Banerjee - Forbidden Desires

Naina: Born and brought up in London to Punjabi parents. Smart as paint with an Honours degree in English Literature. Uber cool. Supremely sexy. High exotic cheek bones over her porcelain white skin. Sparkling brown eyes. Long, dark brown hair. Model features but more sophisticated, with curves. 34 DD chest. Takes oomph to another level. Excellent cook.

Met Kaushik, her husband, in London. In a bus. They both went for the same seat. Ladies first, he had said. She was playful that day, No no, its reserved for the elderly. It was instant attraction. They decided not to sit. Chatted for hours in a coffee shop. Till the rains came and went. It was love at first sight. A well-meaning friend would later try to warn Naina, Men who fall in love so quickly fall out of it just as quickly. By then the advice had come too late; Naina was in love, she didnt care: the chemistry was electrifying. The first thing she noticed about him was his hands (love those fingers in my hairpulling me back hard) He was captivated by her no-nonsense attitude. Her drive to succeed. Her gorgeous breasts.

Ask me a dirty question, she had brushed her foot against his leg at the coffee shop on their first date. That had immediately given him a hard on. Hed never met an Indian woman like this. She was different from most Indian women he had ever met. Probably because they were all so homely. This one? This one was challenging.

How long does a shag last?

Without blinking she had answered as if it was most natural for two strangers to talk this way, 10 to 20 minutes. You?

About 40 minutes.

Liar.

An hour later he would prove he wasnt a liar. They went to his place and she didnt leave till the next morning. He was right. Forty minutes.

Six months later, they were married.

Nainas parents loved Kaushik. They couldnt have arranged it better if they had put an ad in the matrimonial papers. Tall, good-looking, cultured, studying to become a lawyer. Enamored by their daughter. Born of cultured Bengali parents who lived in Chittranjan Park. Soft spoken. A family man. Perfect.

But Kaushiks parents were apprehensive about her Punjabi background. Too much rowdiness dont you think, Kaushik?

Oh yes, Kaushik had replied. But I like it like that. They gave in. He was their only son and they wanted him to be happy.

Kaushik and Naina couldnt keep their hands off each other. They would find ways to meet up in the middle of the day for a quick shag. They worked round the clock at their jobs. Both were passionate about their careers. He loved that about her: a woman as driven as him made him wild with pleasure.

They would drink at bars and dance the night away only to go back to work in the morning. London allowed them to do that. The city demanded more out of you. Their love gave them that stamina.

As soon as they got married she moved into his apartment in Soho, giving up the rented place which she shared with a roommate. She wasnt homely at all except for the cooking. She made elaborate dinners for Kaushik, fattening him up with her food and her love.

After six months of marital bliss, she was pregnant. She held the pregnancy stick, leaning against the bathroom sink, staring at the clear, two lines, Fuck! How could this be? They were so sure they were doing the withdrawal method properly! It was too soon for them to have a child.

They discussed if they should keep the baby. Id like to spend more time with you, Kaushik had said. But what else could he say? It was her body, after all. And he did want to be a father at some point. He was hoping, though, that it didnt happen now.

I still want to work, Naina had disclosed, unsure, a train of thoughts trailing behind what she spoke.

But then they went for their first sonography, and they heard the babys heartbeat. So fast! And alive! Thats when they knew they were ready to have a baby.

They moved back to Delhi. Both their parents were there; it would be easier to take care of a child. He got a job with an international law firm in New Delhi. At first Naina was hesitant to leave London and her career. But with a little convincing from her parents that she could soon find a job in India and manage a child, she was eager to come back home.

Her parents were happy. They didnt like her working in London anyway. They always said she didnt come down to visit often enough. She would always say she couldnt afford to take leave from work, getting only two weeks off in a year. Im a chef at Four Seasons, Ma, Naina would remind them. Someday Ill bring you here and youll see for yourself how packed we are and how busy I am all the time.

Her parents didnt have to worry once they were in Delhi. They saw her all the time. A little too much for Kaushiks liking, though. Please dont make me go to their house again, he would plead ever so often. She had her complaints too: she was tired of all the Bengali food at his parents place, to start with. I want to stay at home and have pizza, Kaushik, she would whine. I cant have fish curry-rice again for Sunday lunch!