12-02-2023, 08:22 AM
The next Sunday, Mansi was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, when Pinky walked in with her phone that she had left in the living room.
"Mamma, it's ringing."
Pinky handed it over and then ran back to the living room where she was watching TV with her father. Mansi recognized the number. She answered after making sure Amar was still in the living room.
"Hello."
"Mansi, it's me. The car is on the way. Be ready in ten minutes." Dutt casually said.
"What? I can't come today. It's a Sunday! My daughter is home."
"So what? Your husband will be home too, right? He can take care of her."
She was a little pissed at how casually he was dictating what she should do with her family life.
"Listen Duttsahab, this is not acceptable. I have a family, a life of my own. I am happy to meet you tomorrow. But I can't just drop everything and..."
"Don't argue with me, Mansi." Dutt sternly said. "Besides, I am leaving for Europe tomorrow. Will be gone for a couple of months. So today is the only day I have."
"Then we will meet after you come back. I really can't come today."
"Either you meet me today as I have instructed. Or then we are through. I will never call you again, and you never call me again."
"Fine." she angrily said and hung up.
Mansi was a little breathless with tension and anger. Who did he think he was, ordering her to just come to him like she was his property? He had been acting a bit more demanding recently but this was the absolute limit. He wanted to cut off all contacts over this? Fine. She was getting by with life okay before she met him. She would get by fine after too. Thinking these thoughts, she angrily scrubbed the kitchen counter clean.
Then she walked out to the living room and saw Pinky watching TV while playing with the new Italian dolls Dutt had bought for her. She saw the look of pure joy on her daughter's face.
"Amar." she said.
"Hmmm?" he replied, still looking at the TV.
"I need to go help out at the hotel. It's an emergency. A couple of people who were supposed to help out got food poisoning."
"But today is a Sunday." Amar sourly said. "Pinky is home."
"I know. It will just be a few hours. You can look after her."
"Me...look after her?" Amar sounded almost shocked.
"She is your daughter too, you know?" Mansi sarcastically replied.
"Okay, okay. If you have to go, then go." Amar was taken aback at her feisty response.
Mansi went to the bedroom to get ready.
Dutt sat waiting in the car, checking his watch every few minutes. He was afraid he had pushed her too far out of her comfort zone. And that threat to never call her again if she didn't come...seemed like a good idea at first but maybe it was a mistake. Ten minutes turned to fifteen and then to twenty. Maybe she wasn't coming. He almost told the driver to start driving when there she came, around the corner. Dutt smiled with self-assurance. She was wearing a dark red sari, and carrying an imported purse he had bought for her. She seemed to be scowling. But the important thing was, she was here.
"Hi." he said when she opened the door.
She just pouted and got in, shutting the door a little too hard.
"You're unbelievable." she said in a surly voice, folding her hands across her chest.
He just shrugged. She saw that he had a champagne bottle open. He poured some in a flute and held it out for her.
"I don't want it."
"Have some. You know you like it. And it'll calm you down."
"I said I don't want it."
"Mansi!" he said harshly. "Stop acting like a petulant child and spoiling the mood. I told you to have it, so have it."
Reluctantly, she took the champagne and sipped some. Over the last few weeks, she had developed a taste for alcohol. She still had enough self-control to not get too drunk like at the art gallery. But most of the events they attended had alcohol being served. Whenever she got back home, she was usually a little buzzed. Amar once even smelled alcohol on her breath and asked her about it. She said it was just a celebratory toast. After that, she started brushing her teeth and using mouthwash before he got home.
"Mamma, it's ringing."
Pinky handed it over and then ran back to the living room where she was watching TV with her father. Mansi recognized the number. She answered after making sure Amar was still in the living room.
"Hello."
"Mansi, it's me. The car is on the way. Be ready in ten minutes." Dutt casually said.
"What? I can't come today. It's a Sunday! My daughter is home."
"So what? Your husband will be home too, right? He can take care of her."
She was a little pissed at how casually he was dictating what she should do with her family life.
"Listen Duttsahab, this is not acceptable. I have a family, a life of my own. I am happy to meet you tomorrow. But I can't just drop everything and..."
"Don't argue with me, Mansi." Dutt sternly said. "Besides, I am leaving for Europe tomorrow. Will be gone for a couple of months. So today is the only day I have."
"Then we will meet after you come back. I really can't come today."
"Either you meet me today as I have instructed. Or then we are through. I will never call you again, and you never call me again."
"Fine." she angrily said and hung up.
Mansi was a little breathless with tension and anger. Who did he think he was, ordering her to just come to him like she was his property? He had been acting a bit more demanding recently but this was the absolute limit. He wanted to cut off all contacts over this? Fine. She was getting by with life okay before she met him. She would get by fine after too. Thinking these thoughts, she angrily scrubbed the kitchen counter clean.
Then she walked out to the living room and saw Pinky watching TV while playing with the new Italian dolls Dutt had bought for her. She saw the look of pure joy on her daughter's face.
"Amar." she said.
"Hmmm?" he replied, still looking at the TV.
"I need to go help out at the hotel. It's an emergency. A couple of people who were supposed to help out got food poisoning."
"But today is a Sunday." Amar sourly said. "Pinky is home."
"I know. It will just be a few hours. You can look after her."
"Me...look after her?" Amar sounded almost shocked.
"She is your daughter too, you know?" Mansi sarcastically replied.
"Okay, okay. If you have to go, then go." Amar was taken aback at her feisty response.
Mansi went to the bedroom to get ready.
Dutt sat waiting in the car, checking his watch every few minutes. He was afraid he had pushed her too far out of her comfort zone. And that threat to never call her again if she didn't come...seemed like a good idea at first but maybe it was a mistake. Ten minutes turned to fifteen and then to twenty. Maybe she wasn't coming. He almost told the driver to start driving when there she came, around the corner. Dutt smiled with self-assurance. She was wearing a dark red sari, and carrying an imported purse he had bought for her. She seemed to be scowling. But the important thing was, she was here.
"Hi." he said when she opened the door.
She just pouted and got in, shutting the door a little too hard.
"You're unbelievable." she said in a surly voice, folding her hands across her chest.
He just shrugged. She saw that he had a champagne bottle open. He poured some in a flute and held it out for her.
"I don't want it."
"Have some. You know you like it. And it'll calm you down."
"I said I don't want it."
"Mansi!" he said harshly. "Stop acting like a petulant child and spoiling the mood. I told you to have it, so have it."
Reluctantly, she took the champagne and sipped some. Over the last few weeks, she had developed a taste for alcohol. She still had enough self-control to not get too drunk like at the art gallery. But most of the events they attended had alcohol being served. Whenever she got back home, she was usually a little buzzed. Amar once even smelled alcohol on her breath and asked her about it. She said it was just a celebratory toast. After that, she started brushing her teeth and using mouthwash before he got home.
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