Inconvenient Relations (20 page)

“Watch that trap of yours!” Shaan let his guard down, overcome by an intense affection for his wife. This clown could go to hell!

“Am watching it. Regardless, am sure we’ll meet again soon. Have a date with my band. You’ll find your girl in the second room on the right. She has quite the moves, man!” He winked, disappearing in a hurry before Shaan could react.

Moves? This is getting crazier by the minute!

Strains of loud music and laughter drifted out of the slightly ajar door. Shaan pushed it open further and was witness to a strange sight. His wife, alongside a little boy, were jiving together in tandem to a video game and apparently having a great time.

He stood there watching in silence, his throat going dry at the sight of her long suntanned legs revealed to great advantage by her denim shorts. Her demure, sleeveless white shirt only added to the allure, cutting a most delectable picture. His hands bunched up into fists in his pockets when he pictured a certain lanky miscreant watching the same scene with no less delight.

Why does she have to be so attractive that men fall all over themselves? It’s unhealthy!
He could feel his chest tightening.

“Bee! Look…a man!”

“What, Surjit?” Ruhi hadn’t realized their little escapade had an audience. She was even further surprised to see Shaan standing there looking at her with a bemused expression on his face; it was weirdly similar to when she had found him drunk at the pub.

“You! Here?” she said.

“Yes, thought I’d surprise you,” Shaan said, “but the reverse happens to be more true.”

“I… I don’t understand,” she said feeling all at once shaky. She
patted the little boy on the head as he hid behind her legs.

“Me neither, just that you grow more bewitching by the day.”

She blushed. “Now that’s an exaggeration. I’ve never felt more tired and worn out before, and it’s all because of this little angel here!” She unclasped Surjit’s hands, which were glued tightly to her legs. “Look here, darling, don’t be scared. Meet Bee
di’s
friend, Grey. He is a great dancer and loves to play pretend.”

“Ruhiii!”

“What? Did I say something wrong? Don’t you love to playact like I do?” she asked, fearlessly coy. “Smile! You are scaring Surjit!”

Shaan took in a deep breath, went down on his haunches, and solemnly shook Surjit’s hand while schooling a benign expression on his face.

She is back to her tricks. Is she referring to last night? Does she remember everything? About what she said, about what I did? Darn, if only this kid wasn’t here.

“Pretend? Cowboy?” Surjit tugged at Shaan’s sleeve and handed him a hobby horse.

“Great! You seem to have bonded already. My friend loves cowboys!” Ruhi beamed, clapping her hands. “Why don’t you both have a little fun while I go down and see if your mom needs some help?”

“But, Ruhi! Not now,” Shaan exclaimed in protest. But she was gone, her footsteps rapidly fading down the stairs.

She found Sanjana in the kitchen cooking a makeshift dinner; she had closed the shop early.

“Somehow I feel too rundown nowadays to stay open late. Ever since the new chain store opened across the street, most of my customers seem to want to go there instead. They serve free coffee. Free coffee!” A tremendous hopelessness clouded Sanjana’s features. “Soon I’ll have to close my doors forever.”

“But there must be some way, perhaps you can serve gourmet coffee.” Ruhi hated to think her new friend was talking of giving up. What would she do?

Sanjana laughed. “Coffee is big business in the US, my dear, and it doesn’t come cheap! Anyway, let’s forget about me. Tell me who was that
sona munda
who came by looking for you? He also helped me get rid of that delivery truck. Is he your…?”

“He, I…” Ruhi felt at odds, she couldn’t tell Sanjana something and her brother something else.

“Your son, Surjit, is a fine lad. He knows a lot more about cowboys than I do.” Shaan stepped in with the boy propped on his shoulder. “By the way, I’m Shaan, Ruhi’s friend. Nice to meet you.” He came forward and shook Sanjana’s hand who was staring at him and Surjit with frank incredulity.

“I am, Sanjana, do drop by sometime. Surjit sure seems to be taken by you. He doesn’t mix very readily.”

“It’s late, and we need to get going,” Shaan said.

Sanjana smiled, waving good-bye as Shaan hurried Ruhi to the sidewalk.

“Why, what’s the hurry?
Sona munda,
huh?” Ruhi teased while removing his arm from around her waist.

“Let it be! Now inform me, what’s with this Grey and Bee business? I thought we had them happily dead and buried a while ago?”

“Me, too! But they do come in handy sometimes. Surjit, uhh…was having a tough time with my name, so I asked him to call me Bee and hence you’d be Grey.”

“I don’t believe it. You are making it all up!”

