PART 2
“Hi…beta...ahh, I mean, Reeta!” he said standing, awkwardly, absolutely startled. Reeta, smiling tenderly, pulled out the chair and sat calmly opposite to him. Wearing a knee length cotton kurti, denim jeans, and jhumkas adorning her ears, she had tied her long hair into a loose bun. A brown big bindi and black coloured Matt finished specks completed her look, giving her truly the look of a ‘journalist in the making.’
She kept her Eco friendly cloth tote bag on the table, put her phone on silent mode and slipped into her bag. It was uncanny how calm she was in the face of all this. Whereas he on the other hand, was almost jumping on the chair, not knowing how to go ahead.
He stared at her in amazement. The last time he had seen her in person was when she was in bobby printed frock, two plaits tied in a red ribbons with a quite visible braces on her beautiful smile. But her eyes…they didn’t change a bit. Just the same, two almond shaped sparkling stars, filled with life. Before he could say anything, Reeta asked, “How are you papa?”
Letting a gentle smile, he replied, “I’m fine. Much…much better actually."
She said, “Yaa…you look better. I mean…I don’t remember much. But yaa...your face, it’s a lot calmer now.”
He just smiled back. Thinking of what to say next, she tapped her fingers on her bag, looking here and there. Like the eureka moment, she posed a question, a little too aloud, “How’s dadi?”
He smiled and replied, “Dadi is good. She misses you, though!”
“Yaa well…can’t help it, can we?!” swinging her arm in air, she retorted.
He could not help but think what has become of his daughter. At twenty, she seemed so matured and calm, way ahead of her age. The way she was carrying herself in front of him, compared to that he felt like an immature freak, all stammering and awkward.
His reverie of thought was broken by her sudden question, “Did you have any coffee? The cold coffee here is amazing!” she said, scouring for a server around.
“Ohh..do you come her often?” he asked, a little excited at her such candid question.
Before she could answer, the server in an all black attire was in front of them, smiling and polite. Reeta gave him the order: two cold coffee and a spinach corn sandwich. He went away smiling. Reeta looked at her father and replied, “Yaa..actually. This is one of my favourite cafes. I usually come her with my boyfr…”
She paused before she could finish her sentence. The bulging eyes and sudden stiffness in her father’s body posture made it evident that he wasn’t quite comfortable with this revelation.
She completed, “I mean…with my friends. I come here all the time.”
All he could reply was, “Hmmm!”
A deafening silence followed for a few seconds. Calmly, she broke the silence with these words, “I’m sorry. I share everything with mom. I don’t hide anything. So…not used to ‘not telling’ things.”
The mention of Megha, in a flash brought back the realization to him, that he’s also someone’s husband…’AN ABSENT ONE’…nevertheless, ‘A HUSBAND.’
Avoiding direct eye contact, scrolling something on his phone, he asked her, “How’s she?”
Taking a pause, Reeta pierced her eyes into his being and replied, rather sternly “Happy!”
to be continued...
