to the skilled? Well, it all comes down to need really, doesn't it? She too was here for the same reason, that she would probably need a job for survival.

As she was about to turn a corner, she heard Mr Joshi saying to someone "Aare, kaha ka acha hua? Char mein se ek candidate toh kissi kaam ka hi nahi hai! Pata nahi yeh HR walon ko bhi kya gender equality ki suzi hai..." Naina stopped where she was, as the other man asked in a teasing tone "Joshiji, Mishra toh bol raha tha... badi pataka intern mili hai aap ko!" Mr Joshi replied grumpily "Bhai, mujhe toh kaam se matlab hai! Pataka ho ya kuch aur... Kissi bade ghar ki beti lagti hai. Subhe aate waqt dekha maine usse... ekdum badiwali gaddi main aayi hai madam. Aur ek hum yaha dus saal se naukri kar rahe hai, aur abhi bhi bike pe hai... Pata nahi kiss liye aa rahi hai?! Dekh lijiye... kuch din aayengi, phir ya toh kehengi Sir, yeh toh bahoot tiring hai! ya toh sagai ki meethai leke aayengi aur kehengi Sir, woh mere sasural walon ko mera yaha aana acha nahi lagta." The other man asked "Toh umarried hai?" Mr Joshi replied "Lagti toh hai... Maine poocha toh nahi. Chalo bhai, todha kaam bhi kar lete hai. Lunch break mein milenge phir aapse."

Naina stood still for another minute before resuming her walk to the cabin which had been allocated to the four of them. She picked some of the reading material left behind for them and started going through it. As she tried to focus, Mr Joshi's words kept coming back. There had been some truth in them, but she wanted to scream that not all women thought like that. There were women who aspired to careers and financial independence, some out of need, but some also just because they wanted a different life for themselves.

Before long they realised it was already half past eleven. Mr Joshi came in to check on them and soon escorted them to the reception and handed them their temporary employee Ids. As Naina thanked him and started to turn, he said "Aaj subhe aapko dekha tha aap ki car mein..." Naina quickly thinking replied "Sir, woh meri car nahi hai. Main jinke ghar mein rehti hu unki hai. Pehele kabhi iss taraf aana nahi hua hai... toh kuch theek se pata nahi hai. Isilye woh chodne aaye thay..." Mr Joshi asked, "Paying guest hai aap unke yeha?" She replied "Paying nahi... sirf guest hu... woh... dur ke rishtedar lagte hai." After a small pause she added "Thank you sir. Mujhe aap ne... matlab iss company ne yeh mauka diya hai. Mere liye bahoot jaruri hai yeh opportunity." Mr Joshi satisfied to hear this information, smiled at her warmly and bid her goodbye.

As Naina approached her classmates waiting with their bikes, she looked in one of the rear-view mirrors and realised that in the rush this morning she had forgotten to apply the sindoor. No wonder Mr Joshi had been unclear about her marital status, well probably for the best, she decided.

Sameer was near the bike-stand with his duo, when he spotted her entering the main gate. It was hard to miss her in that bright saree. Only today, she was not in a rickshaw, but was perched on backseat of some guy's bike and did not step off the bike at the front gate. The guy stopped near the bike stand gate for her to step off, but not before the speed breaker that appeared just before the bike stand gate. Sameer watched in irritation as she lurched forward slightly, far too dangerously close to the driver in his opinion. He was thinking looking at the rider, Jab usse utarna hi hai bike se, toh dus second pehele speed breaker aane se pehele nahi uttar sakta?!

Naina seeing him, approached with a big smile "Pata hai... subhe main just-in-time pohoonch gayi thi! Undar jaate bus do minute mein Mrs Shah aayi thi." Sameer replied a little self-consciously "Chalo acha hua... pehele hi din late toh nahi hui tum." She nodded happily and then asked "Aaj toh aapka extra lecture hoga na? Toh... shayad canteen mein milenge..." As he nodded, she smiled warmly at Munna and Pandit and headed inside waving at Preeti and Swati, who were waiting for her a little further up.

