“So what’s the program this new year?” her eyes blinked.

“I would take you to the moon…..” I smiled.

She smiled back.

“Heya where are you going?” I asked holding her arm while she tried to stand from the bench.

“Come on….Packing for the trip is still pending…..?” her quick reply with a little wink was enough for me to brighten up the evening.

She held my hand , even after 12 years of marriage, her hand still “electrifies” me. (hey do not read it as electricutes me, as it is with most of the couples.)

The sun had coloured the evening crimson, light clouds in the west added the required romanticism for the night.

Both of us walked through the maze of flowers emerging out of the wild grass that had grown over the less trodden kuchha road.

I had a ten rupee note, saved by me.

“Lets dine  together at some ……” I tried to suggest some name while my right hand searched in the pocket to check the existence of the sole note I had . My left hand over her shoulders, not only out of love, but because I knew the cold wind would hit the back of her neck. At least my arm would save the exposed skin from these chilly winds.

“Bt our favourite chef at Hotel Taj is on leave…we’ll go some other day for the dinner,”

Her head automatically tilted on my chest and the cold wind that was hitting my chest was stopped by her daring face. We walked through the lonely path towards our home.

“Walk faster, it might rain……”

We paced up towards the home, if our sweater get wet, we would have none to wear for the next day.

SPLASH…….. she stumbled on the path-way. My arms saved her from falling completely , but still her ankle sprained.

“Ah…. So you would like me to carry you home.”

“Hmm…. My super-man.”

I lifted her in arms…….

“AAAAYYEEEE…. What are you doing…….” She screamed as I gestured to lift her.

“ha ha ha lets sit there for some time.”

Both of us sat on the parapet. I made her comfortable on the parapet and bowed down, taking her feet in my hands…….

“AAArrreee ….. what would people say…… Pleaseeeeee” she squirmed.

“Your ankle is strained and I can see it swelling.” I said as I massaged her ankle.

“PLEASE ….leave my foot. See, how that man is looking at us……”

I turned my eys towards him , “Ah Gupta ji, please bring your car, she has sprained her ankle……” I said in a loud tone, so that all the Gupta, Verma and Sharma could listen.

I knew all these hypocrite people, if you ask for help no one would come near. Bloody neighbours, good for gossip only.

Gupta ji moved on as if had he had neither heard my voice, nor had seen us.

My wife smiled and I could see the sea of love and admiration in her eyes for me.

After a little massage, I pulled the muffler from my neck and wrapped her feet…..

“UUUFFFF …. You are un-necessarily getting worried. Please….. this is for your …… Don’t put that at my feet…..” she said in hushing tone.

“Come on… if your feet gets swollen how would I take you to the moon…. I won’t spend money for hiring a special carrier for you ….”

“Ah…so all this is to save money.” She smiled while her arms were on my shoulders.

This God is so cruel, the last ten rupee note I had saved by going to work on feet for three days…. I had thought of buying a pastry with that …both of us would have cut it with knife and have shared it after the dinner. But now I had decided to buy some pain-killer with this note.

“You sit here. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I went straight to the chemist shop at the corner.

“Brufane or any other pan killer, three tablets atleast.”

“hmm.. Take this one, Rs 12….”

I had just the ten rupee note…… Without saying a thing I forwarded the note to him.

I knew he would ask for Rs 2 ……

“Hey Uncle , take your change back…..” said the chemist and he gave me Rs 88 back.

“B..But……”

“Anything else, be quick……” said the chemist.

“Move on, I am in hurry, “ said another customer and pushed me aside.

I strode towards my wife……

“Oh why did you waste the last note ….”, she complained . Spending money for this pain seemed a wastage for her….

“Come on, that last note earned Rs 88….” I winked.

She smiled.

“Now we can buy a cake” I said

“Nah, just one pastry, we’ll share” she said while a naughty smile played on her lips. “And then we would plan how to spend the rest of money…” I said. “At least now we have something for which we could use the high sounding word “plan”.”

We bought the single pine-apple pastry for our new-year eve…..

“Come on, lets move, see a drop of rain just fell on my hand….”

“Yeah we must move, it might rain soon…”

“Yeah its getting dark……”

We moved in the drizzling. Hands numb and the water droplets entered by shoes. She took the muffler off from her feet and we used it as a little shelter to protect our heads while we walked. I saw pain in her eyes yet she smiled …… painful smiles.

“See, isn’t he Gopal….” She said.

“Yeah he is Gopal….”

“Hello, Gopal… you here, at this time… is everything fine….”

“Vandana is getting labour-pains. The mid-wife is asking for Rs 500 for the delivery.”

“Hey take this …..” I extended what-ever I had in my hands.
While she went inside the house to bring out some old sweaters of our son.

“And also take these, old clothes of our son, I made them when I was …..” she blushed while she gave the old woolen sweaters to Gopal.

Gopal took the money and the sweaters….

“I had thought that I would use the wool of all these old sweaters to make a sweater for you” she said.

“And I thought of taking you to the moon with that money……”

“Nah….I would not go to moon. See the swelling in my feet”

“Okay… next year we would go to the moon to celebrate.”

“Yeh…and do not forget the dinner you had promised me…..”

Sharing the pastry we laughed our way to enter the New Year in a jolly mood.

Next Morning we woke up with the high pitched sound of Gopal.

“I am blessed with a son….. your help saved us….May Lord shower your house with lakhs of rupees….”

“Nah, we do not need that blessing….. Just pray I get him in the next births too” she said blushingly.

I came out in the court-yard as I listened their conversation.

At the threshold of the door, I saw a khakhi envelop…… Govt. of India, Department of  Industries….I opened the envelop…..

“OYEEEEEE I have been granted the relief from the Govt. for the land…… See Rs 5 lakh draft….”

“That’s great…..”

“Lets plan….”

“So what’s the program this new year?”

“I would take you to the moon…..”