Inconvenient Relations (24 page)

Anguish

R
uhi stood at the foot of the bed, the huge king-sized one with red heart-shaped cushions scattered all over it and watched incredulous as a huge bat swooped down on the scantily clad prostrate figure of a girl dressed in thin muslin.

“She’s dead, drained clean! Nothing’s left in her!”

Ruhi winced as the screeching noise pierced her eardrums. “There she is!”

Her eyes flew open to see the frightening creature pointing to her, bearing a ravenous leer on its masked, disfigured face, yet it was one she would never forget. Those blood-red lips were unmistakable…

“There you are! Yes, you are the one I was looking for!” the creature screamed in horrendous glee.

“No! Never!”

Ruhi rebelled, retreating backwards, almost tripping on the long train of her white diaphanous gown with her body bare underneath. A thick lump formed in her throat as she tried to flee, but her feet had turned to stone.

The tableau changed dramatically, from a cozy boudoir to a dark and frigid sea of mist. Plying alone in a ghostly barge, thick gloomy clouds rising from pitch-black waters, she felt disabled, rooted in a quagmire as the vehicle drifted oarless, splashing sounds gaining in intensity signaling approaching doom. Desperate, she tried to propel the water with her hands but found them encumbered in ice, her feet as well, the boat had sprung a leak.

“Ruhi!”

The fog lifted as she looked up and saw a tall figure in a frock coat hailing to her from the shore. She recognized him as her man, her solitary ray of hope, her only way out. He stretched out his arms to her as the boat sank, slowly yet inexorably.

“Help!” The murky waters pulled her down, stifling the plea in her throat.

“Ruhi!”

She sat up, her entire being drenched in cold sweat, shaking violently with rigors as though coming down from a high fever. Lids heavy, tongue stuck to her palate, mouth as dry as bone. Water.
Water!
She groped for the bottle she always kept on the bedside table. Strong sure hands propped her up, a glass full of the life-saving beverage was held gently against her parched lips, she chugged it down noisily, the whole entire mug.

“More?”

She shook her head in the negative, her thirst quenched, though still tremulous but savoring the security provided by those strong, capable arms. He hugged her quivering body close, chafing her icy hands and feet as she wound herself into a tight ball, regressing into a fetal state.

Whispering hurried words of reassurance in her ear, he kissed her hair, her face, her cheek, and tasted her mouth. He was now gripped by a fever of a different kind as she murmured something unintelligible against his throat, her lips scorching the base of his neck, urging him on.

Hands stroked her back, making her relax in reflex and stretch her body luxuriously against his. Fingertips traced the sensitive curve of her spine, reaching the indentation in the small of her back then moved lower, palms spreading, squeezing. The flames burnt with increasing fervor as her nails dug deep into his shoulders and the moist heat of her breath singed his torso.

Deep furrows formed on his forehead as he strained, fighting the animal instinct to tear away the flimsy fabric that covered her silken skin, resisting the impulse to bite, slurp, and satiate—cravings only she could satisfy. Aching to thrust himself deep inside her most sacred sanctum, wanting to put a stop to their endless argument.

Let her know without a doubt that he belonged to her and her alone. Finish the task that had been postponed due to his appalling mistake. The torment, the agony, the unrelenting pressure of waging a constant war to keep his passions under check.

He rolled away from her loving embrace, his soul screaming in anguish.
Love hurts!

***

They left early the next morning. Shaan willingly parting with a hefty rebooking fee, unable to contemplate spending another night in the same bed or even the same room. The turmoil had driven him to near exhaustion.

Sitting side by side in the waiting lounge in awkward silence, their eyes were drawn to a young couple kissing casually nearby.

She squeezed her jean-clad legs together while he flopped around seeking a position of relative comfort without butting his knees on the seat ahead.

Give up!

“These bloody airlines are making us sweat for five hundred bucks a piece!”
While my wife has me running a thousand-mile hurdle!
Casting an infuriated glance at her while she keenly dissected the wing of the airplane with her x-ray vision.
What the hell is wrong with me?

“I’m sorry.” He handed back her credit cards.

“It’s all right. You keep them. They are yours.”

“No, as my wife, they belong to you, too,” he said, pushing them into her hands. “I shouldn’t have taken them away. Just as I asked you to trust me, I need to trust you, too. Rules should apply both ways.”

“I think you were right in what you did. I wasn’t in my senses at the time. I was afflicted with a fever, a delirium of sorts. I may have carried out the threat.”

“So you didn’t mean to do it?”

She shook her head. “I too need to keep my side of the bargain.”

Phew! A breather finally. She has had me on tenterhooks. Now it’s my turn.

He remarked casually, “So… I’m a knockout kisser?”

“Huh?”

“You said it,” Shaan said.

“Did I? Oh.” She dropped her gaze, a fiery warmth spread from an inner realm, a sweet flame.

“Tell me, you enjoyed it?” he persisted, his breath teasing her curls.

“What will you have to drink, ma’am?” the stewardess asked.

Crap!

“Uh? Hot tea with a slice of lemon,” Ruhi said.

“And you, sir?”

“Coffee, no cream,” Shaan answered.

Ruhi nudged his elbow. “Don’t stare at her like that. You are making her uncomfortable.”

“I wasn’t staring at her, even if I was, would it bother you?”

She sucked in her bottom lip, butterflies in her stomach.
Shut up!

He turned back to her smiling, the simmering decoction sitting abandoned on the tray table. He didn’t require any stimulants. “I’m waiting. You didn’t answer my question.”

“I was just fibbing, having fun at your expense!” Her cheeks turned aflame.

Oh my god! She blushes!

He felt like a teenager on his first date. “Then I won’t kiss you again.”

“What?”

