The rest of the week passed as usual. However, on Friday, Vaidehi was assigned to lead a project that she was quite excited for. "Vaidehi, with the specialization of your master's, and your previous research experience, you would be the best candidate to lead this project. We need some fresh perspectives before these cases run completely cold, and we are trusting that you can do this. I've assigned two senior employees as well, but the rest of the team is going to consist of newer joinees. You've been welcomed fairly well here, so I don't think you'll face many issues. But just remember, focus on the project and don't let workplace politics distract you, hmm? Good, now go and relax for the weekend. You deserve it. We'll do the official brief on Monday and get the project rolling."

"Sounds good, sir, ma'am." Vaidehi nodded at her two superiors, who also happened to be cousins. "Thank you for putting your faith in us. And enjoy your weekend!" Vaidehi left work with an extra spring in her step, already planning a special feast for dinner. She loved to cook and experiment with all sorts of cuisines and recipes. She cooked when she was happy, sad, frustrated, angry, or pretty much felt any sort of emotion. It wasn't her only hobby (the shelf filled with jigsaw puzzles and puzzle books could attest to that), but it was a stress-buster and the easiest to give time to.

As everyone, minus her husband of course, was gathered in the living room drinking chai, Vaidehi posed her question. "Toh aaj special feast banane ke soch rahi hoon, dinner ke liye. Agar requests hain, toh abhi bata dijiye."

(Today I was thinking of making a special feast for dinner. So, if you have any requests, tell me now.)

"Bhabhi, mujhe sambar chahiye!"

(Bhabhi, I want sambar!)

"Bhabhi, woh jo aap stuffed eggplant wala banate hain na, woh chahiye."

(Bhabhi, you know that stuffed eggplant you make, I want that.)

"Aur hume woh extra spicy jollof rice (west african tomato rice dish) chahiye!"

(And we want that extra spicy tomato rice!)

Aparna and Chandrika both scolded their children for their insensitivity. "Haan haan, puch liya toh bas farmaish dijiye, hukum!"

(Of course, she asked, so you tell her all your wishes!)

"Pehle toh yeh puchna chahiye tha na ki aaj kuch special hain kya. Aur yeh bhi kehna tha ki hum madat karenge. Beakal ke bandar sab ke sab."

(You should have first asked if anything special happened today. And also offered to help. Idiots.)

Chandrika smiled at Vaidehi, "Beta, kuch khushkhabri hain kya?"

(Dear, do you have any good news?)

Vaidehi smiled widely, unable to control herself. "Haan! Ek project hain, jo bohot purana hain aur long-term bhi hain. I always wanted to give it a shot because it's in my area of expertise, aur ab mujhe uss project ka lead bana diya gaya. Main bohot excited hoon!"

(Yes! There's a very old and long-term project. I've always wanted to give it a shot because it's my area of expertise, and now I've been promoted to lead that project. I'm really excited!)

Everyone clapped and cheered for her, while the elders blessed her. Priya was looking at Vaidehi with admiration bordering on heroine-worship in her eyes.

"Bhabhi, aap kitne intelligent aur talented hain. Aur haar baat ko broadcast bhi nahi karte, unlike other people."

(Bhabhi, you're so intelligent and talented. And you don't broadcast everything, unlike other people.)

She glared at her three older brothers, who never left a chance to brag about their accomplishments, even in jest, while Akshu snorted, unable to control her laughter. Pursing her lips in thought, she asked, "Bhabhi, main bhi apni agle steps ke baare mein soch rahi hoon. Ab mera Bachelor's ho gaya hain, toh main aapki tarah accelerated program toh nahi kar sakti. Par mujhe aapki advice chahiye, foreign programs ke baare mein."

(Bhabhi, I've been thinking about my next steps, too. I've almost completed my Bachelor's, so I can't join an accelerated program like you. But, I would like your advice on foreign programs.)

"Of course, kyu nahi."

(Of course, why not.)

