Her Ice Cream – Thipkyanchi Rangoli

“Tu udyapasun mala ghyala yaycha nahi… bas.” She put her foot down, hurling her bag on the bed.  

“Pan ka, Apurva?” Shashank followed her to the dressing table where she sat, trying to take her earrings off that seemed to be stuck. “Ae aga halu,” he gasped, gripping her wrist when he caught her furiously trying to pull the earrings out, “dukhel na…” 

“Dukhu de,” she bawled, slapping his hand away before resuming her violent battle with her earrings. “Sod mhatla na? Tar sod,” she warned when he grabbed her hand again, not letting her hurt herself. 

“Nahi sodnar. Tu jar ashya paddhatine… swatala dukhavun he kanatle kadhnar asashil tar… nahi sodnar.” His hold loosened around her wrist only to let his fingers form a firmer grip that she wouldn’t be able to escape. 

“Tu asu de. Mi kadhto,” he whispered, before dropping a quick kiss on her shoulders. “Itka kashacha raag aalay mazya bayko la? Bara aala tar aala… jyancha raag tyanchyavar kadhaycha na? Swatala ka asa traas karun ghyaycha, hmm?” He gently managed to take her right earring off and placed it on her lap.

“Mala kahi raag vagere nahi aala aahe. Mala ka yeil… raag!” She averted her gaze from the mirror through which he was staring at her before throwing the earring on her lap into the drawer. 

“Bapre. Farach raag aalela distoy madam la. Kanatle box madhe na takta aksharsha fekun dile drawer madhe!” 

His comment earned him a murderous glare from his wife making him gulp the rest of the words that he was about to add. 

As he softly pulled out the other earring, he placed it on the dressing table instead, to protect the life of the poor earring that was in danger. Suppressing his smile had never felt harder as he looked at her puffy cheeks. 

Wrapping his hands around her, he rested his chin on her head. “Aata tuzya college madhlya muli mazyakade baghat hotya tyaat mazi kaay chuk aahe? Mi konakadech nahi baghitla… kharach.” He pinched the skin of his throat as he earnestly confessed with a glint of mischief conspicuous in his eyes. 

Her shocked orbs lifted to the mirror as she heard him before she stood up, pushing his hands away to free herself. “Really? Mag tula kasa mahit tya tuzyakade baghat hotya?” Her bubbling anger erputed when he touched the topic that was evoking murderous tendencies in her.

He chuckled at her raised eyebrows along with her flaring nostrils. Only if his wife could see herself through his eyes then she would know how adorable she looked when mad. 

“Aadhi saang.” She slapped his hands when they tried to hold her by her waist, making him laugh harder. 

“Te kay aahe na, Mrs. Apurva Shashank Kanitkar… tumhi jevha bike var baslya hotya na tarihi tumche dole mazyakade  navtech. Mi jevha baghitla who they were looking at rather glaring at… tevha mala kalala!”

Ugh. She clenched her fists, throwing herself on the bed. She grabbed a pillow and started taking her anger out on it. “I H A T E I T. I H A T E I T.”

He facepalmed himself, watching her relentlessly punch the pillow while muttering what stayed audible to him despite her low voice. 

“Mala asa watla hota rather tu mala asa sangitla hota… Apurva Vartak Kanitkar is not of the kind to get jealous.” He giggled, pressing his palm on his lips as he tried to hide his smile from her. 

“Jealous, my foot. I am mad. MAD!” She screamed, throwing the pillow on his chest. 

“Arey pan ka?” 

“Ka mhanje? KA MHANJE?” She charged toward him and grabbed him by his collar. Fury had never been so evident in her eyes ever before as she pulled him toward herself, tightening her hold on his collar. “Dusrya muli mazya navryakade baghnar tar mala raag nahi yenar? Mahit aahe tya kay mhanat hotya… kasla chocolate ice cream sarkha disto.” 

He shut his eyes, pressing his lips together while still trying to control his laughter. 

“Tu hastoys?” She let go of his collar, dragged him to the bed and pushed him onto it. “TU HASTOYS, KHADOOS!” 

“Hasu nahitar kay karu? Chocolate ice cream! Seriously?” He burst out laughing while pulling out his phone from his pocket. 

She narrowed her suspicious eyes at him. “Kay kartoys?” 

“Baghtoy kharach disto ka… chocolate ice cream sarkha tar…” He shifted the phone’s screen toward her to show her that he had opened the camera.

“KHADOOOOS!” She snatched the phone from his hand. “Kahi baghaychi garaj nahiye. Kahi chocolate ice cream sarkha vagere nahi disat tu. Karlyachya bhaaji sarkha distos. Haan..  tasach distos!” 

“Pan he tu sangteyes nakki konala? Mala ka swatala?” Pressing his elbow on the bed, he lifted himself up as his lips curled in a smirk.

