The Accidental Wife NOTE PLEASE READ -154 - Page 11

5B: LAMENTS

A nondescript 3rd floor flat in the busy district of Karol Bagh, New Delhi:

The doorbell rang again, loud and urgent.

Mr. and Mrs. Kher exchanged nervous glances. Who could it be? Was it their son who had finally left for work after much cajoling having used up all his paid leave? Or was it Mrs. Swaminathan --their nosy Madrasi neighbor of many years, trying to dig up some new fodder for gossip in the guise of showing friendly concern.

"Whoever it is, we can't hide the truth anymore." Mrs. Kher lamented.

"I'll take care of it, Usha. You sit." Mr Kher told his wife, before warily opening the door.

After a few moments of stunned silence, he addressed the visitor who was waiting impatiently outside, "Damaadji... Aap yahaan? At this time?" He cast a quick glance around. "And alone?"

The young man replied, "Please don't call me that. Rishabh will do just fine. And yes I've come alone. Nobody in my family knows anything as yet." But the situation may change very quickly if I don't find Madhu soon.

"Please come in damaad... I mean Rishabh." Mrs. Kher said, hurrying up to greet him while scanning his face apprehensively. She led him to the only upholstered chair in the rather drab yet spic and span room.

The young man reluctantly accepted the seat of honor. Oddly, he appeared more agitated and fretful than furious.

"I can't stay long. I, I need some information." He said, casting restless eyes around the small living room, where just 3 days ago, he'd met for the first time, those whom he thought were his future in-laws to be. The place looked unnaturally subdued now.

"Sure. Definitely." Both of them said staring uneasily at him. They continued after a long pause. "There's really nothing much we can do or say to apologize for what our daughter has done. Except maybe fall at your feet and beg your forgiveness."

"No Please!" Rishabh moved away just before Mrs Kher could make a grab for his legs. "Don't embarrass me. As far as I know you had no role to play in the entire gig."

"You do? Thank you beta. May God bless you. " Mr. Kher said looking much relieved. "But you see, kids nowadays are so uncaring and mean, except you...you are so honhaar!"

Yes, a honhaar idiot would be a more appropriate description! Rishabh thought.

Mr Kher continued, "We thought that Deepika had broken up with that rogue, but look what happened? We were thoroughly deceived! Kisi ko muh dikhane layak nahin choda!"

"Saari beeradri mein naak kat gayi hamaari." Mrs. Kher added with a loud sniff.

Rishabh couldn't do much except nod sympathetically, "I'm in a hurry. I..."

"What a negligent host I am." She exclaimed. "What will you have? Kuch thanda, garam?"

"No thanks. I..."

"It was a shock to us almost as much as it was to you son. My wife...when she saw Madhu, she nearly collapsed! I had to hold her up!" Mr Kher stated earnestly. Mrs. Kher was easily twice his size.

"Shock?! Uncleji...thank your lucky stars that I haven't revealed my future wife's identity to anyone yet. I wanted to introduce her after the wedding, so everybody could see how capable I was and applaud me for it. " Rishabh said, bursting into a wry laugh.

"You did a very smart thing beta. Or both of us miya biwi would have died on the spot." Mr. Kher said.

"Have a samosa, Rishabh..." Mrs. Kher suggested, directing his attention toward a plate heaped with the fried fritters before popping one into her mouth.

"Samosa?"

"My wife eats when she gets stressed." Mr. Kher explained looking uncomfortably abashed.

Rishabh couldn't help but stare in fascination at the munching Mrs. Kher. Deepika must have really stressed her mother out quite a bit.

"I want an annulment, of course!"

"Yes, zaroor! That's only fair. But do understand, that we have severed all ties with our daughter. Woh toh hamaare liye jaise mar hi gayi samjho! Kyon Deepika ki ma?"

"Haan, Deepika ke papa!" Mrs. Kher nodded vigorously before reaching for another fritter.

Rishabh jerked his eyes away. He could feel the bile rise in his throat.

"We hope you are happy with Madhu, beta." Mr Kher said unenthusiastically. "Though she is a little muh phat and bold at times..."

"And somewhat opinionated, assertive and disrespectful..."

Wow! My wife has quite an awesome reputation!

"Yet overall, she's a much better match for you than our Deepika."

"Unfortunately I don't have the opportunity to find out because she has left me too!" Their once prospective son-in-law retorted.

"What?!"

"Yes...your precious daughter had persuaded Madhu to take her place in the mandap just in order to teach me, Rishabh...who by the way she calls a haughty snob, a lesson! Madhu told me so in not so many words before she jilted me last night."

"Oh you poor, poor boy!" Mrs. Kher wailed.

