MAYA & Marriage.. Haye Rabbha

What the hell is going on between my husband and that bitch?” Maya’s patience was at its lowest ebb and she was ready to burst.

Sanjay knew that she was serious. “Look Maya, there is nothing going on between the two of them. Just a little bit of healthy flirting I’d say”. “Flirting? Healthy flirting? Really Sanjay…’ she rolled her eyes in disgust. “That’s what you men call it? There is nothing healthy about flirting, Sanjay, not for a married man.”

Healthy flirting is a term introduced by perverted men who want to lend legitimacy to their extra marital alliances. Flirting invariably has a sexual connotation to it. She got up from her seat & walked around the room gesticulating & muttering something to herself. Suddenly she stopped, turned back, looked at Sanjay and asked ‘Did my husband sleep with her? You are his friend. Did he ever tell you anything about it…

…… And the show…… a so called show on a channel that Maya happened to switch in today, stops at this close up.

“All men are the same” and Maya starts thinking in the same legacy. “What was that word ‘Healthy flirting’? Just imagine, Can flirting ever be healthy? What benefit does it give, does it reduce cholesterol, or I guess does it help keep blood pressure normal or No! it would keep sugar under control. You know, married men are the biggest flirts and their friends are their supporters. As if they are just fed up with their so good wives. In fact, it should be their wives call! From morning to evening stand behind them, prepare food, do the laundry, give watch, valet- handkerchief right in their hand”. “I wonder, if it‘s the husband who removes his shoes in the evening, why can’t he find his socks the very next morning. Isn’t it a paradox? The brutal truth is even if one has packed the best healthy food for their husband’s tiffin, there is no guarantee it will go in his stomach. It may go to some road side animals feast if he is bit sensible or may be directly in the dustbin and when he comes home in the evening, the gesture will be “Darling what food it was! Really good, but I have a meeting tomorrow morning, so don’t pack my lunch, also at the evening we are gathering for a match at the bosses house so I would be late, don’t wait for me, don’t even stay awake, go to sleep. I will take the keys. “See the dark circles you have got around your eyes. So you just take rest. Ok! Honey good night. (The lights are turned off). After the whole days dedicated work, this is what the wife gets. And not to miss out that the next day morning the husband will ask for the tea exactly the same brown and creamy that his Mom used to prepare 20 years back! As if I was a computer robot and the tea specifications like sweetness of sugar & at any time creaminess of milk delivered were in my hands”.

The best past time now-a- days a husband has, is to share those Dracula wife & bechara husband jokes on social networking apps. The sense of humor is so cheap, even than the worst jokes. And what a wife can do, just smile as if the husband was this deprived under her rule and there was no democracy for him. If husband comes home with a bad mood it is the wife who handles it. But if the same thing happens with the wife- “You should handle work & home independently, keep a difference”. This is the judgment passed by our so called judgmental husbands. Then the wife is said to be judgmental if she says something about the husbands affairs!!!

Completely engrossed in these thoughts, Maya got up from the sofa and moved forward lethargically. She happens to hurt her leg with the wooden table. It’s the same table which is not properly adjusted with the attire of the house and it hurts Maya every now and then when she moves from one corner of her house to other. Maya has often spoken to her husband to shift this table, but her husband considered this table kept in the hall as lucky for his favorite team’s victory in sports matches and hence it will never be shifted to anywhere else.

“Ooh! Maa….a” cried Maya, the table had badly hurted her. “This table is my biggest enemy. Just then at the very moment she remembered the day when she had similarly got hurt and Sanjay (Maya’s Husband) cried “What’s wrong Maya? Be careful when you walk, you know this table always when you walk in this area. You know how physically sensitive you are. How many times have I told you, see the mark that this hurt has left, now go apply some ointment & take rest”. “But I have to clean this area today, see how many spider webs all around, it’s a gathering at our place next week and I have only this day in hand”. Maya replied. She remembered how Sanjay had cleared the whole house and had forcefully sent her to rest. Maya had seen how nicely he did the cleaning even though he was equally tired of the past week’s late hours. But he did not complain. She also remembered how Sanjay did not just order dinner that night from his most loved smart phone which he usually does but personally went to order it and has also packed her favorite ice-ream & buns on the way back home.

