Murthy House: Living room: 8:10 pm

Finally, the venue and the date got fixed. Now, all are chewing over the topic of the bride and the groom's dress. Nyonika eventually agreed with Manik's attire which is a vesti with a short kurta during the main Kannadiga wedding. After that, both the bride and the groom will prepare for Punjabi shadi and at that time Nandini will wear a lehenga and Manik will be in sherwani.

Nyonika: "Mainu ek gal daso. (Tell me one thing) Aap ke sare rasam subhe subhe khatham ho jayenge na? Kyun ki raat ko to humari rasam hogi na? (Will your all rituals be completed in the morning? Because at night, our rituals will be there to be performed.)"

From the side, Dhruv whispers in his mother's ear,

Dhruv: (Whispers) "Mom, English me bolo na. Amms ko kuch samajh nehi araha. (Mom, talk in English, please. Amms is not getting anything.)"

Nyonika: (Whispers) "Unko jitna kam samaj aye utna achha hain. Kaleshi aurat. (The less she understands the better. Troublemaker woman)"

On the other hand, Rituja got Nyonika's points as she understands Hindi. However, Kishori only cherry-picked the word, 'Rasam.' She grimaces in disapprovement.

Kishori: (Wobbles in negative) "Not only rasam. The lunch for the invited will be the proper South Indian Thali. Mysore Dosa, Rasam, Korri Gassi, Maddur Vada, Coorg Pandi Curry, Mysore Pak, Sweet Pongal..."

She would have stretched the list more if Rituja hadn't stopped her.

Rituja: (Embarrassedly) "Amma she is talking about rituals. Rasam means rituals in Hindi. Not the dish rasam."

Kishori gives an embarrassed look to everyone. Nyonika cackles.

Nyonika: "Hunda hai, hunda hai."

The convo would go on longer if Vimesh Murthy didn't come out of his bedroom and intervene.

Vimesh: (Excitedly) "Mr Malhotra and I have fixed everything about the reception. You all just decide and fix all about the marriage rituals."

Nandini: "We are discussing that only."

Suddenly, Vimesh's eyes fall on the wall clock.

Vimesh: (Restlessly) "It's 8:30. Ritu, Nandu, what are you doing? It's dinner time. Serve the dinner and continue at the dinner table."

Nandini gets startled by the realisation that something important completely slipped her mind.

Nandini: (Mumble) "Shit! Manik."

Rituja gets up with a soft sorry. Nandini was about to near the window to get an idea if Manik is outside when Rituja calls her.

Rituja: "Kanna nanage sahaya madi. (Dear help me)"

Nandini roams her eyes in the darkness outside and walks towards to the dining table with a fidgety mind.

...............................................

Murthy House: In the garden: 1 hour before

Manik gently opens the garden gate and stealthily steps in. The silence of the surroundings and the darkness is making it a bit hard for him to locate the place where Nandini asked him to wait. He glances at the radium dial of his watch. It's 7:30 pm. According to Nandini's instruction, he is half an hour late. Manik bites his lips and strains his eyes through the darkness. Gradually, it gets adjusted to his eyes and he approaches the back side of the house. Suddenly the sound of laughter comes from inside. Manik walks to the window. It is closed but he still tries to peep through the glasses. All are sitting around the living room. His eyes fall on Nandini. She is showing something to Nyonika on her phone. His nose flares in pique.

Manik: (Murmur) "Mujhe jaldi bulake yaha apni sasu maa ko impress karne me lagi hain. (She is involved in impressing her would-be mother-in-law whenas she called me so early.) Swear, Nandini har ek bite ka hisab lunga. (Swear, Nandini you will pay for every bite)"

He slaps on his nape smashing a blood-sucking mosquito. Some more minutes passed and now he is getting angry and irritated. He finds a stone slab in the garden and sits on that crossing his legs. Taking out his mobile, he messages Nandini but doesn't get any reply. As time is passing, more bloodthirsty mosquitos start attacking him. The whining sound of their wings around his ears is getting on his nerves. He is constantly slapping his skin, trying to smash them which creates an unrhythmic sound of continuous smacking. In between he keeps on messaging Nandini, though none of them are seen till now. Meanwhile, he observes a silhouette against the window glass. Someone is trying to peep outside. A smile of hope creeps on his lips. He was about to near the window when a female voice is heard.

