Next day Sunday Anitha was busy in preparing lunch. She planned to do mutton biriyani with pepper chicken. She was doing this meat preparation after a long time. Actually she forgot she was a non- vegetarian as she avoided all these mouth watering tasty stuffs.
Gayatri told her, today she will be coming here with her family. Vijay also assured her, he will turn up for lunch. She felt relieved finally when he showed up yesterday night. For both of them, it's like the bird returned to it's nest. "Where did he go?!, What about his punishment?! Has he come out in bail or something?! She doesn't know.
" Ding...dong..." The door bell rang. Gayatri arrived in with her cute little boy.
"Hi mintu Kanna..." Anitha took the boy from his Mom and planted a kiss on his cheek.
" Where is Maanu and her father?" She asked.
" They have gone to swimming pool to chill out the holiday, will be joining us for lunch", Gayatri replied.
Anitha placed a juice cup in front of Gayatri, and gave mintu a cookie and a toy, then she continued her cooking.
" Any help?" Gayatri asked.
" Nothing, almost finished" she replied.
"Where is Vijay? Is he around here? Gayatri asked.
"Gone out in the morning itself, he said he will come for lunch".
"Oh... such a good man with extraordinary character" Gayatri exclaimed while looking at Anitha.
"Did you know what he did in the past?" Words came out automatically before anitha could control them.
"Yes...I do... not only me, everybody knew that., don't you?!" Gayatri surprisingly asked.
With suspicion, she watched Anitha. Anitha looked confused.
She continued, "a year back, it was on the headlines, newspaper, media everywhere.... Even the news channels did a cover story about the case, as now a days channels are more fond of these type of stories, don't you know?!"
With much confusion, Anitha asked " what are you talking about?".
"I am talking about the injustice done by the law people to Vijay 5 years ago. I am talking about the criminal who beautifully knitted a story against our poor guy ..."
"You are saying 'he' didn't do that?!!.." Anitha gripped the kitchen counter for support as she was shocked of this very truth.
"Then who....?!" Bewildered, only air was coming out of her mouth rather than voice.
"That bitch was the science teacher in the same tutorial center, he silently escaped after accusing Vijay. He was one of the witness against him. He once again showed his teeth to another girl after 3 years, but this time the girl was bold enough to bring out his actual face. She clearly pointed him as a womanizer. With the third degree treatment in the police station, he vomited out everything. Again they restarted the case as they found an innocent boy was wrongly punished instead of this scoundrel, the judge ordered to cancel the old judgement and to release him immediately. Thanks to the media and Twitter support for Vijay, other wise police would have covered their fault.." Gayatri finished at a stretch. It seemed she was much furious against all of them who involved in this case.
"How come a girl could lie like this?!" Anitha was in utter disbelief. She sat down as she can't stand anymore.
"She found situation beyond control once her parents came to know about her pregnancy as they want to punish the boy who is responsible for that. That rogue threatened her, if he gone to jail, then who will marry her. So they both planned neatly to put their offense on someone else's head. She is such a fool to believe everything whatever he was telling. She didn't even know that the bitch was already married and father of 2 kids".
"Why Vijay....?" Anitha could no longer talk, she only whispered.
"Be cause he is the one without any background, nobody will come for his rescue....that man knew all about Vijay , so he planned well".
There was silence for few minutes. Mintu was playing quietly and trying to bite the toy. Gayatri understood anitha's situation, she pitied her.
"Don't be silly Anitha, you are not responsible for this, you were in a pathetic situation that time, it's very difficult to digest for a lady like you as everything happened in a short period of time..." She tried to convince her.
"What about the sweeper lady, another witness, was she also lied? Anitha asked.
"No, what she told in the court was true.." answered in a grit voice, Vijay entered the house.
Both of them speech less and looked at him quietly.
After drinking a glass of water, he continued "I was late in that evening as I went to refer some notes in nearby library. On my way home, I saw that girl was standing in front of the center and somewhat looked frightened. I offered her lift in my 2 wheeler and dropped her at home. So the maid in her statement, said she saw both of us together".
"Now a days helping someone also becomes dangerous at times", Gayatri lamented. " What about that stupid girl?!, What is she doing now?!" She muttered.
" She's happily married to her nephew and leading her life as mother of 3 kids"
The conversation stopped there, as Gayatri's husband and their girl baby came there to join them.
They enjoyed their lunch, talking cheerfully whereas Anitha was half minded throughout.
"Don't think unwanted things and trouble yourself, be positive and happy" Gayatri told her while leaving.
********
Anitha was standing in the balcony, looking outside through the darkness. She felt too guilty and it was painful to accept, "she didn't believe him at that time, if she did, something could have been done to save him", she thought.
"What Arun sir told was very true..." Startled by the sudden voice as well as the statement, Anitha turned to look at Vijay.
His sharp eyes now looked concerned..
" don't take everything straight to the heart and feel too much.." he said warmly.
"What he said?"
"He told, You are so sensitive and fragile.."
"If Arun was there at that time, he wouldn't let you down..."
"I know...." In grief, he thought about him.
She let out a sigh..
"I am sorry..., I should have believed you, I was carried away by an unknown girl's statement...."
"You are too innocent to know about the cruelty of this world, Go and sleep now" his voice somewhat intimidating, Anitha quietly started to her room like a obedient child.
To be continued....
