“Hold me in your hug just like I am your daughter. Let me sleep in your hug.”
Then she slept like a baby in his hug for the rest of the night.
“You are absolutely right doctor, absolutely right.” He said just like mumbling in himself.
“One more thing here sir.” Rose adjusted in her chair for more comfort and asked him. “How is the relationship between your daughter and your second wife now?”
“Cannot you guess that doctor? Not even a little bit good. My daughter hates my wife with whole of her heart.” There was uneasiness and distress in the face of Viswanadh.
“Did they both meet yet, talked with each other anything at all?” Rose knitted her brows together.
“They both met but my daughter did not try to talk anything with Evalla at all even Evalla tried.” Viswanadh sighed heavily. “Anyhow it is not something that Evalla could not guess. No girl in my daughter’s place accepts her father marrying a girl who is younger more than two years to her.
After talking some more time with her and took some more suggestions and advice, Viswanadh left that place.
***
“Anyhow your dad’s marrying someone else did one good so far. You came to me like this.” Yamuna said to her daughter after the initial greetings and after they both comfortably ensconced in the chairs in the hall.
“You divorced him, came away from him and married another person. So his marrying like that is not affecting you. But I am his own daughter thinking all his love and affection only for me. Cannot you guess how I would be affected if he married someone out of the blue in such a way?” Prameela angrily said. “That too a girl who has less than half of his age and younger to me also.”
“Your feeling can be understood. Your dad’s suddenly doing something like this is surprising to me also. But.....” Yamuna paused for a second before continuing. “...........if he gets some happiness by this, you must allow it. After all what he has done for you, you need to cooperate for his enjoyment also.”
“I just cannot understand what you are trying to say.” The irritation in Prameela’s face was increased even more. “Anyhow in your opinion what he did is right.”
“Absolutely” Yamuna leaned back in the chair still covering her daughter’s face in her gaze. “Of course, I divorced your dad and married some other person. But it was not because of your dad is a bad person. When Madhukar whom I loved with whole of my heart has fallen into such condition losing his wife, I just could not tolerate, I just could not bear. I just want to go to him. I could not think whether I was doing a good thing or bad thing. I know I made your dad’s life very much difficult by doing so and for that I am still feeling very much bad. “ Yamuna paused for a second, leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.
Prameela did not say anything but still furious. She just wanted to listen if her mother was going to say anything more.
“It was your dad who took all the trouble not only to make his business flourish, flourish and flourish but to look after you in a so smooth and magnificent way. Can you say that any moment of your life that your dad made you feel bad for anything?” Yamuna opened her eyes and once again looked into the face her daughter.
“Except for this recent incident............” Prameela said “..............he did not make me feel bad for anything.”
“It is not just the elders all the time their children but the children also should try to understand their elders. Your dad indeed needs some happiness like that and if he can get it in such a way you have to agree to it whole heartedly.”
“Mom, one thing here!” Prameela paused for a second as if to reiterate what she was going to say. “If my dad marries a woman near to his age, I would not have felt this much at all. But he married a girl, damn it, who is younger more than two years to me. That is what I cannot digest at all.”
“That is what I too cannot understand!” with gathered frowns Yamuna said. “Viswanadh is not a type to fell for beauty. Is she beautiful?”
“Damned beautiful! A movie actress previously. Mom, you can easily guess what type of life she did live before she came into the life of my dad.”
“Assumptions sometimes go wrong dear, anyhow we do put aside that type of thinking for the present.” Sighing heavily Yamuna said. “Anyhow my advice to you is still the same. Try to be good with your dad, understand him! Its not right to think his love on you is lessened just because of his marrying again.”
“Is there any choice to me? I do try.” Once again irritating in herself Prameela said.
“My another advice to you, try to be good with that girl also. After all she is your mother now.”
“Oh, mom. Please don’t talk like that. I just cannot bear......” Prameela tried to say something more but a fifty two or so years aged man came there. Prameela felt very much uneasy as soon as she saw him. He was her step father Madhukar.
“Hello!” putting an effort not to show her uneasiness in her face Prameela said.
“How do you dear!” Madhukar came near to her, put his right hand around her shoulders and kissed on her right cheek. “It seems that you have forgotten about us completely.”
“Its not so” feeling completely uncomfortable in his hug Prameela said and saving her from that feeling he released his hold.
“I do meet you again, have some work outside.” Then he went out from that house.
“Madhukar indeed thinks about you. He likes your staying with us but very well know that’s not possible.” Yamuna said.
“Where is my half-brother now?” feeling relaxed when Madhukar went away from that place Prameela asked. She would feel discomfort both in his presence and hug also.
“He plays tennis or something in the evenings. You can expect him at any moment.” There was few seconds silence before Yamuna broke it and asked “Did you talk anything with that girl yet?”
“I did not talk anything with that girl. I could not even bear her presence.” Prameela irritated. “I just cannot feel friendly with someone who entered into my family only for our richness.”
“How did you say it like that, how did you say it so?” still fixing her gaze on the face of her daughter Prameela asked. “However much probability is there for it, still its an assumption. Alright she has entered into your family with a selfish motive, to share your richness but what’s wrong? We do all want to be rich, want to be comfortable. Don’t forget that she is giving something for what she is taking.”
