Anu And Her First Love

ARJUN SMITH
I was sitting here at the dining table after scolding her for no reason in her room. That was her room and I'd already offered her
that. But she didn't defend herself for that. I was nervous when I saw the couch was empty and I was searching for her, in the
whole room and then I saw her when she ran into the room like somebody was following her and locked the door and started
jumping in fear, I thought. When I took some steps forward and realized that wasn't a jump of fear and a dance of fear. She was
so excited about something that I can't quite guess, yet.
Then suddenly I felt her dhupata on my face and I was irritated at that moment. I tried to talk calm but my voice came in stern
anyway. I told her that my parents were coming in two days and be ready for the media meet. When I tried to open the door I
heard her voice come from behind me and I stopped in my place as listen's her. She told me that she placed my coffee on my
table. I just nodded and went back to my room.
When I sat on my couch in my room with coffee in my hand that's when I imagined that what if she came to my room and she felt
nervous and shy and she placed the cup on the table and ran back to her room and she expressed her excitement in her room
and I caught her off guard. That's what'd have happened I imagined. And also I realized that I was over imagining kinds of stuff
lately. "This is not good" I muttered to myself.
I was waiting for food to serve and expecting Alice but I was surprised by the image I saw who was standing in front of me. It
wasn't Alice but Anushiya. Apart from surprised I was shocked if I'm being honest with myself. She placed the plate in front of
me.
"I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to go outside and buy a banana leaf to serve. And also I don't know where to buy it. So
please adjust. I'm sure next time when I serve Indian food I'll serve it on banana leaves." She told me and made a sorry face. Her
eyes were focused on the table the task she was doing. She didn't bother to look at my face. I wondered how many days she
can live without seeing my face. Did she even see my face before saying no to me? Suddenly my mind crossed full of questions.
So I'm going to eat Indian food today.
I saw the notification on my phone the on table in front of me. I took it in my hand, unlocked it with my fingerprint, and started
scrolling the messages column and that was Charles. He said that he was on his way.
She put some of the Indian dishes on the plate and waiting for me to taste them. I put my phone aside and scrutinized the plate.
"What is this?" I asked her pointing out the white color cake in a round-shaped.

When she was about to give a definition a voice interrupted her. "I'm home my dear sweet and new sister."
Charles.
"Morning, Mr._"
"Just Charles,"
"Come and have breakfast." She invited him.
He took in the full view of the table in front of him, a couple of hot boxes dozens of bowls with different colors of sausages, and
swallowed a lump in his throat as he took a seat beside me. "Treat, huh?" he grinned at me, his charming grin.
Once he sat on him, she started to answer my questions.
She looked at my hand what I was still pointing. "That's idli like a rice cake and you can have it with sambar or any other chutney
you prefer," she said gesturing all the different chutney in front of me. There were different colors like green, white, orange.
"That's masala dosa, you've to eat with the masala that's inside the dosa or you can have it with sambar or chutney," she said as
looking at the white round paper like food it looks crispy, so that's called dosa and if there's any masala inside the dosa it's
masala dosa.
She paused as if she was checking me whether I was listening or not.
"Then what's this, Donut?" I Charles asked pointing the donut-shaped thing.
She giggled as her hand closing her mouth so that I can't see her cute smile and her diamond teeth. What was happening to me,
God!?
"What so funny?" He asked now totally annoyed.
Silence fills the air and she stopped laughing and came back to sense.
"Yes, it may look like a donut but it isn't a donut. It was one of the South Indian's foods. And It's also spicy, be careful you can
find green chili in there." She assured me.
"Ohh," said Charles.

"Had you ever eat any Indian foods before?" she asked me curiously.
"No." I just said, keeping this all a small conversation.
"O-Okay" she looks confused now. "Aunty never served you any Indian foods?
"Aunty?" I was confused about who she was talking about. Then I realized that she was talking about mom. I laughed a throaty
one. She stared at me with wide eyes as if she just saw me when I was laughing. "Ur-hum" I cleared my throat to speak. "Don't
mention her as aunty if she heard anyone calling her aunty she can't sleep well at night. Just call her Devi"
"How can I call someone elder than me with their names, my amma and appa didn't teach me like that. They always told me to
respect elders even if they were one day elder than me." She said all that in a single breath. It may be followed in India but this is
America.
"Whatever, you wish. Then don't say I didn't warn you." I said, calmly. "And hey, she was born and raised in America so she was
growing up like a normal American and she doesn't know anything about cooking or Indian traditional things. Except for this
arranged marriage," The last sentence was a whisper.
The day was as usual like I was busy with business meetings and conferences. It's been a week since the news about me got
viral on every social media and news. But till now the heat of it the news didn't get old. I was married but I have to wait for mom
and dad to arrive from India to get this wedding official. So they also told me to do some arrangements about reception a grand
one. So I've to work with that too, to check the quality of the things for guests who were all going to give us a visit.
I didn't have any time thinking about that I was married and I've lived outside that four walls office, not that like I'm in love with
her. She wasn't safe in that huge house alone because I've lots of enemies here and there who were spying on my family and
my every move. In India that was different, nobody knows me but here even newborn babies know me.