Serendipity

45

It was a little past midnight. Sitting on a bench by the Sabarmati River, Anupama looped her arm through Anuj's arm and rested her head on his shoulders.

"Anuj?"

"Hmm.."

"What would life have been like if I had married you 26 years ago?"

He turned to look at her, his shrewd eyes questioning her innocent thoughts.

"What's wrong Anupama?"

She shook her head but he prodded nevertheless.

"I know something is wrong, otherwise why would you think about something that happened 26 years ago?"

She rubbed Anuj's arm to derive some strength from it, and sighed, turned her head, and kissed his shoulder.

"Anu?"

Anuj released his arm from her, turned, and held her face between his palms, his love, and concern for her only enhanced by the reflection of the moonlight on the waves of the Sabarmati. She refused to look up, afraid that if she did, the spell would break.

"Anu," Anuj reiterated. "Look at me. What is bothering you?"

She then dared to look up at him, her eyes filled with hope and fear.

"I'm afraid." Her voice was a whisper and yet in the solitude of Sabarmati, Anuj heard it loud and clear; with the waves of the river rhythmically interrupting their breathing.

"Afraid of what Anu?"

"Afraid of losing this happiness, this joy. I don't remember when I was last happy, genuinely. I guess it was during Samar's birth. My marriage with Mr. Shah was falling apart and my mom told me that having a baby would solve everything. It will allow the husband and wife to come closer. I was hardly 22 then. I had Samar and at least for some time, it seemed that my mother was right. But she really wasn't.

"Samar, as a child, always looked for me. He would crawl all over the house until he found me and climb onto my lap. To Baa, who was the matriarch, this innocent gesture of a 6-month-old child was nothing less than sin. She convinced Mr. Shah to favour Toshu over Samar."

"And Pakhi?"

"Mr. Shah was drunk that night."

Anupama didn't have to say anymore. Anuj understood.

"But Vanraj still loves Pakhi, right?"

"More than his life. She's the apple of his eye. He always wanted a girl child and she was his blessing." Anupama smiled wistfully remembering the early days of her daughter's life before she became just as jaded as her grandmother and father.

"Do you miss your children?"

"I have fond memories of them all, but I really only miss Samar. He was the only one who respected me. He always saw through my fake smile. And he always tried to make it better.

"The others...." And Anupama laughed a hollow laugh.

"Don't get me wrong, they're all my kids and I'll always be there for them if they should need me. But I will only walk the extra mile for my Samar."

Unknowingly a teardrop made its way to the edge of Anupama's eyes and Anuj caught it on his index finger.

"The Shah family is not worth your tears."

"These tears aren't for them Anuj. They're for the 26 years that we spent apart. I wish I could turn back time."

I wish too, Anuj thought, but he didn't say anything. He pulled Anupama into a side embrace as she once again placed her head on his shoulder and he kissed her hair. 

He wasn't there then. He was there now. He had no power to change the past, but he would ensure that her future would be filled with happiness.

*****

Vanraj paced the length of his office. It had been two days since he'd gone home. He was terribly angry at Kavya and afraid he would do her some physical harm. So he'd stayed away.

Kavya had been rather vague about why she'd been fired. When the family had incessantly questioned her, she'd told them that she'd been fired for theft. They assumed she'd stolen some important papers or petty cash. While they were all ashamed, no one had bothered her for more information.

However, two days back, Vanraj had accidentally bumped into an acquaintance who worked for the AK Group. His acquaintance had painted a rather vivid picture as to how his wife was fired because she had stolen the elevator key that led Anuj Kapadia's private office.

"Be careful, Vanraj," his acquaintance had warned him. "It seems Kavya Bhabhi is scouting for her third husband and she has her eyes set on Anuj Kapadia." As his colleague smirked, Vanraj's anger simmered. Kavya had betrayed him. Didn't the wedding vows mean anything to her?

His conscience chose to wake up just at that time. Remember what you did to Anupama, for nine long years?

Frustrated with himself and his wife, he'd worked out extra, gone for runs, asked Toshu to bring him a change of clothes, and slept at work. He did the same thing the second day. On the third day, his subordinates began to notice that he'd turned his cabin into his temporary bedroom and so he'd checked into a hotel. He refused to go home until he knew what was going on in his wife's head and life.

Was she even his wife? If she'd lied to him once, it was possible she'd lied to him before. When? After they got married? Before? His head hurt. He wished he could talk to someone, who'd listen and point him in the right direction.

Anupama, his conscience whispered. 

She had always managed to be the sane voice that had guided his path, tempering his ego with her common sense; the catalyst behind his success. And he'd gone and destroyed it all with his own bare hands. When he had her, he never valued her. And today...

He dragged his fingers over his face. There still was time. He would convince Anupama to come back to him. After all, they were married for 26 years. They had three children together. He would plead, beg, prostrate before her; he would do whatever it took to bring her back home.

What if she doesn't want to forgive you? His conscience poked and he silenced it the way he'd silenced it numerous times before. He'd find a way. He knew what he'd done didn't deserve forgiveness. But he trusted Anupama to be the bigger person and forgive him anyway. She would. She had to. If not for his sake, then for the sake of their children. For the sake of 26 years of companionship.

His conscience laughed and he silenced it once again. Anupama would forgive him. Anupama had to forgive him. There was no other option.