To say there was no real intent behind his act would be foolish. But again when she'd already said her goodbyes it was a lost cause.
Did it matter how far along you go pushing the limits? To further break what is already broken. Revenge, no doubt, was the purest of motivations, but ask a losing man what he would not do to keep going down that path of despair - when he is consumed by the inability to give up hope.
By pretending that she didn't care for him, she was pretending to hold Binoy close to her heart. What he'd cast that morning was a fishnet, not a fish line and she would have to shed one of her pretenses if she wished to slip through the net; when the opening would not let her carry on with both her pretenses.
His prayers were driven by their past. And he wished she answered only for them.
Not for the night they'd danced together or for the kiss she'd given him back.
But, for the moment he'd whispered her name in the quiet of her room and unknowingly bound himself to her for all his eternity.
*
The crowed pushed at her gates, threatening to break open while Trishna and Kamalji, her manager, tried to assuage the curious mob of reporters.
"Is it true that RK and Sanaa were involved a year ago?" yelled one reporter from far.
The day had just begun, hardly a soul out on the street by 6.30 AM, when a caravan of media and satellite vans had arrived outside their house.
Nearly half hour had passed and they expected a family member to come out with a statement anytime soon. As minutes turned into hours, the reporters grew restless and by then, they had also learnt of Sanaa's impending wedding the same day, making them sometimes beam in reflection on their good luck - for having stumbled upon the gossip of the year which, without doubt was sensational and would keep the entertainment channels running for another few weeks.
At 7.35 AM her Naanaji came outside to face the stream of news anchors from both the print and television media. However disappointed they were that it wasn't Sanaa herself making an appearance, they still had a barrage of questions to assault him.
"We found out that Sanaa is getting married to a NRI businessman. Did she choose him over RK?" asked one impatient reporter going to the heart of the matter.
Her Naanaji had his hands up, trying to pick and choose a reasonable question to comment on, but it was all deferrable at best.
"Our sources tell us that RK and Sanaa were a couple for a while. Does this mean that the bitterness from their falling out is the real reason for the book release? To slander RK for revenge?"
Naanaji held his head by his temples, "You all have to calm down," he attempted to raise his voice above the ruckus of the reporters in vain.
"When did they meet?" asked another reporter.
"What led them to separate? Had marriage been on the cards? Did RK propose at all?"
"Did they meet in private, sir? Did you not have any objections that RK is a Hindu? Can you tell us if religion was an issue?"
"If the book serves as revenge, was RK the one who broke up with Sanaa?" was another theory from an anchor to the far left.
"Was RK informed of Sanaa's marriage, sir?"
And somehow after the last question, Naanaji was allowed to speak when an ascending murmur crept in.
"As you all know, Sanaa has traveled through film circles given her mother and father's legacy in the film industry. RK is a good acquaintance and we will not even go so far as calling them friends, because they had never been allowed an opportunity to grow into one. The book release was her personal decision to bring her mother's life into light for her fans and nothing more. We don't have vendattas on our daily planners and we have a wedding to attend. If you would all be so kind to leave, we would like to get on with our preparations."
"Not true..." shouted a voice from the back of the throng.
Naanaji who had just whipped around to leave, turned to see a woman make her way to the front; the sea of reporters parting in strange silence to let her approach the gate.
"Sir, we want to know what Sanaa and RK were doing at Marine drive one night before her wedding?"
Naanaji's eyes widened at her allegation.
"No comment," he said, lowering his gaze to the ground. Clearly he'd had no idea about her revelation.
"Here are pictures as proof." The woman took out a phone and pressed a few buttons, before she passed it around to the other reporters. Similar to that of a domino effect, surprised gasps spread through the crowd.
"The last picture is the couple kissing right in front of this house, sir. We would like to know what exactly transpired last night and what is still leading Sanaa to continue with the wedding. I'm certain your grand daughter will have something to comment on them, sir, even if you don't seem to think there is anything worth to be said about the pictures."
His breath halted and the world spun visibly, with him as the center. The green of the trees in his vision disappeared into a sweeping white. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead and he mutely made his way back to the house as the reporters persisted calling to him from the gates.
Book Talk
