"What's wrong in getting directions if it's coming from someone competent, having worked upon and surmounted them" with this thought, he turned against Neha. "What if it doesn't work? .... But it has worked for them and it may work for me too" he reassured himself.
"Oh My God...." he was shocked to see the alarm at bedside, it was 4 AM. "I must get to sleep now" He murmured to himself.
Alarm ran as it was directed to....
Vipin heard it but didn't try to go for snooze though, he was totally unable to get up, yet, he got up in a jerk. Neha was still asleep.
He went to the kitchen and prepared tea for two. Then he came in the bedroom with it and called Neha. He put the tray with tea and a glassful of water at bedside and reached for Neha.
Before he could touch her, she opened eyes, "I'm awake dear."
"Have tea", he handed her the cup.
"Water first" saying that she picked the glass of water and emptied in one go. Thereafter, she put the glass back and took her cup.
"Thanks, .....you got up early?" she asked, taking a sip.
'Yes......" he replied.
Neha was thinking, "He perhaps didn't sleep at all; I can see that...... why does he worry so much?" she shrugged to herself that Vipin also noticed but didn't respond to.
Tea was finished in silence.
"Get ready" he put the cup aside and declared.
Bansi got to senses in the morning even before the alarm rang. “Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaye”, he hardly finished the chant when alarm bell rang. He looked at Radhika, she was still asleep. “She perhaps kept awake longer” He told himself.
He got up and went straight to the washroom, and then to the kitchen where he picked his copper pot filled with water overnight and sat squatted with it. Then he drank up the whole pot in one go, got up and prepared for tea.
Till now, Radhika had also entered the kitchen to follow exactly the same ritual as Bansi did.
Tea was ready. They both came together in the balcony with their respective cups of tea.
“Kept awake late?” Bansi asked.
“No…not much…..anyway, you were about to tell something” she placed hers.
“At breakfast table” Bansi replied with a smile.
“It’s worth it…..you know” Radha told while sipping to finish.
“Right mam” Bansi also finished his and they both stood up to visit bathrooms. On their return, they swiftly changed into exercising gears.
After initial warm up, Bansi took pose for Surya Namaskar and chanted “Om Mitraya Namah”, but he noticed that Radhika was not doing the same.
“What’s up?”
“Not feeling energetic enough today; what if I do something else today?” she explained.
“Okay, but do” he replied and continued.
After 30 minutes, Radhika stopped and left for kitchen whereas, Bansi kept continued and stopped after 20 more minutes.
“What you think would have happened?” Radhika asked at breakfast table.
“Nothing much, I believe, except his illusion shattered, that he must be having” Bansi replied while having another morsel of his butter parantha.
“What illusion?” She felt intrigued.
“That quantity could ever dethrone quality…..and that was essential as so far as I think, he never used it before” Bansi told her.
Radhika opened her mouth to say something but Bansi interrupted her, raising his palm, “You just listen what Neha has to say and I know you will get what she underwent”
“That’s right but needn’t she be told something”
“Nothing….not today at least…..just see if Vipin is ready to come forward, to be open. Don’t push for anything, let her do it only if they both wish to; otherwise, we shouldn’t hope for anything fruitful. You know what I mean?” Bansi completed. Breakfast was finished.
Radhika nodded in affirmation, without breaking eye contact from Bansi.
“Most important would be to know about his opinion about our meeting and conversation last night… further course of action could be decided only after that” Bansi looked into Radhika’s eyes.
Though, Radhika was listening attentively, but at the same time she was thinking about the things to be done on her part, to be told to Neha.
As Bansi sensed it, he told her “Things shall start taking shape only now on, my dear Radhika. You could tell her that it is a very good phase of their married life. She is open to conception, so, they won’t be taking any contraceptive. Also, this and only a few months after the conception are also what Vipin has, to learn doing it without any contraceptives like we are doing for last 18 years”.
Bansi finished his glass of buttermilk and started again, “See Radhika, most of the things to be taken up or applied are to be done by Vipin only and Neha doesn’t have to ‘do’ much on her part. And I don’t want to tell Neha the things that are to be done by Vipin; by her ‘man’. What would she do with that? On the contrary, having known about those things… those acts and even tricks, she could get lost in the mechanism, assuming them as happening or waiting for them to happen, while making love and that may prove against her own interests. Let her remain only a receiver, telling her more than what she needs may go against her own interests only. I bet, even you don’t know much about what goes on in me when I am at it, do you?”
"You make love" she added coyly.
"Everybody does" Bansi couldn't check himself from smiling.
"You need to hear one thing" she came close and hugged Bansi while saying it. Her head was on his chest, opposite his face. She perhaps didn't want him to see her while she said what she was going to.
"Yes...." He prompted.
"Recently I tried to take account....." she said with her eyes closed and the most feeble yet luscious smile on her face. Though, her face was not visible to Bansi, he sensed her emotions and tightened his hug; He received the response too.
"I know" he replied.
"Let me finish......." she interrupted him. "Each and every word you've ever said in this matter so far is true; beyond doubt. But I realize it only after you have said it. Whenever I tried to assess the happenings, within and without, I lost my own track. My own joy started diminishing and gradually reached to the bottom, if I continued to gauge it. Every time, I had to abandon the pursuit of getting the recipe, in order to enjoy the dish or, I would have totally lost on it, something I can't afford."
"You even need not" Bansi told.
"But there is one thing for sure....... my perspective to view it has now changed; it has improved a lot more now" she stopped for a deep sigh.
Now Bansi took up the reigns, “Haven't you heard about that naughty Electron, which moves differently when it is observed. In fact, I too have got a whole new perspective of things after you put me to the task of telling and sort of teaching them to another man…. Believe me, till now I was only doing it, intuitively, but now I have started taking notice of what I actually do.......the things I avoid and abide by as well.” Bansi appeared overwhelmed. ‘I definitely knew… but telling the same to someone….to make someone achieve those very vibrations and subsequently the same goal, is a great new experience for me too. I can't be grateful enough to you Radhika, however, I often find myself afraid of things too….of the end result…… what and how would it is going to be. I, actually, never ever thought about sort of training somebody on that”. Now on, it’s going to be a little different for me too. I also sort of study” he smiled at Radhika and continued "However, unlike you, I can afford that".
“Don't worry, all will be fine....You just take it the way that you are telling to someone beloved of yours. Okay?…. Let’s move now” Radhika announced her decision and detached from him.
“Where are children?” Bansi asked, collecting his belongings.
“They are asleep…… they have to go to the fest in their University” she told.
“fine” Bansi replied and picked the keys from basket on the table and moved towards exit. Radhika also followed suit.
Bansi dropped Radhika in front of her office, where, as usual, Neha was already waiting for her arrival. She appeared chirpier.
“See you” they both uttered simultaneously. Bansi noticed Neha also waved him bye while leaving.
“Quantitative smile” came to Bansi......