Sameer watched her walk to the girls. As she approached them, both Preeti and Swati started asking her questions. As they turned, Swati put her hand around Naina's waist and the girls excitedly chattering walked toward their class.

Munna exclaimed "Aare tum log toh ekdum ache se baatein karne lage!" Sameer looked at him oddly and replied "Bola toh tha kal... ke phir se baat karne lage hai." Pandit elaborated "Aare... baat karne mein, aur ache se baat karne mein bahoot fark hota hai!" Munna still sounding surprised "Yaar, Naina toh ekdum muskurake baat kar rahi thi... aur saree kyun pehenke aayi hai? Kaha gayi thi?"

Sameer updated them with the bare essential details about their back to normal conversations from Sunday night and his dropping her off to the office for her internship that morning. Munna observed "Acha, toh isiliye tujhe late hua subhe? Aur kal tu factory ke liye jaldi chala gaya that college se, toh kal yeh tumhari pakki wali dosti ka nazara dekhne ko nahi mila na humme..." Sameer retorted "Pakki wali dosti? Matlab? Ab hum 4th standard mein hai kya, kachi ya pakki dosti hone ke liye?! Ab toh ya dosti hoti hai ya nahi... simple, right? Chalo canteen jaate hai, bahoot bhook lagi hai... subhe usse drop karne ke chakkar mein nashta bhi theek se karne ko nahi mila."

When Sameer went to place their order on reaching the canteen, Pandit shaking his head said to Munna "Yaar, hum toh isse aise hi Nainital aur Delhi ka Tees-Maar-Khan samajhte thay! Yeh toh sirf khud ka saar baar baar kissi nayi devar pe takrane mein hi maheer hai!" Munna fully agreed with this observation "Ha yaar Ponga... main toh soch raha tha ke ab isse bolunga ke Bhabhi ke through mera bhi kuch setting karwa de uss Swati se... par iska track record dekhke darr lagta hai, kahi aisa na ho ke woh Swati ko ulta convince karde ke mujhe bhai hi bana le!"

Later that afternoon, when Naina went to the Canteen she did not spot Sameer there. He returned home about 5pm, after his visit to the factory, which was turning into a more regular occurrence than he had initially planned, but surprisingly he was actually enjoying the work. He found her in the lounge reading the newspaper, wearing a Purple and Orange Taiji Saree with a purple blouse with a square back.

She immediately informed him that Ramdhari had gone out to buy some kachoris for the evening nashta and would be back in twenty minutes or so. Sameer waiting to put his doubts to rest since Saturday evening, asked sweetly "Naina, please ek coffee bana dogi? Office wali bahoot buri banni thi... bilkul pee nahi gayi!" His wife obliged with a sweet smile, only too happy to be able to return his favour from that morning, even if only in a small way.

As Mr Maheshwari enjoyed his perfectly sweet coffee with a mix of surprise and contentment, he asked "Tum sawa chamach cheeni kaise dal leti ho? Ramdhari ko toh kabhi nahi aaya?" Naina beaming from the hidden compliment, straightened her imaginary collar and replied "Yeh toh mera secret hai!" He asked "Toh share nahi karogi?" She playfully shook her head "Bilkul bhi nahi!" He nodded with a thinking expression "Thik hai... as you wish!" Naina felt a little disappointed that he had given up so easily. He soon finished his coffee and headed upstairs to change thinking, Coffee toh ab main roz perfect hi peeyunga!

That night at the dinner table Nanu had some questions for Naina about her first day of the internship and how she was liking it so far. Naina explained whatever she had learnt that day, though there hadn't been really much considering it was just the first day. There was some general chitchat about everyone's day. Sameer informed Nanaji, that though the Machinery installation project was completed, he would like to continue visiting the factory couple of hours after college on most days. Mr Parmar had a few things that he thought Sameer might enjoy getting involved in. Nanaji was obviously very pleased to see that he was taking an interest in the work of his own accord.

