All for Love?

Warning: 18+ (Adultery, explicit)

She stepped into his apartment, turning the lock as silently as she could. They share keys now, as it’s been a decade since that fateful day her life changed, and the talks of marriage have already started in the two families. She had heard from a common friend that he was back from his business trip yesterday and wondered why he hadn’t called her since. It was already afternoon. Maybe he wanted to surprise her again at her office desk with a gift from Singapore, the place of his official visit. So she decided to go to his house in the afternoon and surprise him instead. His parents are off on a vacation, and it’s the best plan to meet at his place after not seeing him for a month. She stealthily made her way towards the bedroom door.

It was half closed, and his giggle could be heard from the corridor. Who was he talking to in such a jolly mood? Maybe some client again. He’s been on the phone all the time ever since he got the promotion. His job had been hard, and they hadn’t met for days. The thoughts of marriage made her happy because that way, he would be with her at the end of each day… Coming back to reality from her lost trail of thoughts, she pushed the bedroom door with a smile… and her heart stopped….

He was in his richly furnished bedroom, inside the expensive linen they had brought together, but not alone. She met this girl at his promotion party. He is the one who introduced them and offered to bring them drinks. She gave an unconscious cry out of shock, and they stopped their cuddling to look at her, shocked. He sat up with wide eyes, and her vision blurred … she ran towards the main door and heard him call out her name. Never had his voice sounded so cheap to her ears before…

She got into the first cab she found on the streets and headed home, switching off her cell phone.

The next day, she switched it on in the office and it rang… it was her best friend. She picked it up, hoping she wouldn't cry…

"Hello?"

"He called me."

"So, you heard…"

"I told you this would happen. I told you ... and you are at fault over this..." She heard her snap.

"What? You are blaming me?? Being a girl, you are blaming me?" She sounded shocked.

"Look, Guys tend to stray... it is your duty to keep him interested." She couldn't believe her ears.
" Listen... I..." She tried hard not to choke on her tears.
" Now, forgive him... your wedding is fixed and your parents... think of them..." She sounded reasonable. "Otherwise, the families will face humiliation."

She felt disgusted at the words and disconnected the call abruptly. Her head started spinning like there was an unbearable load on her shoulders.

She ran to the ladies' room, hoping the tears won’t fall before she reached a cubicle away from public eyes… the voice was ringing in her ears “...forgive him... think of them”. She cried out loud. Was she a failure in keeping him interested? Is that why he cheated on her love? Did these years mean nothing to him?

Her phone rang again. Without looking at the name, she picked it up.

Huge mistake. It was him.

"Hello."

"….. Uh…. Its… it’s me… look I…"

"F**k off!!"

"You can’t blame me!! I am not alone at fault...You didn't want a physical relationship before marriage, so I... looked for it elsewhere."

She disconnected the call without hearing him out.

He called again, but she switched off the phone. When she switched it on again after reaching home, she got a message from him. It said, “Look, I'm really sorry for what I said in the heat of the moment. I'm sorry for what I did, and I want you back. I know, sorry is not enough, but I also see us together in a healthy marriage, and our families are involved. Come back”

She wondered with a sarcastic smile. Does he even know what a healthy marriage means? One who can’t maintain a healthy relationship…?

Somebody was knocking at the door. She wiped away her tears and sat up in her bed “Come in!”

It was her mother.

"Look, Dad went shopping for your fiancé and his family" " she sounded happy.

"But why, Mom?" She frowned.

"Silly girl, they are coming back tomorrow and we are going for dinner at their place" She shrugged "Hadn't he told you?" She shook her head silently. What could she say now? Was it too late?

"His mother called this afternoon. The final talks of your marriage will be done tomorrow…"

She looked at her mother’s eyes beaming with joy.

- "We are very happy. You chose the right boy. This is the moment we waited for all our lives, and it’s finally here." Her mother cupped her face and spoke.

She hugged her mother tight, controlling back her tears. The message repeated itself in her mind, “Healthy marriage… come back.”

She could not sleep all night. It seemed like the longest night of her life. She opened her laptop, hoping to get some work done. There they were. Two happy faces. A perfect couple in her wallpaper. She logged into a social networking site. Typed “Sandra D'Souza”. That’s the girl’s name as far as she remembered. There she was. With her husband. In the perfect family portrait. With their parents and siblings. She sighed. Only if he knew his perfect world had been crushed like hers.

It was 6 A.M. She took up the phone and dialled his number with a sad heart. “Don’t cry”, she murmured to herself. Thank god it's voicemail.