Vaidehi was accepted into an accelerated BS/MS program in the United States, where she completed both her bachelor's and master's in four years. She majored in mathematics with a concentration in cryptology, and a minor in computer science, at Carnegie Mellon University, a college well known for that field.

Due to personal reasons, she had received permission to complete her fourth year of study online, especially since the majority of it was one-on-one work related to her thesis. Her Nani and Nana had passed away within weeks of each other, which took a toll on her parents. She needed to return home to handle most of the funeral arrangements with her brother, and later, help manage the legal requirements. Immediately after graduating, she was hired for a lucrative position in a government agency, in the cryptology department, and also taught a course as a guest lecturer at an associated college. It was quite a list of accomplishments, especially as she was only 23 years old. Well, she would be in a month.

"Bhabhi, kitne size mein kaatoon?" (Bhabhi, what size should I cut it?) Chandrika and Aparna had insisted that if their children request special meals from their Bhabhi, they must help her in cooking them. Truly, they had been trying to get their children to learn how to cook, and now they had the perfect excuse to force them into the kitchen. With the bluetooth speaker connected and everyone belting out the lyrics, there was more partying than cooking in the kitchen. Dancing their way through two playlists, and burning a few things along the way, they had managed to create a great spread of a feast and began setting up the table. "Wah, kya baat hain, Vaidehi! Kitni acchi khushboo aa rahi hain!"

(Wow, Vaidehi! The food smells great!)

"Excuse me, Papa, hum bhi assistant chefs the Bhabhi ki!"

(Excuse me, Papa, we were also Bhabhi's assistant chefs!)

Rishi Chachu snorted. "Wah bhai, pehli baar jo kitchen mein kadam rakha aur assistant chefs ban gaye sab!"

(Oh wow, you all stepped into the kitchen for the first time and became assistant chefs!)

"Papa, Chachu! Sach mein, bohot help kiye hain sab, aur kitchen mein naturally talented hain. Hain na?"

(Papa, Chachu, please! Really, everyone helped me a lot, and they're naturally talented in the kitchen. Right?)

Vaidehi winked at the disgruntled group, who gave their fathers smug looks at her support. "Main kya kehthi hoon, ki har roz unse hi khana banaye. Itne acche jo banate hain."

(You know what, we should have them cook everyday, since they cook so well.)

"Issiliye tum meri beti ho!"

(That's why you're my daughter!)

Ranvijay enthusiastically clapped her on the back.

"Theek hain, theek hain, ab khane ke liye baith jaiye sab."

(Alright, alright, everyone sit down to eat.)

Two place settings were missing from the table, and Chandrika commented on it as Vaidehi and Yagnik walked around the table serving everyone. They usually served themselves, but today was special, so they were attempting to be fancy. "Beta, tum apne liye plate kyu nahi lagaya. Pehle toh tumhari special day hain, phir tumne humare liye yeh sab khana banaya, aur ab tum hi nahi kha rahi ho?"

(Beta, you set a plate for yourself. It's your special day, and you made all this food, and you're the one not eating?)

"Maa, main woh...Raghuveer ji ke liye wait karungi."

(Maa, I..I'll wait for Raghuveer ji.)

She didn't usually wait to eat with him, especially when she skipped meals due to work and couldn't control her hunger. But today was a special day. She knew he didn't care, but she still wanted to do something to make it feel like she was sharing this special moment with her husband. "Kya chal raha hain yaha?"

(What's happening here?)

Speak of the devil. Raghuveer Malhotra, the famous businessman, and Vaidehi's infamous husband, walked into the dining room. He had clearly just returned from work, his hair slightly mussed and still carrying his briefcase. Ranvijay smirked at his son, "Aa gaye, janaab?"

(The master finally returned?)

Chandrika smiled at her husband and son. "Jaldi fresh hokar aao, beta. Hum wait karenge, saath mein khana khayenge."

(Freshen up quickly, beta. We'll wait for you and eat together.)

"Nahi Maa, mein..."

(No Maa, I...)

