An Ideal Wife (11 page)

After the tutorial they started their expedition with as much protection as possible from head to toe. Sameer was trying hard but wasn’t able to cope with Payal’s flexibility and agility. His fear of heights was not helping his cause either.

‘I hope she doesn’t reach before me otherwise my entire plan will go down the drain,’
Sameer thought as Payal sped way ahead of him.

Oblivious of Sameer’s dilemma, she continued her climb but halfway through the rock she looked down and found Sameer way behind her.

‘Com’on Sameer,’ she encouraged him.

Sameer gave her a controlled smile, looked down and got even more frightened. Payal pushed him again.

‘Come on Sameer, you can do it.’

‘Ma’am, he is afraid of heights,’ a team member informed.

‘What?’ Payal just couldn’t believe her ears. ‘How do you know?’ she continued.

‘I’d love to say 10 years of experience makes it easy for me to guess but the fact is yesterday I overheard Sameer mentioning his fears to my boss.’

Payal looked down and saw Sameer still struggling with the angular, jagged rocks.

‘But why did he agree to come for rock climbing then?’ Payal was perplexed.

‘I think you should ask this question to yourself.’

Payal was almost in tears seeing Sameer trying so hard to do things she loved.

‘It’s just a rock,’ she prompted him after regaining her composure.

‘Sameer, no matter what, you have to reach the top before her,’
Sameer pumped up himself.

Sameer’s determination and Payal’s constant encouragement had a magical effect on him. Slowly but steadily, he moved up the rock. Payal deliberately slowed down and Sameer wore a huge smile as he went past her. Payal was thrilled to see a smiling Sameer.

After a gruelling 30 minutes Sameer finally managed to reach the top and also helped Payal climb the last foot. Payal was ecstatic to see Sameer finally conquering his fear.

She was surprised to see a makeshift café, which was arranged by Sameer, on top of Manori Rocks but before she could realise anything Sameer proposed to her. He wanted them to get married! She was elated with the efforts put in by Sameer to make this special day a perfect day even though Sameer had to fight with his fears. She gladly accepted his marriage proposal and both kissed each other.

Sameer quickly arranged their marriage in a Hindu temple, as the one-year bet period was about to end soon. It was a very close family affair, which was attended by Sameer’s parents who flew down from Delhi and me. Sameer introduced me to his parents as his best friend in Mumbai.

After the marriage, in the evening, they threw a big reception party in one of the biggest lawns in Bandra. Everyone at the party literally gaped at Payal’s ethereal beauty. The men didn’t know whether to congratulate Sameer on this incredible catch or to cry over their not-so-good luck. Needless to say, the women were seething with ill-disguised jealousy, but Sameer and Payal were oblivious to all this, basking in wedded bliss. Though Sameer was enjoying all the praise, his eyes were searching for someone. After five minutes of the search, his eyes sparkled with victory as he saw Jimmy trying to hide behind the other guests.

Peeping out in a most juvenile manner, Jimmy realised that Sameer was already looking at him with a huge grin on his face. He had no choice but to come and congratulate Sameer and Payal.

‘Congratulations guys,’ Jimmy said sheepishly as he reached the stage.

‘Thanks Jimmy,’ Payal replied and got busy talking to other guests.

‘Hanji sir,
why were you hiding?’ Sameer poked Jimmy.

‘Hiding??? I was just picking up my cellphone; I had dropped while walking towards you guys,’ Jimmy tried to cover up the best he could.

‘Hahahahahha,
chal chhod,’
Sameer took out a bill from his sherwani pocket and handed it over to Jimmy.

‘What’s this?’

‘Bill.’

‘What bill?’

‘Reception party bill, very soon you will also get my honeymoon and in the near future, all of Payal’s maternity bills,’ Sameer winked at Jimmy.

Jimmy could only look at the bill; without a word he just folded it and put it in his pocket, deciding to cry over his loss later.

‘Remember the bet or having a
Ghajini
moment, my friend?’ Sameer couldn’t help taking a shot at Jimmy.

‘Tell me again, what was the bet?’ Jimmy replied very calmly, hoping there would be some way to minimise his losses.

‘So you don’t remember?’ Sameer was unruffled.

‘I do, but just want to make sure that we are on the same page here.’

‘Finding my ideal wife in a year; and there are still two days left,’ Sameer announced with well-earned pride.

‘Buddy, how do we know that she is your ideal wife?’ Jimmy raised a pertinent question.

‘Why can’t you accept your defeat, man?’

‘Sameer, I think Jimmy has a point. How are you so sure that he has lost the bet?’ one of his colleagues intervened.

Jimmy got a boost seeing support coming for him from an unlikely quarter. Sameer looked around and realised many others had the same question.

‘Tell me, how do you want me to prove it?’ Sameer asked haughtily, confident of his success in finding Payal.

Jimmy smiled, realising the fish had taken the bait.

‘Keep these bills with you. If after one year of the marriage you still say that Payal is your ideal wife then I will gladly pay you every single penny.’

‘One year? No problem! I’m going to have my cake and eat it too’ Sameer remained confident.

‘I will keep the cheque ready,’ Jimmy threw in, his voice loaded with sarcasm.

‘Na,
I don’t want anything. Just donate this money to the charity of your choice. Now that I have Payal, there is nothing in the world that I need.’

Sameer looked at Payal who was still talking to the other guests, unaware of the conversation between Sameer and Jimmy.