She left a message. “We are going to your home to talk about our so-called healthy marriage. Our families are not going to know”… she disconnected the phone as tears came back…

She has chosen her dream life with him over every odd. She loved him, and that’s all that mattered. She was ready to be his bride and face the odds. She stared at herself in the mirror. It looked like she was sick for days, with those bags under her sleep-deprived eyes, and her face looked dull. She sighed.
"Can I do this?" She asked herself, "Wake up every day knowing..." She stared at her own reflection.
"No! No! NO!" She shook her head. Going to the washroom, she splashed water on her face and took a deep breath.
Walking to the breakfast table, she sat down in front of her parents.
"We need to talk." Her voice made them frown.
"What's wrong?" Her dad asked worriedly.
"I can't do this. I can't marry him. He... I can't let go of my self-respect..."
"What happened?" Her mother rushed to hug her as she cried.
"I love him, I do. But I love myself a bit more. I love my respect a bit more." And that day, wiping away the tears, her parents smiled proudly, knowing they had raised their child right.

My Everything

Kunwar Pratap stormed into the Mahal at Gogunda amidst uncertainty and chaos. Happy faces of the chieftains and soldiers welcomed him as Rawat Chundawat, and some other chieftains stopped the ongoing Raj Tilak. A visibly scared Kunwar Jagmal looked clueless at a visibly angry Kunwar Pratap. Rani Dheerbai Bhatiyani hadn't expected Kunwar Pratap to show up, that too, despite her conveying to him his father's last wish of crowning Kunwar Jagmal. Twenty-one days after Udai Singh's death, she was finally close to a dream she had dared to dream since Jagmal was born. He was not informed about the Raj Tilak as per Dheerbai's instructions. She eyed Rawat Ji. He must have assembled the chiefs to this revolt against her son, against the dead king. No one except them knew where Kunwar Pratap was staying. It was for the safety of his family. " What are you doing, Chotima?" A disappointed voice was directed at her. She could stoop down so low? For the first time, an anger...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Six

Bondita opened her door in the usual hours of the morning and found Thamma and Jyatha Moshai on the couch in their living room, sipping tea. She had half sat on her bed, leaning against the pillow all night, imagining her plight when she faced Aniruddha in the morning. What if he did not think of it as much as she thought of his actions? What if that was his uncomfortable way of comforting her because she was upset? But what about his eyes, his gestures? Had she misread all of it? Bondita blushed to herself the moment she remembered how his eyes followed her around for the past two days. Bondita was hurrying through her daily chores, eyeing the clock, for she would be late for work and overheard Trilochon lament about things not changing since Binoy left. He thought that things were getting better at home, but as soon as Aniruddha had left for Sunderban, Binoy informed him that he had changed the attorney in charge of his case. Bondita frowned slightly as her hand stopped at wearing th...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Five

“The bride is older than the groom.” Aniruddha heard one of the older villagers speak in a judgmental tone. “No wonder the higher castes don’t attend such atrocities.” He eyed the younger man he was talking to, who smiled. Aniruddha was sitting beside them on a bench in the open courtyard of a house where the wedding rituals were taking place. Tirio and Tumdak were playing rhythmically in a corner as some women danced to the tunes surrounding the new bride and groom. The men sat on the other side of the courtyard. “Forget about the Brahmins, we don’t expect them to come.” The younger man shook his head. “As for traditions, what is wrong if the bride is older?” He smiled sheepishly at the older man. “What’s wrong? Everything. Master Moshai, you can be educated, but our ancient traditions have reasons. The groom must be older than the bride. It has some reason.” He shook his head. The teacher, in turn, educated the man that it was a perfectly normal Santhali ritual to marry older wo...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Seven

“Why will Bondita not come for Holi?” Asha asked as she inspected the colours, Abir, Pichkiri and balloons Somnath had ordered from Baro Bazaar. He shrugged. “She is scared of colours, I think.” Asha smiled, a little amused at her clueless husband. “She is not ten anymore.” He looked up at her words with a sheepish smile, “Well, I never saw her play Holi, perhaps Dadabhai knows the reason.” Asha contemplated her husband’s words. She did not share a relationship with Aniruddha frank enough for him to share things about Bondita. It would be easier for her to ask Bondita instead. “If you wish for her to come,” Som said, like he could almost read her mind, “Perhaps you can invite her. She won’t say no to you.” Asha nodded. “It will be good to have the whole family together. It's not been so since the wedding.” She smiled. Som agreed as he matched the list with the things. “Yes, and Baba will be coming too, he told me not to tell Jethu, but I was surprised by that.” “Maybe because he an...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Eight

Trilochon was so overwhelmed that Binoy came for the Pujo and Kirtan on Dol Purnima. Their neighbours, friends and acquaintances had all gathered in the Thakur Dalan, first for the pujo when the idol of Sree Radha and Sree Krishna were worshipped in the Dalan, and Horir Loot of Batasha and Naru were distributed. Unlike in the village, people here, especially children, did not fight over the Horir Loot . Bondita and Batuk took part in the ritual like they used to as kids, counting the number of Batasha each of them had, amusing the elders who reminisced about their childhood and how Batuk snatched Bondita’s share and ran as she chased after him, shouting. The Kirtan followed the pujo, the tales of Sree Krishna’s prowess, his Leela and Radha’s sacrifice were sung with the sounds of Dhol and Khanjani . It followed the devotional songs praising Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his praises to Lord Krishna. Bondita not only liked the stories of Kirtan but also how the crowd joined in the singing and...