"Kanna nanage sahaya madi."

And the shadow moves from the window glass. A sigh of disappointment escapes his mouth. Suddenly something peeks into his fertile brain. The first time, when he sneaked into Nandini's house and got inside the kitchen to eat something, he noticed that there is a backdoor in the kitchen that opens to the backside garden. When he asked about this to Nandini, she said that her mother Rituja has a knack for gardening. She maintains a small kitchen garden in that area.

Manik: (Mutters unmindfully) "Should I check if that backdoor is open? If so then I can get in and walk to Nandini's room. Yaha aise baitha rahunga to pakka shadi se pahele malaria ho jayega. (If I sit over here like this then I will defiantly be caught by malaria before marriage)"

He acts as he thinks. After messaging for the last time, he keeps both hands inside his pockets and strides to the backside door of the kitchen. Some faded conversation and the sound of light laughter are coming from the dining area. A light barking sound is also hard. Manik pulls the door lightly and to his surprise and delight, it opens. He licks his lips in zeal and slips inside making bare minimum noise. Some footsteps are heard and he immediately hides behind the crockery cupboard. Let him be undercover for a while and let's see what is happening in the dining area.

................................................

Murthy House: Dinning table: 8:30 pm

As Dhruv tries to sit on a chair, Ador jumps and rolls on it. It is his fixed seat. How dare an outsider to occupy it without his permission. Dhruv glances at him and helplessly looks at Rituja for support.

Rituja: "Adoorrr...You are being very naughty today. Come! Sit here. Let your bro sit."

Dhruv widens his eyes as if he is trying to say, "Bro? From which angle?" Ador blinks his eyes a couple of times and jumps down with a mild purr. It's evident that he is not at all happy with the decision.

Ador: (Purrs) "Grrrrr...(Bro my foot! Yeh mera dushman hain aur dushman hi rahega.) (He is my enemy and will be an enemy forever)"

On the other side, Nandini is being restless as she is not getting any chance to sneak out. Manik must have come and he is defiantly angry. All of a sudden, a plan flickers in her head. She rushes towards her bedroom. How come this trivial thing didn't strike her mind? She curses herself inwardly and searches for her mobile. She locates it on the bed and almost pounces on it. As she opens the WhatsApp, the chat box appears inundated with messages. She bites her tongue and opens the inbox.

"I am here. Where are you?" -7:30 pm

"Nandini, these mosquitoes. They are killing me." -7:45 pm

"Are you coming or not? Why are you not replying, yaar?"- 7:50 pm

"Stop giggling with your mother-in-law and come outside. Or else, I will be there in a minute."- 8:10 pm

"Okay, don't blame me for what I am going to do now."- 8:35 pm

After every 15 to 20 minutes, he messaged her and here she was busy with all. But wait! What is he going to do? The thought hitches Nandini's breath. She immediately types,

"Where are you? Please don't create a problem again. I am coming outside."

It takes less than a minute to be seen and replied.

"No need. Come to the kitchen. I am here."

Reading this, her eyebrows almost touch the hairline of her forehead. She storms towards the kitchen.

Nandini: (Whines) "This boy will kill me."

Reaching the kitchen, Nandini looks here and there.

Nandini: (Supressed voice) "Manik...Manik..."

Meanwhile, Kishori calls her from outside,

Kishori: "Nandu, Kanna. Where are you? Bandu uta madi. (Come and have dinner)"

Nandini was about to reply, Suddenly, a strong hand palms her mouth and presses her to the nearest wall. Her eyes pop up with surprise. Manik nears her ear.

Manik: (Huskily) "Pati ke bina kha logi? (You will have the meal without your husband?)

Author's note: This mischief of Manik will continue in the next. More funny moments will be there. Stay tuned.