The Inconvenient Wife - Chapter 38
Rohan pondered this as he sipped on the coffee. The bitter taste broke his train of thought.
“Sneha, I don’t know about Florida nor do I know much about San Francisco other than what the branch manager there and Mr. Gupta have told me. We just both need to be prepared for the fact that things will change and maybe not in a manner we necessarily like. Like food for instance.”
“Yes I know but if there is a possibility that things are going to change so drastically why not enjoy what we can have right now?” Her hot plate of food arrived before her at the perfect time. She smiled as she rolled a piece of roti around a pinch of chicken and rice and waved it in front of Rohan’s mouth. He smiled and bit it right out of her hands.
Rohan ran down the pier with one bag stuffed to the brim with sunscreen, jackets, shoes and a blanket and the other overflowing with tin lunch canisters, wine bottles, fruit and water. “Hurry up, Sneha. We are already twenty minutes late!” He waved frantically and yelled out to the elderly boat captain who saw him and waved back.
Dressed in a bikini and a sarong Sneha struggled to hold down her giant straw hat and carry her tote bag as she ran to the boat. Rohan flung the bags down on the chair to help Sneha inside.
“Hey! Be careful with those bags. I bought some special wine for us to drink out there in the jungle.” Sneha exclaimed.
Rohan, though irritated, apologized. “I’m just trying to get you on this boat so we can get our money’s worth. I promise I’ll be more mindful. I forgot how important those imported wines are to you.”
“Yes and I want to be the first to introduce you to the heady taste of Italy’s sumptuous wines,” Sneha said.
“Well I can’t promise I’ll enjoy it as I’m more of a beer man myself but I can promise I will try it just for you,” Rohan then gives her a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you, my love,” she replies. “Shall we open a bottle now?”
Rohan scrunches up his nose at the idea. “No time like the present.”
Sneha delighted at his permission and bounced out of her chair to the bench holding all of the bags. As she searched through one of the bags for the wine opener, the boat jerks forward sending Sneha flying face first into the chair. She let out a yelp then Rohan hopped to her side as he yelled at the boat captain to keep it steady. The cranky, old captain waved off his request as he took another drag on his hand rolled cigarette and lurched forth again.
Rohan turns her over and cradles her in his arms as she holds her nose. “Is it broken?” he asked. She noticed the blood on her fingertips. She would hate to have to go to the local clinic to get her nose reset and ruin the rest of her honeymoon. She slowly pushed her nose side to side then winced in pain. “No. It doesn’t feel like it but I’m not going to be pretty in about thirty minutes. Good thing I bought some ice from that grocery store.” Sneha reached out for her tote bag but Rohan grabbed it for her. He insisted that he help her so she asked him to put a few small chunks of ice in a hand towel for her. He quickly made her an ice pack and gently placed it on her face. She lay in his lap and let out a defeated sigh. “This isn’t starting out as the romantic day trip I had planned for us.”