Let us not go to Rahilbhai’s place today., Nisha said with an emphasis on Rahil bhai.,
Why what happened? Asked Nihar.,
Well, I , for one, do not really like the slow and careless approach of Rahil bhai in everything that he does., Somehow, I do not match with his thinking and his wife, Rita is also the same., She can never commit anything without asking Rahil bhai., This irritates me every time we go there.,
Darling, don’t worry, except these small irritants, they are a very friendly couple, and the food at their place is always amazing. I think we should not give them a miss.,
Fine, let’s go.,
Nihar recalled this conversation of two years back, just as Nisha was sitting chatting and laughing with Rahil and Rita., This was a different Nisha than the one who had been always negative about this couple.,
Nihar was amused and happy that at least Nisha was enjoying the company of Rahil and..his eyes trailed off., Was this the same Nisha, he couldn’t believe his eyes., Nisha was actually bringing a glass of juice for the couple and talking animatedly.,
Nihar had married Nisha 22 years back and had no child, because they had decided not to have a child., It was a conscious decision by both of them and they had never had any discord on that account., They both were a loving couple and barring normal hiccups, there was never a major issue in their lives., Nihar was a businessman and dealt in Chemicals and Nisha was engaged with a Govt. Insurance Company and life was on a roll.,
They had a select number of friends, but Rahil and Rita were very Old friends.,Also because, Rahil and Rita were also childless, albeit, in their case it was due to a medical issue and they did not want to go in for an IVF technique., Hence they had resigned themselves to the situation and had accepted it as God’s choice., Rahil was working with a Nationalized Bank as a Senior Manager and Rita was a house wife.,
Nihar was a very handsome and lively person and had experienced lot of female attention during his college days., But he always remained within his limits and apart from harmless flirting, he never ever engaged in any other such activities., Nisha was also a sweet darling, but very cool and composed., She spoke with measured words and always made an effort to be right in whatever she did or said., She seldom became angry, and speaking harshly was a foreign thing to her., She also did not interact much with her office colleagues ,other than office work and had no friends worth mentioning.,
Rahil was the exact opposite of Nihar., He was very jovial and had a great number of friends and a great sense of humour too., Although he did not take good care of his health, he was a foodie and loved any food, which was available in a restaurant., Rita was an angry bird and lost her cool very often and hence, Rahil would always have his junk food outside the home and have his fill, because Rita was a health conscious freak.,
Nihar had just left for his business tour and was boarding the flight , when he got a call from Nisha.,
Hi Nihar, are you all set?
Yes Nisha, just boarding the flight.,
Ok , have a good time and take care of your health.,
Sure, bye take care.,
He boarded the flight and took up his seat., he had an Aisle seat, which he preferred as he had long legs, and the budget airlines today offered seats fit for small kids., The flight to Chennai would be almost 2 hours and so, he brought out a book from his bag, which he deposited it in the overhead bin.,
The flight took off with a roar and he closed his eyes for some rest., Suddenly he felt a hand on his thighs
Hello, Can you please let me pass?
He saw a lady in a white T shirt and three fourths, smiling at him., she was seated in the middle seat next to him.,
Oh sure, please do.,
He had to get up so that she could pass through, without a physical contact., he again cursed the baby seats and the baby space in between the seats.,
The lady went to the wash room., and he was contemplating whether he should keep on standing or sit and again stand up.,
Well, for that matter, he did’nt know the lady’s program, so it was better to sit down .,
He flopped into his seat and opened the book he wanted to read.,
Within five minutes, the lady was standing besides him and he started to get up, but the lady placed her hand on his shoulders and said, please don’t worry I will manage.,
With that, he twisted his torso, and she did likewise, the only difference was that the lady twisted so that her round posterior touched his face and he looked the other way.,
Well, soft and round, was the first thing that came to his mind., he smiled to himself and apparently, the lady also sensed the physical touch and sat down on the same soft and round mounds and settled down.,
Hi, I am Nila, and you are Nihar, right?
Yes, I am,but.
