Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake (28 page)

All the furniture in the house is antique. There is a chest of drawers made of rosewood, there is a large swing in the drawing room, and it also has a small area open to the sky, like an atrium. It is filled with flowering plants and pebbles.

‘Akash, never once did you tell me this place is so gorgeous.’ I tell him.

‘Then the effect would have been lost, Nisha. I wanted it to be a total surprise to you.’

And surprised I am.

I have an entire bedroom to myself. It has a large four-poster bed which is so high that there is a little stool placed beside it just to help me climb into it. The room has deep-blue curtains coordinated with the linen on the bed. There is a lovely window overlooking the garden, right in front of an ancient writing desk. It feels like a peaceful little sanctuary where I can escape to.

‘Akash, I have never seen anything so wonderful. Not even in the many hotels that I have stayed in while travelling. This is breathtaking, really!’

‘Glad it meets your approval, Madam,’ he says with a bow, making me laugh in delight.

There is another room in the attic and Akash says it is Tanya’s room. He has taken the trouble to get a wonderfully carved child’s bed with amazing-looking carved wooden characters perched on the headboard. There is a delightful owl, a figure which looks like a gnome, a little house, and more. Akash says that there are many antique furniture shops in and around Pondicherry, and when he came across this bed, it was too delightful to pass. Akash says he has already thought of the stories which he can make up about the wooden residents on the headboard, and he plans to tell those stories to Tanya.

Akash has another surprise for Tanya. He takes us to a shed adjacent to the garden and opens it. Inside is the most perfect little bicycle for a girl. It is pink and white and has tassels on the handle.

‘Tanya, this is your birthday present,’ he says.

‘Oh my God. Thank you so much, Akash!’ she screams and runs to the bicycle.

Akash says that his
real
birthday gift to her is that he will teach her to ride it. And he does it in two days flat.

I watch with pride as Akash runs around holding Tanya, encouraging her to pedal, and when she finally gets the balance and rides off, he stands there like a proud parent, the sweat dripping from him face with the effort he has put in running beside her. He is truly prouder than a peacock to watch her ride.

The beach is just a short walk from Akash’s mansion. And since it is away from the main city, it remains secluded at most times, almost like a private beach at
our disposal. We go there every single day, morning and evening, before it gets too hot. The children have never enjoyed themselves this much before. They make sand castles, collect shells, and squeal in delight when the waves touch their feet, watching the crabs scuttle across the sand.

Akash has a cook who also functions as the housekeeper. She is Muthu’s wife and between them they keep my children well fed and looked after.

It is the first time since I became a mother that I can totally let go of all my responsibilities and truly relax, knowing that they are in safe hands. It is such a liberating feeling.

Akash tells Tanya that when he was a child, he had a tree house and he would spend hours in it, reading books and sipping lemonade. The idea immensely appeals to Tanya and she asks if it is possible to build a tree house. The large garden has many trees and Akash and Tanya go around scouting for the perfect tree. Finally, he finds one. He gets a local carpenter to come over and explains exactly what he wants. Three days later, the perfect little tree house is ready for Tanya which is also where she ultimately ends up celebrating her birthday.

Tanya is over the moon.

‘Akash, this is the BESTEST birthday I have ever had,’ she says.

I absolutely love Akash’s house, this little world which is so full of happiness and joy. It is totally different from our cramped flat in Mumbai, where when you get out of the building, you are bang in the middle of traffic. This place with its tall trees, a garden, the most beautiful
house, and easy access to the beach, is a different world altogether. My life in Mumbai now seems so drab and empty
and
difficult when compared to this. The thought of going back to it kind of fills me with dread.

Tanya says to me, ‘Mama, I love this place so much. Can we stay here forever?’

It appears as though Akash feels the same way.

Long after the children have gone to bed, Akash says to me, ‘Nisha, you have seen what life is like here. Why do you want to go back to Mumbai? Stay here. We will start The Magic Saucepan here.’

I reach out for his hand and we sit in silence for a long time, like we did back in Mumbai on my balcony. But here, the sound is punctuated only by the sound of a myriad insects and crickets chirping. Suddenly, a firefly emerges out of somewhere, and we watch mesmerized as it flies around.

That night, I ponder over what Akash has suggested. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes.

But I am still certain that I do not want to marry him.

And I do not see how I can get around that.

Nothing Else Matters

T
he more I think about it, the more I am tempted to take up Akash’s suggestion. I discuss it with him the next day, on one of our many walks to the beach.

‘Akash, I have been thinking about what you said about starting The Magic Saucepan here. It is not a bad idea, I think.’

‘Of course it isn’t. When have my ideas ever been bad? Besides, it isn’t really doing well there now, is it?’

‘Not really. But that is also because I haven’t been giving it my all to placate the ‘pesky puskis’. I could probably hire a live-in maid there, so that I can leave Rohit when I go to the client’s place. But somehow, Akash, you know how unreliable hired help can be. I have heard such horror stories about leaving children with hired help. I just cannot do that.’

‘Nisha, move over here. It will be so much easier when we work as a team.’

‘I do agree, Akash, but a school for Tanya?’

‘I have been asking around. There is a really nice school run by an American lady located not too far from
here. We can make an appointment, go there and check it out.’

‘And what about the market here for our Magic Saucepan? Are there parties and stuff?’

