Laughter in Darkness
A suspense, romantic and psychological thriller
By
Kotra Siva Rama Krishna
“I cannot say, I just cannot say.” Tanuja said. “I was with complete distress as that Sasank died like that. Every day my dad pestered me to abort my child but I never agreed to it. How much I wanted to keep that child! How desperately I wanted to keep something of that Sasank with me!” Looking into the face of Rajesh, Tanuja said.
“Its alright dear. What you can do if it has been lost like that?” still keeping the smile on his lips, Rajesh said.
“Tell me one thing Rajesh, tell me frankly.” Still keeping his face in her gaze, she asked him. “What would have happened if I have not been miscarried and gave birth to a healthy and live child? Would you have married me then also?”
Rajesh gently placed himself on the side of her and put his hand around her shoulder. “I sure would have. Not just that I would have treated that child as I have treated Sameera till now. Once you loved it that much, to me also it would be just like that. For anything in this universe, I was not just ready to leave you.”
“But for what, why so?” she asked him vehemently. “You did not even see me until that moment. What made you that much determined to marry me?”
“I cannot say. It may be appeared unbelievable and absurd but it was just like that. I just felt you were made for me. It was a deep inner feeling and I cannot explain now why I have felt like that then.”
Once he finished saying that she hugged him strongly and kissed on his both cheeks. “I am so glad, so glad indeed!” there were tears in the corners of her eyes.
“I need not tell you anything about this to you, deep in your heart you yourself know.” Rajesh sighed heavily “Why you are becoming emotional like this now?”
“I cannot say, I just cannot say.” Tanuja hissed out heavily. “That Malathi. How much care she has taken for me! If she would not have done it that much carefully I would be dead. She consoled me a lot while I was worrying for the dead baby and Sasank. If she has not been so I am afraid I never would have come out of my grief.”
“It is natural Tanu. Whoever might be in her place would have said just the same thing to you. Whoever would be in her place could save you also. Those types of miscarriages are not very common. Anyhow that Malathi is a great doctor. Don’t think about it too much.”
“No, Rajesh. Malathi is not like any other doctor. She is not like any other woman either. I felt like that while she was with me. She has shown special love and affection on me and I still can remember all that.” Tanuja’s voice was still emotional.
“Alright, alright. I agree. Don’t become too much emotional.” Putting his right hand on her right cheek while adjusting himself even more on the side of her crooning into her, Rajesh said.
“I have expected something like that between you both Rajesh. I have heard something about the intimacy of you both also from the staff there. I thought that you both were going to be married.”
“I never intended to marry Malathi. Even she also has thought and expected it like that but I did not want to marry her. I never liked a medical life in the home also.” There came a troubling expression in his face and an uneasy feeling in her heart.
“But you both were physically intimate from long time back. If you have not intended to marry her why did you allow it with her?” there came a questioning expression in her face.
“It was not that much of a serious thing between us both then. We just satisfied each other. That Malathi, however much good woman she may be, not very much strict in such type of matters. So it has happened like that.” It was very much troubling him to say that so. He did not understand why she was asking all those questions then.
“But she really wanted to marry you a lot! I have seen some distress also in her face while she was convincing me to marry you. I did not agree as I know about the intimacy between you both. But she made me agreed saying that she already fixed to marry someone else.”
Rajesh did not say anything. In fact he did not know what to say to that.
With an attempt to stop her from asking anymore questions he pressed his lips strongly on her lips but without reciprocating to him she threw him back forcibly.
“Tell me one thing, tell me one thing Rajesh.” She took his shirt collar into her hands and jerked him strongly. There came a sudden change in her voice and it was harsh.
“What I need to tell you, first let me know what you want to know?” surprising himself for the change in her Rajesh asked her.
“What you did to my baby? You killed it did not you? You want to marry me so you killed my baby.” Tanuja got off from the bed and started yelling.
“What the bloody hell you are talking? I just said I would have treated it…..” Rajesh shocked for that outburst but tried to say something.
“Lying. You are just lying. You just wanted to marry me so you killed my baby.” Tanuja was still yelling loudly.
“Tanu, what is this?” Rajesh also yelled. “You know it happened in your six month. You have been taken to the hospital after the miscarriage was started. There was no chance that the baby to be in a position to born normal. And by the time it took birth it was dead.”
“No, you rascal! Scoundrel! You said that you would have treated it just like our daughter. You are saying that the miscarriage happened in my six month of pregnancy itself. Then how it was possible to the baby to born alive and you could treat it as our own child? You just said so only to make me feel happy.” Tanuja did not lower her voice.
