Trembling Shadows
A romantic, psychological thriller
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
There was not much difference in the climate. The sky was lore with black clouds and the environment was gloomy with small drizzle.
Aravind and Anand went into the middle room downstairs and sat on the carpet there. They talked sometime and did not know what to talk more and remained in silence. They spent time at all the places available in the house, got bore, came into this room and settled here. Tanuja was taking rest in old woman’s room itself. Rajesh, Tanuja and Sameera were settled in that room. The right hand side first room downstairs was given to Malathi, Vinod, Sunanda and Anand. The middle room was taken by Aravind completely and he put all his things in it. The entrance into the house was through that room. As there were two empty rooms upstairs also and a huge hall, no one was facing any problem at all in spending their time in the house. Outside in the verandah Vinod sat in a chair in a corner. Rajesh and Malathi sat so near in the chairs in the same verandah little far from Vinod and talking in themselves. Sunanda and Sameera were in the upstairs middle room again.
There were points that Vinod still could not understand. Even more surprising thing was he did not want to understand them either. His one opinion was some troubling things should not be understood. It was quite safer in that way not understood them at all. But despite his trying not to grasp and understand, his mind sometimes race on those matters too in a vain attempt to understand them.
He knew very well the intimacy between Rajesh and Malathi even before his marriage with Malathi. He thought Rajesh and Malathi would be got married. Even the three were good friends he envied Rajesh that he was going to get a beautiful wife like Malathi.
Then Tanuja entered into the scene. She got pregnancy without marriage. She got miscarriage and joined in the hospital of Rajesh. Malathi did whatever necessary in Tanuja’s case.
Tanuja was a daughter of a poor man. There was no money with him to pay even the hospital expenses. Rajesh agreed to waive off the hospital bill. Tanuja’s father felt happy but not completely. He did not know how to get his daughter married after such a thing taken place in her life. How anyone would come forward to marry a girl who got pregnancy without marriage?
Then the thing said by Rajesh got the girl’s father utmost happy and Malathi full of despair and shock. At the first look itself Malathi realized that Tanuja was immensely beautiful. Even Malathi as well was beautiful she was not as much beautiful as Tanuja. She felt a little bit envious too towards Tanuja then. Malathi shared all her feelings with Vinod.
But Malathi could not think of, did not expect glamour and beauty would have such an effect on Rajesh. She never thought of a personality like Rajesh would be yielded to beauty and glamour so.
The thing that was said by Rajesh was that he would marry Tanuja if she and her father have no objection to that. Tanuja’s mother died a long time back itself.
“I never have thought that glamour would have that much of an affect on an educated, intelligent person like Rajesh” Vinod felt pity as the sorrow in her voice was quite clear to him while saying this.
They both were in his room then. Even Rajesh, Malathi and Vinod were good friends, it was not often that Malathi preferred to come into Vinod’s room.
“Have you seen that girl?” Malathi asked him again
“I did” Vinod paused for a moment. “I am telling you the truth. It is not for just pacifying you for the present. That Tanuja is beautiful of course but she is not more beautiful than you”
She nodded her head in negation. “If it is so why Rajesh shunned me like this?” The anguish in her voice made her chocked. “Why he has not influenced by my beauty then? Why his mind not attracted towards my glamour? Just because I am not a glamour doll like Tanuja, it is evident, is it is not?”
Vinod stood up from the chair and went near to a book case and picked a book from it. “You both have been together from your very early age, has it been not so?” opening the book and looking at a page Vinod asked.
“From our very childhood itself, we know each other. But that Rajesh is an introvert. He doesn’t share his feelings with other people easily”. Malathi said.
Vinod closed the book and after putting it in its usual place came back to the chair and sat in it again.
“That is one reason. However glamorous you are, as he is seeing you for a very long time there is no particular thrill to him in you.” He said while observing Malathi closely.
She was aged thirty years probably then but her gold color skin was still appearing tenderly. All her youth parts got their full growth and the blouse she wore was struggling indeed to keep her upward thrusting breasts in place. Through her blouse her brassiere outline was clearly appearing and the cleavage that was visible through her green colour silk sari was making Vinod’s mouth dry.
It seemed she was considering over what Vinod just said and her mouth agaped a little in which he could see her small tiny beautiful teeth.
“And I remember on one occasion Rajesh said that he cannot tolerate medical life in his home too. If he married you; that is what would happen.” Breaking the silence Rajesh said.
“I too cannot tolerate that. I too don’t want to be a doctor in home. If he shared his opinion to me I would have made it quite clear to him” moving irritatingly in her chair Malathi said.