“You are talking very peculiarly mom, I did not expect like this from you.” Prameela really felt surprise on hearing her mother so.
“Facts sometimes appear very peculiar dear. Put aside your anger and irritation, think about how much your dad did for you and how much he loves you. That settles everything. That makes you understand it is necessary that you make amicable relationship with that girl.”
“I am not thinking that I can do that.” Prameela sighed heavily and leaned back in the chair. “But I don’t think that I have a choice either.”
There was some silence and before Yamuna saying anything Prameela said. “Mom, I just forgot to tell you. That girl has been suffering from a psychological disorder. So far I learnt a psychiatrist also came to our home to see her.”
“Really! What is that disorder?” with gathered frowns Yamuna asked her.
“I don’t know about that. In fact I did not show any interest in knowing about that.”
Yamuna was about to say something but then a twenty years aged guy entered into that place.
“Hello sis. How do you do? It is indeed after a very long time that you visited us like this.” With a smile on his lips Anurag asked her.
“Of course, fine.” When he came near to her Prameela got off from the chair, put her right hand around his shoulders and kissed on his left cheek. It was quite surprising to her that she could feel love and affection on her half-brother like that. “How do you do?”
“Need I tell you? Cannot you understand looking at me?” he laughed in his usual way and he also smoothly put his right hand around her. “Wonderful indeed!”
“When you would be a full-fledged doctor?” releasing her hold around him while relieving herself from his hold she asked.
“It takes four years or so more. I just entered into my first year medicine. You know it and still asks like this. ” He laughed and said. “If you wait two minutes, I refresh myself and come back. We are going to take our supper together on this day.”
“I am sorry. Not on this day. I came here long time back and I need to return now.” She said with a smile. “On some other day we both do have together not only supper but lot of fun also.”
“If you keep your promise, it is okay to me your going now.”
“I keep all promises I do to my little brother.” She once again put her right hand around his shoulders and this time kissed on his right cheek. “I go now. Bye” after taking her hand away from him, for the last time she looked into the faces of her mother and half-brother and came out of that place.
***
“I want to talk something with you.” Viswanadh still could remember that day when Yamuna asked him with urgency and concern in her voice.
“We sure do talk but not now.” Putting himself completely in the papers he was looking at that time, Viswanadh said. “I am in very much important work now and cannot concentrate whatever you are going to say.”
“But I cannot bear this for long. A decision has to be taken fast. I want to talk this with you for a long time but you are not giving me a chance at all.” The irritation was clear in her voice which was reflecting in her face also abundantly.
Viswanadh put the papers on the table before putting a paperweight on them and made his swivelling chair turned towards her. “You are pregnant again, is it is not?” with a smile on his lips he asked her. “If it is as simple as that, you need not be anxious like this at all. It would indeed be a very happy news to both of us.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions without listening me full, Viswanadh.” Her calling him like that was surprising him. Her usual way of addressing him was ‘Viswa’. “It is not just because of the bloody reason I am pregnant again that I am anxious like this.”
“Then tell for what other bloody reason you are anxious like this?” warning bells started ringing in Viswanadh. He did not know why but a ball of uneasiness started expanding in him.
“I cannot live with you anymore Viswanadh. I want to go away.”
“You are a reputed doctor and I know you can live anywhere happily without any trouble.” Viswanadh got off from the chair and said looking straight into her face. “But am I deserved to know why you took a decision suddenly like that?” his heart beat increased more and he could not guess any reason for that.
“It is not sudden decision Viswanadh. It is in my mind for a long time and you just have not given me a chance to express me like this.” Suddenly there was an uneasy expression in her face also and Viswanadh understood that she was also facing trouble to express herself so at him.
“But for god’s sake why? Why do you want to go away from me and live on your own?” Viswanadh did not realise that he was yelling at the pitch of his voice.
“Just because I am in love with someone else and I cannot live without him.” She also vehemently said.
Viswanadh felt if as if all the strength in his body was drained and he slumped in the chair again. His heart filled with shock and it reflected in his face also in the equal measure. “Did I hear it right? Tell me, tell me again?”
“You heard it right, bloody hell you heard it right.” She closed her face in both her palms and burst into weeping. “He entered into my life again. I never have expected that a thing like this would happen. If I have expected this, I would not have married you at all.” Amidst her terrible weeping Yamuna blurted out.
“What you did not expect? What really has taken place?” Viswanadh could not understand how he was talking like that! At that moment what he was feeling was utter shock.
“Madhukar and I both were lovers. We both studied medicine together and in those days itself we both were in love with each other. But under unavoidable circumstances, he has to marry some other girl. As my parents compelled me to marry, I have to marry you.” She was wiping away the tears.
“That means what the love and affection you have shown on me all these days is just your acting! You never have felt any love on me.” But it was indeed quite surprising to me. In those four or so years of their married life, no one else could love her husband as she did to him.
(……….to be continued)
(I hope you enjoyed it so far. Please don’t forget to rate and review it. I update the next chapter as early as possible.)
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