Trembling Shadows
A romantic, psychological thriller
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“Alright, no problem” it was indeed very first time to him to become completely naked before anyone. He felt really embarrassed when he removed the last garment also from his body. He really wondered while Tanuja observing him naked like that with a joy in her. He did not know women would enjoy nakedness of men. But one facility he had got that she did not object him observing her naked body fully while she was observing him so.
Then once again he went near to her and hugged her. It was not just a sexual passion being satisfied for Rajesh. After his parents death there was no touch to him with love and affection. Tanuja had taken him into her as he was her child. She caressed him and poured into him lot of love and affection.
They did not notice how much of time passed in satisfying their urges. But by the time it was finished both of their bodies filled with sweat. She was exhausted and closed her eyes. But the satisfaction in her face was quite evident.
“How it is?” while placing himself comfortably beside her on the bed he whispered into her ear again.
“wonderful!” she said.
He let some silence took place between them before saying, “I want to ask you some questions. You need to give me the answers sincerely”
“Why you are thinking that I will tell you lies?” frowning with ire she asked.
“Sorry” he was embarrassed. He did not know what to say to that.
“Ask then. You will hear only correct and true answers from me whatever the questions they may be.” she said making herself a little away from him, she might have understood that he was going to ask some implicating questions,.
“How is that person? Is he is a good man?” trying to look into her eyes he asked.
She averted her gaze from him and asked as if she did not understand “who?”
“That man, who made you pregnant” Rajesh was irritated a little as she had asked so. He knew that she understood what he was meant.
“He was a good man. He loved me a lot” She said. She continued. “I am going to tell you for the first and last time. If you do really love me, don’t ask this again. He was a very good man. We both really wanted to be got married. We have made this type of love making three or four times in fact. Even after his death too I wanted to keep his child. But it had happened like that.”
There was no answer from him. She turned towards him and looked into his face. There was disappointment and agony in it.
“I know what I say would trouble you and make you feel bad. But I wanted to be frank with you. I thought I never could have got a man like him again in my life. But I got you. You are better than him too. That person would feel quite happy now as a good man like you came into my life. He always wanted my good.”
“Really!” Rajesh’s face lit up with pleasure again. “Would you love me as much as you loved that man?”
“I love you even more dear” kissing on his lips Tanuja said. “Just in these few days I have understood completely what you are and what really lacking in your life. I shall give it full to you. You never regret that you have invited me into your life in this way.”
Rajesh closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Tanuja kept her word. She had given him her full love. His thirst for love and affection after his parents’ death was fully quenched by her. She played the roles of passionate lover and affectionate mother to him. There was no change in what she was providing to him at any time. She never denied whatever he wanted in whichever way he wanted if it was in her capacity.
They had got the child Sameera. They both felt quite happy as Sameera as well turned out to be as beautiful and glamorous as her mother. She got the tallness and beautiful features of her father also. Days went on quite happily for a long time. But suddenly such an animosity started in Sameera towards him and his wife. However hard he tried Rajesh could not understand why his daughter started hating them for the last six months or so. That was the only troubling thing to him and Tanuja then.
“Rajesh you are full of thoughts it seems” Rajesh turned and Malathi was observing him from a distance. “You did not even move. What you are thinking that seriously”
“Not very much important. We are trapped ourselves in a place like this. There would be no surprise if we become victims of long thinking as there is nothing else we can do.” Dropping himself into a nearby chair Rajesh said.
“You are right, of course” Malathi came near to him and placed herself in a nearby chair to him. “How long we have to stay here, you are thinking? Mostly two or three days in my opinion”
“Are you hoping like that? It does not seem so to me” Rajesh breathed heavily and then continued. “I am not hoping that my grandma would become normal just in two or three days. If she doesn’t become normal so, what should we do?”
“Your grandmother is not suffering from any ailment” Malathi said “You too know about that very clearly”
“You need not say that to me. Still can we leave her in this situation and go away?”
Malathi remained staring ahead as she could not think of what to say. In that posture, sat like that in the chair so, she was equally glamorous as she was in any other posture and angle. Unintentionally and unknowingly Rajesh was observing her. After Tanuja, Malathi was most important to him. He had got a special affection on her. He knew her from his very childhood. Malathi and her mother used to live near to his house in which he has been made to live by his grandmother and they both were friends also then. Surprisingly they both were classmates while studying medicine.
