Do Anjaane

Chapter 4

I've been getting through a decent amount of editing, so here's a second chapter for the day.

"Bhabhi, kitne size mein kaatoon?" (Bhabhi, what size should I cut it?) Chandrika and Aparna had insisted that if their children request special meals from their Bhabhi, they must help her in cooking them. Truly, they had been trying to get their children to learn how to cook, since they believed it was a basic survival skill that everyone should know, and now they had the perfect excuse to force them into the kitchen. It turned into a kitchen party of sorts, everyone switching between randomly singing songs and playing anthakshari as Vaidehi guided them through their tasks.

Everyone in the group was blessed with the ability to hold a tune and attractive singing voices, but Vaidehi and Akanksha were classically trained and were requested to sing more often. Finally, they had managed to create a great spread of a feast and began setting up the table. "Wah, kya baat hain, Vaidehi! Kitni acchi khushboo aa rahi hain!" (Wow, Vaidehi! The food smells great!) "Excuse me, Papa, hum bhi assistant chefs the Bhabhi ki!" (Excuse me, Papa, we were also Bhabhi's assistant chefs!) Rishi Chachu snorted. "Wah bhai, pehli baar jo kitchen mein kadam rakha aur assistant chefs ban gaye sab!" (Oh wow, you all stepped into the kitchen for the first time and became assistant chefs!)

"Papa, Chachu, please! Sach mein, bohot help kiye hain sab, aur kitchen mein naturally talented hain. Hain na?" (Papa, Chachu, please! Really, everyone helped me a lot, and they're naturally talented in the kitchen. Right?) She winked at the disgruntled group, causing everyone to giggle at her playful side. "Theek hain, ab khane ke liye baith jaiye sab." (Alright, everyone sit down to eat.) Two place settings were missing from the table, and Chandrika commented on it as Vaidehi and Yagnik walked around the table serving everyone. They usually served themselves, but today was special, so they were attempting to be fancy. "Beta, tum apne liye plate kyu nahi lagaya. Pehle toh tumhari special day hain, phir tumne humare liye yeh sab khana banaya, aur ab tum hi nahi kha rahi ho?" (Beta, you set a plate for yourself. It's your special day, and you made all this food, and you're the one not eating?)

"Maa, main woh...Raghuveer ji ke liye wait karungi." (Maa, I..I'll wait for Raghuveer ji.) She didn't always wait to eat with him, especially when she skipped meals due to work and couldn't control her hunger. But today was a special day. She knew he didn't care, but she still wanted to do something to make it feel like she was sharing this special moment with her husband. "Kya chal raha hain yaha?" (What's happening here?) Speak of the devil. Raghuveer Malhotra, the famous businessman, and Vaidehi's infamous husband, walked into the dining room. He had clearly just returned from work, his hair slightly mussed and still carrying his briefcase.

Ranvijay smirked at his son, "Aa gaye, janaab?" (You finally came?) Chandrika smiled at her husband and son. "Jaldi fresh hokar aao, beta. Hum wait karenge, saath mein khana khayenge." (Freshen up quickly, beta. We'll wait for you and eat together.) "Nahi Maa, mein..." (No Maa, I...) "Main kuch nahi sunungi. Aaj Friday hain aur special din bhi hain, toh hum saath mein khayenge, bas. Jaldi aao." (I won't listen to any excuses. Today's Friday and a special day, so we'll all eat together and that's it. Come quickly.) Raghuveer sighed, shaking his head, but left to freshen up as per his mother's orders. "Yagnik, apne Bhai aur Bhabhi ke liye plates lagao." (Yagnik, set the plates for your Bhai and Bhabhi.) Vaidehi had finished serving Raghuveer's plate as he came and sat down in the seat opposite to her. Everyone said a small prayer of thanks before digging in.

"Maa, Chachi, khana bohot accha hain aaj." (Maa, Chachi, the food's really good today.) Raghuveer looked tired before, but a hint of a smile played on his face as he clearly enjoyed his food. Aparna smirked, "Accha? Lekin aaj humne khana nahi banaye." (Really? But we didn't cook today.) "Malti taayi ne banayi?" (Malti aunty made it?) Malti was their main housekeeper and chef whenever needed. Yuv and Yug couldn't control their excitement, squirming to let their Bhai know that they had helped their Bhabhi in the kitchen. "Bhai, actually..." Aparna glared at them, wanting Raghuveer to guess his wife's name. "Phir kisne banaya?" (Then who made the food?) He looked up, frowning in confusion.

"Arey bhai, aur kaun? Tumhara biwi aur humari beti ne. Aur haan, khaas baat yeh hain ki tumhara sab bhai bhehen ne kitchen mein jaake unke Bhabhi ki madat kiye hain." (Who else? Your wife and our daughter. And the important point is that all your siblings and cousins helped their Bhabhi.) Raghuveer was about to put a piece of paratha in his mouth but stopped, looking up at Vaidehi, who had her head bent but was trying to observe his reaction from the corner of her eye. "Tumhe khana banana bhi aati hain?" (You know how to cook?) The table went silent for a moment. Shit! How could he have slipped up like that? Now everyone would realize exactly how little attention he paid to his wife.

Suddenly Yagnik chuckled. "Bhai, aapko phone aur laptop ki tarah apni humor ko bhi refresh karna chahiye. Kitne sade hue jokes maarthe hain aap!" (Bhai, you should refresh your humor like your refresh your phone and laptop. You crack such boring jokes!) Everyone burst out laughing at that, thankfully believing it since Raghuveer was known for his deadpan manner. Yagnik was quite protective of his Bhabhi. Even though he was actually two years older than her, they shared a relationship somewhere between good friends and older sister-younger brother. However, his protectiveness for her was like that of an older brother's. It was this protectiveness that saved the situation at the dining table, but it looked like he would need to have a serious talk with his brother.