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Originally posted by: ItsMe_Ammu
Nice one dear...
I loved the pace and tone of your FF...Continue soon...
Thanks Ammu. I was worried it was a bit heavy on detail and hence could get boring. Glad you liked the tone and pace.
Originally posted by: ItsMe_Ammu
Nice one dear...
I loved the pace and tone of your FF...Continue soon...
Originally posted by: -Humera-
Loved the update, I love how you have described how Mrityunjay and Tara fell in love, and why and how the cracks formed in their relationship, as well as the background behind Mrityunjay's character.
Can't wait to read on, and find out how they will meet each other, and how Mrityunjay will make it up to Tara :)
Originally posted by: Ananya80
great start Opti.u write really well and very interesting to see though mj and tara are not together the way tara supporting mj indirectly.Please continue.Cant wait for confrontation:)
This part is fairly long.
Part III
The next morning he got up with a severe headache. Unmindful of the excruciating pain, he resolutely got ready to meet his father-in-law. He needed to find out where his wife was and convince her to return to him. Just as he was about to leave the house, he heard the door bell ring. He opened the door to see the housemaid he had taken to the hospital a year ago standing at his door step. She seemed to be eager to say something. He invited her in and sat across her in the hall. Introducing herself as Champa, the maid quickly ran through her life history in the past one year in the next fifteen minutes.
Champa's narration.
After Mrithunjay left the hospital, Champa's statement was recorded and an FIR was filed against the MP's son. She was treated in the hospital for a couple of days before being discharged. An assistant to the public prosecutor met her family and explained to them that the father of the accused was a very powerful person who will stop nothing to ensure the acquittal of his son. He also warned that the case will be a long drawn out one and that the defence lawyer will tear her to pieces in his cross examination. He bluntly told them that in cases like these it is the poor who suffer and the rich and powerful go scot free. He encouraged them to accept the money that the MP was willing to give them to withdraw their complaint. Her mother, who feared that their family would be ostracised by the rest of their community, was in favour of hushing up the matter. Her alcoholic father was greedy for the money which was a pretty good sum. Her brother too was keen to accept the compromise because he felt that she was an embarrassment to him. The MP also dangled the carrot of a job for him. So with no one to support her, she had kept quiet and the case against the MP's son was withdrawn. In the process, she was the only one who went through all the humiliation, apart from going through the nightmare of rape. She felt frustrated and defeated.
A month later, a woman, who introduced herself as Mrs.Tara Shekawat, had contacted her. She encouraged her to fight for her rights and punish the man who had violated her. Although initially Champa was apprehensive whether justice would be served, it was Tara who gave her the courage and moral strength. She took her to a women's welfare organisation. Soon a few more non-government organisations got a whiff of the story and backed her up. The case was reopened by the Government under pressure from these organisations who took out regular morchas demanding justice. Finally, her prayers were heard and justice was done in the imprisonment of the rapist.
End of narration
She thanked him for taking her to the hospital that day and also for giving an immediate punishment to the rapist at the cost of his own freedom. Wanting to thank his wife too for giving her the courage to fight back, she looked around for her. Mrithunjay looked flustered and informed her that she was not at home but he will convey her gratitude to her. Before leaving, she asked him to forgive her for not visiting him in prison, for her family forbade her from doing so. As it was, they were upset with her for fighting the case and she did not push it further. Mrithunjay assured her that he wasn't upset with her, for she wasn't the only one who did not visit him. People who were much closer to him did not bother to do so either, he remarked dryly.
After she left, he headed for Sharma House in Bandra. As he approached the house, his heart beat loudly. His father-in-law and he did not see eye-to-eye for a long time but he had to meet him to get information about Tara's whereabouts. Ramu kaka, the manservant of the house let him in. After making him wait for nearly half an hour, Govind finally made an appearance. He congratulated him perfunctorily for regaining his freedom, but remained cold and distant. Mrithunjay thanked him for all his help but all he got in return was a grim nod from the old man. He hesitatingly asked him where Tara was but Govind refused to enlighten him. All he said was that he himself had not seen her for months. Mrithunjay tried his level best to glean at least some information about his wife but Govind was in no mood to entertain him. He abruptly got up and went into his room, without even bothering to take leave from him. Mrithunjay did not have any choice but to leave himself.
