Chapter 11

‘Sir, there’s a visitor.’ The chauffeur called Shrey, who was still sleeping in his bed.

‘Coming…’ Shrey yawned, hung up the intercom receiver, checked the time, it was barely 8:00am, he and stepped out of his room in pyjamas and a vest.

‘Who the hell has come so early in the morning?’ Shrey stepped down the stairs, yawning and stretching his arms.

‘Hey, are you, Shrey Chauhan?’ a guy in his late twenties, wearing a casual tee with a pair of rugged jeans, a heavy spectacles on his nose and a sling bag on his shoulder, was pacing restlessly in the lobby.

‘Yes? And who are you?’ Shrey’s eyes were still partially close.

‘Hi, I am Nitin, Natasha’s fiancé.’ The guy stretched his hand for Shrey.

‘Oh…’ Shrey’s sleep vanished by just listening to his name.

‘I went to Natasha’s home, early in the morning, but her parents said that she was living with you guys these days.’

‘Oh, yeah, she’s like my child, she can stay here for as long as she wants, and guy, it’s still very early morning!’ Shrey smiled, while inside he wanted to kill that guy for waking him up from his sexy dreams where he had almost undressed Angelina Jolie and was about to make out.

‘Uh, can I meet her? I mean, she broke up with me last night over nothing, she gave no reason, and her phone is switched off since then…’

‘She broke up? Really?’ Shrey’s doubts came true, ‘And you flew all the way from Dubai just to meet her?’

‘Yes, and, sort things out!’ Nitin smiled.

‘Buddy, have a seat, I’ll call her.’

‘No thanks! I mean, just tell me her room, I’ll go myself and talk.’

‘Relax dude, I said I’ll call her.’

Shrey knew that Nitin would make a mountain out of molehill if he allowed him to see Natasha in person, so he made sure he arranged their meeting downstairs, in the lobby, so nobody could behave in a bitchy way! With all the servants and chauffeurs around, he was sure, they would behave.

‘Natasha, good morning child…’ Shrey placed a hand on her head, ‘Wake up, you have a guest waiting downstairs.’

‘Morning Shrey…’ Natasha stretched her arms, ‘Who’s waiting? Dad?’

‘Nopes, the eternal love of your life, Nitin!’ Shrey mocked.

‘Oh fuck! He’s here? In India?’

‘I guess yeah, I live in India…don’t I? C’mon now, dress yourself up properly, and talk like a lady, alright?’

‘Shit man…’ Natasha slapped her forehead. She knew things were going to be messy today.

After around half an hour, Natasha walked downstairs, as slowly as she could, she was afraid of Nitin’s behaviour. She saw Nitin, who was sitting in the couch, stuffing himself up, as if he was bracing for a fierce fight. Natasha swallowed a lump in fear, she felt something on her shoulder, it was Shrey’s hand.

‘Go my tiger! Grrr…’ Shrey laughed, and ran down the stairs.

‘Here is Natasha, c’mon, go meet her, Nitin. You’re seeing her after almost three months!’

‘Uh, hi Natasha, how are you?’ Nitin behaved as calmly as possible, although his anger was at height after what happened last night, but in front of Shrey, he had no choice.

‘I’m great, Nitin, just listen to me…’

‘I know, you have a lot to tell, same with me, why don’t we start with one simple question, why do you want to breakup?’ Nitin folded his palm into a tight fist, controlling and composing himself.

‘Sit…’ Natasha signalled, and they both sat down. Shrey was around them, keeping an eye on Nitin.

‘Hey, what’s going on?’ meanwhile, Akanksha also came down. She was finally free after feeding the babies, bathing them and changing their nappies.

‘Nothing, that geek there, is Nitin. He came all the way from Dubai because Natasha broke up with him last night!’

‘Oh God! Seriously?’

‘You bet…I told you she will.’ Shrey stuck his both thumbs up.

‘Stop it, Shrey. Just do one thing, please go to the market, and get some huggies.’

‘Hugs? From a girl? Here I go…’ Shrey almost started walking.

‘Huggies, they’re not hugs, they’re nappies for the boys!’

