The Shampoo Effect
1797 Words
The Shampoo Effect
Khushi stood in the bathroom, hands placed on hips, looking at the cabinet with toiletries. How did the grocery store people forget to send her shampoo? The old bottle is completely empty. Her middle class mind did suggest filling water in the bottle, but unfortunately she was not able to open the cap. The worst of all is that she has already undressed and wet her body and hair.
Khushi's eyes passed to her husband's side of the cabinet. Hers had only three things shampoo, sandal soap and sanitary napkin. On the other hand Arnav's cabinet had at least fifteen items that she cannot even begin to name. He wouldn't notice if tiny winy bit was gone, would he?
Khushi tip toed and searched with her hand on the top cabinet. On finding a bottle, she immediately squeezed some in her hand and returned the bottle.
Wiping her hair with towel, Khushi stood in front of the mirror with a frown. How come her hair is not like her husband's? It was greasy and frisky. Nothing like her husband's hair.
Arnav Singh Raizada had weird obsession with his hair. In the last ten months of their marriage, Khushi has noticed that there has not been a single moment her husband's hair has been out of place. They were always shiny and looked smooth. Well, they felt smooth as all. Khushi blushed at the thought of how she always wanted to touch his hair and the first time she got the chance was when they shared their first kiss, she was distracted a moment from the kiss by his impeccable hair. However, nothing of that sort reflected on her hair.
"I guess he does some additional magic on his hair." Khushi mumbled brushing her hair and mentally noting to personally go shopping to buy her favourite shampoo.
"What happened? Why are you frowning at your reflection?" asked Arnav who entered their room after his routine morning jogging.
"It is you." Khushi said. Placing her towel on the chair, she walked towards her husband. Before she could touch his hair to feel the texture, he moved back in a jiff as if she was going to beat him.
Okay, Arnav Singh Raizada hates when people touch his hair. Only when he is high on passion, even his wife can touch his precious hair. Khushi will never be brave enough to tell him that she plays with his hair when he is sleeping.
"My hair is not soft as yours.'" Complained Khushi.
"It is because you are irresponsible and don't maintain your hair properly." Arnav said judgementally as he began walking towards the cupboard. His hand smoothened couple of strands near forehead that stood pointed because of the exercise he just had. "You know I use international prod..."
"Haan haan, I know. I used your shampoo today." Khushi bit her tongue for carelessly revealing that to Arnav.
"You did what?" asked Arnav shocked
'Please, don't scold now.' Khushi prayed
Arnav reached near his wife swiftly. He held her strand in his hand and inhaled the scent. "Ummm...." he moaned.
"Nice." He commented."Sweetheart, you didn't follow the procedure."
"What?" Khushi asked confused
"There is step wise procedure, Khushi. First oil, then massage, then shampoo followed by conditioner and finally serum. Also everyday..."
"Bas bas." Said Khushi throwing her hand in air. "I don't want to hear anymore. I am good."
"No, Khushi. You have to experience it once to know how good it makes you feel, how good it makes your hair feel." Arnav's eyes lit up with strange excitement. "Let's do it Khushi."
Khushi frowned at her husband's thrilled face at the prospect of helping her wash her air.
"I don't think it is a good idea." Khushi said unsure. "I have to go down to make breakfast...."
"Shh..." he said shaking his head. "We are doing it today, Khushi. Chalo." He dragged her back impatiently to the washroom not bothered by her protests.
Khushi pleaded, reasoned, scolded, but everything went to deaf man's ears. Arnav was too busy lying out all hair products in front of Khushi. Pulling out a stool from under the cabinet, Arnav made her sit on it.
"Arnav, please, I..." But her husband was nowhere listening to her. He has already taken a bit of oil from the bottle and applied it on her hair.
"Regular oil keeps your hair healthy, baby. " he said. "Oil for hair is like food for us."
Of course, she knew it. In fact she applies oil every alternate day. What does he think of himself? Doctor for hair?
"Let me get the massage gel?" he declared excitedly as he rushed to their bedroom to quickly bring the new unopened hair massage gel.
"You have to rub it on the scalp, okay?" he instructed as he with all his fingers rubbed on her scalp smoothly. "If scalp gets dry, then you will start losing hair."
Khushi mentally rolled her eyes. She is a woman; she has lived almost fifteen years of her life managing waist length hair. He should give her some credits.
"And don't forget the end of the strands. You don't want it to be like rat's tail now, do you?" he chuckled.
"Arnav, I think I can just manage well. I have been..."
