Homecoming
Life has become interesting again since I met Raj six months back. He had come to take some papers that John had left at home. The incident is still fresh in my memory.
I had answered the doorbell and found a handsome man waiting.
“Madam, I am Raj from Sir’s office. He forgot a folder at home and called me to pick it up on my way to office”, he said.
Many others had come from the office earlier but this guy was different. I did not know of any such folder so I asked him to come in, sit and went inside to bring something while I called John to ask.
“Mary, there is a brown folder on side table on my side of the bed. Please give him that folder,” replied my husband.
Right, I told him and checked myself in the mirror.
“Not bad, Mary, you still look stunning after years of being married.” I thought to myself.
Now I did not know what happened to me that day but I wanted to be a little playful. So I went out and told Raj that I am still looking for the folder. He smiled back and said, “No problems, madam, I will wait.”
“Don’t madam me. Call me Mary. John is your boss, not me.”
“Okay madam, hmmm, Mary.”
“That’s more like it.”
We finished the usual small talk, which part of the town, hobbies, job and so on.
I started admiring his physique and his lips. Our eyes met and I could feel him getting uneasy. That made me more interested in him. I crossed my legs in an inviting way so he could get a peek at my beauty. He became more uncomfortable and I became more adventurous.
“So, are you married, Raj?”
“No.”
“Oh! I wanted some advice as John and I are having some problems.” I laid the trap.
“Well, that is your personal matter. I don’t have any right to meddle.” He was definitely perplexed as this was not something one brings up so fast in the first meeting.
“What if I give you the right?” I tightened the noose, almost aware of my intentions about him by now, lust at first sight.
“I mean, at best I can be your sounding board, if you like.”
“Oh, that will be a great help. Why don’t you come along while I look for the folder?”
“Sure.”
I took him to the bedroom and pretended to look at all usual places while ensuring that he gets a good look at me from all angles and viewpoints.
His shy eyes and uneasy manner made me want him more. I wanted to make love to him then and there. But I wanted him to feel the same way about me, if at all he did. And then I was not sure if it was my playful mood making me do all this or I really needed a break from my routine life. I decided to give time some time and picked up the folder and handed it over.
He seemed as confused as me about his emotions and feelings. After all, I was no easy girl but a respectable woman, and not too bad in any department. He could be looking forward to such a lucky chance.
I gave him my number and asked him to call me and come over next time to help me enjoy marital bliss. I could not be more direct than that about my intentions being a well-bred girl, you see. Now whether he takes it to mean being my counsellor or my pleasure partner was his choice, or rather our choice.
After that first meeting, we gradually got to know each other better during our meetings later on.
All this happened because my marriage with John had become dull and boring after 10 years. It is not that I did not like him anymore, I did. But somehow that romantic love was missing now in our relationship. Raj, who was John’s junior, filled that gap. Our clandestine affair was going on smoothly without John knowing about it. Though yesterday, we had a narrow escape when John came home early, minutes after Raj had left after an intense round of love-making. Since Raj had an outdoor duty, it was easy for him to squeeze in our passionate quick meetings in his daily schedule. Secluded location of our house in uptown was a definite advantage. As the dialogue in Hollywood movie “Seven” goes- Minding your own business is a Science in big cities.
We had planned to meet today at 12 noon as John usually leaves for office by 10 a.m. It was already 11.45 a.m. and John was still home with an upset stomach. Raj’s phone was out of reach. Maybe our secret would come undone today. My heart was beating like drums and I had downed 5 glasses of water to wet my dry throat.
John came out with his office bag and waved bye for the second time. Though he had taken Dependal tablet, but he had to come back the first time to relieve himself. I crossed my fingers and was mumbling please, please don’t come back this time.
I observed him carefully as he walked to the door. I knew that time was running out but suppressed the urge to check my watch. I took a deep breath and started counting in reverse under my breath, “Ten, nine, eight, seven…”
After I saw his car leave the building, I heaved a sigh of relief. Raj came in after 15 minutes and I scolded him for switching off his phone and narrated what could happen today. He calmed me down with his bear hug and told how he had forgotten the powerbank at home and could not use the discharged phone. We chatted for an hour or so and then he left.
Over the next few weeks, we had many such anxious moments. I finally made up my mind to end this hide and seek and tell John about our affair. As luck would have it, next Sunday John told that he wanted to discuss some personal matter with me. I thought of using this opportunity to unburden myself too.
So as were having our evening tea, John raised the topic and said, “ Mary, I need to confess something. Our relation has been drifting apart and to bring back fun in my life, I have been seeing someone. “
Talk of poetic justice.
“You know my colleague Raj, whom I sent a few months back to collect some papers.”
I maintained stoic pose and nodded.
“I am having an affair with his widow sister, Pooja.”
My heart missed a beat and I was speechless at this strange coincidence. Somehow, emboldened by his confession, I summed up courage and said, “Well, John, strange are the ways of destiny.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was also looking to bring fun back to my life and I…I have been seeing Raj for last few months.”
“Don’t tell me. Raj, from my office, Raj.”
“Yes, Pooja’s brother, Raj.” I rubbed in.
We took few minutes to digest what had happened and to gather ourselves.
John spoke first, “Okay, strange as it is. Let us take few days to come to terms with this freak coincidence. Let us avoid meeting them for few days till we decide what to do with our lives.”
Well, we were in the same boat, so to say. We decided to give some time to our relationship rectangle.
But destiny had some other plans. A few days later, we got the news that Raj met with an accident and died. To complicate the matters, Pooja could not bear the loss and went into severe depression. So both John and myself had our Karma come back to us at jet speed. We visited Pooja for 2-3 days and I told her that I was Raj’s secret love. In spite of her poor health and shocked state, she could not keep herself from smiling and wondering at this cruel joke of fate. We could empathise with each other’s loss.
But maybe I had sinned more. Only that could explain my pregnancy soon after the tragedy. I was cent percent sure that Raj was the father of my child. When I told this to John, he was shocked too but took it more calmly than I expected.
“Are you sure, Raj is the father?”
“Yes, you were on tour the week the child was conceived.”
“So what do you plan to do, Mary? Keep the child or?”
“I want to have it.”
“But do we really want to bring up a child that will remind us of our troubled past?”
“We will take that call later. But abortion is not an option.”
Time passed. We kept visiting Pooja in between. She also got to know of child’s story. Her health had improved over the months and she had decided to move to Kolkata. When the baby was only one month old, she asked us if she could take the baby with her to Kolkata, as he was the only memory of her brother she had now. Since we were undecided about baby’s future anyway, we agreed.
Life, it seemed, had come full circle. Both John and I, had had our share and version of fun while it lasted. The phase of lust and unfaithfulness did not offer a permanent solution to boredom and monotony in our lives. Raj and Pooja had provided the electric jolt that we needed to bring back spark in our married life. Ironically, our unsuccessful attempt of finding love outside marriage had helped us find the lost love in our relationship.
Pooja had got busy with her life and we in our lives. Gradually we lost touch, maybe in an effort to forget our past and live in the present.
Days turned to months, months to years. And today ten years later, I am holding a copy of Pooja’s will that her lawyers couriered to us. She had died of cancer and left the custody of Raj (yes, she named him Raj) to us. Could I call it homecoming of Raj, I don’t know. But then who was I to question the ways of destiny. For now, I had lot of packing to do as we leave for Kolkata tomorrow.