Suddenly Maya started thinking about how different Sanjay was. “Yaa he is somewhat different and yes exactly different from the one she had just seen on the show! How lovely he was, “Maya started getting the glimpse about her 3 years of marriage. How Sanjay stopped her from keeping fasts & even dieting. He did not mind even if Maya put on some kilos even though lean body is in now –a – days and how both enjoyed all the parties and especially how much pains he had taken to surprise her with a poem specially written for Maya on her birthday bash. And even if he shared husband – wife jokes widely on social networking sites, he never ever let on any wrong message and how friendly, helpful & obedient he is to Maya’s maternal family. Maya started thinking rationally and realized how one table hurt had saved her from the murder of the whole husband community. “Ofh, where was I heading” she muttered.

Just then the doorbell rang, this time Maya found her way escaping from the table. It was Sanjay. ”You are home, so soon”. “Yes, I am home & I have a surprise for you”, Sanjay was in a jolly & happy mood. Suddenly Maya happened to calculate something and she spoke “It’s the match today and don’t tell me all your besties are about to come for the match and like always I have to cook “Gajjar Ka Halwa, if our team wins or fried Karela if it’s a defeat. This ritual comes from Sanjay’s home town where Gajjar Ka Halwa increased happiness and fried karela was the medicine to digest defeat even though the fried Karela was equally tasty with lemon & special masala sprinkled on it. It was equal to celebration on both ways. ”No. no that match got cancelled due to bad weather” informed Sanjay. “Then what’s the matter”, Maya was very curious. Suddenly Sanjay turned back. “I have a surprise gift for you”. “Surprise gift, its not our anniversary not my birthday, nothing is special today, then what is so special for this surprise gift”?

If it’s a surprise gift from husband to wife so generally the common options are- jewellery, an outfit, a saree, some fragrance, flowers, romantic showpiece. But when it comes to Sanjay, all such regular options fail. He was really different. He handed an envelope in Maya’s hands. Maya saw the envelope in her hand, she started getting skeptical.. “It’s not a box packed with gift paper, not even heavy, It’s an envelope, probably it will only have a light weight paper in it ”thought Maya and suddenly something came to her insight. “Is it your promotion letter or wait, is it your transfer letter”, she started seeing stars during daytime. “No Maya, nothing so serious, it’s just for your help “, said Sanjay. Maya was confused, she slowly opened the envelope. It was a supermarket voucher. On second thought Maya seemed happy, she had a list of cosmetics and some home décor items that she wanted to buy and his voucher would help in without disturbing her monthly budget. But this was just not the end. She saw something written in red & with an astrick. It said, ”Customized at the option of the customer” and the most surprising was- “The coupon valid only on purchase of carrots & bittergound and order will be accepted on phone & delivered on door step”.

Maya was so confused on the gift, she did not know how to react. What did this gift meant? “You said that the match is cancelled then what is this?’ questioned Maya. “Oh! This is for the upcoming league. And I care for you, so no need to go to the Supermarket and you don’t even have to pay for this. Everything just handy, only for you!” Maya was shocked.

This gift was surely for Maya but it completely satisfied and was for the happiness of her husband. The way of the gift passed by Maya & finally reached its destination and that was Sanjay’s stomach. Truly said- “Only good food can work to keep a man happy."

Maya was astonished; she was just trying to gulp this surprise. Suddenly Sanjay looked at Maya & said “Oh! Come on Maya that’s all later, but today let’s watch television together”. Sanjay held the remote and switched in Maya’s favorite channel. “You know Maya, this artist’s charterer is the best amongst all, the best work!!” Sanjay spoke. Maya is about to give her view and there is a sudden change in channel. “Oh! This fight, I have to see this I just can’t miss it. I just can’t! Sanjay cried. “He just said that we will see television together & that to the show of my choice.” thought Maya.

By all this Maya atleast realized that her husband was different but in a nice way. Their relationship was somewhat sweet & somewhat full of wit. Just thinking all this, somewhat happy, somewhat complaining she headed towards kitchen, “I am preparing dinner, do you want me to make something, I am thinking of Karela Ka Halwa Honey? There’s no answer, Sanjay is deeply engrossed watching television. After some time Sanjay Shouted “Maya please make me a cup of coffee”. Ok, I will”, replied Maya. There was something going on in Maya’s mind “The coffee should be the same sweet as much as his mother prepared 25 years back” thought Maya…. Still thinking “Uff, I have almost forgotten the count now’… Maya had a smile on her face….

And the story continues….