Sunday, October 26, 2008

Marriage - Part 4

A couple of weeks had passed, and it was Friday night. Kishor was relaxing in front of the TV, when Bhavna came along and seated herself next to him.
"How about we take a trip tomorrow ? " , she asked him casually. He sat up. A trip? Really ? How long since they had done that ?
"I have heard that GD farms is still a nice place" , she continued. "They are still open?" , he asked. GD Farms was a place a few kilometers outside the city, where they used to go away on secret romantic escapades many years ago, before marriage. It had large open spaces, gardens and restaurants.

He got up early in the morning, and found that Bhavna was already up. "We need to fill up the car with fuel on the way.." , he was telling her.
"I have already filled up!" , came back the cheerful reply. He thought nothing of it and went back to being ready.
When they were ready to go, Bhavna was wearing a bright orange kurta and jeans. He again admired her form and thought how well most clothes fit her. He on the other hand, was barely managing to keep his weight in check, thanks to the brisk morning walks taken with her.
When they went down, he was about to take the car keys out and walk towards it, when she placed a hand on his. "We know how we are going right...?" , she whispered in her ear. He should have known..when she said she had filled up. The lady was good with planning... And convincing.
She walked towards their machine (it was no longer 'his', it was 'theirs' , in every sense now). He had given up assuming or debating over who would ride. And anyway, he preferred to be led, rather than lead, these days. And lead him she did. She got the bike off its stand and started to tie a bright green dupatta as a scarf over her head. The ride was long, and she thought she could use some protection against the dust and the fumes.
A swift kick brought the engine of the Yamaha to its life. Her husband sat behind her, confident that she would do a better job of getting them there on a motorcycle, than he would.
The morning was crisp and clear. The traffic was light, and soon they were making good progress in the city roads. Though Kishor now was a bit less bothered by being seen riding pillion on a motorcycle with a lady, he was now slowly getting used to it.
He tried to look out for how many other women on bikes he saw on the city streets. That morning, before the rush hour began, he didnt see many. A couple of college girls on a Hero Honda. A woman dropping a young kid somewhere on a Bajaj.
Soon though, they were out of the city, and onto the highway. His wife increased the speed of the bike on the free roads. He hugged her waist from behind , and inched closer to her. Though she didnt say it at the moment, Bhavna was pleased with this action of her husband. During these rides, and especially now that they were out of city bounds, her husband didnt mind sitting close together on a bike. She could understand.. when they were younger, and unmarried, she tried her her level best not to be seen sitting with him or even hugging him on the bike. It was only during long rides when he took her out of the city that she used to. Just as he was now. The road got narrow and twisty, but had pleasant surroundings and light traffic. Bhavna road with poise and comfort she herself didnt know she was capable of. The couple thoroughly enjoyed the half an hour so bike ride.
Soon though, they were at the GD Farms gates. When they were younger, it was a favourite place amongst young lovers looking for some privacy. It seemed still unchanged, though there werent as many vehicles as there used to be.
She parked the motorcycle outside, and they walked through the gates hand in hand. The gardens were just as green as they used to be, and the fields just as vast and lush as they remembered them from all those years ago.
As they walked along, Kishor didnt even realise when his wife had put an arm around his shoulders and drawn him closer. So engrossed was he in the idle chitchat with his wife, that he was startled when she suddenly stopped him, and pointed at something.
It was a big stone. The Stone. It was a smooth, round shaped one, big enough for a person to sit. It was on this stone, fifteen years ago, that Kishor was sitting on, when he pulled a standing and slightly reluctant Bhavna onto his lap, and gave her a deep, passionate kiss.
Their first ever kiss.
They looked at each other and giggled. Before he knew it, Bhavna was leading him by the hand towards it. And...she had seated herself too. He just stood there, unsure of what to do. Clasping his hand firmer, his wife pulled him closer towards her. He didnt understand what was expected of him next... His wife , gently pulled him and guided him to sit on her lap. He lowered himself, totally in control of her now. Her thighs felt soft underneath him, he had never been on her lap before.
She was looking into his eyes and stroking his hair. She felt his tense body relaxed a bit, and brought his face closer to her. Their lips met, and were held into the longest, sweetest kiss they had in a long time.
They hugged, for a long time. He felt more and more comfortable being led by his wife, even if it meant sitting on her lap, just like she used to, on his.
"Long time right...." , she said. With one arm around his waist, she adjusted him so that he could sit more comfortably on her lap. What she didnt know that he already felt quite good, just being there. They were giggling like schoolchildren.
Lets take a walk, she suggested. They were wandering through the tallish blades in the fields when she mused "Do you remember, how you used to carry me across the fields on your back?".. "Hahaha...yes, I do.. "
"But wait a minute..I am too old for this.. you dont expect me to .." , he broke off. His wife had gotten right in front of him, and was standing close. He should have known.. .
"Are you sure..." , he began... She had already taken both his hand over each of her shoulder, and was bending over. He felt his legs leave the ground as they both bent over... "C'mon, yaar, climb on..", she was telling him. He decided to play along, and didnt want to dampen his wife's enthusiasm for old times. He wrapped his legs around her waist. She straightened up, giggling. Taking his legs in her arms, she bounced him up and down a bit to get a more comfortable. He couldnt control his laughter and enthusiasm too now.
He couldnt believe, his wife, a woman, was actually carrying him, a full sized guy. But she was. She was a lot fitter than she looked, or he cared to notice beforehand.
She was now walking...small and careful steps, but very confident, and did not stumble at all. They were both laughing like crazy..
He nuzzled her hair and planted a soft kiss on her cheek from behind. "do you think you should give me a chance now...?", he asked, still laughing..
"C'mon...am I not good enough for you..?"
"Its not that...but.." , ohh well, he might as well enjoy it to the fullest. He planted yet another gentle kiss on her cheeks. He found that they had walked almost back to the parking area, where she had parked their motorcycle.
She had paused for breath.. "Aawww, I dont want to get down.." , he pretended to crib.. "Who says you have to sweetie.." , she bounced him to a comfortable position once more, and off they were. "I...I...was just kidding.." ,
"No problems sweetie, I think we can make it to the bike" ,
And she did, even the slight incline that led to the parking. He had got down to let her get on the bike. As she got it off the stand, he went and seated himself on the fuel tank, between the handlebars and her, both legs dangling on the same side. He grabbed her face and gave her one more long, passionate kiss. She responded with the same vigour....
He continued to hug her, when he felt her letting go of her hand on his back, and grabbing the handlebar.
She started the bike, and put it in gear.. "Hold on sweetie.." , and off they were. he was still seated one sided on the fuel tank, hugging her tightly. She rode the bike, with the guy sitting on her front, slowly, and carefully. They were both laughing themselves silly.