Banging his phone on the bed, she leaned toward him and placed her palms on the bed. “He bagh, Khadoos. Maza doka aadhich firlay. Tu ajun firvu nakos. Kaltay?”

“Mala tar kaltay pan tumhala kaltay ka, Mrs. Kanitkar?” 

She gasped when he snaked his hands around her waist and pulled her onto him. 

“Mazyakade kitihi dole asle tari maze dole fakt eka mulivar astaat. Tumhala mahitich asel n tya mulicha naav,” he murmured before brushing his lips on her cheek, “hmm, Mrs. Kanitkar?”

“Tuzyakade koni asa baghitlela… tuzyabaddal asa koni bollela… mala aawdat nahi!” She confessed, still gloomy while letting her hands comfortably fall to his chest as she let him hold her to himself. 

“Ah, nahi aawdat ka mazya bayko la?” He hummed, intently listening to her raw, unfiltered emotions that she had no hesitation in letting him see. “Pan mala tula college madhe ghyayla yayla aawadta, Apurva. Isn’t it our personal time that neither of us like to compromise with? Institute madhun nighalyavar, tula college madhun gheun ekatra ghari paratana… mala far aawadta, Apurva!”

“Mala pan,” she said feebly while playing with the buttons of his shirt, “pan-“

“Pan tuzya ice cream var nazar thevun basle aahe tikde loka! Hmm, kathin aahe, nahi?” 

“KHADOOS!” She cried, throwing a few punches at his chest before letting her miserable head fall onto it. 

“Apurva… Apurva!” Smiling, he stroked her hair before slipping his hand to rub her back. “Tu pan kay kaslyahi faltu goshti manala lavun ghetes. Tula mahit nahi ka… tuzyasathich tar banloy na mi? Mag koni kay boltay, kay kartay yane kay farak padto? Tula mahit nahi ka… mi tuzach aahe. Aaj. Udya. Parva. Pratyek divshi. Prayek… ratri!“

“Ow! Lagtay na…” He frowned when she heard the usual mischief in his voice while uttering the last word and smacked him. 

“Tasa barobar aahe tuza, Khadoos. Patatay mala,” she said, lifting her head from his chest. “Mazi ice cream mazi aahe aani mazi rahnar. Dusre loka fakt baghu shaktat pan khaau nahi na shakat… Khaau fakt mich shakte. Ho na, Khadoos?” 

His astonished eyes had to blink a couple of times to believe that she actually said what she did. 

“Ho na, Khadoos?” 

His gaze went to her fingers that had already begun unbuttoning his shirt by then. 

Three years into the marriage had really changed Apurva for good, he thought as he chuckled. 

“Of course, Mrs. Kanitkar. I am all yours!” Those were the last words that their room heard before their passion echoed there for the rest of the night. 

T R A N S L A T E D. V E R S I O N

“You won’t come to pick me up from tomorrow … that’s it.” She put her foot down, hurling her bag on the bed.  

“But why, Apurva?” Shashank followed her to the dressing table where she sat, trying to take her earrings off that seemed to be stuck. “Hey… careful,” he gasped, gripping her wrist when he caught her furiously trying to pull the earrings out, “it will hurt, no?” 

“Let it hurt,” she bawled, slapping his hand away before resuming her violent battle with her earrings. “I said, leave, right? Then leave,” she warned when he grabbed her hand again, not letting her hurt herself. 

“I won’t. If you are going to take these earrings off… this way… by hurting yourself… then I won’t.” His hold loosened around her wrist only to let his fingers form a firmer grip that she wouldn’t be able to escape. 

“You let it be, let me do it,” he whispered, before dropping a quick kiss on her shoulders. “What has gotten my wife this mad? Take your anger out on those who have made you angry, no? Why hurt yourself like this, hmm?” He gently managed to take her right earring off and placed it on her lap.

“I am not mad. Why would I be… mad!” She averted her gaze from the mirror through which he was staring at her before throwing the earring on her lap into the drawer. 

“Gosh! Looks like you really are mad! Instead of placing the earring in the box, you just… threw it in the drawer!” 

His comment earned him a murderous glare from his wife making him gulp the rest of the words that he was about to add. 

As he softly pulled out the other earring, he placed it on the dressing table instead, to protect the life of the poor earring that was in danger. Suppressing his smile had never felt harder as he looked at her puffy cheeks. 

Wrapping his hands around her, he rested his chin on her head. “What’s my fault if the girls at your college were staring at me? I didn’t look at anyone… trust me.” He pinched the skin of his throat as he earnestly confessed with a glint of mischief conspicuous in his eyes. 

