17-02-2019, 12:23 PM
And we played on. The second game, the colonel decided to try the 4-move-checkmate again. He seemed convinced that my capturing his queen that early had been a lucky break. This time, he made sure I could not play the same trick on him. But I had other tricks up my sleeve. It took three more moves than the last game to take his queen. This time I played mercilessly fast, and it was checkmate soon. The beaten colonel refused to stay down. He made a demand for another double or nothing game. And after losing that, another.
At the end of the fourth game, the colonel sat there looking as surly as a cat forced into water. I expected him to say "double or nothing" again, but he did not.
"Well, colonel?" I asked. "Should I rearrange the pieces for another game?"
The colonel took a deep puff from his pipe and shook his head. He got up, went to the mantle, picked up his wallet and took out three 500-rupee notes. He approached me silently and offered them to me. I took it and got up. The major and I were clearly amused at the proceedings, but the colonel seemed like a sore loser who was not used to being beaten. And I suspect my being a woman, that too a much younger woman than him, hurt his male ego.
"Can I offer you something to drink, Prerna? Tea, coffee, juice.." he said with what was clearly courtesy shown with a lot of effort.
"Thank you, colonel, but I really must get going." I said, and got up. The major, in line with the army's chivalrous norms, got up to bid me goodbye. The colonel forced a smile and shook hands with me as he wished me goodbye.
I almost hopped and skipped my way down the stairs with delight. Four games of chess had made me feel more alive and pumped than I had felt in ages. I had a broad smile on my face for a change as I went home. I kept the colonel's 1600 rupees in my purse, and started thinking about what I should buy with it. I decided to buy something nice for Dhruv. And also to apologize for how surly I had been all day. But first I needed to wash clothes.
I was surprised at how much more exhausting hand-washing clothes was than I remembered it to be. In our Juhu apartment, we had a maid, as well as a washing machine and a dryer. Which meant all the maid had to was use the washing machine and the dryer. And here, I was forced to wash the clothes myself, on my haunches in the bathroom, using the rough soap bar. And then hang them out to dry in our tiny balcony. By the end of it all, I was so exhausted that I had to take a nap. I plonked myself on the couch and within minutes, I was asleep.
I woke up to the sound of the door bell's incessant ringing. I looked at the clock and it said almost 6. I had slept through the whole afternoon! I rushed to the door and opened it to see an annoyed Dhruv standing there.
"What the fuck, Prerna???" he said testily, "I have been ringing the bell for almost ten minutes now."
He stormed in past me and threw his bag on the couch.
"You complain that I work late. And when I get home on time, you take so long to open the door?" he said as he started taking his shoes off.
"I am sorry Dhruv. I guess I dozed off." I said.
Dhruv took his shoes and socks off and pushed them in a corner. He then walked into the kitchen. I followed him to tell him about how I had won the money playing chess today.
"Dhruv, listen, today..."
"You haven't cooked anything?" Dhruv said as he surveyed the kitchen counter.
"No, but listen..."
"And these dishes in the sink...they're stinking!" he said.
"Yes, the maid did not come today. But listen..."
"So the maid did not come. So what? It's not like you have anything to do all day. Why couldn't you do them?" Dhruv said, raising his voice.
Until then, I had been ignoring his comments and his behavior because the chess warmth was still keeping me happy. But his last comment made me snap.
"Why couldn't I do them? Why couldn't I do them?" I shouted, fighting back tears. "Fuck you, Dhruv! I am not your kaamwali bai. I am your wife. Why do you have to be so disrespectful?"
"Oh don't give me that disrespectful crap!" Dhruv yelled and stormed out of the kitchen. I followed him.
"Why am I supposed to do the grunt work. While you...you act like a spoilt mama's boy. Flinging your bag on the couch, and your shoes and socks in the corner. Why don't you put them in their place like an adult?"
"Don't bring my mother into it!" he yelled.
"How the fuck is that bringing your mother into it????" I yelled back.
And that's how it went. We yelled at each other for a while, and then I ran into the bedroom to cry and slammed the door shut. Dhruv went into the kitchen and started making instant noodles for himself. For the rest of the night, neither of us said a word to the other person. We both kept waiting for the other person to apologize, but the apologies never came. At night, we slept on two edges of our bed, backs turned towards each other, like we often did these days.
