Chapter 12 #4
“But this one is a whole different personality. We cannot.”
“Cannot what?”
“We cannot unleash that side of us in front of her. I mean, this turned out to be harmless and a little funny but… she is too young to understand our dynamic…”
“It was a misunderstanding and a jumble of epic proportions, Aditi. She is too young.”
“Too young and too smart for her age. She absorbs everything but cannot process it right. That’s a deadly combination.”
“So what do you want to do then?” His tone jumped a notch higher but his voice went low.
“Look, I know you don’t like what I am about to say but that’s the reality. A sane, grown adult does not understand our dynamic, forget our little Aara.”
“So all this goes to waste?” He clipped out. “Back to square one, Mama and Papa, nice-nice, happy-happy, one team sugary.”
“Zubin…”
He got up and marched to the ironing cabinet, coming back with a paper fluttering in his hand. “What was this for? Do you remember this?” He handed her the piece of paper they had torn from the ironing book. Aditi held it in her hand, looking down at Zubin’s handwriting.
GROUND RULES AGREEMENT
A binding contract between Adv. Zubin Daruwala, hereinafter referred to as “Daru,” ^ Deceptive Flufball and Adv. Aditi Daruwala ^ Doshi, hereinafter referred to as “Doshi.”
- Court is court. Home is home. Do not mix jurisdictions.
- No continuing arguments after we step out of court. Not in the car. Not at dinner. Not after dinner or during BED time.
- No using information from our marriage in court. This includes habits, history and anything said after 10 pm.
- No personal attacks disguised as legal arguments.
- Aara does not see/ hear us argue. If she walks in, argument ends immediately.
- No winning at home because you lost in court. No losing at home because you won in court.
- If one of us crosses a line in court, we drop it there. No post-mortem at home.
- No going easy on each other in court. No holding back.
“We violated almost every rule on this agreement, Aditi, and enjoyed every moment of it. We were so desperate and so damn ready for it that we pounced on everything like a feast after some drought. Tell me you didn’t enjoy the hell out of every breaking of every rule.
Tell me you don’t want to do it again. Tell me you are ok going back to a life where we talked like some sugary Hallmark movie…
” His low voice went even lower. “Why did I even do all this, Aditi? What was the last month even for if we have to go back to…” he shut his eyes, shaking his head.
“Zubin…”
Their eyes met, and Aditi had no argument or answer to offer. But she also did not have any leeway to offer.
“Fine.” He gave up. “As you say.”
“Don’t put this on me. Please,” she said softly, keeping her eyes on the door of their bedroom in the far distance. Aara was not out yet, probably messing around with the little baby makeup that she kept in her reaching distance.
He exhaled, rubbing at his forehead. He did not speak a word, which was rare. He always had something to say. Right now, he was staring stonily out of the glass doors of the terrace at the twinkling city lights beyond.
“Hey,” she palmed his cheek. He resisted.
“Hey,” she tugged, and he turned his face.
Their eyes met. She did not like what she saw there.
In fact, she detested it. Her husband never looked like this.
Her husband never ought to look like this.
He knew she was right; there was nothing to fight here, and that is why he was looking at her like this.
Aditi’s resolve wavered. But she had to be the tough partner and hold her ground.
“I had even thought about her being the judge between us,” his low voice ground out, eyes going small like they did when he was sleepy. He was. Aditi knew he was. Frustrated, tired, sleepy, and now, apparently, defeated too.
“I know.” She caressed his cheek. “Maybe when she grows up a little.” She tried to smile.
“I don’t want to forget what we were, Aditi.”
“You won’t.”
“Because you will keep bickering and picking fights on the side when we run into each other at court or somewhere else?” He blinked, hopeful.
“I have never picked fights. This one also you started.”
“And you could not resist.”
“Excuse me, I tried every trick in the book to make you give up on this case.”
“Apparently not hard enough,” he smirked.
She snarled. “You entitled…”
“Mama, can I use this?” Aara’s skipping voice preceded her skipping persona and Aditi pulled back, turning her snarl into a smile — “What, Aara?”
“This!” She was waving her old lip balm stick that was a glossy shade of pink.
“Come here, maybe this weekend at your play date…” Aditi held one hand out, eyeing Zubin from the corner of her eye.
He pulled back, dejected. And for a change, he did not make any effort to hide it.
Maybe a night of deep sleep would make it easier to accept this.
Because whether he liked it or not, he had to accept it.
Tomorrow would be their last argument for a while.