The kitchen was a mess with mixing bowls, spatulas, measuring cups and ingredients covering every surface in sight. It was loud, warm and smelled like sugar and spice.
Kaavi tried to hide her smile as she watched her cousin. Sen was barely holding it together. He was a structured guy. He liked everything in its place, neat and tidy. Chaos and Sen? Never a good mix. But now that she really looked at it, maybe they were. Because Shona was pure chaos. And somehow, they worked.
That made Kaavi think. Maybe marriage was controlled chaos. Or, at least, it was about compromise and about figuring out how to meet in the middle, even if the middle was messy. That made her sad because she realised that she never gave her marriage to Neel a chance to even see if they would be able to compromise on things. When she left, they were still in that honeymoon phase and she wondered – actually she knew – that Neel would compromise. She knew that Neel would be a good husband because he was a good husband. And it was only that secret, that fear of her father finding out about her marriage, that had made her walk. She still loved Neel. She loved him with all her heart. She couldn’t deny that. But she also couldn’t rob him of finding happiness with somebody instead of feeling sorry for her because she was broken.
‘Why are you so quiet today?’ asked Anni, as she watched Kaavi fold another box.
‘Just thinking,’ Kaavi said.
‘About what?’
‘The empowerment classes,’ she lied.
‘Oh yeah,’ Anni nodded. ‘Your grandfather said you started working on that plan.’
She paused, then smiled. ‘Honestly Kaavi, I think this… it’s going to be a really good fit for you. You just don’t realise how good you were with those girls.’
‘Thanks, Anni,’ Kaavi said quietly.
‘What about Neel?’ Sam chipped in.
‘Hey! Sam! Be quiet,’ Anni scolded.
Kaavi chuckled. ‘It’s okay, Anni. I guess everyone wants to know about Neel. You guys met him and, yeah, I’m married to him. I mean, I can’t hide that.’
She took a breath. ‘But he’s gone. He’s gone back to Johannesburg. That’s what happened to Neel.’
Sam shook his head. ‘Stupidity runs in this family,’ he said, looking at Kaavi and then at Sen.
‘Hey!’ Sen and Kaavi said at the same time.
Sam laughed. ‘I’m serious. This is exactly what happened with Sen when he couldn’t tell Shona he loved her. I had to sit him down and explain what a fool he was being.’
He looked at Kaavi. ‘And I think I’m about to do the same with you.’
‘Wow!’ Kaavi said.
Anni grinned. ‘When did my husband become such a relationship therapist?’
Sam ignored Anni and focused on Kaavi.
‘Listen, Kaavi. You’ve been with us a while now. You’re one of the gang. We love you like family and we’ll always be here for you.’
He took a breath. ‘Neel’s a great guy. He’s … solid. Really solid and I don’t know if you want to throw that away.’
He looked at her, serious now. ‘If he’d done something wrong to you, I’d get it, but all he’s ever done is love you.’
‘Wow,’ Sen said. ‘You really are like a relationship therapist.’
Even Shona jumped in. ‘Seriously though, Kaavi, Sam is right. And I’m not just saying that because he thinks he is a part-time relationship therapist,’ she laughed, ‘but because he’s right. You can’t let Neel go.’
Kaavi didn’t say a word. She just kept folding boxes.
The four of them watched her, shook their heads, then wentback to preparing the sweetmeats.
The evening moved on with chatter about Diwali plans. Shona, Sen, Kaavi, even Anni and Sam, were all set to go to her grandfather’s house. Her mother, aunt and uncle would be there too. It promised to be a joyous celebration. And Kaavi would just pretend everything was fine.
Kaavi’s hands were sticky from all the cellophane tape. She stood up, walked to the sink, and started washing them. As the water ran over her fingers, her wedding ring caught the light and sparkled.