After dinner the three of them watched TV together for a little bit. As Naina bid them goodnight and retired to her room, she said to Sameer "Woh, khidki band karni hai... aap upar jaane se pehele" He cut her short assuring her he would stop by before heading upstairs.

For the next few minutes, Nanaji silently marveled at how the universe really does work in mysterious ways. Some twenty odd years ago, the carpenter or the construction guys had miscalculated the size of the window. He had been furious when he had realised this mistake and had given them both a big dressing down, but by then, they had already moved into the house. His Janaki had convinced him to let go of the matter, saying it wasn't such a big inconvenience and also said it was a good omen to have some fault in the house, as it keeps the evil eye away. He didn't believe that had worked, their family had seen more than a fair share of struggles, but finally something good was coming out of that faulty window.

When Sameer knocked on her door a little later, she was once again at the writing table. Today she just turned around with a smile and he entered the room without waiting for an invitation. As he closed the window, she said "Thank you!" He smiled "It's ok." And then he leaning with his back against the now closed window, asked with a thinking expression "Waise kal kaise band ki thi? Ya sari raat darr ke hi guzari?!" She replied looking a little embarrassed "Kal din bhar kholi hi nahi thi... par aaj sham ko mausam itna kharab ho raha tha... bahoot ghutan ho rahi thi. Issiliye kholi thi."

Sameer looked at her silently for a few moments, thinking with growing unease about how she was choosing to give up simple essentials like breathing fresh air, not wanting to ask him repeatedly for help. Naina not knowing what he was thinking, but feeling very shy under his gaze, lowered her own eyes and moved a few things around the table for absolutely no reason.

He spoke softly "Khidki khol diya karo. Main roz upar jaane se pehele laga diya karunga, ek minute bhi nahi lagta. Aur tumhe mujhe bulane ki koi jarurat nahi padegi. Okay?" She nodded her head smiling gratefully.

He stood there uncertainly, his heart wanting to prolong this moment with her, but not sure how. She spoke "Waise mujhe aap ki baat sunni chahiye thi." When he looked at her a little surprised, she explained "Aaj khamokhaam itni achi saree pehni thi... student jaise saadhe kapde hi pehene chahiye thay. Aage se shalwar-kameez hi pehenungi." He was very pleased to hear this new plan! He now said "Aare ha, Nanu keh rahe hai ke jab bhi tumhe office jana hai unki car leke ja sakti ho... Farookh Chacha tumhe drop karke phir Nanu ko factory le jayenge. Do din unhe thodasa late ho jayenga toh koi problem nahi hai..."

Naina balked at the thought of the impression she would make on Mr Joshi and others if she started showing up in a chauffeur driven car. She immediately objected "Nahi Sameer, main car mein nahi ja sakti." He asked "Kyun nahi ja sakti? Aare, Nanu such mooch dil se bol rahe hai." She remained adamant "Nahi, mujhe bilkul acha nahi lagega. Nanaji ko meri wajah se zara bhi inconvenience nahi honi chahiye. Please aap unhe samjha dijiye ke iski koi jarurat nahi hai. Main rickshaw le lungi."

He abruptly changing the subject asked "Aaj kiske sath thi tum?" She looking confused asked "Kab? kiske sath thi??" He responded "Aare college mein jab aayi, tab kiske sath thi? Bike pe..." She replied "O... woh Mohan hai. Namit ki bike pe woh aur Ashish thay, woh dono hamesha ek hi bike pe hote hai." He asked eyes narrowed slightly "Aur yeh Mohan bike theek se chalata hai? Jyada zor se toh nahi chalata? Uss raste pe ek patch bahoot truck wale traffic ka aata hai... aur speed-breaker bhi bahoot hai!" She smiled, happy to see his concern "Aap chinta mat kijiye, woh bikul zor se bike nahi chalata..." He replied a little gruffly "Issme chinta ki kya baat hai? Main toh bus aise hi pooch raha tha..." Then casting a look at her open books, he said "Chalo, tum apne notes khatam karo. Main chalta hu. Goodnite." She smiled back, though not as widely as before and murmured a "Goodnight."

