The scaffolding of the Mehta house was wet after a heavy downpour. Plants of the terrace were alive with a new verve. Nature seemed to be smiling too as a gentle breeze greeted every nook and corner of the illustrious capital of India, New Delhi. South Delhi was lush with greenery all around and Monsoon made it look all the more beautiful. A facelift was long overdue so a brief stint with masons, laborers and painters was unavoidable and Shilpi, the man of the house gladly gave in. She loved rain and never flinched even when it came in between her priorities. Currently her priority was to get the chipping on the outer walls fixed. A fresh paint post that would make the house look as new. She liked supervising while her hubby, Ritesh, a 30 year old handsome man was away to the Middle East to finish a project he had undertaken recently. 

August meant multiple visits to the doctor as bi-annual tests for her in-laws couldn’t ever be skipped. Rajesh Mehta was a retired judge and very particular about his health. Shivangi Mehta was a retired teacher and she was the opposite when it came to it. Both Shilpi and Rajesh always pushed her to visit doctors to avoid any medical chaos that may befall due to laziness. Shilpi had a fairly good rapport with Ritesh’s parents. Whenever he was away, which was often, Shilpi used to take the reins in her hands and zealously got things done. Working in a pharmaceutical company is not easy and Shilpi supported her husband unfailingly. It was not a love marriage but had grown into one. It had less demands and more doing. 

Ritesh and Shilpi had met on a highway. Ritesh was returning from Jaipur, capital and the largest city of Rajasthan, a northern state in India and Shilpi was going to Jaipur. No numbers were exchanged when they shared the table for their lunch at one of the hotels on the road. It was crowded for evening tea so Ritesh had offered to give company if it was ok for her. Shilpi without any hesitation took the chance and they hardly spoke. Shilpi had told him though that as she was on leave so she was travelling solo to feel the beauty of Jaipur and meet her boyfriend. Ritesh had shared that he was returning from the Literature Festival which is held every year but he could only make it when he could. Ritesh just had a breakup and the fest was a distraction. They had met again when their respective parents had arranged for a meeting a year later.

Shilpi was heavily into meditation and this gave her strength to cope with any situation that life threw at her. Getting married to Ritesh wasn’t easy either. Just before she could tie the knot, her father fell very ill. Being the only child she had to arrange for her own wedding. A bout of pneumonia had caught Mr. Deshmukh a month before the wedding, and the doctor had advised complete bed rest. Shilpi had no other option but to make it all happen without any fuss. Likewise, before her graduation exams could commence her mother had a bad fall and the entire time she did everything. People somehow knew that she would be able to do things on her own with diligence, accuracy and panache.

‘So how is it going dear wife? Strenuous or a cake walk? Which paint color is our room?’ asked Ritesh on call while working.

‘Hello hubby dearest, it is actually a surprise. Please check it yourself once you are here. Why should I ruin it all by telling you.’ added Shilpi with an air of flirtation. 

This is what Ritesh actually liked in her. An air of intrigue with a touch of romance defined Shilpi. He never insisted on knowing things whenever she was playful. They wanted to start a family in a couple of years but before parenthood they just wanted to keep it cool, comfy and sensuous. It was an unsaid pact and both used to give in without any noise for the world to witness.

‘Fine, I trust your choice so I will not insist. By the way, hope all this will get over by the time I return. Only a fortnight is left for me to smell and feel you again.’ shared Ritesh. 

‘The house painting is nearly complete. Only the porch where we have had such amazing conversations in the past adjacent to our front door is left.’ informed Shilpi. 

‘Sounds great, I wish to make some more memories at our favourite spot when no one is looking dear Shilps. Just hang in there. See you.’ concluded Ritesh and hung up. 

Shilpi smiled to herself and continued cooking. The porch was very dear to her too. She had fond memories of it. That porch was a spot for all her siblings to merge. One by one they used to get together and play for long hours. This porch used to be an open field which now had the Mehta Villa on it. Decades ago her father was a labourer and their little hut had love, affection but no money. Her mother had built the hut where the porch stood. By getting married to Ritesh she used to re-live her memories and made some more. Nobody knew that Shilpi was an 83 year old woman but with the help of magic she looked only 25 years old. She was an old witch who had desires of having a family. She had lost everything to lightning that had struck their house one fateful night. She was the only survivor who kept living with this curse.