“Don’t worry sweetie. The house looks perfect. You have done a great job” Amit attempted to console a rather worked up Priya who was busy dusting the living room. “But Amit this is amma’s first visit – I want our house to be perfect. I want her to know we are fine. Really fine and quit worrying about us.” Priya ranted continuing her frenzied attack on the framed picture of Taj Mahal that hung behind the sofa.

They had just got married a couple of months back and set up their new home in the suburbs of the city – their starter home as they liked to call it. Nothing like the dream home Priya had grown up in. The home her parents had poured their love and money into. The manicured gardens, the carefully collected curios from around the world, dusting and cleaning routines kept the house picture perfect – like something out of those home magazines Priya subscribed to. The magazines lying in a basket in the restroom – the basket Priya had moved to the living room a few hours ago.

“I still need to clean the bathroom after I shower, mop the kitchen floors, light the agarbati to freshen up the house” Priya continued on with her tirade as Amit watched his usually calm and collected wife go crazy over arrival of their first house guest. “Stop! Not the sofa – take the chair, I just fluffed the cushions” came Priya’s voice arresting Amit mid-air. He was just about to flop on their sofa – their housewarming gift from Priya’s parents. The 3+ 2 seater sofa with covered with intricate and beautiful jacquard beige and blue fabric. It was their favorite hangout spot. They both loved it. The sofa was extremely comfortable and most evenings Priya and Amit would lie on it sharing stories from their day at work. They ate TV dinners watching reality shows and football matches. They sat with their laptops and assorted electronic gear clicking away into the nights as they struggled to meet deadlines. The jacquard sofa had seen it all – tears, fears, spills, love, anger and more. It was a comforting companion. Many nights as Amit got back home late, he would walk in to find Priya asleep on the sofa. Her hands tucked into the folds of the sofa, the throw pillows kicked off and the TV droning on some Bollywood beats.

With Amit still in school and Priya interning money was tight, love was plentiful and dreams plenty and their home told the tale. The décor was definitely from warehouse sales or budget store clearance sections, floors creaked, the walls were thin and the central heating and cooling system was outdated. But they made it work. They loved the space they created and had never looked back. Till Priya’s mom announced that she would love to visit them one weekend. Her plans threw Priya off. She whirled around making lists, losing them and remaking them. Everything in her usual adorable way. Amit’s well-meant gestures of help were overthrown and suggestions discarded as Priya tried to fit the house into a box too small for it. Amit stood there watching Priya handle the finishing touches before her mother arrived.

“Goodbye mum and I love you” said Priya as she hugged her mother. It was Monday morning and Priya’s mother was off to the airport. The weekend was a fun-filled one. “Raving success” texted Amit from his commute to school earlier that morning. Priya’s mom loved the house, admired the creative touches they had put in and was happy. Priya was relived and so was Amit. “Phew!” Priya sighed as she shut the door behind her mother and collapsed on the sofa. She had to rush to work and catch up with all the work she was supposed to have done on Friday – the day she had spent cleaning up. She would in a few minutes. Once she rested and caught her breath.

She kicked those throw pillows – perfectly fluffed and all down and stretched out on the sofa with her shoes on. The scent of agarbati clinging to the air was cloying. “I need to open a couple of windows” she thought tucking her hands comfortably inside the folds of the sofa cushions. “Gosh! I missed this comfort” she muttered. “Sofas are meant to be slept on “. Her hands hit something. She pulled out a small envelope tucked right between the folds of the jacquard sofa.

“Now where did this come from” wondered Priya aloud as she opened the unsealed envelope. Out feel 1000$ in cash and a note.

“Lil one,

 I know you will tuck your hands for comfort into the folds of the sofa as you lie down after work sometime soon and hence I decided to leave a small gift for you here. Always remember, I love you and would be more than happy to help you and Amit. May you have a wonderful long life filled with love, laughter and happiness.

Love

Amma”

This post is a part of the April A to Z challenge. 26 days, 26 letters and 26 short stories. Come back tomorrow for more.