As Naina lay in bed sometime later, she dwelt a little on the lie she had told Mr Joshi earlier that day. Well, it was more about misrepresenting some facts really, right? The car did not belong to her and she did live in the guest room of this house. And when you don't share the marital bed with your husband, surely that can be classified as a dur-ka-rishta, right? And she had not lied in the least when she had said that she needed this opportunity. After all, from Mr Joshi's perspective that was the only thing of relevance, that she was committed to doing her best.

The next morning as he sat down for Breakfast, he immediately said to Ramdhari "Aaj se meri coffee Naina ko banane ko kehna. Usske pass koi secret hai sawa chamach ka!" Nanaji looked at him slightly surprised but immensely pleased on the inside. Ramdhari looked at him uncertainly for a few seconds and then rushed inside before his Bhaiya changed his mind. With glee, he announced to his Bhabhi that he had been asked to handover this job to her starting this very moment! His Bhabhi made an external show of slight irritation, but very contentedly asked him to take over the chopping of the coriander for the garnish and wiping her hands on her pallu, put the water to boil.

Seven minutes later when Ramdhari served a cup of perfectly sweet coffee, his Bhaiya shot at him after taking a sip "Dedh saal se tumhe samjha raha hu... Usse kaise aa gaya do din mein?!" Ramdhari who always took some perverse pleasure in replying back to his Bhaiya, said cheekily "Bhaiya, issiliye toh shastron mein Patni ko Ardhangini kehte hai. Ab hum thodehi aap ko unki tarah samajh sakte hai?!" A speechless Sameer looked at his retreating back, before shaking his head and returning to his coffee.

The next couple of days saw a new routine falling into place in the Maheshwari household. Naina's mornings started becoming more hectic now, starting with cooking the breakfast, his coffee and then followed by the Pooja once the men left for the day. Ramdhari started coming to her more and more for decisions around the cooking, shopping and things like, Bhabhi, aaj dhup achi nikli hai toh chadar daalde dhone mein? or Bhabhi, peechli baar uss wali chaaki ka aata acha nahi aaya tha, iss baar woh agli gali wali chaaki mein chaale jaye?

Usually, when she reached the college, he would be by the bike stand, which would result in a quick stop and a conversation lasting a minute or two. Either or both would remember something to be shared, she would have some message to be passed on about a phone call received at home or he would share his plans for the evening. Munna and Pandit would make some contribution to this conversation with the endeavour to make their Bhabhi smile. Preeti would watch these interactions with uncertainty, while Swati with excitement and dreamy look on her face.

Dinner time conversations were still limited, but much less strained. All three members of the family looked forward with equal amounts of eagerness, to the night time ritual of Sameer stopping by her room to close the window.

Thursday evening on the way back from college Naina bought an alarm clock for her room. That morning she had slightly overslept and then it had resulted in a lot of rushing around. She did not want that to risk it again, especially on days when she had to get to the office for her internship.

When Naina took a rickshaw to the office on Friday, the cost of the trip turned out to be much more than what she had anticipated. A quick word with few other employees there revealed that some took the city bus, though it wasn't always that reliable. That afternoon Sameer was once again irritated seeing her on the bike with Mohan and spent the next hour in vain trying to come up with a valid reason why she shouldn't stay on the bike all the way to the bike stand.

Saturday morning Naina woke up in a melancholy mood. Preeti and Chacha-Chachi had left for Baroda the night before, to attend a family wedding on Chachi's side of the family. All these years she had always accompanied them on trips like this, but things were different now. She was terribly missing being with them all, especially today.

