Chapter 56

Part Two

53.  One Grihast and The Other, Hermit

‘What do you keep doing in the balcony, Hardiik? Do you want me to get a telescope for you? You know it would be easier spying on him?’ Ahilya rubbed her eyes, plopping down on the couch. It was still too early to call it an evening. 

‘No, thank you,’ Hardiik replied, sucking on a hard candy. ‘If I require one, I would make one for myself.’

‘Obviously, Engineer Sahb. You are a pro. Also, how can I forget? You have a history of spying on people.’ 

‘He hasn't come out of that apartment for five days now. The windows are closed as well. You think he’s dead? Nobody goes in, nobody comes out.’ 

‘He better not be for I hate attending funerals!”

She laced her fingers through her hair, bunching them up in a ponytail. Her eyes darted around, looking for a hair suspender.

Hardiik glanced her way and sighed. Walking inside, he retrieved a hair band from a bowl on a shelf, and  extended it to her. 

She snatched it from his hand and pulled it around her hair, her movements gentle and delicate.

‘It would do you some good if you treated people’s feelings the same way.’ He plunked next to her.

‘Get a haircut,’ she tousled his chair and he scooted away from her reach. ‘You’re looking like a slumdog.’

‘I am one. That filthy dog infested with fleas,’ he replied as a matter of fact. ‘That you decided to pet me doesn’t change my breed. That is what attracted you towards me in the first place. We share the same background. Try people as much as they want, can’t leave their roots behind.’

‘You know I love everything about you except this gibberish you have the tendency to spout,’ she yawned, and picked up her phone. There were a few emails she needed to revert. She’ll do that in some time.

‘There’s only one thing about you that I love,’ he pointed out. ‘The rest of the package that comes with you, I am just tolerating. So...we are even I guess?’

‘One thing you love about me...that would be my money? Am I right or am I right?’ Her eyes twinkled like that of a wolf in a dark night.

‘But, are you ever wrong?’ The candy crackled under his teeth, filling his mouth with intense sweetness.

‘Where’s Shabri?’ Ahilya looked around. ‘My tea? She should know I want my tea right on time. My mind refuses to function without it.’

‘She’s out to get veggies. Your tea is in the pan. Go and warm it for yourself.’

‘You’re asking me to go? Me?’ She looked at him disbelievingly. 

‘Don’t see anyone around so yes, you. Go and pour yourself a cup of tea.’ He stretched his leg on the table, sidling the ornament pieces on it. It irritated her, he knew it did.

‘Leg off the table and Don’t talk when you are eating candies! I hate the smell of candies.’

‘Right! I switch to cigarettes? Like our neighbour? That is one kind of fragrant mouth you’d love inhaling and kissing, won’t you?’

‘Hardiik, my love, you’d need to tamp down on that obsession of yours with Nishit,’ she said, patting his hand. ‘No matter what you say about him it’s not going to change my mind.’

‘Oh don’t worry. I have rested my case. The fact that he proposed to your daughter, the fact that she came here and spent a night with him. Two nights, sorry. If that hasn’t changed your mind. I don’t think anything will. Now, my sole purpose of watching him is character study.’

‘And what have you learnt during this character study?’ Her tone was curious. ‘Who knows it might come handy while pursuing him?’

‘I find him a tough nut to crack,’ Hardiik said, pensively. ‘You think he is right now drenched in wine and vomit. Pining for her?’

‘That would be disappointing but convenient, wouldn’t it? Strike the mallet when it’s hot. The time when he needs company?’ Ahilya conjectured. 

‘If her turning him down got him to this hermit status, he’s got it bad. Guess he would turn to any kind of comfort then?’ He wondered.

‘No kind of hermit has remained impervious to the charms of Ahilya or for that matter Urmila,’ she winked.

‘Hahahaha,’ he impersonated her laugh and then jerked his head, flicked the imaginary hair. ‘But you missed it!’ He explained in the wake of her cold glare.

‘You are outliving your welcome,’ she warned.

He ignored and continued with his thoughts.