Gypsy eyes widened with surprise, lips parted. Then she looked away in a rush while he chuckled at her confusion.

***

Back in familiar digs, hungrily attacking some Pad Thai, Ruhi mumbled with a mouth half full, “This is delicious! Thanks for stopping on the way.”

He nodded.“I was hungry, too. Remember we missed breakfast.”

“You were in such a hurry to check out. Why? When we waited close to two hours for the flight?”

“I was worried about the length of the security lines.” He sighed, recollecting the near disaster averted last night. “Anyways, we are back where I said we would be today. See? I kept my word.”

She
sensed he was hiding something from her but didn’t hasten to pursue, savoring their informal peace accord. “I’m sorry for my abominable behavior. Truly it was inexcusable!”

“It’s all right. You were in a troubled state of mind,” he said, rushing to console her.

Pounding a dainty fist on the table, she said, “No, I was like an unruly child throwing her first tantrum whereas I should have kept my wits and not let external influences bother me no matter how persuasive and strong they were!” Her face crumpled at the painful memory.

He reached to cover her hand with his. “Ruhi, what did she say? I bet most of it is half-truths.”

“Please don’t ask. I don’t want to revisit that encounter, just that it wasn’t very pleasant.”

“I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault you’ve gone through this hell. I promise never again,” he said, giving her fingers a tight squeeze.

She blinked, smiling weakly, and pulled her hand gently from under his.

Abruptly he stood up, seeming flustered and emptied the rest of his chow down the disposal.

“But you said you were hungry!” She looked at him in apology.

“Not anymore,” he said, tossing the empty container in the trash.

“Where are you going? Isn’t this a long weekend?”

“I just got an idea I need to implement before it escapes my mind. I’ll be back in a couple of hours or so. Till then, get some rest. Don’t worry about dinner, perhaps I will try my hand at it tonight.” Quickly grabbing his wallet and keys from the counter, he slipped on his sandals and dashed out of the door without looking back.

What’s wrong with him? What did I do now?
she thought, drawing up the kitchen blinds hoping for a hint but he, seeming to be in an exceptional rush, banged shut the door of his car and sped out of the gates.

Restless, she paced around her room, thoughts of relaxation farthest from her mind.

How much longer will I be able to hide my feelings from him? He probably knows everything by now.
She shivered, recalling the way she had wantonly responded to his touch, acting like an alien inside her own skin.

If he kisses me again, I’ll surely die and that scares me! But what am I waiting for? What kind of sign or gesture? I want to relent yet at the same time I don’t.

She collapsed on the dinette, her head sunk on folded arms.

This is getting way too hard!

***

She walked out of the house aiming to distract herself with sights and sounds of the routine and mundane. The very idea of the approaching evening when he would be back and they’d be alone again was kicking her into a frenzy. Perhaps paying a visit to a dear old friend might be the soother she direly needed?

“Sunshine has gone to visit her doctor. She hasn’t been feeling very good lately.” An equally ancient neighbor volunteered when she saw Ruhi standing outside her door.

“Oh no, what happened?” Ruhi asked.

The bespectacled lady in a motorized wheel chair with wispy purple hair broke into a resigned smile. “When you get this old and lonely, life itself is a burden. You want to know why that damn old ticker doesn’t call it quits!”

Ruhi nodded in agreement. She too sometimes wished that “damn ticker” would stop doing its damn job so efficiently! How would Shaan react if he saw her mane colored like the leaves of autumn?

She turned away from the door feeling a terrible unease. Even JJ was unusually quiet. Suddenly, she longed to hear his ridiculously appropriate one-liners. She made a plan to come back later in the evening.

***

Despite having the day off, Ruhi reckoned she’d give the convenience store a try. For all she knew, busying herself or even playing with Surjit would help her see things more clearly.

Again the front counter was unmanned, but fortunately, there were no angry customers waiting in line. She shook her head in disapproval.
This is an open invitation to burglars and that too with a small child at home. I must talk to Sanjana about this.

Suddenly, she heard voices raised in argument emerging from the back of the store. It appeared like someone was preparing to commit a dreadful crime.

“
Har Roz!
Every day you come home like this, drunk senseless. Have you ever thought about how I manage everything on my own?”

“Shut up you bitch!” thundered a tall hefty man who completely dwarfed Sanjana. She was cowering with a petrified Surjit behind a table. “Don’t you know I am a man and I can do anything I want? Nobody, neither you nor Pratik, can stop me!”

“But think about our son. What wrong has he done to suffer like this? See how frightened he is!” She attempted to loosen the little boy’s stranglehold from around her neck, but he clung to her even more.

“Rubbish! He is a
sher
, and a man just like me. Come, son, let me take you back home. Leave this rotten place and that hussy who you call your mother.” He snatched at his son’s fragile body.

“Nooo!” Sanjana yelled. “I won’t let you take him from me. He’s my only reason for living!”

“I will do what I want! I am going to leave and take him with me!” Sanjana’s husband ruthlessly knocked her out of his way; then, tossing the crying boy like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, he swung around.

“No, I won’t let you take him away you brute! People like you should be permanently locked up!” said Ruhi, who couldn’t remain a silent spectator anymore. She stepped in, using all her strength to grapple with the man who stared at her baffled.

“So this is the Indian bitch you have hired behind my back so you’ll be free to sleep with one of your many lovers?”

“How dare you accuse me of such a thing!” Sanjana retorted, enraged and indignant. “And even if I do have an affair, what difference does it make?”

“I will strangle you just for saying so!” He turned to his wife, flinging Surjit away, who ran to hug Ruhi’s legs.

“I’m calling the cops, this has gone too far! Neither you nor Surjit need go through this atrocity anymore!” Ruhi said, picking up the phone.