As a treat to herself, she made her favourite Mooli Parathas and Suzi-ka-halwa for breakfast that day. At the breakfast table, she mentioned that she was thinking of making Shahi Paneer that night. Nanaji explained that he was meeting some out-of-town friends for dinner that evening and that it would be a late night but encouraged her to cook for the two of them. Sameer mumbled something about maybe she should defer the special menu to another day when Nanu around too, and she quickly agreed.

That day when she arrived at the college, Swati was waiting for her near the main gate. He saw her alighting from the rickshaw wearing an Ink Blue shalwar-kameez, only to be engulfed in a big hug by her childhood best friend. Sameer thought to himself, Swati bhi badi ajeeb hai... Yeh roz isski kamar pe hath rakhke ghoomna kum tha, jo ab college aate hi gale lagana bhi shuru kar diya?!

As the girls approached the bike stand, Munna spoke grinning widely "Good Morning Bhabhi! Aur Bhabhi ki saheli..." Before Bhabhi could reply, the saheli in question replied "Morning?! Afternoon bolo..." Munna quipped "Bhai, humare liye toh jab humare sooraj ke darshan hote hai, tabhi Morning hoti hai!" While Swati blushed slightly, Naina fondly laughed at his antics. Swati now turned to Sameer and asked "Acha, aaj sham ka kya plan hai? Kuch khaas hoga na?!" As Sameer looked on confused, Naina pulled her away exclaiming "Aare dekha nahi kitna late ho raha hai?! Lecture bus shuru hi ho raha hoga..." Swati now continued addressing Naina, still quite loudly "Mujhe kal sab details chahiye! Kya kya kiya tum dono ne..."

The three boys watched this exchange in surprise and various levels of shock. Munna was still lost for words after this close encounter with Swati, but Pandit asked "Yaar, agar din ka dus minute ka baat-chit ka quota kuch badh gaya hai, toh humme bhi bata de. Sham ko Hanuman mandir diya jalane jayunga, toh tere liye bhi ek laga dunga!" Sameer just shook his head dismissively, but was thinking, Exactly kya kya batati hai yeh apni saheli ko jake? Ghar ki har baat batati hai kya?!

That evening Sameer was a little delayed at the factory and got home about 7 pm. Naina was sitting in the lounge with some movie songs playing on the TV. Though she gave him a small smile and they exchanged a couple of sentences, she seemed a little out of sorts, more like a little lost.

Later as they ate dinner in relative silence, Sameer noticed that she often glanced at the clock that evening. When the phone rang about 8:45, she immediately rushed to the phone.

Sameer watched in surprise her eagerness to answer the call and listened as she spoke "Hello... Preeti! Mujhe pata tha tera hi phone hoga... main kabse intezar kar rahi thi! (After a small pause) Thank you. Bahoot miss kiya maine tujhe aaj. (Another pause) Kuch nahi, bus khana hi kha rahe thay abhi... Aaj Nanaji bhi bahar gaye hai. Tu bata, waha sab kaise hai? (a long pause followed while Preeti shared what was happening in the shaadi-ka-ghar) Woh tailor ne kal sham ko de diya tera lehenga? (another pause) Theek hai, Tuesday ko sab batana. Ha, main hold karti hu. (very small pause) Jai Shree Krishna Chachaji! Thank you. Main bikul achi hu. (a small pause) Nahi, aaj toh ghar pe hi hai. Woh Nanaji kahi bhar gaye hai. (another small pause) Ji bilkul. Aap bhi apna khayal rakhiye. (Another pause) Jai Shree Krishna Chachiji. Thank you! (tiny pause) Mujhe bhi aap ki bahoot yaad aa rahi hai! (another small pause) Ha, subhe banaya tha suzi-ka-halwa aur ab toh roz main hi Pooja karti hu... (a longer pause) Ji... ha... woh... ha woh! Shalwar-Kameez diya hai. Yellow color ka hai... (a small pause) Ji, bilkul. Waha sabko mera namaste kahiye. Bye Chachiji."