“He might not have thought so. You are so duty minded and dedicated. People like you certainly take their professions to home as well.” He knew whatever explanation he would give, it would not make her feel happy. He could not think of what he should do to make her feel happy. He just could not see her unhappy like that.
“It is not so Vinod” she said angrily. “I said this to you before and say this again. That Tanuja is quite young and beautiful. I am not that much young and beautiful. He has fallen only for her glamour and bedroom pleasure.”
Vinod felt uneasily hearing her so then. It was not unusual to her to express her opinions roughly sometimes. He remained silent observing her beautiful features without her knowledge. Her mind was in torment and he could tell it. She did not want to lose Rajesh to someone else so, but there was nothing she could do about that and that was what torturing her he understood.
“Vinod” she said suddenly in a small tone.
The sudden change in her voice got his attention. He understood that she was going to say something important. He stooped forward and asked her “Tell me.”
She did not say anything immediately but looked straight into his eyes. He surprised what really stopping her to express her opinion straight away. “You need not hesitate to say anything to me. I am thinking we are good friends. “
“More than that in fact” she said. Even he was not as much intimate as Rajesh with her he knew what she was. She never would hesitate to express her true feelings and live in the way she like. He averted his eyes from her face and started looking at some other direction giving full time to her to think.
“Of course I have thought to marry Rajesh since it would be convenient and comfortable to me to lead life as a doctor afterwards. But I am not in love with him”
She paused for a moment. Vinod looked into her face but did not try to say anything. He could guess a little what she was going to say then.
“I shall say this straight”. She made a pause again. “How it would be if we both get married?”
This was what Vinod guessed. His heart elated at once on hearing that even however much he was expecting it. But he did not prefer to say anything immediately. He wanted some more talking from her.
“Why you are not talking anything? Are not you interested in marrying me?” there was suddenly anxiety in Malathi.
Vinod really feared that Malathi might change her mind if he did not say something immediately. “I have to get myself checked thoroughly if I decide to deny you”. Then he fixed his stare straightly on her. “How can I afford to stop a beautiful woman like you from entering into my life?”
It was true that Malathi was not as much beautiful as Tanuja. But she was beautiful, attractive! Full of youth, vigour and activity!
Malathi’s face suddenly lit up with pleasure. “Would not you say anything straight?”
There was sudden pleasure in Vinod too. There were moments when he envied Rajesh as he was going to marry a beautiful woman like Malathi. Now the events had taken an unexpected turn and luck had come in his way.
“What we call now ourselves, friends still?” Malathi asked him.
“No more as friends” Vinod said
“No more friends but what?” slitting her eyes to minimum Malathi asked.
Vinod did not say anything but was enjoying her beauty intensely which was going to be his absolutely in future.
“I have the better word for it” after few seconds she said again and stood up from the chair she sat and came near to him. She held his head in both of her hands. She made her face so near to him. “Lovers” she said before she placed her lips on to his. He got off from the chair still holding her so.
It was not new to Vinod to kiss on matured female lips but this moment was so delicious to him. Her lips with little moisture felt cool on his lips. As her mouth opened while kissing, his tongue went inside it. While her youthful body was getting crushed in his strong grip, he savoured every second of it.
***
An untimely thunder got him out of his thoughts and he looked into the open space before him. The small drizzle turned into rain again. Malathi and Rajesh were still talking. He could not understand what that much important they were discussing then. The distance between him and them were a little more and he could not hear at all what they were talking.
Rajesh stood up from his chair, looked back and found Vinod there. “Vinod it is really boring to spend time like this, is it is not?” coming near to him Rajesh said.
“It is a variety of experience. It too can be enjoyed if we want” looking at Malathi who came near to Rajesh, Vinod said.
“I cannot think like that. I am really getting bored to stay here” Rajesh said.
“Where is Aravind? He is really an interesting guy” Vinod said. “If you have him with you, you can pass time easily.”
“In the middle room. I saw him with Anand” Rajesh said.
There was some silence then. “Rajesh how long ago you have come to this place?” Vinod suddenly asked.
“Nearly twenty or so years back. Why you are asking?” with a frown Rajesh asked.
“Why did not you want to see your grandmother in the meanwhile? She is not just your father’s mother but she had looked after your education and welfare also.”
“Of course, but she herself asked me not to come here when I first time came here and saw her.” Rajesh said.
Rajesh and Malathi make themselves comfortable again in the nearby chairs to Vinod.
“But why, you are her own grandson” Vinod surprisingly asked him.
(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.)
