It was quite early in the morning. Maa and I were in the kitchen as the housekeeper taught us to make tea. She had worked in a British household before, so she had learnt it from them. The smell was honestly heavenly, but it tasted a little bitter. I eagerly made two cups for Maa and Bhairav Ji.

My husband had just woken up, and I took the lovely glass all the way up to the terrace for him.

"Aap uth gaye," I smiled excitedly, and he eyed me like I was crazy.

(You're awake.)

"Itna khush kyu ho subah subah?" He muttered, taking the cup from me.

(Why are you so happy this early in the morning)

Talking to him always soured my mood. "Hum itni sundar jagah mein din bitane wale hai... Khush hona jurm hai?"

(We're going to spend our day in this beautiful place... Is being happy a crime?)

He shrugged, taking a whiff of the cup, "Yeh kya hai?"

(What is this?)

"Tea. Angrezi peete the aapke pehle."

(Tea. The Englishmen used to drink it before you.)

He took a sip and spat everything back in the cup, grimacing, "Lekar jao ise! Angrezi yeh peete the isliye unhe yaha se bhagana pada. Subah subah kyu pani mei phul ubalkar dete ho aurat. Ab jaakar sadharan chai banakar lao."

(Take this away! The British used to drink this, that's why we had to chase them out. Why would you give me flowers boiled in water first thing in the morning? Now go and make proper chai.)

Chai, my foot. If I could, I would have thrown the entire glass of boiling tea on his face. How dare he insult it?

"Ghur kyu rahi ho?" He glared, "Shaanti se yaha radio mein gaane bhi nahi sun sakta."

(What are you staring at? I can't even listen to songs on the radio peacefully here.)

I cleared my throat, "Aap gaana sunna chahte hai toh mai gaa sakti hu."

(If you want to listen to music, then I can sing.)

"Tum?" He smiled, "Humare ghar ke paas ek bail hai na. Woh tumse acha gaata hai. Jaakar chai banakar lao."

(You? There's a bull near our home right? That sings better than you. Go make chai.)

That's it. I wasn't going to lift a finger for him at all. First, he insulted my cooking, and now my singing? Why the hell was he pissing me off so much today?

"Meri itni shikayate hai toh khud jaakar chai bana lijiye!"

(If you have so many complaints regarding me then go make chai yourself!)

"Sanjana!" He yelled as I went back downstairs, but I didn't bat an eye.

Later, the housekeeper made breakfast for everyone, and I helped her, of course. Bhairav Ji sat at the head of the table, eating quietly, but the moment I sat down with Janaki in my lap, he cleared his throat, "Meri chai kaha hai?"

(Where's my chai?)

Maa was sitting across from me, and she eyed us. "Tumne use chai nahi diya?" She asked in surprise.

(You didn't give him chai?)

"Diya tha, shayad bhool gaye honge. Umar ke saath yaadgaasht bhi kamzor hota jaa raha hai."

(I did, maybe he must have forgotten it. His memory is getting weaker with age.)

My husband's lips twitched as he stared at me. What was the worst he could do? It had been nearly ten years since I was putting up with his attitude, and he was definitely not going to leave me.

Maa sighed, "Tum jaakar iske liye chai banakar lao beta."

(Go make chai for him beta.)

I stared at her, feeling betrayed. Even though I disobeyed my husband at times, I couldn't disobey Maa. I clenched my fists as I got up and went to the kitchen. My husband had a triumphant smirk on his face when I placed a cup of chai beside him.

"Cheeni kam hai," he remarked.

(The sugar is less.)

"Kam hi rahega," I muttered under my breath.

(It will stay less.)

Later that day, we were off on our first adventure in the hill station as Gullu took us to a lavish ranch. There were many stables, and well bred horses grazed the land.

"Ghoda! Ghoda! Baba, Ghoda!"

(A horse! horse! Baba, a horse!)

Raghu clapped and squealed when he spotted the magnificent animals in the distance. Even Janaki, who had been sleepy, suddenly stared out the window energetically.

"Tumhe ghode par sawaar karni hai?" Bhairav Ji whispered, nudging me when the driver wasn't looking.

(Would you like to go horseriding?)

"Nahi karni," I muttered, still mad at him for what he had said and done in the morning. I wouldn't forgive him even if he tried to flirt with me.

(No.)

"Kyu? Kal raat meri sawaar karte hue thak gayi kya?"

(Why? Got tired after riding me last night?)

My eyes widened, and I pressed a palm to my face because my embarrassment was palpable. What kind of shameless audacity did the hunk I married have?

