She Came Back

She was leaving the next day. It was a rude shock, but one he had to live with. He had planned to say a lot today but where the heck was she? Everytime the phone rang his heart jumped... but the entire day had passed and there was no word from her. The evening was ushering in the night...would she call or...

Why had she to leave so suddenly anyway? Unwillingly, he admitted the reason to himself - she was leaving because she was upset; thanks to the yelling match between them yesterday. But what could he have done? Things were getting out of hand. He had to say something! Still, he was going to miss her; all those memorable dinners, the pleasant moments.

He started at the sound of the doorbell. Maybe it was she, he thought hopefully, as he opened the door. Wonder of wonders, there she was! Petite, calm, and with grimness writ on her face, she said to him, "I will come back only if you apologize and such incidents don’t happen again". He swallowed pride and nodded. He was almost too relieved for words. With a tenderness he never thought himself capable of, he said, "Kavitha Bai, you know how much we appreciate you. In fact, you will get 100 Rupees more, henceforth", he paused, "Just don’t ever put sugar in my Soup again. I can’t stand it!" The cook nodded her head demurely and headed towards the kitchen to perform one more of her culinary miracles. He heaved a sigh of contentment- all was well with the world again.