Yukti pov

"Bahu! (Daughter-in-law)!" Shankar's mother said after the muh dikhayi rasam.

Today almost the entire village's women were present at the haveli for muh dikhayi.

Everyone praised me for my beauty. The ladies gave me shagun and they sang songs wholeheartedly.

It was a fun event.

"Ji? (Yes?)" I said.

"Jara yaha akar baith aur shankar kaha h? Shambu ja use bula kr la kheet se. "

(Come sit here, and where is Shankar? Shambu, go and get Shankar from the fields!)

Shambu the househelp who was cleaning the living room goes to call him.

My mother in law. I don't know much about her. The only thing I know is that Shankar loves his mother and he admired her. He never told me about his past. Whenever I asked anything related to his family he always used to shut me down. Saying the past was never in their favour so why bother remembering it.

Shankar comes from the field. His hands covered in mud and body drenched in sweat making his clothes sticking to his body. You can see the outline of his hard muscles underneath those clothes.

"Shambu pani la jara. " Shankar calls.

(Shambu, Go get some water.)

Sambu goes up to him carrying a pitcher of water. Shankar washes his hands and then proceeds to wash his face.

Over the course of six years Shankar has changed a lot. His short straight hair has grown way past the length he used to like. Now a mass of unruly, wavy hair sits atop of head. Making him wild yet somehow fitting his body. He has gained more muscle mass. Earlier he used to have a lean muscular body but now he has gained more weight. He looks heavier and stronger than before.

The more I look at him the more hot my face gets.

Realizing I have been shamelessly oogling at him. I turned around.

"Beta Tu khet mein kyu kaam krta hai. Itne kaamwale hein unko krne diya kr. "  His mother says.

(Son, why do you work in the fields? There are so many workers, let them do their work.)

"Are meri ma."

(Oh my mother!!)

Shankar comes and sits beside me on the khat. I scooted over a little since he sat very close to me.

"Dekho bhai! Tum dono ne humari kul devi ke mandir jana hoga. Humare ghar se sare jode shadi ke baad waha jate hain. Mata rani buri nazar se door rakhegi. "

(Look! You two have to visit our family deity's temple. All couples from our family go there after their weddings. The goddess will ward off evil eyes.)

"Hmm." Shankar replies wiping his face with the towel, "theek h phir jana kab h? "

(Okay, when do we have to go?)

"Aj shaam ko tum dono nikal jana tab jake kal subah 4 bje tak pahuchoge. "

(You two should leave this evening and then you will be able to reach by 4 o'clock tomorrow morning.)

His mother continues, "4 bje bhram mahurat hoga. Dono jane naha dho lena phele phir nadi kinare pauch jana waha se pani bharna. Phir tum dono ko nange pair Ma ke mandir tak jana hoga aur mata ki murati pe jal chadana padega. Pheli bhari Shankar, phir tu bahu char baar pani chadaye gi aur phir dono saath mein Mata ke upar jal chadana."

(The auspicious time will be 4 o'clock. Both of you should first take a bath and then go to the river bank and collect water from there. Then both of you will have to go barefoot to Maa's temple and pour water on the idol of Maa. First  Shankar will go, then daughter-in-law will pour water four times and then both of you will pour water on Maa together."

"Theek se. "

(Okay)

"Bahu tu ja saman bandh apna aur apne pati ka."

(Bahu, go pack yours and your husband's stuff)

Why should I pack his clothes? I don't even know where he keeps them.

"Hum dono saath mein pack kr lenge. Chalo Yukti. " Shankar grabs my hand tugging me along.

(We will pack together. Let's go Yukti.)

"Chore tu khana khale. Sabne kha liye h. Tu hi baccha h. Chal aja! " His mother interjects.

(You eat your food, boy. Everyone has eaten. You are the only one who hasn't. Come on.)

"Hmm bhook toh lagi h. Tumne khana kha liya? " He asks me.

(Hmmm I do feel hungry. Oh by the way Did you eat?)

"Haan Jao tum khalo and tab tak mein packing kr leti hun." I say.

(Yes, you go and eat and in the meantime I will do the packing.)

A look of jealousy passes on his mother's face when Shankar actually listens to me and goes into the kitchen.

"Ma, khana dede. "

(Ma, give me food)

"Aa rahi hu. " She said staring at me before going.

(Coming)

I went to my room and began packing my stuff in the bag.

Evening comes and we get ready to leave.

"Chale Madum ji? " (Shall we leave madum ji?)

Shankar says picking the bag. He puts the bag into the backseat of his bolero.

There goes my plan of sitting in the backseat.

I sit in the front seat and shankar gets on the driver side and starts the engine.

"Aise lag raha h hum ek romantic long drive pe jare h. " Shankar says and I glare at him.

(It feels like we are going on a romantic long drive.)

"Isme romantic jaise kya h ?"

(What is romantic about it?)

"Jaha Aap ho aur mein hun waha romance to shuru hona hi tha. "

(Where you and I are , romance is bound to begin.)

"Mujhe vishwas nahi hota ek jamane mein mai tumhare aisi faltu baaton pe pagal kaise ho jati thi."

(I can't believe how I used to get so flustered over this nonsense of yours."

"Are. Pagal toh aap abhi bhi ho jaugi. Bas iss dil ko bandh rakha h apne."

(Hey. You'll still go crazy. You've just tied your heart."

It's better if I keep my heart guarded.

"Ji nahi. Wo phele mujhe tumhari asliyat nahi pata thi."

(Absolutely not. I didn't know your reality back then)

"Are lo karlo baat. Saal naya h, din naya h. Yeh kya poorani baatein yaad krna."

(Hey! It's a new year, a new day. Why ? this reminiscing about old things?)

