Rekha glowed as the family gathered around her to celebrate her baby shower. Rekha's mother-in-law, Parul, sang the loudest and the most, urging others to join in enthusiastically. Rekha dimpled as the relatives swarmed around her to smear her arms and face with sandal and turmeric paste, decked her with flowers and gave her their blessings along with gifts. Her eyes often flew to where her husband Dharmesh stood, watching the proceedings with a benevolent smile.
Asha went up to her and whispered, "Aunt Parul is so caring. You are so lucky!"
Rekha blushed and nodded. "I am, I know... She is quite gentle." She put an arm on Asha and said, "I am sure things will look up for you too."
Asha shrugged. Her mother-in-law Sakhi was Aunt Parul's sister. No two siblings could have been more different than these two were. Sakhi had lost her husband when her son Rakesh was young. Having to deal with life and its challenges had toughened her and her indomitable spirit expressed itself as arrogance. At every stage since marriage, Asha had had to learn to navigate around her mother-in-law's covert interference. The only saving grace was Rakesh's silent support. Though he could not, or would not, confront his mother, he at least managed to diffuse it.
Aunt Parul, on the other hand, had a dominating husband. Her natural good nature turned into self-doubt and hesitation. Every pore in her body seemed to ooze sympathy and love. Of course, Asha hated Parul's son Dharmesh. He seemed singularly focused on himself and could talk of nothing else. He was loud and demanding. In any family gathering, he would corner Asha - the only soul who did not know how to wriggle out without being rude. Since Rekha married Dharmesh, he had toned down. She loved Rekha just for that, she thought amused.
When Parul's husband suddenly passed away a year after Rekha had her child, Asha was not sure if anyone actually mourned. Of course, Parul did. She cried for her husband of so many decades. And Dharmesh did. That man had been the father. But the relief too was evident soon after. It was bad to speak ill of the dead, and so the family went about its business and remembered him preiodically, dutifully.
Only, now Asha saw other changes that puzzled her. Rekha's face was lined with worry. Her smile was more thoughtful. Her dimples vanished behind doubt.
"What happened?" she asked Rekha one day. "Are you sleeping well? Is the baby keeping you up?"
"She is a darling," Rekha answered dismissively... "It is Dharmesh and his mother... He asks me to return from work early so that I can take care of her while his mother and he can go out."
Asha was puzzled. "Why?"
"Because his mother is still mourning, it seems," Rekha replied sounding just as puzzled.
"But you can all go out together..." Asha suggested. Reka's expression suggested that she already knew it and hence was bothered.
"The two of you do go out and spend time together, right?" Asha persisted, hating to probe but unable to stop herself.
"He wants me only after the lights are out," Rekha said with unmistakable bitterness.
Asha felt foolish. Having ascertained how things stood, she did not know what to say next. "Shall I ask Rakesh to speak to Dharmesh?" Asha offered, feeling helpless. Rekha shrugged indifferently.
Matters reached Sakhi's ears too. Never one to mince words, she declared to her son and daughter-in-law, "Stupid woman." Not stopping with that, she promptly called her sister and ordered her, "If you are lonely, visit me or people your age. Why are you behaving like a new bride?"
This only served to bring an irate Dharmesh to her doorstep, "Don't you dare speak to my mother like that! She is upset and has gone back into her shell. It was with great difficulty I managed to cheer her up."
"Your wife is languishing," Sakhi pointed out coolly.
"I am not dead yet," Dharmesh retorted.
"Maybe she will be happier then," Sakhi was not to be outdone.
"You are jearlous because Rakesh failed in his duty by you and is like his wife's lapdog," snapped he.
"Better his wife's lapdog than a full-grown puppy all his life," Sakhi flashed.
Dharmesh turned on his heel. "Don't interfere in matters of my family."
"She was my sister first."
"She is my mother now..." he said and strode away.
Asha, watching this exchange, felt miserable. She had triggered this. Soon her worst fears came true. Rekha and Dharmesh decided to separate. Parul watched on silently as Sakhi riled against her for being responsible for this impasse between the couple.
"I tried telling him," Parul said meekly.
