Unsolved mysteries

"Anjali...."

"My dear..."

Anjali glanced up with a jolt to see Parth sceptically looking at her. She was pretty immersed in their first meeting.

"Did you go to the drought-prone planet in search of me?" He teased, gazing at her strayed face. She seems lost somewhere. But why?

"Well...yes. I went to bring you back from that sex-deprived planet." She said sarcastically, getting up from the bed. If she stayed in bed for another minute, he would start the funny business, "Did you eat lunch?"

"I lost my appetite because someone ruined my mood." His tone was accusing as if she had committed a crime. Parth also got up from the bed, knowing that his wife was hell-bent on making him starve for her until tonight.

There he goes again! Anjali sighed. She felt Parth intentionally brought up this topic so she would feel guilty. "I am sorry again, my precious husband. You can punish me next time I do something wrong."

"I will quickly cook something delicious for you, okay?" Anjali threw her arms around his torso, squeezing him into a hug. She was determined to take him with her the next time she went on an adventure. That way, he will stop nagging.

"There will be no next time." He warned, pulling her close to his chest. He pressed his lips on top of her head lovingly, making Anjali melt into a love-struck puddle of mush. "Enough with your pampering, Mr officer. Let me go. I will prepare food_"

"I will miss you, Angel." He whispered into her ears, not intending to release her from his embrace. Parth wants to tell Anjali about his mission, but given her curiosity, it would bring more problems. What if she wants to join him? He doesn't want to ruin the happy moments, at least for now. Time flies in a blink of an eye when he is with Anjali. Without her, every minute feels like a year. He has no idea how to deal with the emptiness she has created in his heart for a month..two months.. he doesn't know. The case seems a complicated mystery.

"Where are you going?" Anjali lifted her head in confusion. "Are you going somewhere_"

"Anju...I found my cricket bat in mom's room. She is the culprit...."

The bedroom door pushed open. Anjali and Parth swiftly snapped at the source of the voice. Her brother Ansh was at the doorstep holding a cricket bat. Also, his mouth was wide open, almost a big-sized banana could fit into it.

"I_I am sorry, brother-in-law..I forgot to knock on the door." Ansh looked at the couple bashfully. His face turned red. He imagined cuddling his future girlfriend just like his brother-in-law did with his sister though it didnot last for a second. His wild fantasies shattered when he saw his mother coming after him, a broomstick in her hand.

What's with his look? Anjali thought. We are just hugging, bro. No adult content is happening here. Anjali felt like her brother was behaving like a shy mother who caught hold of a daughter and son-in-law romancing in the bedroom.

"It's high time you quit watching serials, Ansh," Parth said, reluctantly releasing Anjali from his embrace. "You are behaving like a schoolgirl."

"H_ow can you call me a schoolgirl? I am nineteen years grown adult." Ansh cried. His brother-in-law's fatal remarks were a blow to his adulthood.

"Then stop blushing like one," Anjali giggled, squishing her brother's cheeks. He swatted her hands away, scowling at her.

"Or behave like an adult", Parth said, grabbing the bat from Ansh. He twirled it, inspecting the quality of the blade. It's been a long time since he played cricket. Often his friends invite him to a match, but duty calls.

Was his behaviour apparent? Ansh groaned silently. His brother-in-law was right. He should stop watching those soap operas. But it's highly impossible. His mother, the great pompous Sharmila, will be glued to the TV by the time he returns home from college. She will not let him touch the remote. What option he has?

Just at that moment, he heard a familiar voice. Speaking of the devil, it doth appears.

"Anjali..."

"Anjaliiiii...Did you fight with Parth? What sort of a daughter I have raised. Come out of your room, and face your mother."

"What's wrong with mom?" Anjali dashed out of the room in a panic, listening to her mother's voice louder than intended.

"What happened, Ma? Why would I fight with Parth?" Anjali asked as she descended the stairs swiftly.

A woman draped in a cotton sari, her aesthetic beauty on par with her charming personality, gazed at her daughter from head to toe, causing Anjali to flutter in anxiety.

"Sheel informed that Parth called their landline, and you avoided talking to him. Is this the way you respect your husband?" Sharmila nagged. She had just returned home, and her neighbour Sheela called her. She was peering from the compound wall, awaiting to complain. The jealous woman finds every chance to poke her nose into their family matters.

"Mom..that..I_I_" Anjali racked her brain to make an alibi. She looked at Parth, who was descending the stairs. She silently pleaded with him.

"Tell the truth, Anjali.." Parth added fuel to the fire. It's a chance that he cannot miss.

Anjali swallowed hard. The broomstick lying in the kitchen will come to life if her mother knows the truth. Sheela Aunty! It's time I put a plaster on your mouth. The ghost outfit she wore for a college drama is lying in the cupboard.

"Where are your manners, Sharmila?"

Anjali was so involved that she didnot realize her father has entered the house. Her face lit up, hearing the footsteps of her saving grace.

"Is this how you treat our son-in-law when he comes home? Prepare the coffee. You can reprimand your daughter later."

Anjali and her father looked at each other, communicating telepathically.

"Oh my Goodness!" Sharmila pressed a hand on her forehead for her ignorance. "I completely forgot. Thanks for reminding me." She apologized to Parth and hurried into the kitchen, dragging Anjali.

"So, you read the news?" Parth asked, not missing Anjali and his father-in-law's muted exchanges. Both are partners in crime. His father-in-law, Dev Anand, is a man of fewer words.Parth feels that he is a closed book with full of secrets. Yet his unconditional love for his daughter determines what sort of man he is.

"This is not the first time." He chuckled, shaking his head. "I hope my princess is not giving you a hard time." He guided Parth to the balcony for a talk.

"I am getting used to it, just like you." Parth's reply earned a roar of laughter from his father-in-law.

"I am moving to a different city on an important case. It might take a month or more than that." Parth stated, not disclosing the case details. "Anjali will stay here until I return." His parents are not in India at the moment. Anjali will definitely feel alone.

"My daughter is always welcome to her home," Dev added. He didnot pry into the case details, for he knew the CBI policies. Family or outsiders, keep it restricted. "I heard from your Moksh that you are digging into that case. Are you?" He calmly questioned, gazing at the distant mountains.

Parth didnot speak a word, yet his tight grip on the balcony rail was all that was needed for Dev to confirm.

"It's closed long back. Why now?" Dev said rather disapprovingly. "If this is your reason for joining CBI, I must say, you are wasting your time. I can't entrust my daughter with you if this is what you want. I suggest you stop investigating it. It will only lead you to perils."

"Why?" Was the only question Parth asked. His eyes peering at his father-in-law, wonder, fear, doubt all his emotions in one spot.

"Because some mysteries are better left unsolved."

....

Dev Anand: pronounced as d-ai-v Aa-nand

If readers wonder why Anjali's mother is obsessed with a broomstick, the connection between mothers and broomsticks is an emotion for Indian mothers. It's just a way to scare their children, though they will not go to the extent of beating them.