(To be continued..)

Monday, October 6, 2008

Chinni - Part 1

The yellow bird swooped down for a landing like an aeroplane on its runway.15 year old Chinni was done with twirling her hair, and was now staring out of her school window. She was bored. Why did they have to put her and Bittu in separate divisions ? Just because Bittu was a bit weak in studies, didnt mean he shouldnt study in the same division as his best friend since childhood Chinni, she thought.

The schoolbell rang, signalling the end of the day for the only school in their village. She was overjoyed to be let out. She hoped Bittu was waiting outside for her for the walk back home. And surely, he was. He ran upto her , quite breathless and smiling.

"Guess what..?" , he said, still grinning. "What...?", she shot back. Bittu could be excited over the smallest things, like a new cricket bat, which she she found completely uninteresting. "Well...your uncle is here!! For a few days atleast!!" , Bittu couldnt control his joy while telling this to her. She stopped in her tracks. Her Uncle! From the neighbouring big town. She knew why he was so excited now. She was now too! They both loved it when her uncle came to their little village. Not because he always brought little gifts for her, but because he always rode down on a motorcycle.

The Motorcycle. The shiny blue wonder. Their small village did not have too many vehicles. Infact, the only other person who owned a personal vehicle was the stationary shop owner, who owned a run down moped. The blue motorcycle, gleaming many a times under the hot sun, seemed to be the highlight of the village to her and Bittu. Her uncle came over 2 or 3 times a month, to attend to some business, and sometimes stayed over too.

