It was their last day in Mauritius. Antara had told him that she was expected to buy gifts for everybody at home. So, they were going out for shopping. As they were leaving the resort, she realized that she had forgotten her sunglasses. She went back to the room to get it, while Mrinal waited in the lobby. He was talking to a woman almost his own age, when she came out. Mrinal introduced them. “This is Antara, my wife. Antara. This is Raksha. We went to the same university for post-graduation.”

“But I am not a nerd like him,” Raksha interrupted smiling.

“No. She is an MBA and a tough business woman.”

Antara would remember her as a tall, beautiful and confident-looking woman. “Nice to meet you Raksha. Do you stay in Mauritius?”

“No. I am also based in Mumbai. I am here for some work.”

“Oh. Staying here?”

“No. In a hotel closer to the city. But a client wanted a meeting here. So…”

“Okay. Well – hope to see you at our home in Mumbai.”

Mrinal looked fondly at Antara. She was not in the least bit awkward, or intimidated. Her social skills could not be faulted.

“Yeah. Definitely. What do you do, Antara?”

“She is a painter,” Mrinal replied before Antara could declare that she wasn’t working at the moment.

“Oh! Wow! That would suit you very well, Mrinal,” Raksha smiled. Antara wondered if she noticed a hint of sadness in that smile. “Well. I won’t detain you guys any longer. Not on your honeymoon. It’s almost time for my meeting too. Congratulations to both of you. Have a good day.”

—

Mrinal looked distracted during shopping. Antara attributed it to his disinterest in buying gifts for people. But he wasn’t quite himself even after they returned to the resort. Antara had decided to finish packing beforehand, so that they didn’t have to wake up too early in the morning for their flight. But he interrupted her as she was opening one of the suitcases. The few weeks that she had been with him had been enough for her to know what the look in his eyes meant. It wasn’t unusual either. Not only did he have a high level of sexual energy, his love-making was also a way for him to express or deal with his emotions. There were those moments on raw physical desire; and then those where he slowly savored her, reflecting his contentment. At other times he released his stress and frustrations. It was different each time; she could feel it, but he never gave her any reasons to complain. He always displayed the same patience and care for her which he had shown the first time by withdrawing at the peak of his arousal. What was it today though? It was different from all of his emotions she had known till now. He appeared… clingy! For a while she ceased to think about it, as he drove her desire also to its peak with his now expert handling of her body. She could be ready any moment for this man! But as they lay exhausted on the bed, and the thought of their imminent departure and packing returned to her, so did the concern over his mood.

“We need to pack,” she said to start the conversation.

“Yeah,” he said still not looking quite okay. The look he gave her before getting out of the bed was strange. Was he scared of something?

Still not confronting him directly, she got dressed and started packing. “Did you really like Mauritius that much?” she asked casually as Mrinal handed her one of his pants to pack.

“Huh?”

“You look sad to be leaving.”

He gave a half smile; then suddenly held her hands and absentmindedly played with her fingers. She looked at him curiously. Was he planning to take her to the bed again?

“Antara. There is something I need to tell you,” he spoke finally.

She exaggerated her sigh on purpose, “You are an expert at scaring me with your preambles. I am not falling for it now. What is it? It can’t be anything so bad.” It couldn’t be!

Mrinal’s heart warmed up at the camaraderie they had developed and also how easy and relaxed she was with him now. It had happened faster than any relationship he had been in earlier. Probably there was some truth to the things advocates of arranged marriages said. It was treating him very well.

“No. I hope not. Just that… Antara. I have had relationships in past. Most not serious, except… Raksha. We were in a serious relationship at one point of time.”

“Hmm… And?”

“And? And nothing else. We broke up. About two years ago.”

“Okay. Then what is the problem?”

“Nothing,” he smiled, “If you understand and are cool about it.”

“You are too much. Sometimes it almost feels like you are scared of me, Mrinal.”

“Sometimes I am indeed scared. Not of you, but of losing you.”

“Losing me? I can’t fathom why any of your earlier girlfriends let you go. I fancy I am more intelligent than them.”

“Ah! You surely do a lot of good to my ego. I am not complaining, though.”

“Can I ask, though, why you broke up with her?”

“It didn’t work out. At a fundamental level we weren’t compatible. Our ambitions were different.”

“How so?”

“Happiness to her was the next promotion, the doubling and tripling of salary. There was no way I could have kept up with it. She needed people’s approval. She would smoke because she thought it got her the respect of her male colleagues. She would have been happy if I had joined my family business, but I was happy with my meager, slow-to-increase salary, and with my Physics, and other little things I enjoy.”

“I am so happy you are that way,” she said fondly, then tip-toed to give him a quick peck on lips. He hugged her tight.

—

One of the first things they had bought after returning from Mauritius was an easel and canvasses for her to paint on.

“You are too indulgent,” she had said.

“You are too humble,” his comeback was swift, “But tell me honestly. You like painting, don’t you?”

She had to accept, “Yes.”

“Then you don’t have to be apologetic about it.”

She was elated one day when he came back from work.

“Thank you so much for buying this. Oil paint works much better on a canvass.”

“Let me see what you have made.”

“It is still work in progress.”

“That’s fine.”

In her excitement, she barely took a week to finish the painting. Mrinal got it framed and had it installed in the drawing hall.

The coming weekend, he invited some of his colleagues for lunch. He hadn’t gotten time to invite them for the wedding. So, this was to introduce Antara to them.

“Oh wow! Is this done by you, Antara?” asked Arti Sinha, wife of one of the professors, who worked for a publishing house, about the painting in the hall.

Antara smiled and nodded modestly.

“Beautiful. It is beautiful. I hope you are planning to take up painting professionally.”

Antara grew self-conscious, “You are being very generous.”

“Not at all. You are being very self-effacing.”

“Which is what I have been trying to tell her,” Mrinal jumped into the conversation, “But I won’t be taken seriously, I think. May be you can help.”

“Mrinal!” Antara chided him lovingly even as she blushed heavily.

“Do you mind if I take a picture of it?” Arti asked.

“Please! Go ahead. You don’t need to ask,” Antara replied.

When the time for desserts came, they had run out of spoons. Antara went to the kitchen to get some plastic spoons they had bought for such emergency.

“If I think about the society, here is what I have to say,” Antara stopped near the door when she heard Mrinal talking about something very passionately, “If even the intellectual elites of the society, the educators and the likes, think that a women’s career must be sacrificed for the sake of children, then I see little hope for the cause of women emancipation from the rest of the country. And talking about an individual, I think it is stupid on part of anyone – man or woman – to give up their financial independence.”

“Well… people have different priorities.”

“Whatever be the priorities, giving up on your career doesn’t make sense. Financial independence may not be all you need for a secure life, but is a must. Whether you are a man or a woman.”

“All right,” someone intervened as Antara entered with the spoons, “It’s not very often that Mrinal gets so stubborn about something.” That made Antara smile inwardly. He could get stubborn about too many things. Family, business, money, marriage! But she didn’t say anything. “Now that he has gotten so stubborn,” the person continued, “I think everybody else needs to back off. Because he won’t leave any stones unturned.”

That drew good humored laughter from everyone and the topic of the conversation changed.

—

To be continued