Sameer looked at her strangely as she returned to the table. She seemed even more withdrawn. He asked after a few moments "Chachaji aur family kahi gaye hai?" She explained that they were in Baroda for a wedding. He asked again "Phone kyun kiya tha? Matlab bus aise hi... ya kuch khaas baat karni thi?" She brushed it away "Khaas kuch nahi... bus mujhe miss kar rahe thay." He said "Agar tumhe bhi shaadi mein jane ka mann tha, toh chale jana tha..." She replied "Nahi, aisi koi baat nahi hai. Aur abhi toh waise hi college itna miss hua hai..."

Naina quickly finished her meal, excused herself from the table and headed to her room. In spite of her saying everything was alright, he felt something was off. As he finished his meal, he replayed what he had heard of her side of the conversation and tried to make more sense of it. Why had she said Thank You to all of them? He thought about everything else that had seemed a little odd that day, she had touched his Nanu's feet before sitting down to breakfast and when asked by Nanu had brushed it away saying she just felt like it. Swati's welcome hug in the college and her questions to him Aaj sham ka kya plan hai? Kuch khaas hoga na?

It must be her birthday today! And she hadn't uttered a word. Not even when he asked if her family had called for any specific reason. He felt a little annoyed at her for hiding, but also rather sad that nobody in this house had done anything to celebrate it. But was it really her birthday? How could he find out for sure without asking her?

He dialed Munna's number and shared his dilemma. Munna scratched his head for a bit and then said he would see if Pandit could contact Swati and get a confirmation. Sameer cautioned him that Swati probably did not know the whole truth behind their marriage. Few minutes later Munna called him back saying that he had spoken to Pandit and Pandit was now calling Swati using the excuse of some upcoming event in their society. Another 8-10 minutes later Pandit called back and confirmed that it was indeed Naina's birthday.

Sameer asked him "Yaar, ab main kya karu? Matlab kuch toh celebrate karna chahiye, right?" Pandit wholeheartedly agreed that a celebration was a must, especially considering it was her first birthday in this house. When he suggested that Sameer should take her out for dinner, Sameer replied "Yaar, khana toh kha liya hai. Ab phir se kaise khayenge?! Aur ab toh jyadatar dukan bhi band ho gayi hogi, cake bhi nahi milega." Pandit proved to be a saviour and said "Aare, toh Law Garden ke pass ice-cream khilane hi le ja." As Sameer considered this idea, he added "Aare! Waha toh woh corner pe ek bada general store bhi hai, shayad koi card ya koi gift mil jaye... aur woh florist bhi toh hai, ek bouquet le lena... bus hogaya birthday celebrate!"

Sameer feeling very pleased with this proposed plan, quickly thanked his friend. As he headed to her room, he noted it was close to 9:30 and realised they would have to hurry, if he hoped to find any of the shops still open. He knocked on her door and said in an urgent tone "Naina jaldi kapde change karlo. Main bhi bus do minute mein aata hu... humme bahar jana hai." She rather surprised at first and the a little scared too asked "Kya.. hua? Bahar kyun jana hai abhi? Sab theek toh hai?" He replied "Kuch poocho maat, bus jaldi chalo!" She paled even further "Sameer... Nanaji toh theek hai na? Koi hospital mein hai kya? Tauji? Papa?" He tried to assure her "Sab theek hai. Koi hospital mein nahi hai. Koi problem nahi hai. Par main aur kuch nahi bolunga!" He rushed upstairs thinking if nothing else, he at least wanted the ice-cream to be a surprise.