‘
Chalo, meri shart ka kuchh fayada to hua.
’

Jimmy replied and everyone around them started laughing.

Payal got curious and asked Sameer what was going on. He didn’t want to tell her about the bet so covered up saying it was just some joke.

‘So where are you going for your honeymoon?’ asked one of the colleagues.

‘Goa.’

‘When are you leaving?’

‘Tomorrow, by car.’

‘I know you love your car and enjoy long drives too but would you be able to control your urge?’

‘Control my urge, for what?’

‘Goa is a good 10-12 hours drive from Mumbai, and Payal is so gorgeous and sexy. You know what I mean?’ Jimmy hinted at the probable lovemaking.

Everyone burst into laughter as they heard this from Jimmy.

‘You are incorrigible,’ Sameer laughed as well.

And the party continued till late in the night.

10

Politics in heaven

E
arly next morning, Sameer and Payal dropped his parents at the Mumbai domestic airport for their Delhi flight and came back to their apartment. And soon after they were all packed and ready for Goa.

While getting into their car in the apartment complex parking lot, Sameer heard a boy talking to his friends who had come to play cricket with him. Sameer couldn’t help but be taken in by the way the boy spoke.

‘I play only on my own terms,’ the boy whose name was Sachin, authoritatively said to the other boys.

Sameer was surprised to hear a 10-year-old kid talk like that.

‘What terms?’ another boy inquired.

‘I will bat first and will take two turns.’

‘That’s not fair,’ another boy intervened.

‘Wait, I haven’t finished yet,’ Sachin replied, even more firm now.

All the boys, and Sameer too, looked inquisitively at him.

‘Not only two turns of batting, I won’t field either.’ Sachin was one cocky bugger.

Sameer looked at Payal and smiled, thinking he too had got exactly what he wanted and on his own terms.

‘This is not done!’ a new kid in the gang was aghast to hear this.

One of the boys who were a regular player took the other boys to one side and they started discussing something. Sameer too moved in closer to them, curious to hear what plan they would hatch now.

‘What happened?’ a curious Payal asked.

‘One minute
Jaanu.’

Sameer didn’t want to miss out on kids’ discussion so he replied without looking at his wife.

The regular player was trying to reason with other kids who were angry at Sachin’s terms.

‘See the logic is simple, he owns the bat, the ball and the entire kit and we have nothing.’

‘So what?’ another boy snapped in anger.

‘Can’t you see? How will we play without the kit?’

‘But without us he won’t be able to play with his stupid kit either,’ another boy threw his logic in the mix.

‘You have a point there but we all want to play and not waste our free Sundays, right?’ he reasoned again.

None of the other kids liked it and they were still reluctant to allow Sachin to play on his terms.

‘I know it’s not right but haven’t you heard the famous saying?’

Everyone was all ears including Sameer.

‘Waqt aane pe gadhe ko bhi baap banana padta hai!’

After thinking for a minute, one of the boys replied.

‘I think you are right.’

‘So then why wait; let’s go and play?’

They all went and agreed to play on Sachin’s terms and conditions. Sachin was extremely excited to hear it and went straight to pad up for batting.

Sameer looked at Payal with a huge smile on his face. He’d just seen his replica in that kid, but Payal of course understood nothing of what had gone on.

Not explaining anything, Sameer got into the car and drove off but kept looking at Sachin in the rear view mirror till they moved out of their apartment complex. Payal was still absolutely confused to see an ear-to-ear smile on Sameer’s face.

‘Why are you smiling?’

‘That kid just reminded me of myself.’

‘Why is that so?’

‘Leave it, you won’t understand.’

Payal decided not to probe any further, caught up as she was in all the excitement of visiting Goa for the first time.

I entered heaven with pride (along with a bit of arrogance; the side-effect of staying long enough with Sameer) and walked with a strut all the way to the conference room to apprise all the other gods who were eagerly waiting for me, or rather news of my failure.

Just like before, everyone was sitting in the conference room with Bhagwaan Dada positioned right at the centre. I was over the moon while providing details of what had happened in Mrityulok. This time the projection on the big screen was telling tales of my glory, not shame.

My face was glowing with the pride of victory and even my body language was clearly mocking everyone; I had achieved something that none ever before had. I was getting tremendous pleasure seeing all the gods and god aspirants squirm in their chairs; things had not gone the way they’d hoped. Bhagwaan Dada, on the other hand, was extremely happy. Now all accusations of favoritism would stop.

Suddenly one of the god aspirants (who was number one in the race to become the god before the Biggest God rejected him favouring me) spoke.

‘You haven’t finished your work yet.’

‘I’ve delivered what I had promised, haven’t I?’ I looked at everyone present in the room to seek their approval but everyone seemed pretty lost.

‘Is that so?’

‘You can see it for yourself.’

I pointed towards Mrityulok. Everyone looked down and saw Sameer and Payal were enjoying each other’s company while driving towards Goa.

‘Don’t jump to any conclusion too soon.’

‘What do you mean?’ I was still confused.

‘Haven’t you heard what Jimmy said in the party?’

All gods, god aspirants and even Bhagwaan Dada were on high alert.

‘I am still not sure what exactly you want to say?’ I asked for a clarification.

‘Okay, let me show it to you again. Can you please play the film from the reception party?’

I reluctantly did what was asked off me. The film started playing on the screen again and as expected everyone was hooked to the projector screen but with little more attention this time.