"And I, like the fool I am, let her go, without even considering the consequences. Such as what will transpire when my parents arrive today and find that my bride has forsaken me! My mother is sure to raise hell and make everyone involved pay dearly! So please.." Rishabh implored, "For your sake as well as mine, tell me where I can find Madhu!"

Mr. and Mrs. Kher looked at each other again. They certainly didn't want to face the wrath of Mrs Mehta, if they could help it.

"I can only give you her address. She and Deepika were roommates. We used to wonder why our daughter insisted on staying away from us despite living in the same city. Now we know..." Mr. Kher's face was grim as he handed a small piece of paper to Rishabh with the information.

It was a location near the University Enclave.

"Madhu is doing her Ph.D in English Literature at St. Stephens. She also works there as a teaching assistant. She is very..."

Rishabh had bolted out of the door before Mr. Kher could complete his sentence.

-0-

Scroll down for Chapter 6!

6: THE END OR A NEW BEGINNING

So this is where she lives, Rishabh mused as the taxi cab rolled to a stop in front of a series of quaint old red brick buildings in a relatively quiet and secluded neighborhood just outside the University Enclave. The thick am fog that cloaked the entire locale had just begun to lift bestowing an oddly surreal and mystical essence to the surroundings.

"Block D aapke bilkul samne hai sahib." The cabbie remarked pointing to the apartments at the very end of the street.

Instructing the man to wait, Rishabh sprinted in the direction. The name board at the bottom of the stairs announced that Madhu Rathod's apartment was located on the 4th floor. Deepika's name did not feature alongside hers.

Hope she's at home and in a receptive mood, he thought as he raced up.

"Ruko! Stop!"

Pausing mid stride, Rishabh twisted around but didn't spot the voice.

"Look down mister!"

He craned his neck and detected a rail thin, bespectacled boy, barely over 8 or 9 years old, scowling at him.

"If you are heading for Madhu didi's place, let me tell you that she doesn't see anyone without an appointment. Do you have one?"

Rishabh cocked an amused eyebrow, "Uh...no, I don't. Perhaps she'll see me without one? By the way who are you, may I ask?"

Puffing up his frail chest, the boy declared with pride, "I'm her bodyguard and personal secretary. Anyway di abhi ghar pe nahin hain. She takes classes every morning."

"Oh no!" Rishabh bemoaned taking a quick peek at his watch, "I guess I'll wait then."

"Oh...you don't give up, do you? Are you one of her aashiqs? Haven't seen you around before." The boy asked suspiciously.

"Aashiqs? What Aashiqs?"

"One among her many students and colleagues who keep dropping by on some pretext or other wanting to chat or take her out."

So she has bewitched quite a few others as well! Poor rascals!

"Are you her boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend? Why do you ask?" Rishabh queried curiously.

"You are her type, I think. Serious, and... not really bad to look at." The boy admitted grudgingly. "If not, then I was going to ask her to wait a few more years till I'm grown up, then we can be together and..."

"Zip your mouth bachu because I am her boyfriend!" Rishabh erupted. Gosh! Did I really say that? I must have gone mad!

He cleared his throat, "We... had a slight tiff yesterday and I am here to apologize. So when you see her do not reveal that I'm here. I want it to be a surprise." He winked conspiratorially before continuing up.

After the passage of a harrowing ten minutes, when hope had faded to a faint glimmer, he heard the boy shout excitedly down below.

"Di...you are back!"

Popping his head cautiously over the balustrade, Rishabh spotted the figure of a girl emerge from the fog, speeding like the wind on a bicycle, hair flying loose and wild.

His breath caught in his throat. Why does she affect me like this?

She jumped down laughing and out of breath. "What's up Saket? School nahin gaye kya?"

"No, di. I was practicing at being your bodyguard!" The boy said glancing up pointedly.

Rishabh drew back in a hurry.

"Bodyguard? Why would I need one?"

"Zamaana kharaab hai di, aap bahut bholi ho!"

Rishabh heard the sound of a scuffle, and her crystal clear voice rang out, "First learn to defeat me in an arm wrestle then think of becoming my bodyguard, Saket! Now get your butt to school and stop making lame excuses! Chal phatt!"

"Okay di," the boy sounded peeved. "But there's a surprise waiting for you upstairs!"

"Surprise?What surprise? Not one of your pranks, Saket!"

"Dekho toh sahi...di!"

Rishabh held his breath, pressing his back against the wall, as her quick feet raced up the four flights of stairs. They came to an abrupt halt.

Don't look at her Rishabh. Don't! But he had to. He felt coerced.

From the top of her lovely little head to the bottom of her scruffy keds, his gaze embraced her, imbibing her exercise flushed cheeks, her soft lips parted in a surprised 'O', her lissome figure not disguised by the worn out jeans, or the thick beige turtleneck sweater and those blasted pair of beautiful bright eyes...of course!

