That Perfect Smile of Him

29

ARJUN

I exhaled before resting my forehead on my elbow supported on the table. There was silence in the office as people went out for the lunch break while some left here did their own work. The loud noises of fans disturbed the silence of the room.

"Aaj phir se jhagda kar liya kya?" I tilted my neck to see Ajay with a samosa in his hand.

I hummed wanting to eliminate suffocation building within me today.
I rubbed my eyes until he got himself a chair to keep beside mine. Sitting on it, he looked towards me with his eyes scrutinized.

"Details?" I sighed.

"My wife wants to move out of here to do business with her friend."

"Is the friend an issue?" He asked sincerely as a professional life expert.

"No."

"Then?"

"She will have her own life there forgetting about me. Then she will not care if I am home or not, if I ate or not. I need her to care for me." I explained.

"Look, don't mind but chances of her career there are so dull. Don't obstruct your relation for that. Let her go. Abhi agar man mutav ho gaya na toh zindagi bhar woh tujhe galat samjhegi."
I nodded before he continued.

"Support her as much as she wants. I assure you that her business is not going to flourish. "

"Pakka?" I asked.

"Haa. It isn't a game to be played by just anyone. Saalon mehnat lagti hai tabtak toh woh thak chuki hogi."

"Okay then, I will be going. Do tell me if you get any problem." I nodded.

My mind felt snoozed going to various thoughts after Ajay went.
Anyways it won't work. I can bring her back after few months.

'But isn't it bad to think like that for your wife who is thinking for betterment of our standard.' My thoughts counterattacked themself.

What's the problem in our standards? I do a fine paying job. I send half of the money to Dad. That's my responsibility too. Then I pay my house rent,then paying all the bills we are often left with few bucks.

Yeah, I don't have a house.
Tota-maina toh kisi bhi daali par baith sakte hai.

'Par Sherni ko toh khud ka jungle banana hai!' The other part of my brain mocked.

But it's final, I will let her do whatever she wants currently and then later she will be coming back herself. No deterioration of my image in her head. She must not feel choosing me as her lifetime mistake.

Now, I feel less distressed. I could already imagine her cheerful smile after I will talk to her about this.
My thoughts went interuppted as my phone vibrated on the table. I picked it up to see Kunal's name.

"Bhaiyya, our train has started, we will be reaching by nine."

"Okay, I will reach the station. Call me later to tell about your location there."

I heard him hum.

"Beta yeh kaisi train hai. Yahan toh maza bhi nai aa raha. Koi bhi ladies baat karne layak nai hai. Kya karungi main itni der?" I heard Mummy

"Mummy aap so jaaiyega."

"That's the only option." I heard her sigh before hanging up the phone.

I can sit overtime, maybe as my office is much near to the railway station than from my house.

I shuffled through the pages of a file after everyone resided back on their seats to do work.
Continuous efforts, countless inputs and minimum outputs if what we get by working here for someone else.
I shuffled through much of my accepted previous work after my work time ended to gain some information before working on the new ones.