Vehicles on the road were in a rush. The wild wind was blowing from all corners. Vendors on the street were somehow frowning as this meant business would be hit. Dark clouds filled the sky. For lovers it was an opportunity to flow and enjoy every moment. It had started drizzling too; the milieu had a romantic vibe. In the window of her room, Sunita is sitting and observing everything very well. Hers is the fifth house at the end of the lane facing the busy road. Varun is away on a work trip and for the past couple of days Sunita is under the care of her househelp Kusum. It is a low grade fever but for Sunita it is a good excuse to stay home and just forget work. Yes she is missing Varun.

The quietude of the house is still comforting. Kusum an hour back left for the market to get groceries. Sunita feels traffic delayed Kusum’s return. The Chopra’s believed in live and let live. It took no time for Sunita to ascertain Kusum’s delay. Kusum is dating a boy from the market and the weather is perfect for blooming buds. Love is wonderful and plays tricks.  A curly mane added beauty to Sunita’s dusky complexion. Short hair makes her feel confident. Wearing sarees to work is her thing to feel powerful. At home shorts and a t-shirt cool her. Being a rainy windy day a salwar kameez is keeping her warm. If only she was wrapped up in Varun’s arms the shawl would have been at bay. 

Sunita picks up her cell phone but does not text Varun. Instead she scrolls down a few of his pictures and stares. A clean-shaven Varun appealed to her senses. His cushioned pink lips are very inviting and their softness makes her go weak in the knees. He is not an adonis but attractive. Emotionally stable and adaptive temperament define Sunita. Varun is a little impulsive but a controlled freak. He loves adventure sports and Sunita is an indoor person. A work trip basically involves a sportive activity at the end and this kicks him for a better hold on things. Her husband is a manager in a sports car store. Varun finds it very interesting that his wife is an editor in a publishing house. 

The house they live in is a rented apartment. Whenever there are fights the house is on the receiving end of their ire. Sunita had chosen the house and Varun had set it up at his own pace. In him lives a girl who wants everything according to his liking. Sunita likes approving things if ever Varun needed one which was too rare. She liked it that her man was a housewife more than the man of the house. The expenditures were shared and they were saving like any other couple to have a house of their own one day. In this house they are spending their ninth year. For a year they stayed with Varun’s parents but then he was promoted to a metropolitan city of India and things changed. 

While Sunita is still looking at her hubby’s pictures, Varun makes a routine quick call. At the end of the call Sunita is missing his presence in the house a shade more. This gets her hungry and the chicken soup in the refrigerator is devoured after heating it. Kusum is nowhere in sight. It is pouring like cats and dogs now. Thunder and lightning are loudest in rooms full of glass windows. Her room just had one. The soup made her sleepy. She slid herself in bed and her thoughts got the better of her. Here she is all alone in the house and all is fine. There was a point in time when fright used to engulf her even when she used to take a loo break in her parent’s house. 

Sunita had a good childhood. Her parents loved her unconditionally. Her father was a courier guy and her mother worked as a receptionist in a 3 star hotel. After work they took tuitions to make ends meet. They gave a good education to their daughter and till date she is very grateful. There was one such incident when a courier delivery had gone wrong and the receiver was very aggressive. To teach her father a lesson this revengeful man kept banging at the door when Sunita’s parents were away. It used to be a one room house with an iron door thankfully. There were no windows, just ventilation ducts. The banging sounds on the door horrified Sunita for years. 

Nothing bad had happened thanks to the strong door but it was a very scary experience. Any similar noise used to lead Sunita to panic attacks. She grew up into a beautiful damsel but was scarred from within by this nightmare. Their first night after marriage was a challenging one but Varun was an understanding guy. Numerous meetups after the engagement made her open up to him. It was an arranged marriage but when did love slip in unannounced both are clueless. Varun was never the marrying kind nor did he have flings as he could not afford them. He was born in the family of tailors and it was not an easy road. 

It was a match made in heaven it seems. Sunita cemented Varun by being open about her shortcomings and Varun became the anchor she needed. There was less money initially but the bond they share is very strong. It has helped them to be where they both are now. Work Stress has added to their misery of being childless for a decade now but they are still trying and are hopeful. Adjustments related to money happen most of the time but the Chopra’s know how to make life worth living. These small joys of being there for each other even when in different cities temporarily pushes them to achieve a new milestone each time. It’s still raining and Sunita is sleeping peacefully in the empty house.