‘He proposed to a woman, she rejected him,’ Hardiik pondered aloud, ‘and accepted another man right in front of him. He brings her home the next night.  The night next to it she approaches him herself. She spends a night at his place again. While all the time, he is still with another woman! How convoluted it can get! No, my dear Urmi, he's a  bigger player than you. You are not going to have it easy.’

‘Hmm? The tougher the better. No fun in going after easy,’ Ahilya stood up, and perused her figure in a long column of mirror on the wall. ‘But she turned out to be a complete surprise, didn’t she? Spending nights with other men? Huh? Her grandmother...even her father would have been scandalized. Honor and all that.’ 

‘I wish you’ll exercise caution while passing judgment on her. She’s going through a lot.’ His lips pursed into a thin line.

‘Cast your spell on you, did she?’

‘And if she did, would you have any problem?’

‘Not at all. But tell me, you were disappointed right? You were expecting a virgin angel and here you find out she marries one and spends the night with another. Her father would be rolling in his grave.’

‘I am amazed how you are even able to make mention of her father! Your throat doesn’t clog or something?’

‘It should? Aren’t you getting too critical of me these days?’ Ahilya’s tone was bone chilling.

‘Am I? I beg your pardon,’ he retreated. 

‘Don’t make me regret some of my decisions, Hardiik. I’m sure you wouldn’t like the consequences.’

He looked away, his jaw clenching.

Appreciating what she saw in the mirror, she sauntered towards the balcony. Her gaze flitted to the balcony next to hers. It was empty, the plants wilting.

Turning to her live-in partner, she asked doubtfully, ‘He’s okay? Should you check on him?’

‘Why should I check on him?!’ He asked, incredulously. ‘If not today, he’ll surely die of contracting some virus because of his sleeping around.’

‘Not necessarily. I did not. Maybe he will live too. Go and check on him.’

‘Why am I supposed to do that? Why can’t we just let him die?’ Hardiik refused to budge from the couch.

‘Because he cannot unless I have him. Now, go, Hardiik. You’re a mucky, grumpy, unkempt hedgehog. But you aren’t heartless. Don’t put this on your conscience. Go.’

Under her penetrating gaze, he found it impossible to deny.

When Hardiik opened the door of his flat, he found a middle- aged woman alternating between ringing the house bell and banging on his neighbour’s door. She was dressed in a loose kuri top and jeans. ‘If you continue with this charade, you can forget about Atmaram, Nishit! Open the door or you never get to see me or Atmaram! Ever again!’

A few seconds later, the door opened and the woman disappeared inside with a huff.

‘I have good news for you,’ Hardiik informed Ahilya. 

‘He isn’t dead?’ She was back on the couch.

‘He’s into older women as well. He has a son called Atmaram and the woman was outside wanting to be let in. Threatening him that she won’t let him see their son.’

‘What?! You must have misunderstood. He doesn’t look like the kind sowing seeds around.’

‘If he is, will you let go of the idea of pursuing him?’ He asked hopefully.

‘No. What did the woman look like?’ 

‘It wasn’t his family. I have met his family.’ Hardiik insisted. Still, he had to describe the woman from his memory.

‘Wait, was it her?’ Ahilya showed him her phone.

‘Hmm,’ came Hardiik’s deflated reply.

‘She’s Ragini!’ There was a laugh in her voice.

‘Ragini Gupta? The civil surgeon? What a bummer!’

Hardiik sank back into the couch, his eyes closing. 

‘The concern you showed for him, I wish you would show an iota of it for your own children. You daughter,’ he said softly.

‘Daughter? What about her? Why are you getting so attached? One meeting and you’re over the moon?’

‘What about her? What about her??! She married a guy under coercion. You yourself were against the alliance. Doesn’t it bother you?’ He hands flayed and waved in the air as he put in words what had been bothering him since the last five days.

‘Under coercion? She had a choice, both you and I are aware of it. An adult, she turned down one, accepted another. In full consciousness.’ Ahilya was calm, detached and practical.

‘She’s moved into their house!’ He shouted. ‘There’s no one to support! All alone she is.’

Ahilya shrugged. 

‘She could have been living next to us. She let go of that. I am glad nothing of that sort happened. Thank God for that. But yeah, she’s made her own bed. Has to lay on it. If you were so concerned, you should have stopped it.’