After we got out of the car, the kids ran towards the stables in excitement. But the horses were so large that it scared me.

"Raghav! Janaki! Aise mat bhaago. Baba ke saath jao."

(Raghav! Janaki! Don't run like that. Stay with your Father.)

"Arey kuch nahi hoga," Bhairav Ji replied, squeezing Saarang's shoulder. He scooped the twins into his arms easily and asked them with a smile, "Ghode se milne chale?"

(Arey nothing will happen. Shall we go meet the horses?)

"Haan!" They kicked their feet happily.

(Yes!)

The ranch caretaker, who seemed to be a good friend of Gullu's, greeted my husband and took us into the stables. Bhairav Ji whispered to the children that the horses were quite friendly, and he held their hands as they let them.

Saarang was the first one to pet a beautiful black horse, and my husband was right beside him. When the animal took a step forward, my brother almost yelled in fear.

"Daro mat, Saarang. Kuch nahi karega. Tumhare paas aana chahte hai," Bhairav Ji squeezed his shoulder and patted the horse with him. I smiled seeing how happy my baby brother looked.

(Don't be scared, Saarang. It won't do anything. He just wants to come near you.)

Raghav had a strange fear of almost all animals, so he remained in his Father's arms while watching the others pet the horse. My daughter was ecstatic as she rubbed its muzzle. She hugged her father the next instant and squealed, "Upar baithna hai Baba! Upar!" She pointed.

(I want to sit up! Baba! Up there!)

"Upar baithna ha? Theek hai,  ghodasavaari ke liye chalte hai," Bhairav Ji smiled.

(You want to sit up there? Alright, let's go horseriding.)

The horse that the children loved very much, Kasturba, was released on the ranch. Even my husband looked as excited as the children when it came to horse riding. I had spread a small picnic cloth under a tree so that Maa and I could rest there peacefully.

"Unhe ghodasavaari pata hai?" I asked curiously while pouring her a glass of warm chai from the flask.

(Does he know to ride a horse?)

"Shayad haan.... Shaadi ke pehle woh aksar dosto ke saath aise jagaaon mei ghoomne aata tha," she replied. Probably, he knew Gullu because it wasn't his first time coming here. My husband had truly lived a wonderful life.

(Maybe yes... He used to frequent places like these with his friends before getting married. 

For some reason, as I took a sip of chai, I felt nauseous. It was funny because the last time I had felt the same, I had been pregnant. Definitely, there was no chance that I was pregnant now, but still, there was an unmistakable fear in my heart. I sipped more chai and thought carefully. I got my period only last month... I probably felt funny because of the sudden change of scenery.

"Beta, tumne Aradhya se baat ki thi? Yaha aane ke baare mein?" Maa asked.

(Beta, did you talk to Aradhya? About us coming here?)

"Ji Maa."

"Mujhe bahut ghabrahat hoti hai... Uski aur bache ke baare mei sochkar. Bhagwan ki dua se sab kuch acha ho jaaye... Woh dono hamesha khush rahe..."

(I'm quite anxious... Thinking about her and the baby. With god's grace, I hope everything goes well... I hope they're always happy.)

I smiled, seeing how she nervously prayed with her eyes closed. "Chinta mat kijiye, Maa. Aradhya aur bache ko koi nuksaan nahi hoga," I reassured her.

(Don't worry, Maa. Aradhya and the baby will be safe.)

Bhairav Ji was horse riding in the distance without a care in the world. Raghav sat with him, and I saw how my husband was teaching him to hold the reins. Saarang and Janaki were cheering excitedly for them. Even when it was my brother's turn to ride, Bhairav Ji was as gentle with him as with the kids. It truly warmed my heart.

There were baby ponies as well, and the servants took the children to them, and they fed them carrots. Bhairav Ji led the horse towards us at that time, and I wondered what he wanted.

"Aap log yaha aise kyu baithe ho...? Bacho ke saath ghodasavaari karne chaliye na," he spoke directly to his mother. I pretended to be distracted with the chai cup in my hands. The last thing I wanted was to give him an ego boost while oogling at him because of how handsome he looked on top of a horse.

(Why are you both sitting here like this? You should come horseriding with the kids.)

"Is umar mei mai kya karunga beta?" Maa smiled, "Tum ise lekar jaao."

(What will I do at this age, beta? You can take her with you.)