“No, I’m not,” she declared firmly. “It was only for the benefit of that little boy. By the way, thanks for befriending him.”

“Ahh, no big deal. We had a few things in common. But you seem to have a way with kids, first Anu and now this little chap, Surjit.”

“Yes, he is very sweet but lonely. He needs kids his own age for company. I’m glad he likes me as a friend. Hope I’ll be able to share a similar relationship with my own kids someday,” she said pensively.

“Kids!”
He stopped in his tracks. “I hope by that you mean
our
kids.”

She looked him straight in the eye. “Yes, Shaan. They’d have to be ours ‘cause if you and I don’t make it, then I hold no desire to tie the knot again with anyone else. I intend to stay single the rest of my life.”

“Me, too,” he said softly, his regard for her scaling several notches. “Thanks for being candid with me.”

“I said what I felt, nothing more.”

They walked in silence for some time, lost in their individual thoughts.

Then stopping suddenly, she asked, her tone riddled with anxiety, “What’s the date today?”

And when he told her, she remarked, “Just three days left.”

He wrenched her around to face him. “What are you talking about, Ruhi?”

“The two months are nearly up. Remember our deadline?”

They stared at each other, the events of the past few weeks flashing through their minds. So much had changed.

“Want to buy me a plane ticket?”

“No!” He was livid. “I’ve forgotten all about that, and so should you. Did you hear? When will you stop this torture!” He gave her a violent shake.

Her morose face lit up at once, and her lovely eyes sparkled with a familiar frolic. “I was just making sure, didn’t want to overstay my welcome.”

Jerking her close, he muttered, “You are a royal bitch!”

Her eyes widened with surprise at his boldness. “Yes, of the worst kind! Want to still live with me?”

She held her breath as he bent his head infinitely closer.

“I want to die with you…
Koi Shaq?”
His voice had become a throaty whisper muffled further by the wind. “My patience is wearing very thin.”

Ruhi could sense the static in the air, her hair whipping about her face mimicking her excitement. “Don’t walk off that cliff yet, our time is yet to come.”

Deceptions

I
s it a fitting time to parley?
he wondered.

They were having a rough evening, a lot more than usual, and she was meting out the silent treatment.

After their “close encounters of the breathless kind” on the street, which had left both of them in a state of delirious frenzy, they had opted to relax with a movie.

She had insisted on an action/sci-fi flick while he had argued in favor of a drama/mystery. And as was customary, she had won, for he had reluctantly conceded when she remarked, “What better way to let your hair down?”

And what an adventure it had been. While he cringed in a corner his eyes and ears plugged against the sensory overkill, she had watched with unwavering interest the entire time, her eyes glued to the telly screen so to not miss a single detail. The only saving grace, he had to grudgingly admit, was that the chicks looked incredibly hot before they mutated into flesh-devouring aliens.

Ah… She would look deadly in figure-hugging leather
, he thought, observing her from over the top of his Scientific American magazine.

She was reclining on the couch reading
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus
, a dose of intellectualization after the mind-numbing torture as though it would help give some pointers toward solving their mutual angst.

His intellect tended to gravitate elsewhere following his eyes as they swept down. Unfortunately, her legs were covered by the throw though he could anticipate it sliding off any moment—agony and ecstasy.

She looked up abruptly. “You have been staring at that same spot for the past half-hour as if it’s a Playboy centerfold. What’s up?”

She knows I am suffering and is digging it.

His smile was angelic as he went over and sat down on the carpet by her couch. “I have something to ask you…”

***

Ruhi nervously fidgeted with the collar of her high-neck blouse, gazing absently at the traffic crawling by at a snail’s pace beside them, while they themselves whizzed past at 85 mph—the perks of driving in the car pool lane.

Shaan was surprised she hadn’t picked on him. He was clearly breaking the speed limit. He doubted she was concerned of being formally introduced to his colleagues as his wife; she was more likely worried about meeting Debo again and raising doubts in her inquisitive mind about their conjugal situation. He had already reassured her plenty he wouldn’t let it happen, and he’d be there by her side. They were pros by now.

Yes, pros at deception.
He smirked.
Hope we don’t get too used to it!

But what he didn’t want to think about and Ruhi couldn’t cease perseverating over was something entirely different.

***

“Hi, Tom! No, this is my wife.” Shaan grinned, correcting old Thomas who was responsible for security at his workplace while they waited for Ruhi’s visitor’s badge.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have known. You guys lose no time in making it official when you think you’ve found the right one,” Thomas said, laughing in good humor while stealing admiring glances at Ruhi who was itching to get inside the building.