‘Really? You think I’ll take out my sexy Audi, to do a nappy-shopping? What will the hot girls think about me, sweetheart?’ Shrey set his shirt’s collar.

‘They’ll think of you as a responsible daddy, now go!’ Akanksha handed him the keys of car.

‘No way! You take a chauffeur, or send someone.’ Shrey smiled sheepishly.

‘I want you to do this. You think I can’t send someone, or I can’t send the nannies? I can, sweetie, but this time, I want you to go out, and behave like a father!’ Akanksha almost dragged him to the door.

‘But listen to me, sweetheart. All this doesn’t suit my image you see? I’m so hot, sexy, not a nappy-daddy!’ Shrey ran a hand through his hair, and winked at Akanksha.

‘Oh yeah, you are! Now go, or else you’ll have to clean up your babies’ poop!’

‘Fuck, no! I’ll tell the driver to go and get it.’

‘You can go and get condoms so proudly, but you can’t go and get nappies for your boys?’

‘Oh, if I’d have bought a condom that night too, I won’t be doing this today…argh!’ Shrey ran away and Akanksha laughed, she was finally bringing him on the right track. She wanted him to take some responsibility of the babies’ and Shrey was still behaving as a bachelor, who was left with two babies as a means of entertainment.

Meanwhile, Nitin left in haste. Natasha was sitting alone in the lobby and Akanksha joined her.

‘What happened? What did he say?’

‘I told him that his behaviour since a few months is killing me. His controlling, possessive and insecure nature has pissed me off and that I want to live my life in my own way.’

‘And what did he say?’

‘Nothing, he said he was just worried about me, I said that you don’t trust me, you have faith-issues, and you always think of me as an infidel bitch, to which he just walked away. I don’t think I’m gonna see him again…’

‘Natasha, you want to talk?’

‘No, I just want to live alone for some time, if Abhinav comes or calls, tell him I just want some time off, but don’t tell him about my breakup with Nitin, and Akanksha, please do me a favour?’

‘Yes sweetie?’

‘Please make mom and dad understand that I am not getting married to Nitin in the coming few months, about which they’ve been planning since a long time now, please do that for me.’ Natasha hugged Akanksha and went to her room.

‘You wanted these, right?’ Shrey came back with huge polythene bags.

‘God, Shrey! What have you bought?’

‘Napkins, you asked me, right?’

‘I said Nappies, and not Napkins, you have bought sanitary napkins for women, these brands, stayfree, whisper, these are the ones we use in periods, are you seriously a father? I can’t believe it…’

‘What? Hold on, where the hell is that driver…’

‘Excuse me? You sent the driver? Where the hell were you?’

‘Oh, I mean, the driver drove me to a wrong place, I’m gonna kill him, you just wait here!’

‘Shrey, please at least now, come up with the truth, c’mon…be a man.’ Akanksha folded her arms. She wanted to listen till what extent, can her husband make blunders.

‘Well, frankly, I took the driver with me and there was this mall on the way…’ Shrey coughed.

‘Go on, why have you stopped?’

‘Well, honestly, there was this group of gorgeous girls, whose car had broken down, and so, I told the driver to go and get the napkins from the chemist, I wrote the words ‘SANITARY NAPKIN’ on a piece of paper and handed over to him, and I-I just stopped by, to help the innocent ladies, you see, you see what I did?’

‘No, I don’t see, Shrey…go on, what else?’

‘I fixed their car, and that’s where this black stain came from…’ Shrey pointed at the wrist of his shirt that had a big black stain.

‘Alright, then?’

‘Then the driver was back with the bag, I told him to buy all the napkins available from the chemist.’

‘All? What are you? A father having only two babies? Or a dog having a litter of babies?’

‘Calm down, sweetheart, I’m going right now…right now, as you speak and I’ll replace these napkins with the hugs for the boys!’ Shrey ran away with the polythene bags dangling in his hands.

‘Huggies! Not hugs! Shrey!! Don’t make a blunder once again, are you listening?’ Akanksha’s screams faded with Shrey’s speed, she slapped her forehead and got busy with her daily chores.