‘Oh, you won’t believe how vibrant the night life here is once you get to know the right people. Pondicherry is a very cosmopolitan town, but it will take a while for it to accept you in its fold. I have made a few friends here in these past six months. In fact, I have an idea. Let’s throw a party and invite a few people. A select few. I will help you cook. We will put out feelers and see how it goes. What do you say?’

‘Yeah, that is not a bad idea. I will enjoy cooking and your place is just perfect to host a lovely party.’

Akash makes a few phone calls and fixes the party for Saturday evening. There are three couples coming and a single guy who is a foreigner. One of the couples sound interesting. The husband works in another HUL factory as the commercial manager, while the wife has a really interesting occupation.

Akash says that her name is Ankita Sharma and that she does art therapy. I am curious to meet her as I have never interacted with anyone from that field before.

We decide to host the party in the garden. Muthu and Lakshmi set up the table beautifully. I have cooked Chinese and all the dishes have turned out well. Muthu and Lakshmi have also thoughtfully kept little stoneware diffusers with a small flame inside that heat up the water with essential oils, keeping mosquitoes and insects at bay. There are several of these diffusers, and the party
scene does look beautiful, lit up by the moonlight and the light from the diffusers.

The foreigner Mark arrives first. He is from a small town in the UK called Thetford. He loves India and has been living in Auroville for the past few years. He explains the concept of Auroville and I am fascinated by it. It is a form of community living started by Mirra Alfassa, popularly known as ‘The Mother’ to locals, and is one of the greatest followers and propagators of Aurobindo’s teachings. Auroville is designed as a universal town where men and women of all countries can live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics, and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity and he tells me that there are people from seventy-two countries living there at present. There are schools and they have done a lot for the local population. It is a place without politics and it is a dream which is being lived by so many people. He invites me over for a visit. Akash has already been there and confirms that Auroville is indeed worth visiting and promises to take me there sometime.

Ankita is the next to arrive with her husband and two children. She seems very down to earth and friendly. We get along really well, and I am surprised to feel as though I have known her forever, even though I am meeting her for the first time. Ankita’s two children go to the same school which Akash had suggested. I ask her for details about the school and it does sound interesting. And when I tell her that I am toying with the idea of moving here, she tells me that as far as the school is concerned, I would never regret it. She passes on the number of the
lady who runs the school and asks me to speak to her and go and see it for myself.

The other two couples arrive together. Ravi and Shailu have a large store right in the centre of Pondicherry and both of them run it together, stocking all Auroville products. They have recently relocated from Delhi. They have one child who goes to the same school as Ankita’s children. The third couple does not have children. Piyali is a surgeon at JIPMER in Pondicherry and her husband Shibu is a well-known photographer. They all seem like fascinating people.

All the children have formed their own group and are busy in Tanya’s tree house, leaving the adults free to talk on their own.

We talk about various cities and about how Pondicherry is as a place and Shailu says, ‘I think moving here from polluted Delhi was one of the best moves we made in our life. Here we are raising our children in a safe, happy, and serene environment. The school is fantastic too. What more could we want?’

Akash looks at me and winks as he sips his drink and I smile back.

The party is a great success and everyone praises the food, wanting to know where we ordered it from. Akash tells them proudly that I cooked it without outside help. He tells them about The Magic Saucepan and my plans of exploring the option of relocating to Pondicherry.

‘Oh, you can count me as a regular client! This is really awesome!’ says Ankita. Mark too says he has a few friends who would love to place orders, as do the other two couples.

‘In fact, you should set up a restaurant here, Nisha. It will do really well,’ says Ankita.

Long after the guests have left, Ankita’s words keep lingering in my mind. I discuss it with Akash who thinks thinks it is a brilliant idea.

We decide to explore the school the very next day itself and make an appointment to see it that evening. The American lady, Mrs Lewis, is very welcoming. She shows us around the whole school and explains its philosophy and the values they stand for. She firmly believes that children should not be taught by the rote learning method of learning by repitition, and believes that children remember best when they learn by doing. She explains the hands-on approach they adopt and the very low student–teacher ratio they have. I am in total sync with the philosophy of the school. It is exactly what I have in mind for my own children. She says they are very picky about the students they take in, simply because it is different from the other schools, and unless the ideology of the parents matches with that of the school, the child will be a misfit. Like everyone else, she has presumed that Akash and I are husband and wife.

The school is indeed perfect.

‘So…?’ asks Akash as we drive back to his house.

‘So….’ I repeat and smile.

‘Shift here na baba. Look, everything is falling into place perfectly,’ he says.

‘Akash, right now you are on leave from work. You will join back and things will be different then. Living together is really different from having me here on a holiday,’ I say.

‘Hey! How much more should I beg you? I know what it involves, Nisha. Remember, I was practically living in your house in Mumbai? I am not new to all this. And I am not a kid. I do know what I am doing. You are really insulting my intelligence and maturity now. Do what you want,’ he says angrily and keeps quiet.

I feel terrible to have made him angry, especially after he has done so much for me. There is nothing keeping me from shifting to Pondicherry except my pigheadedness of being independent. But as much as I love him, I truly do not want to depend on Akash. An idea slowly brews in my mind.

‘Sorry baba. Look, after what I have been through, I do not ever want to depend on anyone again. Understand please. And give me a few weeks to think about it,’ I say.

‘Okay, Nisha. Take your time. I have waited nine years to tell you how I feel about you. A few more weeks or even months will not make much of a difference,’ he says resignedly.