"You know, sometimes the greatest relationships fail because of lack of communication."
“What the hell just happened?”
Prantik, standing dumbfounded in the middle of his living room, scratched his
head and wondered out loud. “What’s going on in Jahn’s head?” He sat on the
sofa, the pale purple fluffy sofa that Jahn had picked out when they were
decorating their dream home, dad had gifted them, after marriage.
Life was so good with Jahn. She
was the perfect wife and lately he felt like they were growing together. Sure,
he was busier than ever with work but he had goals for his family. “Gotta work
hard man.” Prantik said aloud and went back in the room to Jahn. He thought on
the way that maybe if was just Jahn’s one of those off moods because lately,
she couldn’t write again.
“Jahn, the Ac is on 18 degrees.”
Jahnvi was laying in bed, coverlet right upto her chin and reading a book.
Funnily the remote of the AC was firmly held in her hand.
“This is the temperature I
actually like. I often feel like I’m sleeping in the desert with you with 22
degrees.” Jahnvi said off handedly.
Prantik reached over to Jahn
and bent sideways to face her and saw her lovingly. His wife was funny
sometimes. “Jahn I need the remote, it’s too cold.” He reached to grab the
remote but Jahnvi snatched it back. Prantik actually laughed. There was this
instant where both of them stared at each other but Jahn being Jahn was a brat
so she didn’t give him the remote.
He went over to his side of the
bed and picked up his pillows and blanket and went to the guest room to sleep
that night. He didn’t notice that Jahnvi was teary eyed again. Jahnvi didn’t
tell him she couldn’t sleep without feeling him next to her.
Sleeping in the guest room,
Prantik felt like a librarian because the room doubled as Jahn’s book
collective. There was literally no place for more books in the house! He resignedly
settled on the guest bed, next to Jahn’s Love seat and laid down with the AC on
22 degrees.
He wondered again, “What did I
do to Jahn? What happened that she was so pissed off? Fuck! For all he knew
everything was going so smoothly in their lives. His work was great and he and
Jahnvi were like the perfect couple. His seniors at work admired them both so
much. Prantik for his maturity and Jahnvi for her witty responses. “Why are you
upset with me babe?” Prantik asked aloud. “Why at this stage when we’re ready
to start a family?” Prantik felt perplexed but Prantik being Prantik (The boy
at heart) he just calculated the figures he needed to make until year end for
his future kid’s education fund and then he drifted off to sleep.
Come morning, Prantik snuck
into their bedroom to see his Jahn soundly asleep with the temperature on
bloody well 22 degrees! He shook his head and giggled a little, then changed
into his shorts and sleeveless vest to go for an early morning run. He needed
to introspect the situation with his wife.
Jahnvi woke up feeling heavy
hearted. She found Prantik had already left for work. It was 10 am. Last night,
for the first time in their five years of marriage, Prantik and she had slept separately.
Today, she felt disoriented. She put on her robe and went into the kitchen. She
asked Neetu to prepare her some Chinese herbal tea while she sat in the living
room rummaging the papers.
After a shot of some Chinese tea,
she felt better and then realized that whatever the roadblock with her husband,
she should not have fought him last night for the stupid AC remote. She thought
maybe she should just tell him tonight how she felt out of sync with him lately
over a nice dinner she’d prepare for them. Mind made up, she reached over to
her cell phone and speed dialed Prantik.
Tring, tring, tring…
“Hello..Jahn..I’m…” Prantik was
about to apologize to Jahn cluelessly because he couldn’t do another night in
the guest room when his secretary interrupted him. “Sir, we have an emergency
with Raghav’s testing of the new app. We need you to run a test check yourself.”
“Hi boo. Listen I was wondering
if you could come…” Jahnvi’s voice trailed off as she heard his secretary
through the phone.
“Damnit! Jahn, listen, whatever
you want, just mail me, I’ll get it for you okay? Love you, bye.” And Prantik
rushed on the floor and started working on the latest app development his
colleague was working on for a week. The app delivery was due tomorrow so he
couldn’t take a chance.
“Mail me!” Her husband’s
distant words rang loud in her ears! She held the phone close to her heart and
sank deeper into the couch. She started crying. Now she had to reach her own
husband through mail?!
“Madam, aap ke liye ek aur
chai?” Neetu came to Jahnvi and softly asker her boss lady to issue some
comfort to her.
Jahnvi opened her eyes and
smiled at Neetu. “Nai, theek hai Neetu. Aaj kya banaogi?”
Jahnvi went into the bedroom
and closed it shut. She sank into the soft mattress on their bed and just laid
there for the rest of the morning.
She decided she needed to call
Sim and ask her if she was overreacting with her situation with Prantik.
“Hey Sim, catching you at the
wrong time?” Jahnvi asked hopeful that her dear friend was not busy at that
minute. Sim and Roy made a great working pair, churning out originals after
originals in their designs.
“Mrs. Jahnvi Prantik Saxena and
my darling spoilt friend, what’s up baby? I’m free right now. Anything urgent?”
Sim asked a little concerned since last Sunday.
“Sim it’s just that, Prantik and
I, I think we’ve reached stagnancy of sorts. I don’t know if we’ve hit a
roadblock or something but it doesn’t feel right somehow. He isn’t my boo
anymore. He’s all suit up and head down working all the time since a year now.”
Jahnvi confessed to her friend.
“Oh God Jahn, it’s going to be
okay. I’ll talk to him okay? Now cheer up my love and come meet me at the
boutique. We’ll spend the day together. I’ll order some nice desi Chinese. What
say?” Sim asked lovingly.
“Ya Sim Ya, that’s a great
idea. I’ll just change into something more appropriate and come see you. You’ll
make me feel better. You’re my Santa!” Jahnvi smiled through the phone. Hung up
and went to change her clothes.
Sim, Roy and Jahnvi spent the
day together, laughing and pulling each other’s leg all day. Little did Jahnvi
know that although Prantik was working the whole day, his mind was on his Jahn.
While joking with Sim, she
actually mailed Prantik. She wrote, “Babe, get me a ruby necklace. Add a string
of diamonds to go with it. Thanks, that’ll be all.” Jahnvi laughed out loud
thinking he wouldn’t actually pay any attention to her mail but guess what?
Prantik read the mail and while
working on the testing of the app he went online and picked out a neat Ruby for
his girl. It would be delivered by the end of the week the mail from
Forevermark said.
Satisfied that he had satisfied
his wife, he happily worked 15 hours that day. He returned home to see Jahnvi
waiting for him as usual.
“Babe get me dinner, I’m
starving.” Prantik took a seat at the dining table and loosened his tie.
Jahnvi uncertainly served him
but didn’t know if she should start a conversation they left off on the phone
in the morning. She ate with him silently. She expected him to ask her what she
wanted to say to him but he didn’t ask her. Jahnvi got upset. Again. “Why was
her husband so clueless?!”
Prantik was a little ticked off
at dinner. He just thought that Jahnvi was acting too weird. He didn’t make any
of it and just went into the bedroom to sleep.
“So Boo about our mid-year
break as usual, where are we going this year?” Jahnvi asked hoping to start a
light conversation with her husband.
This time Prantik snapped. “No
vacation this year babe. You made sure of that. Happy “homydays” Jahn!”
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