About ten minutes later, they were in the car, she back in a same Ink Blue shalwar-kameez that she had worn earlier in the day and he in a pair of dark Blue jeans and Black t-shirt. Naina still not completely believing him was muttering some mantras. Sameer turned on the radio in the car to lessen her anxiety and started whistling along. She seeing his relaxed attitude, visibly relaxed as well. When they reached Law Garden, he noticed disappointedly that the general store and florist were both closed for the day. Oh well, at least there were a lot of ice-cream stalls open. He asked her to wait in the car, saying he would be back in a few minutes.

As Naina waited for him in the car, she had a feeling of almost déjà vu, as she looked around the familiar place. She also felt relieved that none of their family or friends were in the hospital or in any other problem. Looking at all the ice-cream and Falooda stalls around, she decided he must be really in a mood for some sweets. Yes, that was it!

About five minutes later, Naina looked on in utter surprise as she saw him approaching the car holding over half a dozen of the helium filled balloons in one hand and a small plastic bag in another. He had a younger serving boy walking quickly alongside him, who was probably trying to match his pace. As he pulled the door open on his side, he struggled a little to get all the balloons inside the car, but then beaming a very broad smile handed her the strings of the balloons and said, "Happy Birthday!" If she had been surprised before, she was completely flabbergasted now! As she looked uncertainly at the balloons, he explained with a sheepish look "Naina, aur koi dukkan khooli nahi hai ab... card bhi nahi mila... aur na koi gift... mujhe bus yeh balloons dikhe toh maine le liye. Aur florist bhi band ho gaya hai... toh Bouquet bhi nahi mile... (handing her the small plastic bag) bus yeh Gajre hi mile hai."

He then took the ice-creams, that the boy outside was holding and added "Cake bhi nahi mil sakta iss waqt... toh yeh cassata ice-cream layi hai, iss mein ek cake ka layer hota hai, right?" He flashed another happy smile as he said "Aur yeh chocolate flavour hai! Shayad tumhe achi lagti hai..."

She feeling puzzled asked "Aap ko kaise pata chala mera Birthday hai?" He explained that hearing her conversation on the phone he had become suspicious and then how Pandit had managed to confirm it with Swati.

Naina looked at him, afraid her heart suddenly overflowing with joy and love, would burst out of her chest. Talking to her family on the phone earlier had been hard, other than Swati nobody else had wished her all day. She had left very lonely. But now looking at the packet of Gajras, the ice-creams and bunch of Balloons and that too the ones filled with helium, she felt like she was rising to the top of the world too! Some of her emotions overflowed from her eyes.

Sameer seeing the tears in her eyes, felt he had not been able to get anything right. He tipped the waiting boy and waved him away and then started sounding a little nervous "Sorry... main janta hu yeh koi dhang ki celebration nahi hai. Par, tumhe bhi toh batana chahiye tha na... Ab suddenly mujhe kuch aur samajh bhi nahi aaya. Main samajhta hu tumhe har saal bahoot bade celebration ki aadat hogi... par "

She shushed him and said "Nahi, mujhe kisi bhi bade celebration ki aadat nahi hai... In fact, hum haar saal aise hi celebrate karte hai. Raat ko Chachaji humme chupke se ice-cream khane leke aate thay. Iss saal toh sath mein Gajre aur Balloons bhi mile hai!" She bestowed him with the sweetest, warmest and biggest gratitude filled smile he had ever received. All his uncertainty about the success of the celebration was gone in an instant.

He passed her one of the ice-creams and said "Jaldi khana shuru karo, warna bilkul pighal jayegi." As she scooped out a spoonful, she looked at it uncertainly, wondering if it was okay to offer him her spoonful. But then not wanting to risk spoiling this moment, the closest they had got to a really good happy one, she lifted it to her own lips.

After they savoured their ice-creams and each other's presence for a few minutes in companionable silence, Sameer asked her "Naina, tumne yeh kyun kaha ke Chachaji tumhe chupke se ice-cream khane leke aate thay?" He saw her smile falter, before she took a deep breath and said "Humare yaha waise bhi birthdays koi bahoot style mein manane ka rivaz nahi hai... aur mera toh bilkul nahi." He couldn't make any sense "Kya matlab tumhara toh bilkul nahi?"

