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“What about you? What do you miss about your childhood?” She throws back the same question at me.
“I don’t miss anything,” I say truthfully. Her eyes go wide and she falters in her step as she peers into my eyes. With Alisha, I don’t have to put up my guard; I can be raw with my scars unbarred. “That’s because I had a very unpleasant childhood. I lost my parents in a car accident and grew up without knowing what it is like to have a complete family.”
Her feet come to a halt as she gazes at me with tears in her eyes. “Ranveer…” she murmurs, her lower lip quivering.
I give her a feeble smile and lift my hands to wipe her tears with my thumbpad. My heart is beating wildly as I feel her soft skin. “Don’t cry for me. It was not as bad as it sounds. I had Grandpa for me. He made sure to give me his undivided love and attention.” I continue to draw circles on her cheek, as I draw strength from her. To my relief, she doesn’t pull away. “My life is much better now than it had ever been before, so I tend not to think about my unhappy and difficult childhood. At least now I have people around me who make it worth it.” Leaning forward, I place a kiss on her forehead, making her shudder under my touch. “When Mili’s dad refused to take his responsibility, I stepped in, because I didn’t want Mili to go through what I did. I wanted her to get the love of both parents.”
“You are a good person,” Alisha gives me a teary smile.
“Good enough for you to live the rest of your life with?” I wink and try to make light of the situation though the hopefulness in my voice is unmistakable.
Alisha makes a show of giving it a thought as she looks up at me. “Hmm, the verdict is still out,” she says.
I know she is playing along. “God, you sure are going to make me work for it,” I say but she simply shrugs. A smile broadens my lips, thinking that at least she didn’t refuse; that’s some progress. I gesture with my hands and motion for her to walk. “Let’s get that ice cream before Grandpa starts throwing tantrums. And the way he has been behaving of late, it will not be a surprise.”
The small chuckle that bursts from her chest is music to my ears. “Yeah, that’s pretty evident.”
I laugh. “You do realise that by volunteering to stay with Grandpa, you have agreed to drag yourself into this chaos? Not that I am complaining. It gives us practice for the future.”
Alisha turns her face towards me and lifts her eyebrows as we stand outside the ice cream parlour. “Practice for the future?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I plan on filling our house with kids.”
“Kids? How many do you plan on having?”
“I don’t know… maybe three, or more,” I say as the dreamy picture of having our kids with a mix of both our features floats in front of my eyes.
We step inside the ice cream parlour. I have been here a few times but didn’t really pay that much attention to anything. It’s not a fancy parlour but a small one with round plastic chairs and tables. There is a huge glass display of ice cream flavours in the centre. The staff here is limited to about two, and the best part of this place is that it’s not crowded.
“Looks like you have it all planned,” she says following behind me.
“That I have. You see, I am a planner. Just for you to know, I won’t allow my daughters to date until they turn thirty,” I state as we take our seats in one of the quiet corners.
“What if we have sons?” Alisha asks, not realising that she is giving in the moment, letting the walls that she built around us down.
My eyes glimmer for a second but then I don’t wish to burst the bubble. So, I go with the flow and reply, “They are allowed to bring in girlfriends the moment they turn ten.” I grin from ear to ear.
Alisha’s mouth drops open as she punches me on the chest. “You are being a bit hypocritical here.”
“I never promised to be an even-handed person, Sweetheart.”
Shaking her head, Alisha opens the menu in front of her. “If our daughters don’t get to enjoy themselves, then the same goes for the sons. Rules will be the same for all the kids. There will be no gender discrimination in our house.”
I smile at her mention of ‘our house’. “Okay, I get it. I assume if I don’t abide by your rule, then I might have to spend my nights on the sofa.”
Alisha’s face lights up. “That goes without saying!”
“Am I at least allowed to spoil and cater to their every whim?”
Alisha nods her head. “You can, though there will be a few restrictions.”
Narrowing my eyebrows, I ask, “As in?”
She erupts into a sweet laughter that causes a tingling sensation in my body. It’s been ages since I saw her so at ease. I cross my fingers underneath the table, hoping she stays in a happy zone forever. She grins as she elaborates, “If you are within sensible limits, I won’t fuss. But if you happen to overblow and go over the top, that’s where I’ll set a stopping point. It’s important for our kids to be down to earth and appreciate every little thing in life and not take them for granted.”
“I will keep that in mind.” I nod in agreement for the sake of it though I have serious doubts whether I’ll be able to adhere to any such rules.
That’s when a waiter comes to take our order. After placing our order, we get into small, easy talks. I watch as Alisha talks about random stuff and how she enjoys spending time with Grandpa and Mili while I have a good time listening to her enigmatic face and her chatter. After a few minutes, the waiter comes and places our order on the table.