"Main kuch nahi sunungi. Aaj Friday hain aur special din bhi hain, toh hum saath mein khayenge, bas. Jaldi aao."

(I won't listen to any excuses. Today's Friday and a special day, so we'll all eat together and that's it. Come quickly.)

Raghuveer sighed, shaking his head, but left to follow his mother's orders. "Yagnik, apne Bhai aur Bhabhi ke liye plates lagao."

(Yagnik, set the plates for your Bhai and Bhabhi.)

Vaidehi had finished serving Raghuveer's plate as he came and sat down in the seat opposite to her. Everyone said a small prayer of thanks before digging in. "Maa, Chachi, khana bohot accha hain aaj."

(Maa, Chachi, the food's really good today.)

Raghuveer looked tired before, but a hint of a smile played on his face as he enjoyed his food. Aparna smirked, "Accha? Lekin aaj humne khana nahi banaye."

(Really? But we didn't cook today.)

"Malti taayi ne banayi?"

(Malti aunty made it?)

Malti was their housekeeper, and chef whenever necessary. Yuv and Yug couldn't control their excitement, squirming to let their Bhai know that they had helped their Bhabhi in the kitchen. "Bhai, actually..." Aparna glared at them, wanting Raghuveer to guess his wife's name. "Phir kisne banaya?"

(Then who made the food?)

He looked up, frowning in confusion.

"Arey bhai, aur kaun? Tumhara biwi aur humari beti ne. Aur haan, khaas baat yeh hain ki tumhare sab bhai bhehen ne kitchen mein jaake unke Bhabhi ki madat kiye hain."

(Who else? Your wife and our daughter. And the important point is that all your siblings and cousins helped their Bhabhi.)

Raghuveer was about to put a piece of paratha in his mouth but stopped, looking up at Vaidehi, who had her head bent but was trying to observe his reaction from the corner of her eye. "Tumhe khana bhi bana sakthi ho?"

(You know how to cook?)

The table went silent for a moment. Shit! His family was not going to be happy. Suddenly Yagnik chuckled. "Bhai, aapko phone aur laptop ki tarah apni humor ko bhi refresh karna chahiye. Kitne sade hue jokes maarthe hain aap!"

(Bhai, you should refresh your humor like you refresh your phone and laptop. You crack such boring jokes!)

Everyone burst out laughing at that, entirely willing to believe him. Yagnik was quite protective of his Bhabhi. Even though he was actually two years older than her, they shared a relationship somewhere between good friends and older sister-younger brother. It was this protectiveness that saved the situation at the dining table, but it looked like he would need to have a serious talk with his brother.

Finally, it was time for dessert, and the kheer, because what's a desi celebration without kheer, was served. Priya moaned, putting a spoon of kheer in her mouth. "Nothing hits like a perfect spoonful of kheer after dinner." Suddenly her eyes widened, and she stared at Raghuveer. "Arey haan, Bhai aapne Bhabhi ko wish nahi kiya."

(Bhai, you didn't wish Bhabhi.)

He raised his eyebrow in question.

"Kyunki Bhabhi ko woh project mil gaya. Yeh sab special issiliye toh banaya tha."

(Because Bhabhi got that project. That's why all this food was made today.)

"Hmm, pata hain mujhe. Congratulations."

(Hmm, I know. Congratulations)

Vaidehi scoffed quietly, looking down at her kheer. He didn't know anything, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. As far as Raghuveer knew, she worked as a part-time lecturer at a college in town. In his mind, she was a woman without ambition. One who wasted a foreign education on a job that half the population could do. In fact, her lack of ambition was stealing an opportunity for someone better qualified for such a job. He knew nothing else about her educational background or her job. He had never bothered to find out, so she had never shared the information. Perhaps she wasn't as ambitious as 'the Raghuveer Malhotra', but the ambitions she had suited her just fine. At least the nature of her work allowed for some work-life balance, unlike her husband, whose dictionary didn't include the word 'balance'.