"Raman, we need to shift." He closed the main door and blinked trying to process his wife's words

"What?" He asked in hopes she will explain further as she did nothing but stared him for good 1 minutes.

"Remember, you said that other apartment is empty in same floor? Let's shift there." He placed his bag on the couch as she served him food.

It was late.

11 pm

Late than he usual return and he was too tired to understand his wife's strange demands without any context.

"Par ese achanak? Kyu? Matlab kuhh hua hai kya?" He kept his voice as he sat on the chair.
(But now? Why? I mean did something happened?)

"Bache badeho rahe hai Raman. Unko unka space chahiye." He watched as she settled on the opposite chair.
(Kids are growing up, Raman. They need their own space.)

Her eyes determined, voice firmed.

"Toh hai toh unka space. Adi aur Rohit ka ek room hai. Ruhi, Ananya aur Pihu ka ek room hai. Aur kafi spacious room hai." He stated in between his bites.
(So they have their space. Adi and Rohit share a room and Ruhi, Ananya and Pihu share another. And they are actually spacious.)

"Adi 16 ka hai aur Rohit 5 saal ka." He raised his eyebrows at her not understanding her point "Adi's sleeping-reading time, his . . . Why are you not understanding? Same is with the girls."
(Adi is 16 and Rohit is just 5.)

"Okay. Let me think. I will look some other apartments. Or maybe we will find a bigger duplex like this one." He said softly even though he didn't get her all points.

He enjoyed living with his parents, brother and sister. Kids were happy. They were pretty close for cousins.

A bungalow also didn't sound too bad. Maybe big enough for his in-laws and Mihir and Mihika after all, they all are so used to being together.

"Nope, that apartment is perfect. We don't need to move away. Family is close by. So is kids school and our office. Nothing will change expect our rooms."

Pushing his empty plate a little away, he glanced at her.

"Ishita, you know that is a two bedroom-hall-kitchen, right?" He asked softly.

"I looked. The hall is really big so are the rooms. With some renovations, we can easily make three comfortable bedrooms and a decent hall."

He sighed softly. He wasn't sure because. . .

Firstly, he had moved out after his first marriage and it hadn't been good to anyone. Now doing the same thing for second time when everything is good, that felt wrong.

Secondly, Ishita wasn't ready to say the actual reason. He knew her enough in these 6 years to know, there was something important going on for her such drastic decision and the space was definitely not a problem.

Not when Rohit still sleep with his parents and no kid had complained to him once. After all, they know how he can't say no to them.

*****

"And this is Ruhi and Pihu's room." Raman smiled as his daughters hugged him tight exclaiming how much they love the decor.

"Aww Adi bhaiya, you have your own room. Its so cool." His younger one exclaimed while his elder daughter and wife disappeared somewhere.

He sighed as they explored his son's room. This renovation had cost him a lot and he had no idea what he was going to do if the girls demand for their own room

"But how will you sleep alone?" She asked again tapping her fingers in her cheek.

"Why? Are you scared to sleep alone?" Adi replied checking the small bumps on the wall made for climbing.

Ishita really had thought about their hobbies, he noted.

"I am not scared." Pihu replied placing her hand in her hips just like her elder sister "I just like knowing Ruhi di is there for me if I ever need someone."

He shook his head and moved out to check his and his wife's room leaving the two to bicker around.

". . .here. Okay?"

He stopped in his track hearing Ishita's soft voice.

"But Ishima, Dadi and Patti said not to."

"Then don't in their house. But here nothing changes. You can go to kitchen, make your own food. You don't need to just be your room. You can sit in the dinning table, water the plants everything."

"If it's not wrong then why I can't I do the same thing there?"

"Dadi and Patti are old, bacha. It will take some time to make them understand. They will one day. But I don't want to confine you till I can convince them. And I also don't want to hurt their beliefs by lying about your periods. And we will call Ananya here when she is in her periods too."

"Did we change the apartment just for me, Ishima?"

"It was one of the reasons. Yeah."

"Thank you Ishima."

Raman smiled softly listening their conversation.

He was glad he chose to trust her judgement.

*****

Just brainstorming. Because I am blank right now.

Its pretty long for drabble but yeah. Who cares?

Its something I do. Not exactly but something like this.

Its hard to tell who follows what at their house as we don't talk openly about periods and all.

So I just avoid those places, people are sensitive about like kitchen, temple etc when I visit my relatives. Even though I don't follow these things at my house it just feels wrong to hurt others belief.

Just my opinion.

Regards
~Gia.