Naina explained to him how her mother had passed away from complications at childbirth. These unfortunate circumstances had meant that some people in her family considered her unlucky, and her birthdays were only remembered as the day when her father lost his wife and Arjun Bhaiya his mother. He noticed how her shoulders slumped and her eyes lost all their lustre when she spoke of this. He thought to himself, Main bhi kitna bada gaddha hu! Issi waqt usse yeh poochne ki kya jarurat thi...

But he also noted, how she gulped the tears that had probably gathered at the back of her throat and went on to tell him how her Chacha-Chachi had always made a point to explain to her that she was in no way responsible for what had happened. Hence the late-night ice-cream celebrations, that Chachaji sneaked them off to, after the rest of the household had retired for the night. Sameer thought to himself, Yeh baat toh achi hai ke celebrate karte thay, par chupke kyun? Sahi kaam karte waqt bhi kisise daro, yeh kaha ki dileri hui?!

As she spoke a little more about how Chacha-Chachi had pretty much adopted her, just not in the legal sense, he felt like he was seeing her for the first time.

He apologetically mumbled "I am sorry, mujhe yeh sab abhi nahi poochna chahiye tha..." She smiled at him and replied "It's okay. Mere liye waise bhi yeh din sirf khushi ka kabhi nahi hota... aur, koi aur kya kehta hai ya sochta hai... isliye nahi. Chahe main kabhi unse mili nahi... par phir bhi maine bhi toh apni maa khoi hai issi din." After about half a minute of silence, she said, "I am sorry too." When he looked at her in surprise, she added "Aap ne bhi apne Papa ko bachpan mein hi kho diya hai. Main jaanti hu aap ke liye bhi toh kuch bhi aasan nahi raha hai..." He asked his voice faltering, "Tumhe kaise pata?" She now afraid if he would be angry at Nanaji for sharing with her, mumbled "Nanaji ne bataya tha ek baar, par bahoot pehele..." He nodded thinking she probably understood him... or maybe his circumstances in life... much better than he had imagined.

He then thinking the celebration had completely gone off course and needed to be steered in the right direction, honked a couple of times. As the boy from before came running, he said to her "Ek se dil nahi bhara. Aur ek khayenge! Par iss baar sirf happy baate hongi!" She happily chose a Choco-bar and he a scoop of Kesar-Pista.

As she looked at the Balloons, Gajras and praised his resourcefulness, he explained it was a skill he had picked and then mastered over the years in the boarding school. He spoke a little bit about his life there, focussing mostly on some pranks he and his friends had played. She in turn shared few funny stories about her and Preeti's childhood.

It was about half past eleven when they reached back home. Nanaji had still not returned. As Sameer closed the window in her room and bid her goodnight, she smiled "Thank you so much!" He smiled back "You are welcome and once again a very Happy Birthday!"

Later Naina lay in bed, with one of the fragrant Jasmine Gajras by her pillow and a smile on her lips. It had been such a lovely surprise! Nanaji is right, he really does have a heart of gold, she thought. She fell asleep burrowing deeper in her pillow, half-dreaming of placing her head on his chest just where that golden heart lay beneath.

Upstairs he lay in his half-empty bed, relieved that at least her first birthday in the new place had not been a complete washout. He dwelt on the obvious and not-so-obvious similarities of their lives, feeling a little astounded that he had not seen them before. He felt he had committed the same mistake he had always detested in people who looked at his life from the outside and envied the perfection. He had always believed that perfection was overrated. Knowing she too had led an imperfect life, made her seem more perfect to him or maybe more real. She was no longer the Princess used to living a perfect fairy-tale and hence not looking for a Prince Charming. This thought left him with a sense of profound relief.