Lekha's heart was filled with immense joy to know that Ronny, her younger brother was arriving in India in the next few days. She knew that he would be halting in Mumbai during transit before boarding the connecting flight to Bangalore. Although she was a bit disappointed to know that he would be visiting her house only during his return journey, she was still excited about meeting him after five long years.
Ronny was a brilliant student who came with flying colors both in school and college. He had an insatiable hunger for studies as he followed up his MBA by joining the ACWA and emerging with distinction. After serving as a Cost Accountant in a leading automobile company in Bangalore, he migrated to USA where he got a very lucrative offer. Since then the only contact between him and Lekha was the occasional telephones. Lekha was married just a year before Ronny left India and they haven't seen each other during all these years. Ronny had never seen Nirudh, Lekha's three year old son even once.
Beaming with childish enthusiasm, Lekha rushed to her husband's room to break the news about her brother's arrival. He looked up once with a funny smile before draining all her cheer with a discouraging expression on his face.
"I don't think I will make it to the airport," He swiftly started browsing the newspaper unmindful of the emotions of Lekha. "I don't mind if you would need my car to go and meet him at the airport."
Lekha's brief moment of joy fizzled out seeing the absolute disinterest her husband showed to her. Her married life had begun to experience a few minor cracks in these last couple of years and although her husband's mute response was depressing, it never came as any shock. She immediately decided that she would go to the airport all by herself without even bothering to take 'his' car. She tried to cheer herself thinking that the meeting with his brother could well be the diversion she was looking for in her tired married life.
Ronny was arriving on a weekday and hence Lekha had decided to let her kid go the school. She hired a cab right from the entrance of her building till the airport. Although she had left well in time, the cab was held in heavy traffic all the way and by the time she alighted at the airport, the announcement was just being made about the arrival of the flight. She managed to squeeze herself among those who were waiting outside the terminal and began awaiting Ronny's exit from the check-out point. Soon, she could identify the familiar face from those passengers who streamed out of the terminal. It was him.
"Ronny!" Lekha screamed aloud, rising on her feet and waving her hands. Her brother immediately located her and smiled wide to acknowledge that he had spotted her. Lekha's eyelids paused for a while immediately after seeing her brother walking majestically towards her. He looked like some diplomat on a visit with a wonderful blazer and a sleek sunglass. He was clean shaven making his face glow under the powerful illumination inside the airport. Lekha couldn't resist a few drops of joyful tears rolling through her cheeks.
The moment Ronny emerged outside the complex, he rushed towards her and unexpectedly hugged his sister. Lekha couldn't believe as she felt herself being pressed against his warm chest. They were brought up in a very conservative family where grown up brothers don't even touch their sisters leave alone hug them. Lekha's heart was beating hard although she wasn't in any mood to resist the affectionate hug from her brother. She suddenly felt as though she was enjoying the feel of her brother although her eyes quickly roamed around to see if anyone is watching them. Ronny kept hugging her harder and when he did let her free, his lips planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. As they walked towards the paid taxi service, Lekha realized that her nipples had hardened underneath her bra. The taxi began speeding towards the nearby hotel where Ronny was to stay before he boards his flight back home. He looked in absolute composure although Lekha was moving uneasily whenever his hands fell on her thighs and shoulders. She presumed that her brother had been influenced by the western culture.
Ronny had in fact, booked a very spacious suite in one of the most expensive hotels. Lekha's eyes widened as she gazed the cozy suite while Ronny began changing to informal clothes. She couldn't see even a hint of jetlag in him as he was enthusiastically showing her all those wonderful gifts he had brought for everyone in the family. Lekha was visibly moved by her brother's affection as she guessed that he had bought the most expensive gifts for her and her kid.