“Right on, Tom. Catch them before someone else does.” Shaan nodded, adding a sly wink while he helped her pin the badge.

“Now for the grand show!” he announced, leading her to the main doors by the arm without any further demur. She had seen his personality do a 360 as soon as they entered the complex. Confidence oozed from every pore.

“We here are all about exploring space and making our imaginations come alive, of trespassing our physical and psychological boundaries, of boldly stepping where none have ventured before, of being the forerunners in science… What else could one want?” Shaan spoke with obvious pride, as he took her through the various sections of the building which showcased the past, present, and future of space travel.

“Why Mars?” she asked while observing the rover prototypes demonstrate their skills over the simulated landscape of the red planet.

“Because it’s the closest to us and has the most similar characteristics. If life exists beyond the earth’s confines, it’s most likely to be found there,” he explained.

“Look!” he said, pointing to a large LCD screen displaying a slideshow of what appeared to be the Martian landscape. “Curiosity has sent back pictures, which show evidence that flowing water was once present on Mars… Water meaning life!”

That he was proud and excited about what he did was clearly visible from his appearance and manner, and she loved him all the more for it.

“There goes my boy with the Midas touch!” Shaan perceived his boss’s booming voice arrest them as they took the stairs to his floor.

He saw Rich, looking uncomfortable in his three-piece suit, stop on his way to one of his innumerable “meet and greets” and wave gaily at them.

“Midas touch? That’s a new one,” Shaan commented while introducing Ruhi.

“Midas with a twist, whatever you touch works without a hitch!” His boss chortled while his shrewd eyes appraised Ruhi and apparently approved.

“So, you are Shaan’s queen of hearts? The woman who stands behind her man and urges him on?”

“No,” Ruhi replied sedately, “I’d rather prefer to stand by his side to let him know I’m always there.”

“Hmm… I’m impressed! Maybe I should ask my son, Garrett, to go to India on a sabbatical.”

“Why?” Ruhi asked, feeling a curious sense of serenity as she basked under the warm halo of her husband’s gaze.

“So he can come back with a bride just like you, my dear. You are one in a million!” Rich’s voice had suddenly turned somber. “Now I don’t want to bore you anymore. Off you go, kids!” His smile was back, and he gave Shaan a quick squeeze on his shoulder before walking away.

Ruhi hurried to join a group of spouses and their children in line to attend one of the special presentations when Shaan pulled her aside into a small corridor.

“What is it?” she asked. “I don’t want to miss the talk on Venus for the world!”

“Forget about it. I can give you an exclusive one back in the privacy of our home, one you’ll remember forever,” he said softly, taking her hands in his while hemming her into a corner.

She colored, hearing the clear implication in his voice and dropped her gaze. She could also appreciate the gentle yet firm pressure of his fingers massaging hers.

“I just wish to thank you for being here today. You don’t know how much it means to me to be where I am and have you by my side. It cannot be expressed in words. I hope you are getting what I’m trying to say?” he asked, stooping low so he was able to peek at her face.

“Yes, I do. You don’t have to thank me. Didn’t I say I—”

“Hello there! Are we disturbing a sweet moment?”

Their mutual absorption was rudely broken by an annoyingly loud feminine voice.

Ruhi, feeling Shaan’s grip on her fingers tighten painfully, looked up and saw a tall slim figure hanging possessively on the arm of his boss walking slowly toward them.

“C’mon, let’s give them their space. These moments are hard to come by.” Rich sounded irritated as he tried to veer his young wife away.

“No, I cannot miss out on meeting the woman you don’t have enough superlatives to describe. Humor me for once, darling!”

Yes, it was her, a picture of easy elegance and beauty in a made-to-fit black silk shirt dress. To a casual observer, she looked like the perfect host anxious to make her guests feel at home, but to Ruhi, her hostility was as plain as day.

So was it to Shaan that he immediately pulled Ruhi to his side and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders.

His voice was calm and steady. “This is Des, Rich’s wife and a colleague. This is Ruhi…my life.”

Des extended an elegant hand, her eyes slivers of ice, cold and hateful, and so was her grip. Ruhi snatched her hand away as an involuntary shudder ran down her spine.

Get a grip, girl, this is the moment where you take measure of yourself. See how tough you are when facing your adversary. You can’t give up now!

Ruhi forced a dazzling smile, snuggled close to her husband, her arm slipping around his waist and peered adoringly at him. “Yes, Rich is right. I think he wouldn’t mind if you call it an early day, sweetheart. Please say yes, Rich.” She turned imploringly to Shaan’s boss.