She and Bittu adored it. Whenever he was in town, they spent hours admiring it. They sat on it, fiddled with it, and asked endless questions to her uncle about it. She hurried down to her place and there she was.. parked in their small courtyard. She went speechless everytime she saw it, and she was sure Bittu was too. Infact, he was already by its side, adjusting his hair in the mirror. She walked over and ran a hand over the fine blue fuel tank, her hand feeling up the shapely metal, which had 'Pulsar' written over it. She felt herself absent mindedly smiling as an idea was forming in her mind. She grabbed Bittu by the hand , "Meet me here after lunch.." , she instructed him and walked off into her home. She didnt wait for him to react. She didnt need to. He always did what she instructed him to...he would be there, she needed him there, for her plan to take effect.

She went home and cleaned up. Put up a fresh green but dull green salwar kameez and helped her mother in serving her uncle and father, and then quickly had her own lunch. Everyone had then proceeded to have their afternoon seista , while she pretended to read one of her textbooks. Pretended because, she was really excited, and couldnt really concentrate on anything else.



She heard a low, soft whistle outside. Bittu was here. She hurried outside to meet him. "Why did you call me at this hour?" , he was asking. She put a finger to his lips "Ssshh.." , she signalled. She produced a small object from the folds of her white dupatta. It was a key. The Key. For the blue wonder. The Motorcycle.

"but...how did you... " , he began, but was silenced with another look from her. "Help me", she whispered to him. The tiptoed inside and she put the key in its slot. Bittu looked unsure of all things, like he was stealing something. Chinni confidently pushed the bike off its stand, and immediately regretted doing it. But that was only for a moment. The bike was heavier than expected. Much heaver infact, to her. Thank god Bittu was holding on to it too. She pushed it out of the courtyard onto their narrow lane. The hot afternoon sun was beating down upon them. There wasnt a soul in sight. All of them had retired to their homes to escape the hot sun. She was pushing it further away from the lane, her loyal friend in tow. Soon they reached an open area , which were in abundance around their village. But both of them were breathless. It was not an easy task. Especially for her. She wiped beads of sweat from her forehead with her dupatta. She wiped bittu's sweat off too, now that he was holding the bike all by himself, unsure of what to do next. She fanned him and herself for a while again, then got down to business.

Before Bittu could realise it, she had swung a leg over and seated herself on the bike. She had turned the key on. Bittu sized the scene up. The girls two feet barely reached the ground, but she appeared very confident. For a while, she just sat there, admiring the feeling of having the nice machine between her legs. She had ridden pillion with her uncle many times before, but this was the first time she was actually sitting on it when it was off its stand. All by herself. Slowly, she lifted a leg and put it on the kick lever. She tried to gently push it down, but nothing happened. It didnt start. Bittu now looked very nervous. Bikes were not something meant for 15 year olds, he was thinking. That too when they knew nothing about them. Well...almost nothing. Yet he was seeing his friend persevering with the kicking, and trying to get the thing started.

Chinni was confused, she paid very close attention to how her uncle road, and this is how he kicked it. She took a deep breath and then it one hard kick with all her might. The machine instantly growled to life. Too loudly infact. She then realised the she was holding the throttle open wide. She quickly released it, and the engine settled into a steady thrum. Bittu now appeared positively scared. She gave him a triumphant smile and beckoned him. He was afraid to approach. "Come on yaar... sit", she was telling him. To terrified to do anything else, he sat behind her. She engaged the clutch, and put the bike in gear, as she had seen her uncle doing many times before. All it remained for her was to release it and when she did.... the whole bike lurched. It seemed to jumped over in the air... Bittu gave out a loud yelp. The engine had killed itself off.
Bittu was now terrified. He clutched to her waist as if his life depended on it, and buried his head in her mass of hair. Chinni felt a strange sense of elation in this...
She was determined to give it one more go. One more swift kick and the bike throbbed back to life. She realised that her hands and palms were sweaty as well. Gingerly...she engaged gears and very slowly this time, released the clutch. The bike lurched... but the engine stayed put..! She gave it more throttle, and the bike accelerated.. They were moving!!! The boy gave out a slight moan as they moved along...

