“No, darling! Nothing bad. I am alright.” Malathi, her mother, said turning her head down. Why not her mother was looking straight into her face?
“No, mom. You are appearing very much sick and disturbed. We both do go to the doctor and see what’s the problem.”
“I can understand your anxiousness.” Malathi perched her head up and suddenly there was a smile on her lips but Nalini understood it was forced but not natural. “It is just because of stress. If I take rest, everything will be alright.”
“No, mom. We have to go to a doctor.” Nalini was persistent as some sinister feeling crept into her heart. “It is important that we go to a doctor while we are becoming old. You are nearing sixty and for a long time you did not see a doctor. We both are going to see a doctor on the evening of this day itself.”
The firmness in the voice her daughter did not make Malathi to say anything more and on the evening of that day both of them went to a lady doctor nearby.
“There is no problem with your mother. She is hundred percent alright. You have unnecessarily worried about her health.” That lady doctor laughed and said. “But there is something peculiar I have to say to you. Where is your father? Did not he come? He must be the person who should be known about it first.”
“He is away on some urgent work doctor, no problem I tell him about this. Tell me what it is?” but even before the doctor said what it was; Nalini could understand that.
“It would have happened accidentally I think. Otherwise, at this age no couple should want to have a child.”
Her worst fear has come! However much she has expected it from the doctor, it was just like a bomb dropped beside her when she heard it from her.
“My mom is pregnant! Is it is not so doctor?” the words were just automatic from the mouth of Nalini and she could not understand the feeling in her then.
“I know you could guess it.” the doctor’s laughter was quite irritating to her then. “Even there are complications in having pregnancy at advanced age like this, there are women who have given birth to healthy children after sixty also. See your mother takes healthy food and be careful with every tiny detail also. Very soon you are going to be rewarded with a tiny brother or sister.”
“What about an abortion doctor?” Nalini said hastily. “I know there are complications with pregnancies in advanced age. I just don’t want anything happen to my mother.”
“There is no chance! Now six month pregnancy is running and how you both did not come to know about it until now I cannot understand! Trying to abort the baby now is quite dangerous to your mother also.” Sighing heavily the doctor said leaning back in the chair.
‘There is no problem even my mother dead.’ Nalini wanted to say but she got off the chair without saying it. “Thank you doctor.”
Malathi also got off from the chair she sat and came upto the threshold of the room then they both heard the doctor’s saying.
“Be very careful of her health! If you take her to me from now on, I give guarantee not only to her health and safety but the same to the baby also.”
It was as if Nalini did not hear anything and she did not know how she has reached her home along with her mother.
“Mom, I know that bloody psychiatrist Rose’s hypnotherapy did not work out. Taking you away from that place also has turned out useless. Now what all I want to know is who has to take the credit for it? With whom you have got it? I do go to him and ask him what to do now. If he is a widower I ask him to marry you and take the responsibility of the child. But first let me know who is the proud father of this baby?” Nalini was yelling vehemently without thinking and she lost the sense that others might hear what she was saying.
Malathi covered her face in both of her hands, slumped on the edge of the bed and broke out into weeping.
“Your weeping like that is making my hate and anger on you more and more mom. First tell me who is the reason for it and then do anything? I have selected such a locality where there is no possibility that you can have it with neighbours but you still could do it? How and with whom? Just tell me and weep.” Holding both the shoulders of her mother with her hands and shaking her heavily Nalini asked her with the same vehemence.
Malathi still did not prefer to say anything but remained weeping.
“Don’t think that I leave it like this. If you don’t tell me who that is immediately, I go and hang myself.” Shaking her shoulders even more vehemently Nalini was yelling more and more loud. Sanjan would return from his business tour just in two days and she did not know what to say to him once he returned! The idea how Sanjan would react to that making her even more mad.
Malathi removed her hands from her hands, perched her head up and looked into the face of her daughter with a startled expression but still she did not prefer to say anything to her daughter.
“Alright mom, find my body after few minutes. Don’t think my threat is an empty one.” After throwing her mother vehemently back Nalini started walking fast towards her room.
“Sanjan, it is Sanjan.” Bullets would have better hit her with little force than those words from her mother. “The father of the baby in my womb is Sanjan, your husband. He caused it.”