Her shocked orbs lifted to the mirror as she heard him before she stood up, pushing his hands away to free herself. “Really? How do you know that they were staring at you then?” Her bubbling anger erupted when he touched the topic that was evoking murderous tendencies in her.

He chuckled at her raised eyebrows along with her flaring nostrils. Only if his wife could see herself through his eyes then she would know how adorable she looked when mad. 

“Tell me what I’m asking first.” She slapped his hands when they tried to hold her by her waist, making him laugh harder. 

“You know, Mrs. Apurva Shashank Kanitkar…When you sat on the bike, your eyes weren’t on me. When I saw who they were looking at rather glaring at… that’s how I got to know!”

Ugh. She clenched her fists, throwing herself on the bed. She grabbed a pillow and started taking her anger off on it. “I H A T E I T. I H A T E I T.”

He facepalmed himself, watching her relentlessly punch the pillow while muttering what stayed audible to him despite her low voice. 

“I had thought rather you had told me that… Apurva Vartak Kanitkar is not of the kind to get jealous.” He giggled, pressing his palm on his lips as he tried to hide his smile from her. 

“Jealous, my foot. I am mad. MAD!” She screamed, throwing the pillow on his chest. 

“But why?” 

“What do you mean by why? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY WHY?” She charged toward him and grabbed him by his collar. Fury had never been so evident in her eyes ever before as she pulled him toward herself, tightening her hold on his collar. “If other girls stare at my husband, won’t it make me mad? You know what they were saying… he looks like such a chocolate ice cream!”

He shut his eyes, pressing his lips together while still trying to control his laughter. 

“You laughing?” She let go of his collar, dragged him to the bed, and pushed him onto it. “YOU ARE LAUGHING, KHADOOS!” 

“What else am I supposed to do if not laugh? Chocolate ice cream! Seriously?” He burst out laughing while pulling out his phone from his pocket. 

She narrowed her suspicious eyes at him. “What are you doing?” 

“Just checking… if I indeed look like chocolate ice cream…” He shifted the phone’s screen toward her to show her that he had opened the camera.

“KHADOOOOS!” She snatched the phone from his hand. “No need to see. You don’t look like chocolate ice cream or anything of that sort. You look like cooked bitter gourd. Yes… absolutely just like that. “

“But who exactly are you telling this to? Me or yourself?” Pressing his elbow on the bed, he lifted himself up as his lips curled in a smirk.

Banging his phone on the bed, she leaned toward him and placed her palms on the bed. “Look, Khadoos. My brain is already a mess. Don’t you dare make it worse. You get it?”

“I definitely get it but are you getting it, Mrs. Kanitkar?” 

She gasped when he snaked his hands around her waist and pulled her onto him. 

“No matter how many pairs of eyes I have on me, my eyes are always on only one girl. You must know the name of that girl,” he murmured before brushing his lips on her cheek, “hmm, Mrs. Kanitkar?”

“Anyone looking at you this way… talking about you this way… I don’t like it. I can’t stand it!” She confessed, still gloomy while letting her hands comfortably fall to his chest as she let him hold her to himself. 

“Ah, my wife can’t stand it?” He hummed, intently listening to her raw, unfiltered emotions that she had no hesitation in letting him see. “But I like picking you up from college, Apurva. Isn’t it our personal time that neither of us like to compromise with? After leaving the institute, coming to your college, returning home with you… I really like all of that, Apurva.”

“So do I,” she said feebly while playing with the buttons of his shirt, “but-“

“But people have their evil eyes on your ice cream there! Hmm, it’s tough, no?”

“KHADOOS!” She cried, throwing a few punches at his chest before letting her miserable head fall onto it. 

“Apurva… Apurva!” Smiling, he stroked her hair before slipping his hand to rub her back. “Stop taking such stupid things to your heart, will you? Don’t you know… I am made for you? Then how does it matter who says what… who does what? Don’t you know… I belong to you. I am yours. Today. Tomorrow. The day after tomorrow. Every day. Every… night. “

“Ow! It hurts…” He frowned when she heard the usual mischief in his voice while uttering the last word and smacked him. 

“Actually… you are right, Khadoos. I agree,” she said, lifting her head from his chest. “My ice cream is mine and it will stay mine. Others can only see but can’t eat, can they? Only I get to eat my ice cream, right, Khadoos?” 

His astonished eyes had to blink a couple of times to believe that she actually said what she did. 

“Right, Khadoos?” 

His gaze went to her fingers that had already begun unbuttoning his shirt by then. 

Three years into the marriage had really changed Apurva for good, he thought as he chuckled. 

“Of course, Mrs. Kanitkar. I am all yours!” Those were the last words that their room heard before their passion echoed there for the rest of the night. 

This is a random piece of fiction. Absolute imagination. Kind of a random mini tale based on the picture.

Read more such pieces.