She plates thekhichdion one plate, and I stare at it.
“Khichdi? Why?” I ask.
I am not really fond of it, but I will eat it if she has made it.
“Because ever since both of our moms have come, you have been eating all kinds of food you normally wouldn’t. Especially with my mom, she cooks with a high spice level, and I know you don’t like it.”
“But you don’t likeKhichdieither.”
The number of changes she has made in her lifestyle because of me has been huge. While for someone these might not matter, to me, they are everything.
Punjabisare known for their food and hospitality, and she has always sacrificed her taste buds for me.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Thank you, Aisha.”
“What for?” she asks as she brings a spoonful in front of me.
My eyes soften as I open my mouth and eat it, my eyes locked on her at the exact moment.
“For everything that you do for me. For loving me the way you do.”
She doesn’t say anything, choosing to feed herself and me.
“It is nothing special.”
“Everything you do is special for me. The way you talk to me, the way you smile at me, look at me. Even the smallest actions have that effect on me.”
“Even when I am rude to you?” She humours me.
“Especially when you are rude to me.”
Aisha Kapoor
Istuff my face withKhichdiwhen he says the words.
The amount of charm and wit this man carries with him is something that I need to study because how the hell does he manage to say something like this every single time I try to put him off me?
He smirks, eating quietly, and I revel in the silence and the peace that comes with it.
“What didMaasay, though?” he asks me, wiping his mouth with a tissue.
I know the amount of spice and oil he has had in his food because ofMaa, just because he doesn’t want to disappoint her. He is too nice to say no to her, and despite her trying to not put too much spice and oil in her food, she ends up putting more or less the same amount.
He has had an issue with eating food ever since he was in university. While he has never liked me making adjustments in myself to accommodate his lifestyle, I have always reveled in giving him the comfort he has never had in his life.
I never knew someone else’s comfort and peace would become my top priority until I fell in love with this man.
I never knew someone’s happiness would become the cause of mine so deeply.
“She said to be nice to Chhavi,” I tell him. My mom is too nice with her side of relatives, and sometimes I wonder if this wouldbe the case if my dad was still here. No matter how much she denies it, I know deep down we are treated this way because we have had to rely on them for half of our lives.
I know she feels it too, but she is too attached, too rooted in her upbringing to question their ways even if inherently she disagrees with them.
“I just don’t like how she prioritizes them over me,” I say, gulping down a glass of water to stop myself from getting carried away.
He looks at me softly, letting me be myself. Letting me admit my feelings out loud. The way he makes me feel safe enough to let my armor down has always been scary because I have never had someone to rely on emotionally.