Lurching and accelerating, they even managed to complete a full circle of the field! Chinni felt elated! At the top of the world. Back at the original point, the engine felt overworked and decided to kill itself off.
Bittu had jumped off the stationary bike... He was trembling. "Would you like to try it now ? ", she asked him with a grin. "NO!!", came the reply, without a seconds thought. Her friend had enough 'thrills' for the day, she could see.
Just the way they came, they slowly pushed the bike back to her house, and put it on the stand, before anyone came to know.

(To be continued...)

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Marriage - Part 3

That night, as Kishor sat relaxing with Bhavna in front of the TV, he again felt his paunch. He had become lazy and soft. Little things tired him easily. He had to do something about his it.
"Weighty issues on your mind ?" , he heard Bhavna saying. How did she know?? The lady did know him, more than he expected.
"Why dont we do something about it? An early morning jog does wonders", she continued. It was worth a try, he readily agreed.
He felt himself being shaken, Bhavna was whispering gently into his ear... What?? It was morning already? He glanced at the bedside clock, it said 5.30 AM. Not used to getting up too early, he was still rubbing his eyes. By the time he was up in a t-shirt and shorts, Bhavna was already in her shoes, dressed in a pink jogging pant and grey t-shirt. He briefly admired how nicely the pants emphasized her form. But again, sleep took over and he longed for a bed. Bhavna had taken his hands and was leading him through the stairs below. As they reached, he started reaching for the gates when he heard his wife call out to him. "Where are you going?" , she was asking. "I thought we were out to take a walk.." , he said. "Our colony isnt the place to walk, I know of a nice track amidst a hillock 10 mins from here".
"But how would we get.." , he broke off.... There was no need for that question, since Bhavna had already gotten the Yamaha off its stand. He staggered sleepily towards her and sat on. He was too sleepy even now to think clearly. With her husband sitting behind her, Bhavna was pushing the bike with her feet outside the building. She was thoughtful enough not to wake the other residents up with the bike's rather noisy engine. Her husband glanced around to see if anyone else was around at this hour. There werent any.
Once outside, a swift kick from the lady brought the bike to its life, and they were off. Still groggy, he lay his head on her shoulders. The morning breeze was cool, gently blew her hair across his face, and he loved it. Far too soon for his comfort the ride was over, and they were in a nice hilly region covered in greenery. The spent a pleasant time liesurely walking through them. He didnt even realise when they had started walking hand in hand. He Enjoyed the conversation too. Far too soon , it was time to turn back. When they reached the bike, he felt Bhavna thrusting the keys of the bike into his hands. "What .." , he began again, but realised that he hadnt ridden the bike properly since its 're-birth'. He got on and kicked, and surprisingly, it caught on. Now to get hang of the tricky clutch, which was once such an integral part of him, that it almost felt like he was moving one of his own body parts. But no luck, he stalled again. It was getting trickier by the day for him. Besides, this was no time to experiment as it was already getting late for office. He was more than glad when he felt his wife get down, and he readily slid back onto the pillion seat.
They got home... and he got ready in record time. But it was still tight. And then there was the bus stop which needed getting to. "I guess it will be too tight a margin for you to get to the bus", he heard her saying. She had already thrown a scarf over her head, bike keys in hand. He was greatful for the wonderful understanding the lady showed. She dropped him some distance from the stop, since she had correctly guessed he still didnt want to be seen riding behind her.
And so it continued, for the entire week, she came without fail to pick him up from the bus stand. He also regularly went for a walk in the morning, because his wife always dropped him so that he wouldnt be late for the bus by a few minutes.
Just like he did, everyday, without fail all those years back, tailed and followed Bhavna. Always ensured she never missed her bus, or dropped her to her college, if she did. On the motorcycle. That was how he had wooed her in the first place.
Was she trying to do something similar now ?