Just as he was making his way out, Tara's mother, Aradhana, stopped him and whispered, "Try contacting Malathi." Before he could ask her any further questions, she hurriedly left the place.
On his way back, Mrithunjay tried hard to recollect where Malathi lived. By the time he reached his flat, he suddenly remembered that Malathi had left for the U.S. more than a year-and-a-half back. He rummaged through Tara's cupboard and found an old address book which had Malathi's telephone number. He tried to call her up and realised that his phone had been disconnected as no one had paid the bill in the last one year.
He rushed to the nearest telephone booth and made an ISD call to Washington D.C. After several rings, a sleepy voice came on the line. He checked his watch and realised it must be around midnight in Washington D.C. Apologising for calling so late, he asked her about Tara's whereabouts. Although she seemed reluctant to reveal any details at first, his pathetic pleas seemed to move her for she finally relented and told him that Tara was sharing a flat with her sister, Revathy in Chennai. She gave him her sister's address but begged him not to tell Tara that he had got the address from her. She wanted them to reunite but she knew Tara would be upset with her if she comes to know that she had revealed her whereabouts to him. Mrithunjay promised to maintain her confidentiality
Just as he came out of the telephone booth, Yug met him. He handed him a cell phone saying that he had forgotten to give it to him the previous day. He also asked him to join his small leather export concern as a partner. Mrithunjay agreed to do so and excitedly told him that he had traced Tara's address. When Yug realised that Tara was in Chennai, he immediately took him to the nearest ATM counter and withdrew sufficient money to take care of his flight ticket to Chennai and back and his stay there. Mrithunjay thanked him profusely and immediately packed his bag for his trip. Yug wished him all the best and asked him to return with Tara bhabhi.
Chennai
As he stood outside the door of the flat in Alwarpet, Chennai, his heartbeat accelerated. He wondered what will be the reception he will get from his wife. Although he was not expecting a grand welcome, he hoped that she will not shut the door on his face the minute she sees him. He tentatively rang the doorbell and after the third ring she opened it. To say that she was surprised to see him would be an understatement. She seemed to nearly faint in shock seeing him.
"Mrithunjay!" she barely managed to whispered.
"Yes, it is your husband, Mrithunjay, who was set free yesterday. Can I come in?" he asked politely, looking around at the cozy apartment.
She did not respond in words but nodded her head in a dazed manner. He went in and sat down on the sofa. She slowly walked in and sat opposite him.
"How did you know that I live here?" she asked after she regained her composure.
"I can trace you to the ends of this world, Tara," he said dramatically but she was not amused.
"Why are you here?" she asked in a pained voice.
"Why am I here? To take you back with me, of course."
"You know that I will not come with you."
"Tara, please give me another chance."
"I have given you several chances, Mrithunjay, but you do not seem to really want this marriage to work."
"I do, Tara. I really do. My life is meaningless without you," he said huskily and took her hands in his.
She jerked her hands away and abruptly got up from her seat. She turned away from him so that he could not see her face.
"Please, Mrithunjay. Don't make it harder than it already is. Please leave me alone!" Her voice betrayed her pain.
Mrithunjay couldn't accept that she would give up on them so easily.
"Is your father the reason, Tara?" he asked abruptly as he got up from his seat.
She turned around to face him again, her eyes widening in surprise.
"What makes you think that?" she asked him searchingly.
"Well, he has always been against our marriage," he said evasively.
"Yes, he has been, but I have never cared about his opinion," she said dispassionately.
"I know that you never cared about it. But I also know that you do care for me, enough to give up your self respect and beg him to engage the best defence lawyer to argue my case. You care for me enough to coax Champa to fight her case. You care for me enough to instigate the women's organisations to demand the reopening of the rape case. For a woman who would go to such great lengths to set her husband free, I can't believe that you would give up on him so easily. Did your father ask you to leave me in return for getting me out of prison?"
She seemed shocked that he knew so much about what she did for him, but pretended to be unfazed by his remarks. She sat back on the sofa and continued "No, my father did not ask me to leave you. Even if he did, I would not have listened to him."
He resumed his seat on the sofa opposite her. "Then why did you leave me, Tara? Why did you not meet me even once during my entire stay in prison?"