Nalini slowly turned and looked into the face of her mother! She never has felt that much shock in her whole life. She has expected the worst from the beginning but not this much worst.
“Mom, what you are talking?” Nalini came near to her mother like an automaton. “I just cannot understand what you are saying!”
“What you have heard is the absolute truth. We have had it together and your husband Sanjan is the father of my baby.”
A reeling feeling has started in Nalini, she suddenly felt as if she has been drained off all her strength and she did not know when she fell down on the floor unconscious.
***
“Whatever type of life she has led, my mother in law Margaret’s character is inspiring me. I really do mean it Will” before becoming ready to read the book written by Margaret, Rose said.
“Why so?” Williams knitted his brows.
“Taking birth in a prostitutes’ family was not her fault. She could not foresee that she would be manipulated by that rogue Stuart. If it were anyone else in her place, she would have lost her courage. But she did not lose her courage, took the reins of great empire Mammooth Enterprise into her hands and could control Stuart also.”
“But he took the advantage of her till the last moment. He could make her even the mother of his baby.”
“I agree. But don’t forget that he is in relationship with her from the beginning! It was he who put her into the house. For a long time he could control her and in fact..........” Rose paused for a second before saying again “..........only after the death of Raja Prathap she could get control over the affairs.”
“Why did not she try to expose that bastard once she got control over the things?”Williams knitted her brows together “She would have done that first.”
“Exposing that to the world may mean exposing many things. Jasmine is his daughter and it also comes into light. If she expelled Stuart, he would not remain calm. If she did so, he would have done many things to cause damage to her. Margaret is intelligent Will. First she thinks and then only she acts. She sensed the necessity of me for you and made me your wife like this. By the time she asked me to become your wife, she did not know we both were in love.”
“May be you are right. I must say that is one of her wisest decisions.” Williams laughed happily and said. “I am happy for my becoming mad like that particularly for one thing Rose. It made you my wife. Yes, I agree my mom caused it to happen fast. I never have thought that a beautiful woman like you would become my wife!”
“I am flattered Will” Rose laughed “If the praising is over, I start reading the book again. I am thinking to complete it on this day if it is possible. There is Charles book also I have to complete.” She said still with a smile on her lips.
“Go on. My mom’s story is very much interesting to me. I try not to become emotional.” Williams closed his eyes adjusting himself for more comfort on the bed.
“I am always feeling proud and happy with my children. I have forgotten completely that Jasmine is the daughter of Stuart. In most of her features, she is just like me beautiful and elegant and intelligent. I could not remain without loving her in the equal measure as I am doing with Williams.” Rose paused for a moment and looked into Williams’ face. “Heard what she wrote? She loved her both children in the same way. You both are just the same to her.”
“I heard and am hearing. Just go on.” Williams said with a smile
“Mammooth is prospering with the active help of Williams also. I need not ask Williams to help me in business once he completed his MBA in USA and he lessened my burden a lot. It has become even more happy thing to me he took into his hands most of the control of Mammooth which caused anger to Stuart. But by that time itself he could siphon a lot from our business to build his empire. So far to my knowledge he is already so much prospered in blackmail, drugs, kidnapping and other sorts of business being helped by his staff. I just want to throw him out of my life and my family also but I know how much powerful he is! He sure can create lot of problems to me even he knows I have such an idea. So I have to remain calm bearing all the distress in myself. I just don’t know whether ever come a day that I can get rid of that rascal.” Rose paused for a second and looked into the face of Williams with a meaningful expression. “Here is the answer why did not she threw that bastard out.” She said.
Williams opened his eyes and nodded his head “I understand. Go on.”
“We both were carful as much as possible never to let out our affair to be known to any other people but I just did not know how, the boy Tippu whom Stuart has taken into the house came to know about. Even he has taken by Stuart into my home, I did not know there was such understanding and relationship between Stuart and him. I have considered Tippu only as a good friend to my son always. But he came to know about our illicit affair like that and wanted to expose it so to Williams! What difference with Stuart really made him to do that I still cannot understand. But I did not feel any surprise Williams has taken by such shocking finding us both like that in that palace. Similar scene caused heavy heart attack and instant death to his father.
(……….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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