Completely ignoring her, he began to tell how there are various ways of massaging the hair to let it grow long, to de-stress, to increase volume etc.
"Now, let's wash the hair." He declared with grin.
"What! No." Khushi said scandalized.
"Come on, Khushi. It is not like we haven't... you know." He trailed with a sly smirk.
"No, Arnav. Not today. You have already got your way with everything. I know how to wash my hair. If you haven't realized, I have been quiet efficiently washing my hair for past many years of my life." Khushi said
"But, baby, this is different. You don't know what quantity to take and how to apply."
"Listen, I know you are obsessed with hair and all. But, please, I am getting late. I have to go down." Khushi pleaded
"You will not be late. Just do what I say." With that said Arnav pushed the shower curtain away and made his wife stand under the shower easily pulling off her bath robe leaving her only in her inners.
"You are such a beast." Khushi swore as she let the warm water fall on her.
"Let us start." Arnav stated joining her in only his boxers. Taking few drops of shampoo in his hand, he very gently applied it on her hair.
Khushi looked at her husband with a scowl. She was standing half naked under shower and his husband is more concentrated on washing her hair. How much does he love hair? More than her?
"Ouch." Khushi moaned as he pulled at a tangle.
"See that is what happens when you don't brush your hair properly." He reprimanded.
"No, that is what happens when you pull it roughly." She bit back irritated.
"I swear if I see anymore strand fall, I will personally take it in my hands to see that you are maintaining your hair properly."
Arnav took his sweet time in shampooing her hair and washing it.
"Oh! This conditioner smells like heaven." He commented taking a whiff of it. "You should start using it sweetheart."
"Doesn't my hair smell good already? I remember you said it smells like lavender. "
"Yeah, but I like peach more." He winked before applying conditioner on her hair.
Khushi sighed in relief when he wrapped a towel around her head. She put on a new robe before exiting the bathroom.
"Now can I get ready in peace?" she asked looking at her husband who had a towel wrapped on his waist.
"It is not over yet. Don't be impatient." He said shaking his head as he walked towards the dressing table and pulled the stool for her.
"God save me." Khushi mumbled to herself as she took her place in front of the mirror.
"This serum makes you hair look all shiny." He said with a childlike excitement resembling a five year old girl rather than thirty year old man.
He then patiently, with precision dried her hair taking every strand in hand.
"Finally it's over. " Khushi said relaxed as she saw him switch off the hair dryer. Her relief was short lived as she saw her husband pick up her comb and few bobby pins. "Not this." She mumbled
"I saw this beautiful hair style the other day." He murmured to himself while scrolling through the ipad.
Khushi patiently looked at her husband's reflection on the mirror, working on her hair like a sculpture works on an idol.
"Do you even know how to use these pins?" she asked chuckling on seeing him hold a bobby pin between his lips in typical style.
"I have a sister, you know. I have done this many times when I was young." He beamed with pride.
Fifteen minutes later, when Arnav and Khushi walked into dining room, everyone already started having their breakfast. So much for making her favourite aloo paratha today.
Khushi was thankful for her sweet family, who didn't question the reason for their delay.
"Hey, wow, what have you done to your hair?" it was Anjali's excited voice that turned everyone's attention to Khushi, especially her hair.
Khushi turned to look at Arnav who only proudly beamed at her.
"It is nothing." Khushi said ignoring the stares, as she took her seat.
"It is beautiful, Khushi." Anjali who was still examining Khushi's hair asked, "What is it called?"
"Water fall fish braid." answered Arnav earning peculiar look from everyone in the table and venomous glare from Khushi.
'Why can't he shut up?' Khushi wondered
"How do you know?" Anjali questioned Arnav
"Actually, I told him." Khushi said with uneasy smile.
"Oh!!" Anjali smiled knowingly. "Waise, Khushi, was it easy to plait your hair this way? How did you hand reach behind your head?"
"Woh.. yeah... it was....okay... I mean easy." Khushi stammered her answer.
"Easy!" Arnav exclaimed "It wasn't , okay. I tried very hard to being the perfection." He declared glaring at Khushi for calling his effort easy.
"You did?" asked shocked Akash
"Well, yeah.'" Arnav declared without hint of what kind of teasing this all going to bring her.
"Shut up!!" Khushi warned him under her breath.
Arnav gave her a queer look shrugging. 'Big Deal' he mumbled.
No one spoke about it after that, but from Anjali's naughty glint Khushi knew that she was going to be teased until she will melt into a puddle. Her good hair day is going to turn into a totally bad day.
- Writer