Meanwhile Madhu's brain had also taken a hike. Hey Bhagwan, no! It's him again! Wonder what he wants from me now! Kal raat toh bach gayi thi mein! Darn! And worse, he looks even more attractive in those rumpled clothes...and a stubble plus red rimmed anxious eyes. Bechara!

Rishabh wrenched his mind back to sanity. "So... it appears that I have to get an appointment to seek audience with my own wife?"

"Wife hogi meri jooti!" She mumbled.

"What did you say? Come again!" He glowered.

Madhu stepped back and would have taken a tumble down the stairs hadn't he caught her arm just in time.

"I...I said that I'm not your wife!"

"So the actuality that both of us pranced around the fire not too long ago has already bypassed your mind?" He demanded furiously.

"I.. I just meant that I'm not your wife in that sense." She replied wrenching away her arm.

"Oh. I take it you mean like in the convergence of two hearts! You know very well I don't care for that sort of crap!" He snapped.

She blushed crimson. "I don't either! Anyway what brings you here? I thought we both were done!"

Rishabh looked away frustrated. It was not going as planned. Then he spotted some movement behind her.

"Darling..." He bent down speaking in a loud whisper, lips close to her ear. "Don't you think it'd be better if we take our argument indoors? Looks like we may have unwanted audience."

"What...?" Madhu's voice shook as she glanced nervously around and spied Saket ducking out of sight.

"Just get in, will you?" Rishabh grabbed the keys from her trembling hands and pushed the door open.

"I'm sorry." Madhu looked apologetic. "I...I have not been able to rest at all since yesterday. Deepika deceiving both of us among many other things, such as how am I going to afford the rent of this place anymore...have been weighing on my mind." She said spreading her hands in a helpless gesture.

Rishabh smiled, "It's alright. You don't have to apologize. By the way, you have a beautiful place here."

"It is small but I try to keep it cheerful." She replied seeming pleased.

The apartment was indeed quite pleasant, with simple wicker furniture tastefully upholstered in bright pastel, large windows draped in sheer linen admitting lots of sun, and off white walls decorated with frames of amateur art.

"They are gifts from a couple of students of mine." Madhu said when she saw Rishabh examine one closely.

"Hmmm... that means you are a very good teacher." And a very beautiful one. He felt something unfamiliar stir inside his chest.

"Nothing beyond the ordinary. Anyway how did you find me and what did you want?" She asked throwing her arms up in a lazy stretch.

Rishabh blinked, riveted again. She straightened up at once.

"I...got your address from Deepika's parents. I need a favor."

"You could have saved a lot of effort if you had just asked for my number last night." She retorted with a coy smile.

I have only you to blame for my stupidity. Rishabh thought gazing silently at her.

"Oh My God! I suddenly remembered that I am hungry! Have you had breakfast?" She exclaimed suddenly, looking annoyed.

"Breakfast? No. But I don't have any time." He answered peeking at his watch again.

"Please!? Not a speck of grain has entered my stomach since yesterday morning. I will die of hunger, then I won't be of any use to you at all." She smiled again before heading toward what Rishabh assumed was the kitchen.

"I can make phataphat Upma in just 10 minutes!" She said peering at him through the open door frame. "Meanwhile you can relate your troubles to me. C'mon spill it out...don't be shy!"

Rishabh stepped into the tiny kitchen to find it dwarfed by his lanky frame. Folding wiry arms across his chest he leaned gingerly against the wall, and watched as she went about her task in a haphazard fashion. Her attempts at putting up a show of neatness and method were failing hopelessly.

"Go ahead, what are you waiting for?" She said glaring at him, incriminating him for her inefficiency and putting him in the dock.

"I want my rights."

"What?!"

"My parents are flying in today and I want you to be there to greet them with me as my wife...I mean play the role of my wife." Hell! What am I saying? She is my wife!

"Why would I want to do that? You know that our marriage meant nothing to me!"

"Nor does it to me but right now, I am in a major soup! If I don't produce my wife today, my mom is sure to kill me!" Rishabh pleaded at his beseeching best.

She regarded him silently. "You don't look that delicate to me. Why don't you just tell her the truth. She will understand. She's your mother after all."

"No..you don't get it! If that was all it took I would do so in a heartbeat. But my mother, she won't stop there. She will start by making a mockery of me in front of the entire family, then she will take it upon herself to save me by hooking me up with a girl of her choice back in the States! That's even worse than my current situation!"

"Really...is it?" Madhu's eyes brightened with an eerie light. "Perhaps it's better for you to be a mama's boy and do as she says. Maybe the girl she finds would be exactly the one you need...beautiful, accomplished, competent, supportive..."

