The Life She Wants

One

"Come on," Tanay offered her his hand to get out of the cab. She took it, and that left him feeling a little relieved.

Maybe that was the heat of the moment, he thought.

He walked beside her, slowly and steadily, matching her pace. Making sure he wasn't rushing her.

She didn't let go of his hand; she held on to him while they walked.

The doors opened. His parents were both there, waiting, along with some other family members.

"Tanay-"

"We'll talk later." Tanay cut his mom off and continued walking.

When they reached the stairs, he asked if he could carry her up the stairs, to which she lightly shook her head in no.

Patiently, he walked alongside her.

When she settled on the bed, he placed the blanket on her legs, and adjusted the pillows behind her back.

Grabbing the brown bag, he took out her pills and handed them to her.

"I'll get some water," he said.

"I... want a divorce."

He paused.

A shuddered breath passed his lips.

"Why?" She didn't say anything. "Is it because of the baby? The doctor said you're in shock; let's not make decisions right now. You're going to counseling from next week; we will talk then."

"No," she mumbled. "It's not just because of the baby."

"Just?"

"It's because of all of this."

"What do you mean?"

"I-I-I... I've never wanted any of it, Tanay. Not the marriage, not the baby. I don't know how I have been living since the past year." She swallowed. "This... this is not the life I wanted."

"Aadya..." He didn't know what to say to that.

"I don't know how to smile anymore, can you imagine?" She chuckled humorlessly. "Your relatives and your mom's friends call me 'the gloomy bride' because they have never seen me smile."

Tanay stared down, unsure of what to say.

He kind of knew she was right.

Their marriage was arranged. They didn't even have a honeymoon because the company Tanay was working in had a downfall, so he was always busy with work.

Just when he was done with work, they were forced to give his parents a grandchild.

And now this...

She wasn't wrong to want a divorce. He knew that.

He hadn't given her time. He didn't even know her likes and dislikes, and it had already been a year of their marriage.

She wasn't happy.

And as if things couldn't get worse for her... Her first child had died.

"I'll... I'll get you the water." He said and stood up, rushing out of the room.

He came back with a jug of water and poured some into the glass. She had her pills and turned to him, waiting for his response.

"We'll talk tomorrow-" she immediately turned her face away from him. "No, no. Really. I promise. We will talk tomorrow about it. For sure."

"Okay." She muttered.

"Do you wanna have lunch? I can bring it here."

"No. I'll sleep." He helped her lie down, adjusting the pillows and the cover.

"I'll be right here if you need something." He told her, watching her eyes close.

He had to talk to the family.

He stepped down for a bit where he saw his aunt saying something like "made a wrong choice for Tanay, poor child" to his mom.

"Mom." Tanay called out.

"Yes, beta?"

"I need to talk to you." Everyone else left the kitchen. "You didn't tell me about the risk the doctor had warned about."

"Beta... Doctors say anything these days! They tell you to lose weight to be able to bear a child nowadays. In our time -"

"Maa, her life was at risk. both of their lives were at risk and you knew of it and you still went along with it! You don't understand the gravity of the situation here." Tanay glared down at her.

"Are you seriously fighting me because of your wife right now? Is that how I have raised you? This is how you pay-"

"I'm done talking." He cut her off. "I understand how things are in this house now." He stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room where all his family was. "And to anyone who gives a crap, my wife is not doing good. But she will be alright in a couple of weeks. Thank you for your concern. I really wish everyone gets a family like you guys." And he stormed to his room.

In the evening, Aadya woke up from her nap and saw Tanay sitting right where he said he would be.

"Hey," Tanay said almost immediately. "Are you feeling well?"

"A little bit." She answered.

"Okay. I told Maasi to make you some daal khichadi; she will probably bring it up in a couple of minutes."

"But... I'm fine. I don't feel like eating."

"You're not fine. And you need to eat before taking your evening medicines." He said. As if on cue, the door opened, and the maid stepped in. Tanay took the tray from her and placed it beside the bed on the nightstand.

"I wanna go to the washroom." She tried standing up.

"I'll help." And he did. He helped her stand up, opened the door, and made sure she was all good before stepping out of the washroom. She came back and sat on the bed. "Are you cold?" He asked; she shook her head.

When he tried feeding her, she stopped him. "My hands are just fine; I can eat it."

"No, I'll feed you." He insisted.

She hesitantly asked. "Why are you being nice?"

"We'll... we'll probably get divorced tomorrow. So let me be nice to you one last time?" He lifted the spoon to her lips again. This time, she opened up and ate. "Is it good?" He asked.

"It is." She nodded, humming in approval.

After done eating, she took her pills and lay back down.

Tanay went downstairs and had his dinner with the rest of the family. Nobody spoke at the dinner table. When he came back, he changed into his comfy track pants and a t-shirt before lying down beside Aadya.

"You asleep?" He asked.

The lights were off.

"No. Not yet."

"Do you hate me?" He softly asked. Aadya didn't answer him. He waited in anticipation.

"No."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She turned to face him.

"Three months." He said. She looked at him questioningly. "Give me three months. I'll try to be the best husband for you." He mumbled. "I wanna give you the life that you actually wanted."

"Why?"

"Because... I really really like you, Aadya." He confessed. "I do. I really care for you. I'm sorry you never felt I did."

"Okay." Aadya said. "Three months."