Her work in the kitchen was over. She automatically laid the table around Somu, and announced the dinner. They called her again to come and join them for some time. She went and sat in the drawing room, slightly withdrawn and still thinking what was slipping her memory. Why had he stopped coming? She found herself asking him, “Why did you stop coming?”
He was amused, “Why? Well, mainly because I was not in the country. I returned only two months ago. Stayed with my parents since.”
Out of the country, she thought. Out of sight, but not out of mind. She was aware of Rajiv saying irritably, “I think you knew about it.” She was curiously upset. She didn’t remember at all when he had gone away.
“You have put on a lot of weight since I last saw you, Mohini,” Prashant was saying. She was as if in a trance - things were not making sense, clicking into place as they should. She didn’t understand whether he had stopped coming or not... out of the country... put on a lot of weight? But he persuaded her to eat, and he said he liked her as she was, didn’t he?
“...snacks before going to sleep... fried food... no exercise... doesn’t care for herself at all,” she vaguely heard Rajiv saying to Prashant.
“Mohini, you should really lose some w...,” the conversation came to a standstill, unexpectedly. She became aware that everyone was looking at her curiously. Something was wrong. She shook her head and forced herself to look around at everyone... she realized that she had been staring at Prashant for a very long time. She gave a little nervous, troubled laugh, trying to ease the mild tension she could sense hovering between them.
Then she couldn’t stop laughing... if only she could say something, she thought, and started talking and laughing at the same time, biting her lower lips to stop it. “You remember that joke...” she said, out of breath, still laughing and feeling tears stinging her eyes. By now she was unable to stop. She had to tell them the joke, “...about the Indian who told the guest... to eat...sh sh... shamelessly? A... and the guest... rep... lied... that he... he was fed up!” She chortled, giggling hysterically, and finding the joke very funny, bending over double.
“Mohini!” she heard Rajiv screaming at her. He got up and shook her shoulders. “Mohini! Are you all right?” He sounded worried.
It made her Laugh even more to think that Rajiv was actually calling her by name. Somu was in the room, frightened and saying, “Mama, Mama...” Prashant got up and took Somu in his arms. Somu was crying... Why? She couldn’t stop laughing, clinging to Rajiv all the time and banging her head against his shoulder.
Rajiv gave her a resounding slap. “Moni, hold yourself! Have you gone mad? She quietened and lurched to her feet, sobbing, still holding on to Rajiv.
“Not Moni,” she said firmly, declining to acknowledge her pet name, given to her by Rajiv after their marriage. “Not Moni... Mohini... the she-ghost... Rajiv” she was embarrassed to note the high pitch in her voice. “Rajiv...” she said, too loud still, “I’m fed up...,” in a whisper, “...fed up... do you hear me, I am fed up,” she screamed.
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