“You know my mother in law is like this little fish bone. She seems perfectly innocuous but she is hard to swallow.”

Maya stared at the thin one inch fish bone her friend was holding between her thumb and index finger.

“What do you mean?”

Sonali pointed at her neatly divided fish stake “My sex life is like this stake. Just when the going gets good she barges in!”

Maya grinned at her vivacious friend, “Are you telling me that her ears are peeled to the door and doesn’t let you get some action.”

"I’m saying that we cannot have sex before twelve in the night, it is either – beta come see this movie or it is – beta come out ballu bhaiya is on long distance call. I’m sick of the old woman.”

Ignoring her dish Maya joked “Maybe you guys could put the – Do Not Disturb sign on your door.”

Sonali raised a sardonic eyebrow “We could put a – Having Sex sign but that would be like raising a red flag in front of the old hag to stop us from copulating. And then that hag has the guts to demand we give her a grandson. Arreee kaha sai baacha de jugaar he nahi hone dete?”

Maya spluttered over her food “Yaar, Dil per mat lei. Why don’t you guys move out?”

Biting into her food Sonali muttered “Rajeev works with his dad. Family business and all.”

“And your purse strings are controlled by them.”Maya completed Sonali’s sentence.

“One more beer waiter!” Sonali told a passing by waiter.

“Kya? ghar me nahi melte peene ko?”

“Alcohol? Sweetheart, I have to get up at bloody six in the morning and give my saas and sasur chai morning tea and then sit in the puja room for an hour with sasu ma and the pundit.”

Maya bit her tongue – she so wanted to say – I told you so. Back in college days when Sonali was in love Maya had warned her about Rajeev business class background. For all his flashiness, Punjabi good looks and midnight blue BMW he was a traditional boy and his wife would be expected to live a traditional life. But Bollywood dreams made Sonali elope. The parents on either side pooled in for a reception but five years down the line there was still no happily ever after on sight.

“What about you Maya? How is Pradeep?”

Taking a sip of her beer Maya replied “Pradeep is fine. He is in the US right now. He should be back by next weekend.”

“Aren’t you guys planning to get married?”

“Why should we? We are happy with the way things are.”

“Aren’t you scared that he may leave you?”

Maya laughed “No Sonali, marriage is just a social contract ours is-“

“Meeting of the souls?” Sonali winked

Maya looked serious “I won’t go that far Sonali . Seriously, if we manage to be together for over ten years it will be a big thing.”

“See, this is why you need to be married.”

“Ahhh, is it a marriage or bondage?”

Sonali belched and grinned “Say what you will Maya but my relationship is on a more solid ground than yours.”

Maya merely shook her head and kept silent. Pradeep and she loved each other but the compromises did not extend to each other’s respective families. Life was easier.

“See, you two can’t even have children.”

Maya stared at her friend who just a while ago was bitching against her traditional marriage “Sonali, we don’t want to have kids.”

Finishing her rice and fish Sonali shook her head “You don’t want to get married, you don’t want children. Maya, you have no stability in your life.”

“What I have is freedom.” Maya replied as she caught the waiter’s eye and signaled for the check.

“Freedom won’t be of any importance when you get all old and wrinkled.” Sonali replied and took a puff of a mouth freshener and put it back in her tiny purse.

Maya smiled as she paid the bill with her card “I don’t think that far. Who knows what life has in store for us.”

The two friends hugged outside the restaurant.

As Sonali’s car pulled over she said “Listen, when you are in town next you must come and stay with us. Rajeev was asking about you.”

“Sure I will.” Maya replied knowing the chances of that ever happening were dim.

“Chal, see you.”

“Yeah, don’t fret over your MIL”

“Sure yaar and give my love to Prashant”

“And, you to Rajeev.”

“Call ok?” Sonali said the final words as she got into her car.

“Ya, will bye Sonali.”

Sonali’s Astra drove out of the restaurant’s drive way and Maya caught a three wheeler to go back to her hotel.