"You tried telling him!!!" Sakhi asked shocked. And she continued to bombard her sister in her typical style.
Asha could hear them in the next room and her mind went back to the day she had congratulated Rekha on getting such a nice mother-in-law. The irony of the situation was not lost on her.
Asha went up to her and whispered, "Aunt Parul is so caring. You are so lucky!"
Rekha blushed and nodded. "I am, I know... She is quite gentle." She put an arm on Asha and said, "I am sure things will look up for you too."
Asha shrugged. Her mother-in-law Sakhi was Aunt Parul's sister. No two siblings could have been more different than these two were. Sakhi had lost her husband when her son Rakesh was young. Having to deal with life and its challenges had toughened her and her indomitable spirit expressed itself as arrogance. At every stage since marriage, Asha had had to learn to navigate around her mother-in-law's covert interference. The only saving grace was Rakesh's silent support. Though he could not, or would not, confront his mother, he at least managed to diffuse it.
Aunt Parul, on the other hand, had a dominating husband. Her natural good nature turned into self-doubt and hesitation. Every pore in her body seemed to ooze sympathy and love. Of course, Asha hated Parul's son Dharmesh. He seemed singularly focused on himself and could talk of nothing else. He was loud and demanding. In any family gathering, he would corner Asha - the only soul who did not know how to wriggle out without being rude. Since Rekha married Dharmesh, he had toned down. She loved Rekha just for that, she thought amused.
When Parul's husband suddenly passed away a year after Rekha had her child, Asha was not sure if anyone actually mourned. Of course, Parul did. She cried for her husband of so many decades. And Dharmesh did. That man had been the father. But the relief too was evident soon after. It was bad to speak ill of the dead, and so the family went about its business and remembered him preiodically, dutifully.
Only, now Asha saw other changes that puzzled her. Rekha's face was lined with worry. Her smile was more thoughtful. Her dimples vanished behind doubt.
"What happened?" she asked Rekha one day. "Are you sleeping well? Is the baby keeping you up?"
"She is a darling," Rekha answered dismissively... "It is Dharmesh and his mother... He asks me to return from work early so that I can take care of her while his mother and he can go out."
Asha was puzzled. "Why?"
"Because his mother is still mourning, it seems," Rekha replied sounding just as puzzled.
"But you can all go out together..." Asha suggested. Reka's expression suggested that she already knew it and hence was bothered.
"The two of you do go out and spend time together, right?" Asha persisted, hating to probe but unable to stop herself.
"He wants me only after the lights are out," Rekha said with unmistakable bitterness.
Asha felt foolish. Having ascertained how things stood, she did not know what to say next. "Shall I ask Rakesh to speak to Dharmesh?" Asha offered, feeling helpless. Rekha shrugged indifferently.
Matters reached Sakhi's ears too. Never one to mince words, she declared to her son and daughter-in-law, "Stupid woman." Not stopping with that, she promptly called her sister and ordered her, "If you are lonely, visit me or people your age. Why are you behaving like a new bride?"
This only served to bring an irate Dharmesh to her doorstep, "Don't you dare speak to my mother like that! She is upset and has gone back into her shell. It was with great difficulty I managed to cheer her up."
"Your wife is languishing," Sakhi pointed out coolly.
"I am not dead yet," Dharmesh retorted.
"Maybe she will be happier then," Sakhi was not to be outdone.
"You are jearlous because Rakesh failed in his duty by you and is like his wife's lapdog," snapped he.
"Better his wife's lapdog than a full-grown puppy all his life," Sakhi flashed.
Dharmesh turned on his heel. "Don't interfere in matters of my family."
"She was my sister first."
"She is my mother now..." he said and strode away.
Asha, watching this exchange, felt miserable. She had triggered this. Soon her worst fears came true. Rekha and Dharmesh decided to separate. Parul watched on silently as Sakhi riled against her for being responsible for this impasse between the couple.
"I tried telling him," Parul said meekly.
"You tried telling him!!!" Sakhi asked shocked. And she continued to bombard her sister in her typical style.
Asha could hear them in the next room and her mind went back to the day she had congratulated Rekha on getting such a nice mother-in-law. The irony of the situation was not lost on her.
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