CHAPTER 4: HOME FEELS WARMER WITH MAA
CHAPTER 4: HOME FEELS WARMER WITH MAA
Pia's Point of View
There's something magical about the sound of laughter drifting from the kitchen. Especially when it's your mother-in-law joking about your husband's terrible chopping skills.
Maa had arrived that morning with a suitcase, a big smile, and a box of her homemade almond brittle. She wasn't just visiting—she was staying for a few days.
"I needed a break," she said, brushing a few strands of her silver-streaked hair from her face as I helped her unpack in the guest room. "Hospitals never rest, but I can."
"And we're very glad to be your recovery center," I grinned.
"Recovery and pampering, please."
"Oh, pampering is mandatory," I winked.
I loved having her here. From the first time we met, she'd made me feel seen—not just as Arjun's wife, but as me. Warm, witty, and quietly affectionate, she had a way of folding herself into your world like she'd always belonged there. I never had to try too hard with her. It was easy.
Comfortable.
---
By noon, we were all in the kitchen—Ma at the stove, me beside her, and Arjun trying (and failing) to look useful with a chopping board.
"You're holding that knife like a nervous intern," Rhea teased him.
"I am nervous. You both are judging me."
"Only silently," I quipped.
"Traitor," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at me.
Rhea and I burst into giggles.
It felt good. The three of us in one space, moving around like we'd done it for years. The smell of cumin and garlic filled the kitchen as Ma stirred the curry pot, occasionally offering me tips I hadn't even asked for.
"Add the tomatoes after the onions brown properly," she instructed gently. "It brings out the sweetness."
"I swear I tell her that every time," Arjun said, smirking.
"You also once told me the water needed to be boiling before adding rice. I've never trusted you again."
Arjun looked at me with a surprise reaction. It was different from how he takes my jokes. Maa nudged him softly which made him snap back to reality.
"You wound me, Pia."
"Okay, okay," Ma laughed, breaking it up. "Let's not fight over onions. Save that drama for naming your future works."
---
After lunch, we curled up on the living room sofa with mugs of chai and some of Ma's almond brittle. She sat between us, her legs folded under her, her dupatta draped just so. I admired how effortlessly she carried herself—always so composed, but never cold.
"You know," she said, looking around the room, "this place has a soul now."
"It's all Pia," Arjun said. "Left to me, there would still be two bean bags and one mattress on the floor."
"Sounds about right," she said dryly. "Thankfully, she saved you."
"Saved me and then made me eat lauki," he added with a dramatic shudder.
"It was one time!" I said, laughing.
"I'm on Pia's side," Ma chimed in. "Lauki is good for digestion."
"I feel so betrayed," he said, tossing a cushion at me.
It was light, playful, us. And somewhere between that laughter and the shared glances, I realized this—this—was home.
---
In the late afternoon, Maa and I went to the balcony. The sky was soft with the promise of an evening drizzle. We sat quietly for a while, sipping our second round of chai.
"I've been thinking," she said, eyes on the distant skyline, "about cutting down my hours at the hospital."
I turned toward her, surprised. "Really?"
She nodded. "I've been running for years. Raising Arjun, working night shifts, managing home and emergencies. I'm not tired exactly... but I want to rest before I get there."
"That makes sense," I said softly. "You deserve to slow down."
She looked at me, her expression thoughtful. "And maybe I just want to spend more time like this. With you two. Waking up in a house that smells like fresh coriander and incense."
I smiled. "Stay as long as you want. You already feel like home here."
Her hand reached out and squeezed mine. "Thank you, beta. I know I say this often, but you've filled this home with warmth. With love."
"You're the one who made me feel welcome from the start," I replied. "I didn't have to try so hard. That made all the difference."
She didn't say anything after that. She just smiled, and in that quiet, I felt something shift—like she wasn't just Arjun's mother anymore. She was mine too.
---
That night, we cooked together again. Nothing fancy—just dal, rice, a dry sabzi, and rotis. But there was so much laughter in the kitchen it could've been a festival.
"Arjun, get the plates."
"Already on it, chef," he called from the cabinet.
"Not that one! That's the serving tray."
"That's a plate for giants, Arjun," I said.
"Or a very ambitious dinner."
"Beta," Ma said with mock sternness, "even your father doesn't eat that much."
"I'm overcompensating," he grinned.
We sat down to dinner together, and for the first time in a while, I wasn't thinking about what I had to clean later, or the emails I hadn't replied to. I was there—with them, laughing, eating, and soaking in the joy that came so simply.
---
Later, after cleaning up and changing into pajamas, Ma and I sat on the bed in her guest room, flipping through old photos on her phone.
"This one was Arjun's 10th birthday," she said, holding up a picture of a scrawny boy grinning beside a lopsided cake.
"He looks so serious," I giggled.
"He took his cake very seriously."
"And this one?" I asked, pointing to a picture of a younger Rhea with a stethoscope and a tired smile.
"Taken after a 36-hour shift. Aryaveer and I had just finished surgery and I had no sleep. But I came home to a drawing Arjun made for me—stick figures of the three of us. That's what I'm smiling at."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. "You've done so much. You still do."
She looked at me gently. "And now, I want to do less and be more. With you, with Arjun. That's why I'm staying for a while. I want to be part of your every day."
I nodded, smiling through the warmth in my chest. "We'd love nothing more."
"Good," she said, getting under the covers. "Now go to bed, beta. Or you'll look like me tomorrow morning."
"Then I'll still look gorgeous," I teased.
She laughed and waved me off. "Sweet-talker."
---
Back in our bedroom, I slipped into bed beside Arjun, who immediately pulled me into his arms.
"She's staying longer," I whispered, curling into him.
"I know," he murmured. "It feels nice, doesn't it?"
"It feels right."
He kissed my forehead. "You make her happy. You make me happy."
As his breathing steadied beside me, I thought about how full this little world of ours had become. Ma wasn't just a guest in our house. She was a piece of our family puzzle that clicked into place perfectly.
And as sleep wrapped its arms around me, I felt more loved than ever.
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