"Haa tum toh kahoge hi. Kyuki galat toh tum hi the. Toh mera muh mat khulwa. " I taunt him.

(Yes, you will say that. Because you were the one who was wrong. So don't make me open my mouth.)

"Abhi bhi waisa hi gussa. Kya baat hain. Waise apko pata h na apke isse gusse pe flat hua tha mein" Shankar says, giving me a cocky grin.

(Still the same anger. So gorgeous. By the way, you know I was flattened because of your anger.)

"Are gaane sunte hain..... " He says, "Romantic."

(Let's listen to the music.....) (Romantic)

He turns on the radio and a soft melody plays.

Music would have been nice but since he loves messing with me so much.

Let me give him some taste of his own medicine.

"Nahi." (No) I tell him angrily and pause the music.

"Haan." (Yes)  Shankar plays it again.

"Mene kaha nahi to nahi. " I again hit pause.

(I said no)

"Lekin mene kaha haan. " He looks at me and hits play.

(But I said yes)

"Shankar!!! "  I say annoyed.

He starts laughing at my agony.

"Kitni pyari lagti ho. "

He pauses the song and focuses on driving.

(You look so lovely)

My eyes start dropping. I haven't been able to sleep for the past three days due to these wedding celebrations.

The closer my wedding date came the more my anxiety increased.

Now that I am married and it's the second day only so I couldn't get any rest due to the guests arrival.

My body is officially exhausted. I rest my head across the window. My eyes are slowly closing. I hear some rustling beside me but I don't have the energy to investigate.

Suddenly I realize that I am covered with something warm. I lift my head. Shankar was the one who laid the blanket on me.

"Age thand hone wali h. aram se so jao. " He says softly.

(It's going to be cold. Relax and sleep)

Nodding I go back to sleep.

"Yukti! " I feel a light tap on my arm.

"Hum pauch gaye h. "

(We have reached.)

"Time kya ho raha h? " I ask, stretching a little bit.

(What's the time?)

"3:30"

"Hume taiyar ho jana chahiye. "

(We should get ready.)

I get out of the car and Shankar brings the bag from the backseat.

There is a small house in the middle of the forest. We walk down the Rocky path.

"Dhayan se. Yaha kafi patthar h. "

(Careful! There are many pointed stones and pebbles here.)

We enter the house. Shankar turns on the lights.

It's an old house made up of cow dung. There are only two khats and a chair.

Since it's an old house the washroom is at a little distance from the main house. I take fresh clothes out of the bag and go out. I find Shankar making a temporary light system for the bathroom.

He tears the two ends of a wire by his teeth and attaches them to the bulb using a tape. He carries the rest of the wire to a small socket outside the house and inserts the other wire ends into the socket. Once everything is done he switches on the light of the bathroom.

I shower first and get ready then Shankar gets ready.

We removed our shoes and began our journey towards the river.

Shankar carries the pitcher and leads the way while I carry the flash.

Slowly the dark starry night fades away into twilight. The morning air feels fresh and the grass beneath is moist.

Everything around us is quiet and comfortable.

Soon we reach the river side and the sun starts rising. Since Shankar has to go first, he carries the pitcher to Ma's temple while I wait for him to come back.

The birds start chirping declaring the morning onset. I look at the red orange color scattered in the sky and the sun looks so ethereal.

Shankar comes back and hands me the pitcher. I filled the pitcher with water and began my journey.

"Sambhal kr jana. " (Go carefully)

I shouldn't have worn a saree. It will be tough to manage.

Keeping one hand to lift my saare I walk up the rocky surface. I have to do four rounds in this.

I completed the first three rounds with ease but at the last round I stepped on a small pointed pebble.

Regardless of the pain I completed my journey and came back.

"Kya hua?" Shankar asks concerned once I get back. (What happened?)

"Kuch nahi. " I tell him.

(Nothing)

"Pakka? "

(Are you sure?)

He continues staring at me with uncertainty.

"Kuch nahi hua. Bas ek chote se patthar se lag gayi. "

(Nothing happened. Just got hit in the foot by a small stone.)

"Kya! Dikhao apna paon. "

(What! Show me your foot)

"Are kuch nahi hua. " I reassure him.

( nothing happened)

"Nahi dikhao. " He forces me to sit on a big boulder.

(No, show me)

"Konse paon mein lagi h? "

(Which foot?)

"Right wala. "

(Right one)

Shankar lifts my right foot to check. He dusts off some sand first and checks my injury.

"Dard ho raha h. " He asks softly as if it is physically hurting him.

(Is it hurting?)

He looks so hurtful that I couldn't lie, "thoda sa. "

(A Little bit)

He shakes his head and puts my foot on the ground then walks off, angrily.

I don't know what to do?

Should I call him back.

"Shankar it's not a big deal. " I tell him.

He returns back with a leaf and crushes it then lifts my foot to apply the paste. Once he was done, he tied his handkerchief around the wounded area.

"Mujhe saath mein chalna chahiye tha. "

(I should have gone with you)

"Are tumhari galti nahi hain. Chalo pooja poori krte h phir wapas ghar bhi jana hai. "

(It's not your fault. Let's finish the puja and then we have to go back home.)

Nodding, Shankar collected the water in the pitcher.

According to his mother I have to carry the water. So I take it from his hands and start walking.

"Ek minute. " (One minute) Shankar says.

He comes closer to me and lifts me up in a bridal style.

"Kya kr rahe ho! "

(What are you doing!)

"Meri patni ko chot lagi h. Itna toh kr hi sakta hi. "

(My wife is hurt. This is the least I can do.)

Shankar starts walking towards the temple. He carries me so effortless as if I weigh nothing even though I am carrying extra weight.

Once we reach, Shankar gently drops me and together we offer water to the goddess.