(To be continued.. )

Marriage - Part 2

Yet another long working day, and Kishor juggled two bags with office stuff as he stepped down from the bus in the evening a couple of days later. It was stuffy in the bus, and he was not looking forward to a long walk home from the bus stop lugging files and a computer. He cursed himself for loosing his stamina and developing a paunch. He had walked no more than a few feet when he heard honking behind him. And a familiar engine note. His smiling wife, Bhavna, had rolled to a stop right behind him, on his Yamaha RX100. She was dressed in a bottle green salwar kameez she usually wore at home, and was smiling at him. "How did you..I mean...where..", he began, "I was in the area, and knew what time your bus came.", she replied. "I knew you wouldnt like the idea of your colleagues getting to see me on a motorcyle, so I waited some distance away and came around when I saw you get down". She was right, he thought, it would be an awkward moment for him if he saw any of his colleagues noticing his wife on a bike. The woman really knew him, he thought. He remembered the time when he used to wait around at bus stops, waiting for Bhavna to arrive. Those were awkward times too, but only because he didnt want her parents to know whom she came back with. Those were the times...
"Well...are you just going to stand there looking at me or are we going home?" , she asked with her usual smile. He didnt even bother to expect this time around for her to move back and let him ride. He simply sat behind and they set off. He was grateful of being spared of the walk. Bhavna was a smooth and a cautious rider. He remembered his olden days, when he threw caution to the winds and ripped the bike on the roads, mostly with Bhavna tightly clutching onto him. He decided to relax his awkward feeling a bit and be more at ease. He leaned forward and placed a hand on his wife's shoulders. A cool breeze was blowing around. He looked about, there were a few people on the road and nobody was paying any attention to him. He found that slightly reassuring. Bhavna steered the motorcycle through their gate and came to a halt. Before he had even completely got down, she had switched of the engine, gotten off and put the bike on its stand in one fluid motion. "I ought to stop being surprised", he thought to himself.

(To Be continued...)

