Chapter 33
"Biwi! Come back! I can't chase you if you keep running off in the jungle. I am warning you, I am going to stop following! Biwi!" RK yelled as he continued chasing his naughty wife in the forest. They had never been to a proper honeymoon, and when he'd asked Madhu where she'd like to spend the four day weekend, she'd said Neemrana, the same mountain resort they had come once before. It had been a different trip than last time though, with Madhu being extra energetic both in the bed and in the adventure activities around the resort. This morning she had dragged him to the jungle safari, and now kept running after birds in one direction or the other.
"Biwi! Seriously I am getting tired! Come back now!"
"Catch me if you can, superstar!" came her reply. RK, ever ready for a challenge, ran behind, following her giggles. But it was getting darker, and after some time, suddenly, everything was quiet. He looked all around to see a trace of her yellow dupatta, but he couldn't spot her anymore.
"Biwi! Where are you? I don't like this, biwi! Come back! Madhu!" he yelled, but heard no response. He looked all around, exasperated. Without warning, his heart started beating loudly. Where was Madhu?
"Madhu!" he kept yelling, but his calls went unanswered. Had she run so far away that he had fallen behind? Or had he failed to keep track of her laughter, and now had lost her because he wasn't doing his job well enough? Was she in danger? Was she...the fear, the panic raced through his heart as he rushed through the overgrown bushes, not knowing anymore what direction he must take. He closed his eyes in despair, and suddenly she was there, hugging him from behind.
He turned immediately, to see his wife smiling naughtily at him.
"Madhu! Where did you go? You scared me!" he said as he pulled her in a hug.
"I was here only baba!"
"You were playing with me! You know how frightened I was! This is a jungle Goddammit with no network coverage. What if something happened to you? Is this a prank worth playing?"
"Ok, ok sorry."
"No sorries. We're going back now, and I am going to take you straight back to our room and punish you for your stupid prank."
"Oh really! Punish me how?" Madhu asked with a smirk.
"Like this!" He had said before taking Madhu's lips inside his, chewing on them till she moaned in despair. Her eyes, they had so much love in them.
But then suddenly, it wasn't Madhu's face anymore. It was Maya's. RK instantly pushed her away with a jerk. How could he kiss Maya? Maya? How could he betray his Madhu? He looked around, but the forest was no longer there. Just darkness all around, and he was all alone in the center. And then he saw her - no he saw just her eyes - floating with the pieces of her broken heart.
"Madhu!" RK screamed aloud as he woke up out of his dream sweating heavily. What the f**k was that dream about? He looked around himself, disoriented. He was lying on the living room floor. The wall clock showed it was 1030 am. The events of the previous night came back to him like a flood. What the f**k was he thinking? How could he have betrayed his wife like that? How could he possibly kiss Maya? He had always thought of Maya as a friend and she...she had crossed the line! How could he have let such a big misunderstanding happen? Bile rose up his throat and he wanted to vomit as he remembered the events of the evening.
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Rohan and Ria had been the first to arrive with lots of food and alcohol at 9 pm. Maya came with the cake, and soon others came by too. Ria was extra excited because she said she had been given explicit instructions by Madhu to decorate the house for RK's birthday. RK had chuckled at her, but he was badly missing Madhu herself. He had seriously underestimated how difficult long distance relationships are. He was happy for Madhu, and yet, the moment she had left, his life had been filled with an eerie emptiness. This home was nothing without Madhu, and every morning his hands searched for his biwi before he could wake up and realize he wasn't going to get a taste of his delicious wife after all. He waited eagerly every day to see her on Skype, to talk to her, but still, the hunger to touch her and want her left him feeling strange. Nothing compared to the feeling of seeing his wife peacefully smile at him. Nothing came close to the feeling of peace which was sleeping in Madhu's arms.
He had only seen her a month ago, of course, when he had pushed hard to get to go for the two-day Chicago meeting just so he could escape to see Madhu for a bit. Seeing her and being with her for that weekend had almost made up for the preceding month of loneliness, but now it had been another month already, and the hunger was back. Especially today. It was his birthday and all his friends were around. Yet, he felt lonely. Everyone started drinking after dinner, but he resisted, sticking to only one drink. He knew Madhu didn't like him drinking too much. Frankly, alcohol wasn't fun anymore. His mind kept going to Madhu. Why hadn't she called yet? It was 11pm, so she would be awake, but she hadn't called at all. He was dying to talk to her. RK picked up the phone and dialed Madhu's number, but got her voicemail. Maybe she was busy? But it was a Saturday, even in New York. True, she sometimes had to work weekends, but still, she could have called. She must have known he was missing her.
They cut the cake at the stroke of midnight. Everyone wished him, but Madhu's call did not come. Did she forget? Well, it wasn't technically his birthday yet in US, so...it wasn't the wish he cared about, he just wanted to talk to Madhu. As everyone picked up their piece of cake and settled around their game, RK strolled outside to the patio. His mind was elsewhere. Maya had come soon after with a bottle and two glasses in her hand.
"I am not drinking, Maya." RK had smiled.
"Oh come on champ! It's your birthday! Remember our birthday challenge we made three years ago. On either of our birthdays, we can't stay sober!"
"Ha ha. Well, you have a point. Ah what the hell! One more drink won't hurt. But promise you won't tell Madhu. My wife will make me do ten push-ups for every drink!"
"Seriously?"
"I am joking baba." RK paused and smiled as Maya poured both of them a large drink. RK gulped his down almost instantly.
"You're missing her, aren't you?" Maya asked.
"Yeah, I am. I am waiting for her to call actually."
"You should have never let her go."
"It was the right thing to do. You agreed as well, at the time."
"Yes. Too often, we make so many rational decisions, keeping our emotions aside. But those decisions are so hard to live with every day." Maya said with a wisp, then refilled RK's glass. RK thought he saw a tear in her eye.
