“Informing.”
“Just behave yourself and try to keep this…” She moved her hand around his obnoxious mouth. “Shut around Maya for a change.”
He scowled — “What does that mean?”
“She is a married woman with her child and her husband in the room.”
“Yes, I know,” he pointed to the space outside. “I can see.”
“And yet you behave like that!”
“Like how?’
“Like some obnoxious flirt.”
“Ok, first of all, how I behave is none of your business. Second of all, I flirted with her for all of two seconds like I flirt with anybody who comes singing my praises before I found out she was with Gautam and pregnant with his baby. I am not that obnoxious.”
She shut her eyes and rolled them inside, praying for the next hour to pass without one more word from his stupid mouth.
“Closing your eyes and muttering to yourself when you are beaten is another personality trait?”
Prayer rejected.
Ritu opened her eyes and stared into his — “That’s it, have your lunch and say bye-bye. I am not seeing you for…”
“You are known to treat patients without invasive procedures.”
She frowned.
“Rajiv…” he hesitated. “My friend and GP… he had good things to say about you. I do not want to go to another cardiologist.”
There was something in his tone. Something that was not…NiP, for the lack of a better word. He had suddenly cooled down, mellowed.
“Not all my patients go home without invasive procedures.”
“More than the average number do. That’s good enough for me.”
Ritu felt at her tether’s end. Today was new year, Saal Mubarak. A new beginning. She was here in Mumbai for a vacation. And the number of fights she had had with this man without any logical reason, solution or conclusion was beyond count.
She sighed.
“I will treat you respectfully,” he said.
Her eyes bore into his. There seemed a resignation and a silent surrender on his entitled face.
“Fine.”
He nodded.
“Don’t eat anything today on the table except dal, rice and salad.”
“There is no salad on Maya’s menu.”
“There will be.”
————————————————————
“Maasi, salad?” Maya made a face as she brought a bowl of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and radishes with a bunch of coriander and mint to the table.