"Mrithunjay, you underestimate my fatigue in our marriage. I am tired of extricating you from the problems you get yourself into. I want some peace, which I am sure I will not get as long as I live with you. If you really care for me, you will let me go. Does my peace and happiness not count for anything?" she asked, her eyes welling up.
Her words pierced his heart. "Tara, your peace and happiness mean everything to me. You know how much I love you."
"Then prove it. Leave me alone to lead my life the way I choose to."
"Tara..." he said in a voice laden with emotion.
She quickly bent her head to avoid his gaze.
"Please, Mrithunjay. Please leave now," she begged him.
With a heavy heart, he got up to leave. Just then he heard the wail of a baby from the adjacent bedroom. He looked at her curiously. For a moment her face turned ashen but she quickly recovered to say, "That is my flatmate, Revathy's baby."
"Revathy is married?" he asked in surprise.
"Yes, her husband lives in the Gulf. She will be joining him once her baby is a little older," she said by way of explanation.
"Where is Revathy?" he asked as he realised that they were the only ones in the flat at the time. He wondered how come she had left her baby behind.
"She had an urgent appointment with her doctor. She did not want to carry her little baby to the hospital where there are greater chances for the baby to contract infections."
He looked at her incredulously but did not say anything. The baby's wails grew louder hearing which she seemed to be impatient to get him out.
"If you don't mind, can you leave now? I need to give the baby the bottle."
Sighing defeatedly, he was about to turn towards the door when he noticed the sudden appearance of two large stains on her housecoat and he froze in his steps for a couple of seconds. Tara looked down at herself in embarrassment. Recovering quickly from his shock, he made a swift movement towards the adjoining bedroom. Seeing where he was headed, she ran ahead of him and tried in vain to stop him from entering in but he pushed aside her outstretched arm and rushed towards the cradle. One look at the baby inside confirmed what he had just realised seeing his wife. The mop of thick wavy hair crowning the head; the soft dark brown eyes; the large nose; the frilly lips; all proclaimed loud and clear who is the baby's father.
He picked up the wailing baby in his strong arms. 'My flesh and blood', he thought proudly as he looked at the baby in amazement. The baby stopped wailing and looked back at him curiously. It put out its chubby hands and tugged at his beard. The sight of the baby pulled at his heart strings but it also reminded him of what its mother had done. 'How could she be so cruel?' he thought. He turned around towards his wife menacingly.
"How dare you?" he lashed out between gritted teeth. "How dare you deprive me the knowledge of my own..." he paused and pulling down the baby's napkin to check its gender, he continued, ".. my own son. How dare you try to keep me away from him."
"Mi...Mrithunjay... the baby is not..," she stuttered.
"Don't...," he warned her, raising his forefinger, "Don't you dare deny the fact that he is ours. Your mouth may deny it but your body cannot hide its response to his cries, can it? Your body and his face have already betrayed that this is our baby. And don't bother finding excuses for hiding his existence from me. Nothing can justify it; nothing can justify keeping me from him. Don't you dare deny me my paternal rights, Tara. I will snatch him away from you if you do."
Tara looked at him with terrified eyes. His son who had temporarily stopped crying, started wailing again with greater force this time, as he was not only hungry but was also apparently frightened by the raised voice of the bearded stranger. Mrithunjay realised that this was not the time to have this showdown with his wife. Turning to his son, his eyes immediately softened.
"Sorry, baby. Sorry for keeping you hungry," he apologized to his son and thrust him into her arms, saying brusquely, "Go ahead and feed him first before he tears his vocal chords."
Tara took her baby with trembling hands and sitting on the edge of the bed, she turned away from him before unbuttoning her housecoat. Seeing this, Mrithunjay's fury was rekindled. 'How dare she treats me like a stranger?' he thought.
He turned her around roughly by the shoulder and bit out, "Don't act like a prude. I am not a lecherous stranger. I am still your lawfully wedded husband who has seen you in less. Don't make me feel cheap in my own son's presence."
She looked at him with eyes which clearly betrayed her fear. She hurriedly unbuttoned her dress and cradling her baby's head in the crook of her left arm, she proceeded to nurse him. Mrithunjay looked indulgently at his son as he latched on to her and fed hungrily, making loud slurping noises. His eyes moved up to his wife's face and caught the beatific smile on her lips as she gazed intently at her baby, who in turned locked eyes with his mother as he satisfied his hunger, his small chubby hands extending up to caress her right cheek. Captivated by this poignant sight, he felt a strong tug at his heart. He knew that it would be a crime to try snapping this mother-son bond, but then he wanted to bond with his son too, something she seemed unwilling to allow. He had to make her understand that their son needed him as much as he needed his son. He decided to wait till she finishes her feeding session to discuss this with her. After a few minutes she changed sides and continued to nurse his son.