"Are you still thinking about Hemant?"
"Hemant? No!" Maya replied. "No...that chapter is long closed. And it was so the right thing to do. I was just thinking about love in general. Love is hard, right?"
"Yeah. Love is hard. But it's worth it. Ah Madhu, come back please." RK said as he gulped down another drink, and then another. They were both silent. His mind was soon lost in memories and he forgot where he was standing. All he could think of was Madhu, imagining that the six months had passed already and that he was finally at peace again. Oh what he would give to hold Madhu in his arms tonight!
"What are you thinking?" a voice seemed to ask him from somewhere far away. It was probably the alcohol, but he didn't remember much. Except the voice.
"I am thinking I would give anything for a hug" he had said. And then he felt an embrace. He felt his loneliness momentarily disappear. Maybe his Madhu was finally here. He closed his eyes, trying to savor the peace. He felt a kiss. He kissed back. And then he heard the noise.
Was it the phone that broke, or was it the faith on which his marriage rested?
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RK kicked himself for losing control in that moment. He knew, rationally, that Madhu couldn't be in his arms. Then what happened? Did he forget? Or did he subconsciously knew he was kissing Maya? No, the last thought disgusted him. He could never think of Maya like that. Maya shouldn't have kissed him like that. She said she loved him. What did that even mean? Surely she had to know that the love was wrong. What they had done...what he had done was a sin! Irrespective of what Maya did, it came down to him. Just like Rohan said, alcohol couldn't be the excuse. Nothing could be the excuse. He should have known better. He did know better. And yet...RK felt disgusted with himself and angry at Maya. She should have stopped him. He should have never been in that position in the first place. He shouldn't even have drunk! How could he break his wedding vows like that? How could he trample over Madhu's trust and make her witness something as heartbreaking as that? And why didn't he stop her before she ran off?
"Madhu! Where are you?" he groaned out loud. He had looked around the entire area, asked the guards and anyone else he could find in the middle of the night, but had found so trace. Yet, all night, his hope was anchoring him...hope that Madhu would come back any minute now. And so he did not want to not be home when she returned so he could explain and apologize. But now, it had been ten hours and Madhu had not come back. RK's heart started sinking. What if...what if Madhu did something to herself?
Do you realize this could kill Madhu?
Rohan's words from earlier this morning hit RK again. Followed by an image from history of a bottle of rat poison. A wave of panic ran through him. Rohan was right, he had probably killed Madhu already. That is why she hadn't come back. And like an idiot he had been waiting at home for Madhu to return. He was not only a cheater, he was a murderer.
RK leapt up and rushed out of the home. He couldn't do nothing any more. He had to find his Madhu and beg her for forgiveness. He had to tell her that he loved her and only her. He had sinned and he was her offender.
He called Trishna again from the car, but heard the same response. Madhu hadn't contacted her. Then he called Ria, but she refused to talk to him. Apparently Rohan had told her everything and she was too angry to even talk. He rushed to the police station and tried to find someone to file a missing persons' complaint.
"Your wife is missing, eh?" The constable asked for the third time.
"Yes. Here's her picture. Could you please help me find her."
"And when did she go missing?"
"Last night. Since about 1230."
"Oh so she ran away with someone."
The constable's words made RK's blood boil and he pulled him out of his chair holding him by the collar. "How dare you speak like that about my Madhu?"
"What's going on here?" An inspector seemed to say from behind RK. He left the constable, coming a bit to his senses. He didn't need to create more trouble. All he wanted was to find Madhu.
"Inspector...this constable...forget it. My wife is missing. I am trying to file a report here."
"Hmm..."
"She went out at 1230 last night and hasn't come back."
"How old is your wife?"
"26."
"And why did she go out that late?"
"She...she was angry at me..."
"Well, Mr..."
"Rishabh Kundra"
"Mr Kundra. Wives get angry. They come back. This is not a police case. At least until 48 hours pass we can't do anything. My advice would be to go home and check with her relatives and friends. She must have gone to her mother or something. I am sure she would come back. And if she can't find her for 48 hours, then you can come back."
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RK parked the car under his building, dejected, as he got back home. It was almost 6 in the evening, and he still had no news about Madhu. Where are you, Madhu? RK's soul questioned.
He had driven all day, been to the police, even checked the hospitals close to his apartment, but had found no trace. Where could Madhu go? She wasn't at Trishna's or Rohan's or Ria's place, her parents weren't alive anymore, none of her relatives cared for her and her sister hated her. Hoping against hope, he had even called Deepali to see if Madhu had gone to her, but had found nothing except a few abuses. Madhu truly had nowhere to go. This was her home.
As RK walked up to his home, he rang the doorbell, a part of him hoping that Madhu had come back during the day and would come running as always to open the door with a huge smile on her face. His heart broke as he remembered how precious those moments had been. He waited, but nobody came. Eventually, he opened the door and went inside. The decorations from yesterday's celebration now appeared to him as ruins of the destruction he had caused. He had broken his own home with his own hands, a defeated RK realized as he sunk on the living room floor, and let the tears arrive. Where was Madhu?
Why had Madhu run out? Where had she disappeared? Why couldn't she have slapped him? Why couldn't she have asked what he was doing kissing another woman? He knew she trusted him a lot, and he had broken her trust, but why hadn't she stood there and demanded an answer?
From nowhere, Madhu's words came back to RK. "If you ever cheat on me, I promise I will kill you" she used to say. "Kill me Madhu, but please come home first, please" RK cried out.
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At about 715, the doorbell rang. RK's heartbeat suddenly raced. He stood up, switched on the lights and ran to the door. There was only one name on his lips...Madhu!
Edited by teekay - 11 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