Don’t worry, I am not following you, but we had met at Rahil’s place once, during their 25th wedding Anniversary.,
Oh Ok, you have a good memory and I have a bad one.,
No issue., I live in Chennai and during that Party, my husband was posted at Ahmedabad, so we had been invited for the function., I am a distant cousin of Rahil and well, that is that.,
Good to meet you., I will be in Chennai for three days and well, all tied up.,
That is good., I am also in Chennai and all loose. She laughed a deep throated laughter.,
Don’t look so amazed, what I meant was that my husband is out of station and so I am not tied up.,
Nihar could not help laughing out loud, and this was one of the first flight journey where he did not feel bored., he continued talking to Nila and was surprised at her knowledge bank and although she was 45 years old, she could discuss any topic on the earth and with conviction.,
As they sat talking, suddenly his mind drifted to Nisha, and her ignorance on many of the topics which he always loved to discuss but Nisha was always cold ., She never had any opinion on the political or other trending topics., she was a very satisfied person and no amount of cajoling or pushing helped her to take up reading or brushing up her current affairs knowledge.,
Nihar came back to the present as the flight started descending and as the flight geared for the landing, Nila caught his hand tightly and pressed it to her body, accidently making him feel the soft roundness of her breasts.,
Nilesh did not pull his hand, but understood Nila’s behavior as landing was, for many people a nightmare.,
The flight landed and they came out of the airport lounge and went ahead to board their individual cabs.,
So Nila, I will be leaving by this weekend, so all the best and say my hi to your husband.,
Sure, Nihar, if my husband is back in these two days, we will definitely invite you to our place.,
See you, Bye.,
With that they drove off to their respective destinations.,
It was 10.00Pm and Nihar had just finished his talk with Nisha, which would always be short and sweet., Something like what did you eat, which Hotel are you staying and Ok nothing much to share,and a good night., He was fine with this talk, because he knew that she was a woman of few words, and expressing herself was a difficulty for her.,
Suddenly, a whatsapp message appeared on his mobile.,
Hi, are you still awake
The number which flashed on the mobile was of Nila, and he let a smile slip though on his face.,
He would normally call it a day at 10or 10.30 Pm, but this call made him a bit cosy.,
Still UP and about, he replied to the above question mischievously.,
He was basically an incurable romantic and a flirt, but that was the end., he never ever thought of going further .,
Oh, So good to know you are UP, so may be I can come DOWN and meet you., She replied in the same vein and he loved it.,
No, thanks, I am all ready for a beauty sleep, Nila, and so your coming DOWN may be ill timed., he quipped.,
She sent an emoji of two hearts and then gave a call.,
Hi Nihar, I just thought to say Good night to you, and so called up., Was feeling very lonely and our short flight today encouraged me to be a bit open with you., Hope you are not offended.,
Not at all Nila, some harmless flirting makes for a better relationship between married couples., Only thing is ,this gives an advantage to the other partner and not the one who are flirting, what say?
She laughed her deep throated Laugh, well I do agree, so I think we can do better than flirting on phone and have a few rounds of nightcap at my place., Are you afraid to come here? .,
No not all, he said boldly, because he was on phone, but this was not what he would have imagined to do.,
Okay, so I am sending my driver and he will pick you up., With that she ended the call.,
What did she mean by that? He kept looking at the mobile and wished he had not accepted her proposal.,
He went to the wash room and then after tidying up, waited for the ride to Nila’s place.,
It was a bright day and the noon flight was almost full, when it took off.,
Nihar was in the aisle seat and closed his eyes as he thought of reaching home a bit early, as he had earlier planned to reach home in the night, but as he could finish his work early, he took the afternoon flight back home.,
Nisha would be at her office and so she would get a good surprise today.,
The flight landed on time and he called for a pay cab and was outside the Flat in no time., The door was closed, as expected and he inserted his key and tried to unlock the door, but to his surprise, it was closed from inside., That was strange., he thought of ringing the bell, but just stopped in motion.,
He recalled now that he had seen a car similar to Rahil’s car outside the residential complex, but realized it just now., What was his car doing here, at this hour of the day?
He went downstairs and had a good look at the car and was sure that it was Rahil’s Car., he didn’t know how to react., The surprise that he wanted to give Nisha was now becoming an Unpleasant surprise for him., he thought of calling up Nisha, to see what explanation would she have, but thought against it.,
What should he do now?
He was sure that Rahil and Nisha were inside the house and Nisha knew that he would not be returning any time before late night, so …. His thoughts trailed off.,
His mind went back to Chennai and Nila., What would have happened had Nila’s husband returned home unexpectedly and found him having a good time with his wife? Although he knew that he had only had a few drinks and they both had flattered each other knowing well, that, they both were in a situation where, the age, the relationship and the upbringing does not allow them to cross the boundary of Integrity and faith.,
He was feeling a bit perplexed and angry., He would normally not be angry and today was an exception., he knew that Nisha was not a person who would do anything clandestine, but then , human nature and circumstantial evidence was making him insecure., His mind also wandered to the party where Nisha was very much comfortable with Rahil and also Rita., But she seemed to be giving a lot of attention to Rahil., Was it because of his prodding to be more engaging with Rahil and his wife or had she seen a spark ,an invitation in Rahil’s eyes., Was he touring a lot now a days, that Nisha was feeling lonely., Although, never in their Interaction, was this mentioned by her., Then what was Rahil doing in his house? In fact, he was getting angry with himself., How could he think of such thoughts about Nisha ? Why?
