Early in the day when I had just started to know him, he received a call. All the earlier calls he ignored, but I knew this call was different. His face lit up on seeing the mobile and he excused himself to attend it. The endearing words he used to address whoever was on the other end of the phone was quick to bring a stray thought to my mind! A thought that said ‘it is a she and she is his lover’. He did not offer any explanation about the call nor did I probe.
Later in the day the songs he turned up the volume to hear better were those romantic ones that did not exude passion but hinted at love that is mostly cherished, dreamed of and experienced by those who thankfully have become cynical about ‘love’-yet. The same thought I had earlier, flashed in my mind again and I put it aside.
When we were nearing home, something made him look at me through the rear view mirror twice or thrice as if to be debating within himself and looking for clues as to whether I was worthy enough to know his secret.
“ah…. I seem to be unable to stop myself from telling you this. It could be because I feel close to you. It is also because I think you are lucky for me. Your presence today has brought me some good news.”
“Is it? I am glad!” said I hiding my curiosity as to what this good news could be.
“The call I got this morning was especially good because someone was let out of the jail.”
Hmm...this was unexpected!
“Jail na I mean out of house arrest!” he explained helpfully. That does not explain everything does it?
“Ok! For the past 15 years I have been having a 2nd and she was imprisoned in her house till yesterday. Today she came out and called me.” Didn’t I tell you this thought crossed my mind?
This maybe the right time to explain that this man who just confessed thinking I am lucky for him is 57yrs old, married (‘love’ marriage) with 2 sons one of whom is married. He is in fact a recent grandfather. Here he is confirming my suspicions saying he has one more woman in his life, other than his wife. Wait, there is more to come.
“She was locked up in her own house for the past one week by her husband” he continued. So here we are with a married man, having a relationship with a married woman.
“She somehow came out today and immediately called me. Her husband is horrible. He is a purohit at a temple who drinks every night, eats non-veg (including beef mind you) and beats her up. He also abuses her in front of the children paavam.” Ah! So she also has children.
“She has a daughter and a son ma’am. The son is mine (Ouch!). I keep asking her why she has to suffer so much. She can easily come away with me. But she does not because she no one will marry her daughter if she comes away with me. It is not worth it I say but she never listens. That husband sends the son to spy on me and his mother.”
So…the husband knows? “Everybody knows madam. The entire street knows. The son looks exactly like me. But the husband does not want to acknowledge it because of his status in the society and what can he do now? Absolutely nothing!”
And the boy? “The boy does not know. He just calls me uncle and is friendly with me. It used to hurt that my own son calls me uncle. But what else can we do?” Your family? “they all know. They tried telling me to leave her. I cannot and will not. So finally they’ve given up.”
Here are a man and woman having an extra marital affair. Both their respective families know about this and they have a child as a proof of the affair. They still have their families with them. They get tortured and loved by their families and also love them in return. At the same time they love each other, meet up secretly, have fights, make love, are there for each other in times of joy and sorrow and in short live as husband and wife.
In your face dear Society!!
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