Pawn 8
Laksh stops by his mum's bedroom door. Turns around to the sound of laughter. His gaze meeting Sanskar's. His gaze filed with accusation and heart ache as he takes in the scene. Without a word he turns around and steps into his mother's room. Shutting the door softly behind him with a calmness he doesn't feel.
Sanskar stares into eyes filled with accusation... eyes filled with pain... eyes crying out... that is my girl in your arms. His laughing eyes is over shadowed with bleakness... his smile faltering as he releases his hold of Swara... feeling like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Startled by the abrupt change in his demeanour, Swara stops him from walking away by placing her hand on his arm. Confused, she asks, "what's the matter? What happened?"
Not willing to share, Sanskar says instead, "just feeling slightly dizzy with all the twirling."
Like an energised bunny, Swara hops up in front of him, giving out instructions as she forcefully makes him follow.
"... stand straight... touch your toes... no don't bend your knees... stop. No... do it like this... see...Don't lift your head... no not yet... do not come up... jeep touching your toes..."
"Swara what are you making me do... stop it... let go of me," Sanskar says, feeling stupid as he tries to straighten up.
"I just want more oxygen to reach your brain so that the dizzy spell can reduce," Swara says, then clasps her hand excitedly, saying, "ooh there is a better way... come..." she holds his hand and pulls him along.
"Here... sit...," Swara says as she pushes him onto the sofa. Then proceeds to part his legs... then places her hand at the back of his head and forcefully places his head between his legs. Pleased with herself, Swara says, "much better... isn't this easier."
Taken aback... Sanskar had obliged her... but as the seconds tick away... he can't help but feel stupid. He sighs as he feels the weight of her palm at the back of his nape, wondering when she would release him. "This is stupid," he mutters to himself, "I am not even dizzy!"
"How much longer," he calls out from under his legs as he wonders why he is entertaining her. "One more minute," Swara replies.
Curious, he asks, "where did you learn this?"
"From the telly," Swara replies proudly.
"Medical documentary," Sanskar says, pleasantly surprised that Swara watched serious programs. He had not expected her to have such interests.
Swara replies with a grin, "nah... it was an American sitcom."
"What!", Sanskar exclaims as he forcefully sits up. "You are kidding... right," he adds in shock. "Tell me you are kidding... medical tips from a sitcom... it's a joke, right?" He asks.
Frowning, Swara glares at him, folding her arms across her waist, she asks, "are you feeling dizzy?"
"No," Sanskar replies truthfully... momentarily forgetting that he was not dizzy to begin with.
Shrugging her shoulders, Swara says, "why question something that works? What does it matter where I learnt it... the key thing is you are no longer feeling dizzy."
Watching her walk away in a daze, sanskar says, "oh my God," adding, "who takes medical tips from a sitcom?"
Adarsh who was not too far away, bursts out laughing as he replies, "your wife."
Sanskar turns to him, chuckles, turns back to Swara who is racing up the stairs, he repeats softly, "my wife"
*********************
Masking his pain, laksh walks up to him mum who is seated on the edge of her bed. Anapurna watches her son make himself comfortable on her bed as he rests his head on her lap. Her hand automatically caressing his head. Mother and son stay like that savouring the moment... in amicable silence... both focusing their energies in easing the constricting pain in their hearts.
An unnoticed tear drop escapes and falls on Laksh's forehead. His fingertips automatically goes on the wet spot. He looks up to his mum... upside down... gives her a sad smile as he wipes another escaped tear from under her right eye and says with a lightheartedness he doesn't feel, "that's cheating..." sitting up, he continues in a teasing voice, "I demand a role reversal."
Anapurna pulls her son into a tight hug, saying, "I am glad you are accepting the situation." Hugging her back, Laksh says, "mum, Sanskar said he will divorce Swara." Taken aback, Anapurna breaks away from the hug. Oblivious to the change in his mother's demeanor, Laksh continues, "I think we should get them divorced as soon as poosible... they have been married two weeks... I can't have Sanskar fall in love with Swara... Swara is easy to love," he completes by voicing his fears.
"Laksh... son... stop," Anapurna says, her voice filled with anguish.
"Are you hearing yourself?" She asks.
"Swara made her choice when she chose not to wait for you," she says, adding softly, "I know I am being harsh, but you need to face reality."
"No mum. You are wrong. Swara married Sanskar because she had no choice. After everything that had happened previously, she would never allow society to point fingers at her family or ours... and an empty mandap would have done just that. She only married Sanskar for the family's sake," Laksh explains to his mother.
"Laksh are you even listening to yourself," Anapurna admonishes. "Let us play devil's advocate for a moment... if what you say is true and Swara married Sanskar for the family... then for the same family's sake would she divorce him or stay married to him?" She asks her son.
Shaking his head, not ready to accept or acknowledge his mum's question, Laksh says, "I don't know anything... I just know that Swara and Sanskar will divorce so that Swara and I can marry."
Not wanting to continue the conversation Laksh heads towards the door, when his mother calls out, "your father will never agree."
Gritting his teeth, his gaze filled with determination, he thinks, "I will make it happen." Without missing a beat, striding out of his mother's room, he says without turning, "we shall see."
Edited by angelpureness - 8 years ago
Cricket