Our cold war continued the next morning. We spoke to each other only when absolutely needed. Dhruv ate his breakfast buried in the newspaper, and ignored me, while I watched TV. He left without giving me the usual goodbye kiss, and I didn't remind him about it.
At the end of the fourth game, the colonel sat there looking as surly as a cat forced into water. I expected him to say "double or nothing" again, but he did not.
"Well, colonel?" I asked. "Should I rearrange the pieces for another game?"
The colonel took a deep puff from his pipe and shook his head. He got up, went to the mantle, picked up his wallet and took out three 500-rupee notes. He approached me silently and offered them to me. I took it and got up. The major and I were clearly amused at the proceedings, but the colonel seemed like a sore loser who was not used to being beaten. And I suspect my being a woman, that too a much younger woman than him, hurt his male ego.
"Can I offer you something to drink, Prerna? Tea, coffee, juice.." he said with what was clearly courtesy shown with a lot of effort.
"Thank you, colonel, but I really must get going." I said, and got up. The major, in line with the army's chivalrous norms, got up to bid me goodbye. The colonel forced a smile and shook hands with me as he wished me goodbye.
I almost hopped and skipped my way down the stairs with delight. Four games of chess had made me feel more alive and pumped than I had felt in ages. I had a broad smile on my face for a change as I went home. I kept the colonel's 1600 rupees in my purse, and started thinking about what I should buy with it. I decided to buy something nice for Dhruv. And also to apologize for how surly I had been all day. But first I needed to wash clothes.
I was surprised at how much more exhausting hand-washing clothes was than I remembered it to be. In our Juhu apartment, we had a maid, as well as a washing machine and a dryer. Which meant all the maid had to was use the washing machine and the dryer. And here, I was forced to wash the clothes myself, on my haunches in the bathroom, using the rough soap bar. And then hang them out to dry in our tiny balcony. By the end of it all, I was so exhausted that I had to take a nap. I plonked myself on the couch and within minutes, I was asleep.
I woke up to the sound of the door bell's incessant ringing. I looked at the clock and it said almost 6. I had slept through the whole afternoon! I rushed to the door and opened it to see an annoyed Dhruv standing there.
"What the fuck, Prerna???" he said testily, "I have been ringing the bell for almost ten minutes now."
He stormed in past me and threw his bag on the couch.
"You complain that I work late. And when I get home on time, you take so long to open the door?" he said as he started taking his shoes off.
"I am sorry Dhruv. I guess I dozed off." I said.
Dhruv took his shoes and socks off and pushed them in a corner. He then walked into the kitchen. I followed him to tell him about how I had won the money playing chess today.
"Dhruv, listen, today..."
"You haven't cooked anything?" Dhruv said as he surveyed the kitchen counter.
"No, but listen..."
"And these dishes in the sink...they're stinking!" he said.
"Yes, the maid did not come today. But listen..."
"So the maid did not come. So what? It's not like you have anything to do all day. Why couldn't you do them?" Dhruv said, raising his voice.
Until then, I had been ignoring his comments and his behavior because the chess warmth was still keeping me happy. But his last comment made me snap.
"Why couldn't I do them? Why couldn't I do them?" I shouted, fighting back tears. "Fuck you, Dhruv! I am not your kaamwali bai. I am your wife. Why do you have to be so disrespectful?"
"Oh don't give me that disrespectful crap!" Dhruv yelled and stormed out of the kitchen. I followed him.
"Why am I supposed to do the grunt work. While you...you act like a spoilt mama's boy. Flinging your bag on the couch, and your shoes and socks in the corner. Why don't you put them in their place like an adult?"
"Don't bring my mother into it!" he yelled.
"How the fuck is that bringing your mother into it????" I yelled back.
And that's how it went. We yelled at each other for a while, and then I ran into the bedroom to cry and slammed the door shut. Dhruv went into the kitchen and started making instant noodles for himself. For the rest of the night, neither of us said a word to the other person. We both kept waiting for the other person to apologize, but the apologies never came. At night, we slept on two edges of our bed, backs turned towards each other, like we often did these days.
Our cold war continued the next morning. We spoke to each other only when absolutely needed. Dhruv ate his breakfast buried in the newspaper, and ignored me, while I watched TV. He left without giving me the usual goodbye kiss, and I didn't remind him about it.
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