Rajesh as well knew very well about the man with whom Malathi spent together for completion of her medicine. Malathi did not keep that as a secret with Rajesh. But even before she said about that to Rajesh, he came to know about it. But surprisingly it did not change his feeling towards her.
“Are not you feeling any bad?” in fact Rajesh felt bad to ask her like that. They both were in his room then.
“I am not feeling any bad” the firmness in her voice surprised him. “It is the only means available to me to achieve my aim.”
“I shall ask my grandma to arrange some more money for your medicine too. She would send as much money as I want. She cannot give only love and affection to me. Stop this atleast now” with a distressing voice he said.
“Then it would become charity. Here I am giving something and taking something. There is no patronizing” the firmness in her was the same.
He remained silent. He did not know what to say then. “You hate me now, are not you?”
He looked into her face. Suddenly there was agony in it. He felt pity on her. Even after he had heard that straight from her, he did not get any hate on her. There were people who were doing even more bigger sins than what she was doing now sometimes causing harm and damage to other people lives. There was no damage and harm to anyone with what Malathi was doing. Even it appeared odd he himself agreed with her argument. It was her body and only means available to her to get what she wanted as she said.
“Certainly not. What you have said to me is true.” Rajesh said.
“I cannot believe you are thinking like that” she said.
“How I can make you believe” looking into her face again he asked. Her mouth agaped a little and she appeared even more beautiful and glamorous. What happened to him and how and why he did so Rajesh still could not understand but he suddenly kissed on her lips. It was indeed very first time that he touched her and kissed on her lips so. There was surprise and pleasure in her face then. It seemed that she was convinced with what he had said. She hugged him so strongly while he made her walked towards the bed. With Malathi’s gentle guidance on her body he made love with her for the first time on that day thoroughly, fully and satisfactorily.
Even they had made love sometimes like that he did not like to marry her. It was not because of her character but he did not want another doctor in his home. She never had asked him to marry her either. He did not feel to marry anyone until he saw Tanuja. When he said to Malathi that he wanted to marry Tanuja, she appeared hurt. But she did not object to that.
What was more distressing was the love making between him and Malathi could not be stopped even after their marriages too. They both thought that they could refrain themselves from it but they were not. It was just like some unknown force making them united like that. Until six years or so back they did that. With lot of will and intention they stopped it doing at last. Only on one or two occasions afterwards they were capitulated to do that again. Six months or so back it has happened between them both for the last time.
Vinod came to that place as they both were in deep brooding like that. “May I interfere? It seems the situation a little serious.”
“A lot serious in fact and we welcome any type of interference that may help” Rajesh said getting himself up from the chair as he could not manage to sit in that comfortably anymore. He had to make an effort to free himself from the memories of his past.
“Tell me, I shall see whether I can offer a solution to the problem”
Then Malathi explained the situation to him. “It is little worrisome, I agree” after hearing what Malathi said Vinod nodded his head. “How many in-patients you people are having in the hospital now?” he asked.
“There are no inpatients now in the hospital. I have got shifted our inpatients to some other hospitals before I have started to come here.”
“You did a nice thing. There is not much to worry about the hospital then. I think Sameera wrote her post graduation final year exams and enjoying her holidays now. She too need not hurry herself to move away from here”
Rajesh nodded his head.
“What about Aravind? Is he is in a hurry to go away from this place?” Vinod asked
“I can stay here even a month without any problem or boredom” they looked back as they heard the voice of Aravind. “There is not much important work to me to do in the town now. Really I like this place a lot. Very seldom we can come to places like these.”
The three looked at him with surprise. “We cannot believe it. How anyone can love and like places like these? There is no entertainment. We cannot get any enjoyment in the village either as it is like a burial ground. Anyone must be out of his mind to like a place like this.” Malathi said.
Rajesh got angry as Malathi talked like that, In fact he felt happy when Aravind said that he had no problem to stay in that place. Malathi was trying to make him a queer thing.
“Interests vary from person to person. Aravind’s interests are a little different. From scratch he is interested in villages and faraway places like these since he had grown up in a place like that. But he is not queer or odd.” Rajesh little angrily said.
(I hope that you enjoyed upto here. I shall publish the next chapter as soon as possible. Please don’t forget to rate and review.)