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Marriage - Part 1

Kishor, got down from the bus, tired after a long day at work. Working for many years in a finance firm, Kishor was in his late thirties, married to his teenage sweetheart, Bhavna. They were married for more than a decade and a half now. Kishor trudged home, thinking about nothing but having a hot cup of chai, and the morning's newspaper to read. He rang the bell of his home, to be welcomed by the smiling face of Bhavna. 'You came a few minutes late today, what happened?', Bhavna inquired. 'Ohh nothing, the bus was caught in traffic jam...', he replied, but then he thought to himself, was he really that predictable lately?? He changed into home clothes, and then settled down on the sofa. Bhavna brought him his cup of tea, and the morning's newspaper. Ohh yes,life was predictable. He watched her walk back to the kitchen, her hair bunched up over her head, dressed in a rumpled cream salwar kameez. For a brief moment, he wondered why he kept piling on the kilos and acquired a soft paunch,while his wife seemed unaffected by the effects of aging. He knew he had to do something about it, but kept putting off the idea. The same way he dismissed the idea now and went back to reading the business page. That night, after dinner, he was again back at the sofa, flipping through the television channels, not watching anything really, but just trying to spot something that would hold his interest. Bhavna came and sat next to him,'Sonia had called today, shes doing great and having a great time', she said. Sonia was their soon-to-be sixteen daughter, who was currently staying at a relative's place in a neighbouring city for a few months, doing her 10th Standard. That place was famous for producing lots of top ranking students, and they really wanted their daughter to do well. 'Hmm..Good..', he managed to reply, without taking his eyes away from the TV. Bhavna moved closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulders. He didnt appear to notice. She moved closer still and placed her arm across his shoulders, looking intently at his face. He still was unmoved and engrossed by a news item on TV. She decided to wait for a few minutes, and then suddenly grabbed the remote and switched the TV off. 'We are a husband and wife!', she exclaimed. Kishore gave her a mildly funny look, and replied,'Yes, but thats no reason to switch the TV off',he said taking the remote and switching it back on. He noticed Bhavna sighing and walking away to the bedroom, but the cricket match being retelecast seemed to be of great interest, so he concentrated on that instead. In the bedroom,she lay awake, thinking. Was he really now the man she had liked all those years ago? Or had something changed gradually ? Were they living the way they were just out of habit ? She needed something. Something that would bring the 'interest' factor back into their life. And she knew exactly what was to be done. A week passed. As usual, Kishor came back from work, expecting his usual tea and reading and dinner and TV routine. He was actually looking forward to it. Routine was good. Routine Predictable, and safe. He walked home to be greeted by a warm smile of his wife. 'You seem happy today', he said. 'Yes! Isn't it good, the soft and fading evening light, the silent roads and the tweeting of birds??'. 'Yes yes...', he managed to mumble. Bhavna walked up to him and took his hand in hers...'Dear, theres something Iam dying to show you!'. Before he could say, 'What...??', he found himself being led by his wife outside. She held on to his as she purposeful strode down the stairs and into the parking area. Kishor was confused, he couldnt figure out what his wife would possibly want to show him. And then he understood. Standing there, behind a pillar, was a Yamaha. Spanking clean, sparkling black Yamaha RX100. HIS Yamaha. His parents had bought him that back when he was in college. Since the day he had bought it, it was an inseperable part of him. He went everywhere on his bike. He went to the movies, to nearby lakes, to hill stations on his Yamaha. Heck, the Yamaha was an integral part in his wooing Bhavna. He had decided he would hold on to it forever. But then came marriage, and the baby, and the car, and financial prosperity. In the midst of it all, the old bike was forgotten, occasionally started up and ridden on weekends, but usually just lying around gathering dust and rust, being kept for the sake of sentiment. And now, it seemed that it had been bought just yesterday. 'Whaaat...', he began, but was silenced as he felt his wife pressing something onto his palm. He saw what it was, the key. 'How could...', he began again, but felt silent again as he was again led closer to the bike, by her. 'Common, go ahead, try it out', she said, with a glint in her eye. She was smiling from ear to ear. He gingerly got on and got the bike off its stand. Turned the key and got it off the stand.And For the first time in many years,gave it a kick. And then another. Nothing. He could feel the engine turn, but just wouldnt catch. He kicked again, and then again. But the engine remained stubborn. At the corner of his eye, he could see that Bhavna was already at his side, with the dupatta of her purple dress purposefully tied diagonally across. 'Here, just a moment', He felt her standing next to the bike, and taking the accelerator in her hand. With one hand on the handle, and a raised leg, she gently pushed the kick down, before giving it a mighty whack. To he surprise, the engine immediately caught.. 'How could yoou...', he began yet again, but decided to shut up. The day was full of surprises. He revved it for a few times, just to be sure. It was a long time since he had done that. 'Lets go for a ride', he heard her in his ear, and this time, he was smiling from ear to ear too. Bhavna put a leg across and sat behind him. Gingerly, he set out, very slowly, putting the bike in gear and....stalled. He was out of practice. He sheepishly turned around to face his wife, who was already back on the ground, kicking the machine back to life. 'Thanks..', he again mumbled, unable to say anything else. Bhavna was laughing. Very slowly this time, they set out. No Sooner had they got out of the building, Kishor managed to stall again. "We should get down and check what the matter is.." , he managed to mumble. Bhavna had already stepped down, and so did Kishor. Just as he was about to put the bike back on stand, he felt his wife taking the handles and indicating with a smile to him to step back.. In one fluid motion, she swung a leg over the bike, kickstarted it back to life, and engaged gears.
Kishor was staring with his mouth open! How did she do that?? Her smile indicated that she intended to continue sitting there, on the drivers seat. Unsure and confused of what to do, he gingerly sat behind her. The bike sank a bit at the rear with his weight. Infact, he had never ridden pillion on his own bike! He never allowed anyone to do that.. Bhavna had already engaged gears and was setting off, the engine setting a steady rythm. She was doing much better than his previous attempts. She was laughing. Her childish laughter was infections, and kishor felt himself laughing too. The roads were deserted , barring a few pedestrians and evening walkers, and they reached the end of their lane, without stalling. Kishor rested one arm on her shoulder and decided to lean forward a bit. The pedestrians must be staring at him, he thought. After all, their quiet lane had probably never witnessed a middle aged man sitting behind a lady in a salwar kameez riding a motorcycle. Kishor felt a bit awkward, after all, his wife was doing what he was supposed to, and now was not able to. Thankfully, she had turned back at the edge of the lane and was now entering their gates. She came to a stop in the parking space, where he got off. She revved the bike once, before switching the engine off.
"Howw...did you manage to do that...", he muttered. His wife's lovely face was still set in a smile. She simply put an arm around his waist while he was standing next to her , pulled him closer in a gentle hug, and planted a soft kiss on his cheeks.
It was a long time since they did that.....