“Of course!” Rich guffawed. “Take off, my boy, and indulge your wife the best way you can.”

Gosh! Did she just call me ‘sweetheart’?
Shaan stared dumbstruck at Ruhi for a few moments before recovering.

“As you say, Rich. Shall we go, honey?” He was anxious to cart her away before disaster struck.

“Oh no! Not before I get to know your gorgeous wife a little better, Shaaan. I think we may have a few things in common. Please, I need to expand my female friend circle.” Des interjected before they could make a move.

“But we, I—”

“It’s fine, Shaan,” Ruhi said, trying to look cheerful.

“Son, now that I recall, I need to talk to you about the testing software on the module. It shouldn’t take long.”

Shaan glanced back warily as he followed Rich to his office; the worst wasn’t over yet.

***

Des locked the door of the large conference room behind them. “To minimize interruptions, people tend to get nosy sometimes.”

“Roohee…what an unusual name,” Des said, thoughtfully contemplating her companion while seating herself daintily at the edge of the massive conference table, crisscrossing her long legs.

She didn’t invite Ruhi to take a seat.

She’s assembling her weapons,
Ruhi thought
.

“I like to keep mine short and uncomplicated. Des, Rich’s third, you saw the differences in our ages? He pursued me till I said yes.” She looked like a cat after a particularly large dinner.

Her adversary chose to bide her time.

“In fact, I was christened Heather but somehow the name Des stuck. Everyone calls me that…even your Shaan. It has an aura of mystery to it.”

Ruhi couldn’t ignore the knot which had started to form in the pits of her stomach. “Get down to business! What do you want to talk to me about? I’ve nothing to say to you.”

Des was in no particular hurry.

“Aaah…not bad, not bad at all!” she said, looking her over from head to toe. “Those black eyes contrast beautifully with your olive skin and jet-black hair. Men would kill to run their fingers through it. Appears like you keep your young husband well occupied. I was wondering why Shaan hadn’t called me in two months.” She tapped a long, painted finger on her cheek.

He hadn’t called her?

Ruhi felt the heavy pressure on her chest lightening just a bit.

“How do I look?” Des asked, getting up and walking over to the dual-paned windows where she checked her reflection. “Don’t you think I’m beautiful, too?” she asked, her chin angled just a tad off the horizontal.

“I believe beauty comes from within and yours is skin deep.”

Des laughed. “I am going to enjoy this. My dear, talk practical, philosophy is something I don’t believe in.”

“I don’t care what you believe in or not. It’s beside the point. I’m leaving.” Ruhi headed to the door.

“Whoa, sit down!” Her foe turned serious. “I didn’t bring you in here to gossip over high tea. I did so to give you a piece of my mind.”

Ruhi flushed with anger. “You can’t force me to listen to your BS!”

“I can and I will. Fine, then let me get down to the brass tacks. I am asking you to get out of my way. Your husband belongs to me. We were going along fine until you came into the picture.”

Ruhi could tell she had fight on her hands. “Who are you to tell me what to do? And Shaan, he is his own man. He is not a thing to be bought and sold or bartered. If he left you, it was because he wanted to, and I had nothing to do with it.”

“Oh yes, you have everything to do with it. Don’t try to pretend otherwise. You with your big innocent eyes and untouched loveliness have trapped him in your web, and he is unable to get free.”

Ruhi smiled, pleased to know Des was threatened by her. “Thanks for the compliment. I can see you’re quite insecure. As for restricting his freedom, I haven’t done anything of the sort. It just happens he chooses to be with me.”

“Rubbish! Why would he choose you when he and I have shared the most wonderful times?” Des drew herself up to her full height; it came in handy whenever she wanted to make someone feel small and helpless.

“He always said he wants to cherish and protect me from all harm, and when we were together, it was like nothing I had ever experienced before.” Her voice attained a dreamy quality. “He was like a child, and he treated me like one. His kisses and caresses and his tender little messages; he couldn’t get enough of me.”

Ruhi squeezed her eyes shut yet couldn’t steel her heart nor could she halt the inevitable flow of moisture. She sniffed, rushing to the door while fumbling in her purse for a tissue.

“Where are you going? I’m not done yet.” Des pulled her around by the shoulder and saw the unmistakable pain in Ruhi’s eyes. “What…tears?” Des stared at her for several seconds before a new light dawned in her eyes. “Am I to understand that over the past two months your sweet darling husband hasn’t made love to you, that you’re still very much an uninitiated innocent? Oh my god!” She cackled with delight.