Gordian motive...
"Kya chahte ho aap?" Tan questioned his mother grimly
It was Thursday morning he had just returned Sam was still at MM
Mrs Batra sipped her chai quietly and flipped newspaper pages on the swanky long dining table
The house was quiet without Sam and Lasya
Nandu was off to school he had burst out crying upon spotting Tan's car on the drive way
Tan's trip to Chennai, Pune and Bangalore had been grueling
He loved to see Sam at the doorway, the French doors wide open, holding a excited Lasya
"Mere chahne se kya hona hai" Mrs Batra sulked
"Beti ka divorce ho chuka hai, bete ka ho jaaye ab?" he asked sternly
His head was pounding
He wanted a oil massage for his head and a nice hot bath and sex
Mrs Batra looked offended
Mr Batra got off the chair, pushing it back more than necessary
"Dad uve got to say something" Tan demanded
"Kya kahoon?" he mumbled
"6 mahiney ho gaye, gussa waise ka waisa hi. Sam ne kya bigaada aapka batao?" he shouted
There were no kids at home
It was OK
"Dont shout puttarjee" his Mom goaded him
"Wahan aapko pata hai na Sam na Manya na R&b koi apni ma se oonchi awaz mein baat nahi karta?"
"To aapey vekho, kinni ijjat karde ho meri" Mrs Batra mocked
"Ma would never do such a thing." Tan said smugly
"Mere waaste nahi gayi Sam" Mrs Batra was furious
"Kiske waaste gayi? Batayen? 15 saal ho gaye, do bache... SHE didnt want another child I wanted another one" Tan was choking up "The pregnancy was so hard on her, na maayka na sasural hai uska. Aap hamesha US
mein rehte ho apni laadliyon ke paas, there is no woman in the house"
"Chachi haigi. If she doesnt respect elders then hore baat haigi" Mrs Batra finished her chai and waved for more
The help were pissed too they acted like they didnt see
"She doesnt respect me, so they dont either" she shouted
"They LOVE her, shes been gone what? A WEEK? Unko chid hai, kya kar logey aap?" Tan demanded hands on his hips
"Do u want us to leave?" Mrs Batra pretended to be hurt
"NO. I want her BACK" tan shouted
Mrs Batra muttered feebly, inaudibly
"Nahi, mujhe to aap baqshen, doosri shaadi karwani ho apni betiyon ki karwayen" he shouted
Mrs Batra was pissed
"Dont talk about ur sisters like that. ONLY ONE has a bad marriage." Mrs Batra said smugly
"I am wondering too, youve spent the better part of last 10 years there how come u couldnt destroy both their marriages?" Tan asked gleefully
Mrs Batra broke down
Mr Batra's eyes were bloodshot
"Yeh koi gall hui? shame on u Tanmay" he shouted
"I am sorry Dad... I truly am. But I am sick of it all. Kya chahtin hai Mom Mujhse?" he choked up
Mr Batra looked down at the paper
Mrs Batra cried and whimpered and sniffled
More tea came
"U looked at ur mother and accused her of breaking up her child's marriage" she sobbed
"To batao mujhe Sam ne KYA KIYA?"
"Um..." she mumbled
"Mujhe suna nahi Mom" Tan pressed
"That family is messed up" she said finally
"Whoa?" Tan was baffled
"Pehle Ranjanji ke saath woh sab, then the boy dumps his French lady friend and marries one Iyer girl from middle class. Unka ghar dekha aapne RK Puram mein?" "Manya" she shut up shaking her head
"What does ANY of that got to do with MY wife?" he grit his teeth
Nobody spoke for a while
"I GET IT" tan was stunned
"U are just using your resentment for Dad (ranjan) to get back at Sam!! Whatever Dad did u are punishing his daughter. U are using my sister's divorce to do it" he said and gasped
Mr Batra got up uneasily
"Daddd where are u going?" he shouted
"Umm... aapey hi suljhao" he mumbled
"No no no...no... wait a second... she couldnt have hatched this plan by herself. Even if she did she ought to have consulted with u. Aaapko sab khabar hai Dad" Tan's eyes were like ice chips
"When the kids grow up and get married some day, what will u tell that family? When they ask about ur father in law?" Mrs Batra grew bolder now that the cat was out of the bag
"So it is afterall NOT a simple misunderstanding why Sam is in MM, u guys DROVE her out?" he asked
"Mom are u noticing that u are doing the exact same thing someone else did to ur daughter?" Tan asked
"She has lost her mind" Mr Batra confessed. "Some of it may be some envy too" he whispered
Mrs Batra wept audibly
"So in order to sympathize with ur daughter u ruined ur DIL's life?" he asked bitterly... shaken
"this doesnt even make sense to me" he shook his head "she was telling me for 9 months now, maine kabhi baat ka batangar nahi banaya. Poor SAM" he said sadly
"I love ur kids" Mrs Batra said
"Sorry I wudnt have any if it werent for HER" he said nastily
Mrs Batra put away the newspaper.
"Mujhe kahen aap I can go to Kansas or Wisconsin or wherever she is right now... to work something out.
I love u too much, respect u too much. I shudnt even be telling you this. PLEASE dont take out ur lack of respect for Dad(Ranjan) on my wife. AATH SAAL PURANI baat ho gayi
You guys need to get over it. She had nothing to do with it. She is not the product of that liaison" he said
Walking away disgusted...