She whacked his chest. And he laughed. Her face burst into a sob and without him pulling her she wound her arms around his neck, pressing her face into his shoulder. His arms came around her and she was lifted off her feet, twirling, twirling, twirling.
“You wouldn’t be caught dead sunning yourself here at this hour otherwise!” He laughed into her ear.
“I’m sorry I took the test without you,” she tightened her arms around him, letting him set her back on her feet. He thrust the sunflowers and the ice cream in her hands and clawed the locks of hair flying across her face back. He held her face between his palms — “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he murmured reverentially to her, just as she had murmured to god.
“A baby!” She beamed.
“A baby.” He smiled. “See, Doctor, what would have happened if you had flown to New York last year?”
“You would have bought a ticket, even though you don’t know how to buy one using an app. But you would have come after me.”
“I so would have. Damn! I so would have!”
————————————————————
SPRING
“Daddy is a health freak.” Ritu brought her son close to her mouth and pressed tiny kisses to his downy head. He was born with wispy, soft hair that had thickened to a head full of curls. He grinned, bouncing on the blanket between her feet, trying to pounce on his father who leaned on the sand, in front of them, managing to grab his first bite of the piping hot toast sandwich that his Dost Raju had delivered.
“It’s without butter, with a healthy chutney that he made specially for us. No masala. But I am not negotiating on the sauce.” He squirted a sizeable amount of kaddu ka sauce on the paper plate and swiped his piece of sandwich through it before popping it into his mouth.
“Dadadaaa…” the baby boy standing in the circle of his arm tried to reach for his food.
“Oh no!” Nilay laughed, pulling back. “You are still on mashed kaddu. No sauce yet.”
“How is it that both the twins always want your food?” Ritu pushed closer, grabbing her younger son, by a minute, and pulling them both on her lap — one on side each. In their identical blue and white ensembles, they looked adorable.
“You have built your army against me.” Nilay sat cross-legged in front of her, reaching for another piece and bringing it to her. She bit into it, not caring if the veggies fell. His hand was there to catch it and feed it back into her mouth.
“Daaaaddaaaa!”
“Ok, ok,” Nilay grabbed a wet wipe, cleaned his hands and reached for their youngest. “Arnav’s Daddy!” He swung him up and over his head, making him let out a string of thrilled squeals. Nilay laughed, manoeuvring him like a jet over his head, which was their favourite sitting-down game.
“Dadyyyy!” Their oldest jumped, thumping his tiny feet on her lap, clapping his hands. Nilay deposited Arnav back in her lap and plucked Aarav — “Aarav’s Daddy!” He kissed his cheek and pushed him high up over his head.
“Maaasaaaa!” MM’s loud yell made Nilay’s eyes go into the distance. Ritu turned, only for MM and her mother to come running down the beach.
“Last day of school! Yaaaaay!” Maya ran squealing, with MM racing her to them. She crashed into Nilay’s open flank and he squeezed her close — “How was Open House?”
“Mast!”
Nilay eyed Gautam, who was the only sane member left in the family. He shook his head, setting the bag of toys and water down. “I told her all through the pregnancy about not needing my daughter to talk like her. She did not listen.”
“Oye, I don’t say the bad words anymore!” Maya shot back, reaching for Arnav in her lap. Ritu relinquished her hold and saw her baby boy let out another chortle as Maya twirled with him. “My favourite baby boy!”
“That one’s Arnav.” Ritu pointed.
“I know. A little.” Maya kissed his chin. “I tell this to both the boys separately. Don’t you?”
“Never!” She and Nilay replied together.
“How boring. How will you make them fight otherwise?!”
“Gautam,” Ritu turned to him. “Here’s praying you have twins and she makes them fight for who is the favourite kid.”
He shuddered.
“Who wants to go to the water, my favourite kids?!”