(To be Continued.).

The Surprise - Part 1

Nikhil was depressed. It was 9 am, and he was already up...far before his routine wake up time. Rajukaka, the elderly manservant, had been sent to wake him up. He silently cursed him under his breath. Nineteen year old Nikhil was the only son of famous actress Rajani Advani. All his life, he had been raised by Rajukaka, the manservant who had been with his family for two decades. Actually, his "family" consisted of only his mother and him, his father had left for greener pastures in a country abroad two months before he was born. His mom too was almost never around,being busy with her shooting schedules and he was largely raised alone but amongst the best of luxuries. At that moment though, Nikhil loathed his mom Rajani. He hated the fact that he was financially dependent on her and also hated the fact that there wasnt much he could do if he set out on his own. He did not want to give up on his current lifestyle either : the clothes, the innumerable cars with drivers, holidays abroad, and entertaining his friends at the best clubs every night. "What is it Rajukaka..?? Why did you wake me up at this ungodly hour?", he asked the servant. "Because Membsahib wished me to do so..", came the polite reply. He reluctantly got up from his comfortable position, and dragged himself to the bathroom. By the time he freshened up though, he was feeling a bit cheerful. He let his mind wander..and thought about which girl he would give a call to today to give him company, whether they should go shopping or hang out at some expensive restaurants.. With this mood, he came out of his room, only to find his mother Rajani sitting on his bed. "Hello Nikhil", she said, "Hope you are feeling fresh today, because we are going on a trip." What??? A trip with her?? Nikhil did not particularly like her overbearing presence, as also the facts she still made decisions for him. "I am not coming anywhere with you..". Rajani sighed, and got up. Walking up to him, she put her arm on his, and said with a finality "Yes you are, Rajukaka has already packed for you. I will be waiting downstairs". As she walked away from his room, he dislike for her grew a bit, and he did not like the fact that he always buckled under her pressure and gaze, no matter what his opinion was. Reluctantly, he got dressed and went downstairs. His mom was waiting for him in the posh lobby of his house. "Good", she said,and gently touched his cheek with her palm. Nikhil sized her up. Now in her 40s, Rajani wasnt an unattractive woman at all, as her profession demanded.She was almost as tall as he was, perhaps half an inch less.She was wearing a white shirt and cream trousers today. He followed her out, where a gleaming black Tata Safari was waiting for them. He did not remember seeing that before, but then, they had many cars, and he hardly paid attention to the ones in which was being driven around by drivers all day in his quest for fun and frolic. He was surprised when his mom walked over to the drivers side, opened the door and got inside. "What??", He exclaimed, "No driver??". "No sweetie, its just you and me today." . Ohh, he groaned internally, this was going to be one hard trip. Rajani started the big vehicle, and slowly steered out of her lavish home. "Where are we going?", he asked. "You will know when we get there.",came the reply. Rajani handled the big vehicle to morning traffic in the city in the direction of the highway. Nikhil was surprised she could drive it without a problem, he had never seen her do it before. He himself had never bothered to learn how to drive, who needs it when you have drivers at your beck and call at every hour. Rajani deftly steered the vehicle on the crowded highway, and they were making good progress. After about an hour and a half of driving, they turned off the main road onto what seemed like a village road. About 20 minutes later, they came to the actual village itself. The roads were extremely narrow, and the vehicle barely fit onto it. Many a times, he thought they were almost going to hit something, but nothing happened. Rajani, as usual, and calmly steered around the obstacles. A while later, they came to a big compound, where the road was comparitively wider. "This", explained Rajani,"is our village estate". They came upon a gate and honked twice. Slowly, the big gate