“To go to Pizza By The Bay without me.”
“She is not eating at the function?”
“No. We had decided to eat pizza and ice cream.”
“You like pizza, right?”
“Hmm.”
She set her phone in her lap and he toggled the indicator to take a U-turn.
“Home is that side.”
“Pizza By The Bay is that side.”
“No, Nilay, no, stop.”
He had taken the turn, but the desperation in her voice made him pull up by the curb of the road. He turned to her, and found her face twisted.
“I don’t want to talk to Maya right now.”
His blood boiled. “Did she do something?”
“No! I just can’t answer any questions… I can’t make up stories anymore. Not… not right now. Please just let’s…”
“Ok. But we need to eat.”
“You haven’t eaten lunch? It’s…” she glanced at his dashboard clock. “Nearing 3.”
“I haven’t.” He had.
“I don’t want to see anybody right now.”
Her voice was small, tears hidden behind that brave octave. Then why did it make him feel warm? Because she didn’t want to see anybody but him? Because she didn’t want to talk to Maya but was here, speaking to him?
“Let’s do this, Doctor — we will pick up pizza and eat it in the car, hidden in some quiet lane. Hmm?”
“Ask them to make it in olive oil, not butter.”
————————————————————
One large Bombay Masala pizza, with ‘extra veggies, low on salt, high on fresh olives and made with olive oil, not butter’ was steaming in the box in his hands as he walked to his car. It was parked some distance away from the restaurant in case Maya or Gautam happened to be around. He opened his door and slipped in, passing the box to Ritu and driving out of the spot. He had promised to hide her in a lane and he was about to do just that. She was worked up. Her head was turned away from the window, her face curtained in her hair. As he wove away from Pizza By The Bay, slowly and steadily she relaxed.
He found a secluded bylane that was mostly deserted, with ample parking space. The tree-lined canopy was thick and kept the sun away. And Saturday meant the businesses around were closed. He parked the car, turned towards her and took the box that she hadn’t even pulled open yet.
Nilay opened it and pulled out a slice for her.
“I will eat later. You eat, I can come and drive…” she began to open her door.
“Keep sitting,” he commanded. Usually, she would spar with him, or get out and do exactly as she pleased. Today, she listened. He took advantage and handed her the slice. She gaped at it. He pulled another slice and bit into it. She swallowed, and bit into her own. Then, he did not need to do anything else. Like clockwork, they shared the pizza, one slice at a time. Silent. Sitting in the car with nobody to look at and nobody to look at them.
“Where to go for the ice cream?” He asked, blotting his fingers clean with a tissue and setting the empty box on the floor behind his seat.
“I don’t want ice cream.”
“That’s not what you had planned.”
Food seemed to have done the trick because this time she glared at him — “I am back and not going to be pushed around.”