He was sweating and he felt his BP was high now., What should he do? Should he call up Nisha? Should he call up Rita or should he call up Rahil? Why was he not taking any action? Was he afraid of what could unfold in front of his eyes? Was he really ready to accept what happened from now on?
He climbed downstairs and sat in the club house with his baggage and felt very lonely., He knew that Nisha would never do anything which was wrong and she was a very cool and sensible person? But can she be waylaid by Rahil? No he should not even think that for his long time friend.,, What was happening to him? Why was he thinking all such absurd thoughts?
He took a sip of water from the water bottle, and got up., His mind was now made up.,
He went upstairs and rang the door bell., There was no activity inside., He again rang the bell and still no footsteps sounded from inside., Now, he was feeling devastated., What is the matter?
He tried out the key, and lo behold, the key turned inside the lock and the door opened., How could it be? A few minutes back the door was locked and now it gets unlocked with his key and as he steps inside he sees there is no one inside.,
He was going nuts ., How did they both(?) get out and flee? He sat down on the sofa and put his hands within his palms., He was now a wreck., How could he have missed them going out? May be when he was sitting in the club house, they had slipped away from the other entrance and …
He looked out of the gallery, and yes Rahil’s car was not there., God damn it, he had been tricked., he now felt the worst wave of anger sweeping his whole body.,
He wanted to call Nisha ,but now that will have to wait.,
He changed his clothes and laid down in his bed., and took a sleeping tablet., his head was spinning and his heart was aching., He closed his eyes and within a few minutes was asleep, snoring.,
He could feel a dim light in his room and some talk inside the drawing room., he slowly came back to his senses and felt his body feeling much better after the rest he had had., He was now not feeling so much agitated and felt only hunger., he had not eaten the whole afternoon and by looking at his mobile, he could see that it was 9PM., No wonder he was famished.,
He got up, put on his slippers and proceeded towards the drawing room.,
The TV was on and he could see Nisha enjoying the only serial she watched in the whole day.,
He did not feel like opening any topic of the afternoon incident and so sat down on the sofa besides Nisha ., Nisha placed her hand on his midriff, and looked with lovingly eyes., He tried to find something in her eyes which could betray her emotions, but it was the same Nisha, he always came back to.,
He was surprised and closed his eyes., he got up and went to the guest bedroom and saw Rita putting in clothes in a bag lying on the bed.,
Hi Rita, Good to see you ., Sorry I am a bit dazed and tired., They both proceeded towards the drawing room.,
No Problem., How was the trip.,
Well, exciting and normal, both.,
How was Nila, by the way, Rita enquired with a smug smile.,
Oh, so you got the low down of my visit, right?
Yes, and everything you did there.,
God promise, there was nothing to do, and well I only had a few drinks, and that is that.,
We know everything., Rita pushed further.,
And Nisha shushed her., enough Rita, NIhar is tired and let me lead him to the dining room so that he can have something., I hope you are not very hungry, dear.,
I am famished, he exclaimed and held her hand.,
He was surprisingly feeling very close to her ,but still a niggling fear was there in his mind.,
He sat down to dine and Nisha served him with all the goodies on the dining table.,
Rita , would you like to eat now or wait for Rahil bhai?
I think I will wait for him., Although , we did have a good lunch here in the afternoon and a good nap also, while you were in the office, Nisha.,
Nihar looked up and could only breathe slowly and his eyes were lowered.,
Nihar, as you were sleeping, I did not want to disturb you, how come you came early today., You were supposed to come in the night
Yes, my work got over and I took an early flight, but then, back in the city I had work elsewhere, so came in the evening, may be before you came, and went off to sleep.,
OK. if you had come in the afternoon, then you could have met Rahil bhai and Rita, who had come here in the morning, as their Society- water tank was being cleaned, and so I invited them here, to have a bath and then stay here only, till their water supply is restored., After Lunch, they both went to their house to collect some more baggage, which is lying in the Guest bedroom.,
Oh that is nice of you Nisha., Did I ever tell you that I love you?
With that he covered her hand, and pressed it tightly.,
She just smiled at him and tilted her head., That was her reply- Love you too.,
Parag Baxi