"And a nag! They have all been trained in the art...every single one!" He exclaimed vehemently. "I have personally witnessed the destruction of some of my friends' lives and I'd rather go to hell than join the ranks! Please don't say no. I..."

"Okay...I need some time to think about it."

"But they'll be home any moment now."

"Can't you wait a few minutes till the upma is done? Good heavens! You men are all the same! Want everything in an instant!" She said hustling him out into the hallway. "Just go sit there and it'll be ready before you know."

And a few minutes later true to her word, when Madhu walked into the living room with the food, she found Rishabh in deep perusal of a large album.

"This certainly doesn't look like the portfolio of an aspiring model." He remarked, slowly scrutinizing the black and white photographs.

She placed a plate of the hot aromatic semolina dish on the table. Sniffing at the fragrance, he recalled that he too hadn't consumed anything even remotely nourishing since yesterday.

"Eat up first!"

Placing a spoonful in his mouth, he chewed thoughtfully, "It's excellent!"

"Thanks!" She said with a happy smile before spooning some into her own. "You are fibbing! I forgot to add salt!"

"I don't salt my food. It's bad for you. I like it this way."

"Well maybe. But I really think you said so just to please me."

"Can't I do that?"

She blushed, then quickly changed the topic and began speaking in earnest pointing to various pictures in the album. They were of people; particularly children... stricken by poverty---stark, bold and real.

Rishabh's brow furrowed in thought, "They are really good. Each and every one has a story to tell. What's your connection?"

"I am a freelance photojournalist." She explained simply. "And these are some of the scenes that I've captured over the years. I strongly subscribe to the opinion that a single picture is worth a lot more than a 1000 words."

"Really? This is amazing." He exclaimed in awe while flipping through the remaining pages. "And what is this? I think I saw it in a magazine somewhere." He asked indicating to a photo of a terrified boy in rags running from a mob of angry men, with a piece of bread in his hand. "You shot that too?"

"Yes." She nodded. "It was for a feature on street children in Landscape magazine and this happened to be one among those chosen. I took it in Mumbai. It goes to show that most juveniles steal due to need rather than greed and that they deserve to be rehabilitated. Instead our society bundles them into prison where they are bred into hardened criminals! And then we complain about sky rocketing crime rates!"

Rishabh observed quietly as she sat there stock still, staring intensely at the picture, with a fire in her eyes, her delicate nostrils flared with emotion, generous lips pursed into a thin line. She looked different...driven.

"Hmm... very impressive yet interesting at the same time."

"Why?"

"I thought that you were just another good for nothing frivolous chick who gets her thrills by making fools of suckers like me."

"What?! How dare..."

"Well what did you expect me to think when you joined forces with your wonderful absconding friend!"

"I...I take offense at that. You come to my place asking for my help and then derogate me!" She shot up from her seat and glared accusingly at him.

"After all the lies that both of us have heard, don't you think that some honesty would be refreshing? I just stated what I felt when I saw you yesterday. I feel differently now. I am having difficulty believing that you did what you did. You should have acted with more maturity!"

"Yes, I was immature and stupid! But how do you defend yourself...a brilliant doctor and that too of the brain no less!" Her eyes mocked, "How could you have fallen so easily into a trap laid by a silly ordinary girl?!"

Rishabh's gaze shifted to the grey- brown stone floor, "I.. I have no excuse. It was a moment of folly. I should have been more careful."

"Exactly as you say, a moment of folly or weakness or whatever." Madhu retorted passionately. "I was persuaded by someone whom I thought was in genuine need. I made the mistake of trusting blindly. It has been preying on my mind ever since I met you and I wanted to make amends. But not now...not after the way you told me off! Please...Just leave!" She said pointing to the door.

He got up and stood glowering at her for several moments, working hard to control his temper. The Khers had described her perfectly. Indeed he could add a few more adjectives. "I've never come across a girl more defiantly impudent! Don't you feel in the least responsible for the state I am in right now?"

Madhu's eyes blazed with indignant fury. Any lesser creature would have been incinerated on the spot. "I did but I've changed my mind. Now I believe that you need to suffer the consequences of your wrongdoing. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly. It's not a one night stand or a football game. It is a partnership, a beautiful journey through the ups and downs of life. And yes it is also the convergence of two hearts! You can't find someone on a whim just to free yourself from the clutches of your controlling mother and then forget about her. Your wife is not a toy. She is a human being who has emotions and feelings just like you do! Remember that for next time Dr. Rishabh Mehta! Now, will you please go?"

"I don't have any desire to stay here a minute longer!" Rishabh shouted, marching to the exit in long looping strides. There, pausing briefly, he looked back, "I hope I never see you again."

"Me neither." She echoed, turning away as he walked out slamming the door shut behind him.

tbc

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