My cheeks flushed as I still refused to look up, "N-nahi Maa... Mai yahi theek hu-"

(N-no Maa... I'm fine here-)

"Idhar aao," Bhairav Ji spoke to me now, a smile playing on his lips. Even Maa gave me a smile that meant I had no other choice now. Defeated, I got up from my comfortable spot on the picnic cloth. Bhairav Ji got down from the horse and instructed me on how to sit sideways because my sari was quite troublesome.

(Come here.)

"Pair is taraf karke baitho. Maine pakada hai," he said softly. I held the horse and somehow lifted myself a little. Bhairav Ji pushed me from below, and I finally managed to sit. He got on the horse right behind me, and I was suddenly aware of our proximity.

"Chale?" My husband's smoldering gaze pierced into my eyes. I looked anywhere but his face as I hummed, squeezing my veil for dear life.

(Shall we?)

Why had I even agreed to this?

We were far too close in broad daylight.

Maa was definitely watching us, and that only made things worse. Bhairav Ji's arms were almost enveloping me as he held the reins, and I was pressed to his chest. God, he smelled lovely.

"Mujhse ab bhi naraaz ho?" His voice was kind as his warm breath tickled my neck.

(Are you still mad at me?)

"Itna sa..." I whispered, pinching my fingers together. My husband smiled, but the last thing I expected was for him to peck my cheek.

(This much...)

"Aap pagal ho gaye ho kya?!" I hissed, pulling my veil even lower than before.

(Have you lost your mind?!)

"Ghabrao mat," he reassured me, "Is gaal mei kiya hai, toh kisine nahi dekha hoga. Agar dusri-"

(Don't be scared... I kissed this cheek, so nobody can see it. But if I had kissed on the other-)

"Bas," I glared at him, "Mujhe neeche utaro. Aur savaar nahi karna aapke saath. Itne gande insaan ho."

(Enough. Put me down. I don't want to ride with you anymore. You're such a dirty man.)

"Arey? Phir se naraaz ho gai?" There was no remorse in his voice, and he even dared to pinch my waist when I refused to respond.

(Arey? You got angry again?)

"Neeche utariye!" I was adamant this time, and I tried to squirm and slip down. Even if I fell, I didn't care anymore.

(Put me down!)

"Acha... Acha... Shaant ho jao, meri gilehri. Neeche utar raha hu," he sighed and finally stopped the horse. Bhairav Ji got down first and instructed me to hold his shoulder while jumping down.

(Okay... Okay... Calm down, my little squirrel. I'll let you go.)

I did as told, but I didn't expect the maniac to carry me in his arms bridal style. He looked smug about it as well. I slapped his chest and finally broke free from him. My sari was all crumpled due to his insolence. But when I looked in the distance, at least the kids seemed to be having fun as they ran around, chasing each other and playing with a few ranch dogs as well.

Maa didn't say anything as I sat beside her again. I sighed in exhaustion. Dealing with my husband was so tiring. But just when I thought he'd be distracted with the horses, he returned the reins to the servant before walking towards us.

Bhairav Ji sat beside me, stretching his legs as he took out a cigarette.

"Aapko yeh jagah pasand aayi Maa?" He smiled at her, and she nodded, "Bilkul. Kitni sundar aur shaant jagah hai. Par hum dopahar ka khaana kaha se khayenge?"

(Did you like this place, Maa?)

(Of course. It's such a beautiful and peaceful place. But where will we have lunch from?)

"Waha dekh rahi ho?" He pointed at a cottage in the distance, "Angrezo ka purana dhaba tha. Par ab har roz mehman ke liye khaana waha banta hai." The cottage looked quite classy. Truly, the foreigners must have had a lovely time here.

(Can you see that? It used to be an old English hotel, but now meals are prepared there every day for the guests.)

"Bahut thak gaya hu..." My husband mumbled, squeezing his shoulder, and before I knew it, he lay on the grass with his head on my lap. I froze as he tucked an arm under his head and closed his eyes comfortably.

(I'm really tired...)

What the hell did he think he was doing?

Bhairav Ji cracked an eye open to peek at me. The brute. I was clearly glaring at him, so that he'd get up and leave me alone, but instead he blew smoke all over my face, making me cough.

I snatched the cigarette out of his lips, "Har samay... Har samay cigarette peete rehte ho... Sehath ka kabhi khayal rakhte ho?" I muttered. Bhairav Ji only smiled as I crushed it in the mud.

(Everytime... Every single time you're smoking... Do you care about your health even a little bit?)

"Tum ho na, jaan."

(I have you for that, love.)

He replied softly and closed his eyes to sleep. I blushed worse now. The man was so annoying.