opened, and Rajani steered the vehicle inside. Nikhil could see a biggish house built in a retro style. The door had been opened by a lady who appeared to be a maidservant. "That is Kamala, she looks after the house along with the gardener.", came the unasked for explanation. She parked and they got out. "Why are we here?", he wanted to know. "You wait here, I will change and come", came the reply. Nikhil was irritated by the fact that as usual, she had this mom-knows-best attitude,and deflected his question with an instruction. He couldnt wait to get back to his friends and those shopping malls. Five minutes later, Rajani was back out in the courtyard, but now she was dressed in an orange and green salwar kameez. "You must be wondering na..why I changed into this?" . "Well...yeah...sort of..". "Well, its because we are heading to a temple.". Nikhil sighed...he was bored. He started walking back to the car... "Where are you going, we are not taking the car.." Rajani called back after him. "You mean....we are going to walk??!" he gasped. "No sweetie.. but didnt you see the roads back there? So narrow, a car isnt always practical". She clasped his hand into hers and began leading him to the back of the house. "We will be taking.....this!!", she said with a smile. In front of them, stood a black coloured motorcycle. The tank said 'Royal Enfield' , and the middle part said '500cc'. "What??",he exclaimed, "But I dont know how to ride a bike!!" "Who says YOU have to ride sweetie",his mother said with a mischievous smile and before he knew it walked over to the bike. The Enfield looked in to good be in good shape, and seemed as if it was recently polished. "Butt..can you...I mean...", he began, but stopped as he saw his mom put the bike down from its main stand in one single fluid motion. The bike looked heavy to him, but he didnt know much about them. She gently swung a leg over on the bike. Nikhil didnt know it was possible to get on a bike wearing a salwar kameez. He looked on with a mixture of amazement and doubt. Rajani bent down and engaged the choke, then she swiftly kicked the bike. It spluttered once but did not start. She gave another hard kick, and with a mighty noise which sounded like a thump and a roar, the big motorcycle came to life. Nikhil was more than impressed, he didnt know his mom could start bikes. Slowly, she engaged gears and called her son over. He slowly stepped over. "Common son, we are going for a ride!". He didnt know what to say...he was amazed. He gently sat behind her, unsure whether the lady could handle both his as well as the bike's weight at once. His mother had tied her dupatta at diagonally across so it wouldnt interefere with her riding. Slowly, they edged out of the compound and into the village. Nikhil could feel the people staring at him, but didnt know whether it was out of amazement of seeing an attractive salwar kameez clad woman riding, or was it because they hadnt seen her with HIM before. Nikhil had a gut feeling it was the latter. They left the village behind and came to a shady tree lined road, and Rajani started gathering speed. She rode deftly, without the slightest hesitation or sign of struggling or imbalance. He figured this was something she did regularly. "When did learn to ride a motorcycle??", he yelled into his mom's ear, struggling to make himself heard above the wind and the bikes noise. "Well....I had ridden bikes before in my movies too!". This was news for him, not that he watched too many of her movies. Just then, he realised that he was sitting in an awkward pose, with his hands behind him, holding the grab bar. "It would be better if you hold me instead.." Rajani said over the wind. He slowly let go, and put his arms around his mother's waist. He placed his head gently alongside hers, on her shoulders, feeling the wind in his face. It sort of felt good. As he was discovering, his mother was a skilled rider, taking the twists and turns of the road without upsetting the big bike the slightest. After what seemed like half an hour of riding, they came across a stone temple, at the side of the road. Rajani gently rolled to a stop alongside it, and Nikhil got off. The bike ride wasnt as bad as he had imagined it to be. His mother got down and smoothed out her dress. She parked the bike on the main stand and went inside.

(To be continued....).