“Even you came to our hospital after nine months and gave birth to a healthy child, I would have preferred to marry you and treated the child in the way I said. How can I convince you about it?” Rajesh was becoming mad. He just could not understand how such a change came into her.
“No you are a liar. I have come to your hospital for normal delivery after my nine months’ pregnancy. But you made your concubine to kill my child only to marry me. You scoundrel….” Tanuja was still yelling so loud and Rajesh was sure that everyone in the house could hear that voice.
“Oh, please don’t talk that loud. Everyone can hear you.” With an irritating expression in his face, Rajesh said.
“Everyone can hear? Are you feeling fear to that. Now I make everyone here knows what type of a person you are.” She came fast to the doors, unlatched them and went out after opening them wide.
Rajesh followed her hurriedly. By the time they both came onto the verandahh, everyone was there with shocking expressions in their faces. There was no necessity to Rajesh to be told by anyone that all of them have heard Tanuja’s yelling.
“Tanu, please………” Rajesh once again tried to plead with her.
Tanuja was not listening to anyone but was yelling just like that.
“Mom, what is this? Come to your sense.” Looking angrily into her face, Sameera said.
But Tanuja was yelling just so as if no one was trying to stop her.
“Rajesh relax” while Rajesh was once again trying to cool his wife, Rose went near to him and said. “Leave her to me, I shall look into that.” She said and went near to Tanuja.
“I understand your anguish. I know how to get your baby back and punish the culprits who killed it. Listen to me.” Looking straight into her face, Rose said.
There came a sudden change in Tanuja. “Can you get my baby back? There is no problem even the culprits would not be punished but I have to get my baby back. I want a sign of my Sasank. I don’t want to loss that at all.” Tanuja said vehemently. She was appearing like entirely a new character.
“Sure I can get your baby back But you have to listen to me. Come and sit in this chair. Just relax yourself.” Holding her hand and making her sit in the chair there, Rajesh said.
Tanuja behaved as if she was spell bound. She sat in the chair shown by Rose.
“You are relaxing yourself. Completely relaxing! Your mind and body do completely obey my instructions.” Rose’s voice was so enthralling and soothing.
“I want my baby back. I can see my Sasank in it.” Tanuja was still mumbling.
“Relax! Relax yourself! You are slipping yourself into sleep. You are just slipping yourself into deep sleep.” With the same soothing voice Rose said again.
Very soon all of them have seen that Tanuja was sleeping deeply in the chair there.
“Dr.Rajesh, everything will be alright when she wakes up. Don’t worry.” Looking into his face, Rose said.
Rajesh wearily slumped himself in the chair nearby to Tanuja. “I just don’t know why she started behaving like that. I never have expected like this from her.”
By then all the others there were also sat in the chairs there.
“Subconsciously she has been thinking too much about that Sasank and that baby. Just because of that she behaved so.” Rose said.
“But she knows everything so clearly. She has been taken to our hospital after the miscarriage was started. She was with six month pregnancy at that time and there was no chance that the baby could be saved. But she talked……..” Rajesh tried to say something more.
“Oh, Rajesh, your wife was slightly deranged by her over subconscious feeling about that Sasank and baby and talked like that. In such situations, when people were subconsciously obsessed with something, they don’t see reason and logic.” Rose said.
“Rose is absolutely true.” Neeraja said.
“She obsessed with that Sasank and his baby! She never bothered about them after our marriage. Even for once she did not ask about her baby. Why suddenly on this day she remembered that Sasank and his baby I cannot understand.” With a surprising expression in his face, Rajesh said.
“I said subconsciously she was obsessed. Our subconscious obsessions cannot be known to us. That is why we do get strange dreams sometimes as we are satisfying strange wishes. We consciously never even think about them but subconsciously we want them. Consciously your wife never wishes to think about that baby or that Sasank but subconsciously she has been. That is why her subconscious forced her to behave like that.” Rose explained.
“I just cannot believe it at all.” still there was a shocking expression in the face of Rajesh.
“What Rose said is true Rajesh. There is no other reason except that to Tanuja to behave like that.” Vinod said.
Rajesh was about to say something but Tanuja then opened her eyes and looked around. “What happened? Why I am sleeping in this chair?” looking surprisingly into the faces of the people there she asked.
The people there looked into each other faces.
(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.)