‘I wished I had. I wish I could,’ He whispered inaudibly. ‘But I had no chance. I was too late. Too many years.’ 

‘Hardiik, I love you, yes so I overlook the liberties you take. But don’t push your boundaries. It wouldn’t take me a second to throw you out,’ she hissed, as if he was truly a dog, she could kick anytime. ‘Don't mention her again unless said so.’

XxxX

It was three in the morning, and Hardiik hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. Courtesy the loud music next door.

Throwing the comforter off himself, he stormed out of his room, out of the apartment and knocked on the door. A short woman opened the door. There was a party going on.

‘Lower the volume,’ he ordered.

She slammed the door on his face.

He pressed the bell again and again.

This time it was Nishit.

‘We are trying to sleep. Switch it off.’

‘Will not,’ Nishit replied. The door was closed shut.

His anger climbing heights, he reached home to dial the security, the police, the whatnot.

‘What is it?’ Ahilya asked.

‘Congratulations. You have a chance. The man has no character to speak of. You two will make a great pair,’ with a disdain in his voice.

XxxX

Kirti woke up breathing heavily. The nightmare that had her in its vicious clutches softly departing. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the room, and her thundering heart sped up finding a different ceiling, an unfamiliar fan whirring overhead.

She blinked and re-blinked. Her eyes, accommodating to the dimness, darted around the room, the little gold glow of the bulb outside in the hallway, stealing inside through windows.

She noticed the maroon and white shirts hanging from the hooks in the wall, beside it a framed photograph and the realization dawned on her.

She was in his room. Her husband’s room. Her legal husband’s room.

She was married. Without any pomp and fare. Just a signature on a piece of paper. 

She was staring at the ceiling when a body scooted towards her, the hands going around her waist. Kirti pulled Radha closer to herself and drew comfort from her tiny and innocent hold, her eyes drooping close once again.

When she woke up an hour later at four, it was still dark outside but a koel was singing. And a crow was crowing. In her old home she could hear Gokhale’s uncle pranayam ohms, but here it was all silent, no stirrings of human.

Kirti pulled down Radha’s frock that had risen to her waist. Then adjusting the pillow below the child’s head, she slipped out of the bed.

The shower was cold but unfamiliar. Even the closed doors and curtained windows of the bathrooms could not make her feel safe to strip down to nothing. 

Her hair wet and coiled in a towel, she worshiped the Lord Ganesha’s idol she had brought from her home, then tiptoed to the temple of the house. It was closed off with the curtains drawn.

She tried sitting in the room for sometime, but her head was pounding with a vicious ache. Thinking of making herself a tea, she tiptoed to the kitchen but was lost once inside it.

Where was the tea? Where was the sugar? Even if she knew, could she take it like this? Milk, should she take it from the fridge?

Thus, she was returning to the room after drinking a glass of water, when she met her husband at the door of the kitchen. She looked at him, stepped back, her eyes downcast. He himself withdrew. Then asked, ‘Do you need anything?’

He was in a light grey vest and dark drawstring pants all drenched in sweat.

‘You’re up?’ She didn’t know he was an early riser.

‘Hmm. Had gone for a run.’ Mayank replied.

‘Oh.’ She had no idea he ran. ‘I..I was here for tea but I don’t know...it’s too early?’ Her words were not clear. There stood between them something high and forbidding - a wall?

He nodded and then turned, retrieving a pail of milk from the fridge. Drew out tiny steel jars of tea and sugar from the drawers. 

Then as she prepared the tea, he lingered.

‘Will you...do you want tea?’

‘No,’ he replied. Instead opting for another vessel where he heated some water. And then he was mixing honey and lime juice in a glass of lukewarm water. 

He stood next to her and her hands, as she strained the tea trembled uncontrollably, spilling it all on the slab, when he took it from her; straining it for her, he pushed the cup towards her.

‘Thank you,’ she managed to say, ready to flee.

‘Kirti,’ he said, before she could flee.

‘I am leaving for Pune. Will be back in a week.’

[MEMBERSONLY]