"What is his name?" he asked in a voice which was much gentler than his earlier tone, his eyes glued to his little family.
"Ishan, but I call him Gollu" she said without looking up at him.
He smiled as he recollected her term of endearment for him, Gollu ki papa', which she used every time he got annoyed with her.
"How old is he?" he prodded.
"Five months," she muttered, still refusing to meet his eye.
Fifteen minutes later, his son finally let go of his mother, fully satiated. She was about to lift him up but he leaned forward and picked up his son from her arm. As he lifted him up, his fingers accidentally grazed her bosom and he felt her shiver at the contact. Her involuntary action made him aware of the effect he still had on her and he felt more hopeful of a reconciliation. As she buttoned up her dress, he strode up and down the room with his son on his shoulder and patted his back gently to help him burp. His son finally burped and brought out a little milk on his shoulder. She quickly got up and wiped the baby's mouth with a soft piece of muslin cloth and stretched her arms out. The baby immediately leaped into them. She then laid him in the cradle and rocked it till he dozed off. Mrithunjay stood on the other side of the cradle and observed his son's sleeping form.
She bent her head to kiss their son's chubby cheek at precisely the same moment that he bent his head to do the same. As a result, their foreheads bumped against each other. They quickly jerked their heads up and rubbed the place where they got hit, their eyes locking into each other's. Mrithunjay smiled at her but she did not return his smile. Instead, she turned to leave but he reached out and caught her arm. Dragging her out of the bedroom, he closed the door so as to not disturb his sleeping son.
"We need to talk," he said in a soft voice.
"There is nothing further to discuss, Mrithunjay," she said in a tired voice.
"Oh, yes, there is, young lady and you better listen to me." His temper started rising again seeing her unwillingness to talk.
"You did agree to leave me alone", she tried to remind him.
"I did, but that was before I learnt that you are not strictly alone but are living here with MY son. I can't trust you with him, Tara. Your track record with human relationships sucks. You failed as a daughter when you married me against the wishes of the man who gave you life, raised you up and with whom you were supposedly close. You failed as a wife, when you ditched me at the first sign of trouble after promising to be by my side until death parts us. How can I be sure you will not fail as a mother, as well? What if you ditch him when you find something or someone who catches your fancy in future?" he said spitefully.
"How dare you?" she screamed hysterically, her eyes stinging with angry tears. She raised her hand to strike his cheek but he caught her arm in mid air. She shook it free from his grip and taking a step back, she spat out. "Do you want to know the real reason why I left you, Mrithunjay?"
He nodded his head mutely. Seeing her distraught state, he suddenly felt ashamed for saying all those hurtful things to her.
"Are you strong enough to hear it?" she challenged him, her chest heaving in anger.
Seeing him nod his head again she said, "Well then, if you insist in knowing the reason, here it is. I left you and had deliberately kept our son away from you because I did not want him to turn out like his father."
Mrithunjay stared back at her with open mouth.
"Yes, Mr. Mrithunjay Shekawat. You heard me right. I did not want my son to learn his father's violent behaviour from him. I can tolerate your anger, Mrithunjay. I can withstand the repercussions of your fury. I didn't mind running from pillar to post to save your a** whenever you got yourself in trouble as long as I was just your wife, but now I am also a mother. I need to consider the well-being of my son too. Children always look up to their parents and mimic what they do. I don't think you, with your fiery temper, are a good role model for him to follow. I thought that you will change some day, Mrithunjay, but you never did. If anything, your temper only got worse by the day. All your promises to reform yourself were empty. As a child's character is largely shaped by the environment he is raised in, I could not risk raising my son in that unhealthy atmosphere.
I may have been a bad daughter and a bad wife, but I did not want to be a bad mother too. That is the reason why I decided to leave you, although it broke my heart to leave behind the only man I ever loved, still love and will always love in my life."
She broke down completely and crumbling to the floor, she wept her heart out.
Continued in Page 7
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