Purnota: Chapter Thirty Four

“You are cheating, he can’t play!” Bondita was attracted by the commotion downstairs as she opened the window of her room. She walked out to the balcony to inspect it. It was Sunday, and Padma had promised to make Chicken Curry, knowing Bondita had invited Tapur to join them for lunch. In the courtyard was a group of boys, probably Sidhu’s friends, with a broken pipe for a bat, a wooden plank for a wicket kept between two bricks and a rubber ball, arguing over a game of cricket. Bondita’s eyes stopped at Aniruddha, marking a line with chalk and then measuring feet using steps to mark the boundaries. Bondita looked amused at the sight. “Batuk. You went out fair and square; give me the bat.” Bondita put her hands on her waist as she commanded. Batuk refused to part with his new bat. Som frowned at his brother. “She is right; it was a clean bowl. Give her the bat!” Som commanded. “I was not ready.” Batuk shook his head. “She knew that.” “It's still out.” Bondita frowned. Aniruddha wal...

Towards You

The Afghans, after Sher Shah Suri's untimely demise, were at loggerheads for power. Their troops near Mewar were now led by Mehmood Shah. They secretly captured territories in the forests and waited to attack Mewari camps when the time was right. Rawat Chundawat and his spies had confirmed the news, and Udai Singh sent a warning to Mehmood Shah to withdraw his troops from Mewar in vain. Now that it was out in the open, it was time they declared war. Mehmood Shah had limited resources in Mewar. His internal rebellion against his commander did not help his cause. His spies clearly suggested that in no way could he win, especially with Kunwar Pratap leading his troops. He was having second thoughts about the war. It was then that one of his aides suggested a perfect plan. Maharani Jaivanta Bai had decided to go to the Mahakaleshwar Temple near the outskirts of Chittorgarh, in the forestlands of Bhilwara. They had travelled a long way and across the Gambhiri river that meandered during...

Scheme of Things

The ousting of Shams Khan and his troops from Chittorgarh earned Kunwar Partap Singh overnight fame across the land as tales of his bravery made their way through the dunes and hills, across rivers and borders to lands far and beyond. At thirteen, he had commanded an army troop to take over the fort of Chittorgarh and restore Mewar’s borders to their former glory. People started comparing him to his forefathers, the great Rana Kumbha, who built forts across Mewar and his grandfather, Rana Sanga, who had united all Rajputs against external threats. As bards sang praises of the prince, gossip soon followed. Gossip was the most entertaining one could get in the mundane city lives and village gatherings, and it often travelled faster than the fastest Marwadi horse. So alongside the tales of his absolute bravery and how he hoisted the Mewari flag on the fort, were the stories of how his life was in danger, the king and queen did not quite get along and how he was made to live in poverty by ...

The Difficulties

“The best of our characters are often reflected in our children.” Kunwar Shakta had visited the court at Udaipur after a Turk marriage offer was turned down by Rana Udai Singh for the third time for one of his Princesses. The Ranimahal at Chittorgarh buzzed with rumours of him warning his father about the consequences of enemity with the Turks and also about the impending doom of Mewar. He had apparently irked Kunwar Partap by suggesting a peace alliance with the Timurids was beneficial to Mewar. Rana Udai Singh, in his anger, had banished him from his court. Kunwar Shakta had sworn not to be associated with the royal family any further and to join allies with the Turks. Rawat Chundawat was calm enough to pacify the angry prince and offer him to shift to Bassi and give his decision a second thought. However, Kunwar Partap had refused to abandon Chittor, defying his father’s orders for a shift to the newly founded capital with his Ranimahal. He wanted to stay at Chittorgarh, which...

Endless

Kunwar Pratap reached the Dangal. Ranima had ordered Ajabdeh to practise regularly. She was nowhere around since he woke up that morning. He had assumed she was with Ranima for the morning prayers, but then she was not in the Dangal on time, either. Ajabdeh was never late. He felt a little uneasy as he picked up the sword. A thunder made him look up at the gloomy sky as he felt the first drop of rain. A little wet, he ran through the corridors. Ajabdeh had woken up feeling unwell. He was sleeping after a tiring day, so she decided against calling him and, more, worrying him. She bathed, hoping to feel better, performed her puja and went to the gardens for some fresh air. Still feeling uneasy in the gloomy weather, she decided that playing with Parvati might make her feel better. After some talk with Bhago and playing with Parvati, she stood up from the floor and felt dizzy. Bhago caught her hand. " Are you all right?" " I just felt a little dizzy. I don't know why...

RAABTA

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