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Roshni was very upset with him.
On the way back in the car, he asked, “Roshni, why are you so upset?”
Roshni did not respond but gave him angry looks.
Deepak now placed his hand on her shoulder. “Roshni, what happened? Why are you so upse
t?”
Roshni looked angrily at him. “You know my weakness very well; that is why you create scenes outside so I don’t open my mouth.”
Deepak smiled and agreed with her. “Of course, otherwise you would not let me buy anything for you.”
Roshni snapped back at him, “Why do you have to buy me anything, anyway? I have so many clothes – dresses, saris – and jewelry, all that jewelry. I never wear any of these. Why do you waste all this money, Deepak, especially on me?”
“What do you mean why you? You are my wife, and I have not bought anything for you since our marriage, and…and I know in the beginning it was rough, but now…but now…things are different.”
Roshni did not say a word; both of them remained silent the rest of the journey. They arrived home, and it was already past 1 p.m. Deepak first helped Roshni come inside the house and then went back to fetch the bags. Roshni relaxed on the sofa, massaging her foot. The little extra walking she did tired her and the leg. Deepak walked in with the bags and noticed Roshni on the sofa. He left the bags in the room and sat by her side, massaging her foot.
“Roshni, do you have a lot of pain?”
Roshni tried to push his hand away, but he was stubborn too. She gently rested her head on the arm of the sofa while he continued to massage.
After a few minutes, he brought water for her and helped her drink it. With tears in her eyes, she said, “I’m still not okay, Deepak. I’m unable to handle even a little physical stress; that’s why I avoid going out, and you…you…I’m sorry.”
Deepak brought her closer to him. Her head rested on his chest, and he gently massaged her back. “Roshni, you went through a major accident, and it will take time to recover. You have to be patient.”
She tried to get up and fix something for lunch. Deepak pulled her hand and forced her to sit and relax while he went to make lunch. Without a fuss, he decided on making rice pulav and got the ingredients ready. He placed a pan on the stove and roasted ginger garlic paste in heated oil with some seasoning ingredients. The aroma spread in the air, and Roshni could smell it in the family room.
“What are you doing, Deepak?”
“You relax. I’m making rice pulav for lunch.”
“Can I help you find any ingredients?”
“No, I found all I needed,” he responded.
Roshni was aware of his cooking skills. She didn’t argue but relaxed on the sofa, massaging her foot while Deepak was busy in the kitchen.
He added the vegetables, garam masala, salt and rice to the pan and fried everything together for a few minutes. Occasionally he brought the spoon to this nose and smelled the spices; he took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma. He enjoyed cooking – there was no doubt! He added water, placed the lid, and allowed the rice to cook along with the spices.
In the meantime, he unpacked the bags and changed into comfortable clothes. Roshni also had a face wash and changed into a comfortable house gown. He amazed her every time, his efficiency and planning, all of it.
Within less than an hour, the pulav was ready. They had pulav with homemade yogurt that Roshni had made the previous day. The rice pulav was certainly delicious, and Roshni complimented Deepak on his cooking skills!
After lunch, Roshni spent time getting the house ready for Diwali. Chathurdasi was on Tuesday followed by Diwali on Wednesday. Deepak relaxed in the family room with his computer, and Roshni got the altar and pooja thali ready. That evening, Lakshmi brought some jasmine garlands and left them with Roshni. The fragrance of jasmine flowers spread everywhere. Roshni smiled to herself, feeling very excited for Diwali.
~ ~ ~
It was Naraka Chathurdasi. Chathurdasi is the fourteenth day of the lunar calendar, a day prior to new moon day. The day is celebrated for the victory of good over evil, the mythological story of the killing of the demon Narakasura one day before Diwali.
The celebration also marks the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom, Ayodhya, on this day after fourteen years of exile and after killing Ravana, the demon king. The celebration includes the making of sweets and savories and distributing them to friends and family, the lighting of lamps around the houses, the bursting of firecrackers, and performing Lakshmi pooja to the goddess of wealth.
Roshni woke up Deepak very early as per tradition, and after a bath in the early hours, Roshni wore a salwar suit that Deepak had bought for her, and Deepak wore the kurta pyjama. Both completed the rituals of lighting lamps all around the house and decorating the altar with jasmine garlands. They could hear the fire crackers outside. Deepak followed Roshni’s instructions without any questions and very much enjoyed performing all the rituals along with her. Just being with her was enough for him; nothing else mattered.
All the sweets were offered to God, and she made Deepak do the arati and offering. After arati, he could not resist eating the sweets; he fed Roshni and ate himself. Both of them had a good time performing the rituals. Since living in the apartment, Roshni had met a few neighbors. She accepted his help and packed the sweets to be distributed to the neighbors. Upon Roshni’s instructions, Lakshmi helped her distribute the sweets. Several neighbors also delivered their sweets and savories.
The day passed with Roshni making a meal and Deepak helping her. They missed having the family around, but with each other, they were a complete family.
