The Abysmal Chasm

Chapter 7

Virat rushed towards Sai to close the door and keep her from leaving the room. This did surprise Sai, as she was not expecting Virat Sir to stop her, not this time when a wife was waiting for him at Brindavan Lodge.

"Sai, please do not do this. I know what you have seen or heard at the lodge, it has hurt you, but believe me there is an explanation."

"You don't owe me an explanation. Remember what we had agreed to on our wedding day. We will not have any commitment towards each other in this pretend marriage. The only person you were committed to was Pakhi Didi. Now since that's behind you, you are a free man, free to do whatever you want. Just let me go."

Virat tried to hold Sai's hand, she did not let him. "Sai, I have already told you that Shruti is my friend's wife and she is in trouble and needs my help. That is all I can say right now, Sai. If I could I would tell you more. All I can say is I need to do what I am doing."

Sai let out a sarcastic laugh. "So this looks like a repeat of Gadchiroli drama? This time too someone has taken a bullet for you. The difference, instead of a daughter this person, on his deathbed, has asked you to take on his wife's responsibility, correct?"

Virat did not say anything. How could he? The only thing Sai had got wrong was that he had killed his friend and widowed Shruti. "Sai I wish I could tell you everything."

The mission Virat had to lead was the most difficult one of his life. He was being pitted against his long-lost friend Sadanand Pawde, the most wanted leader of a Naxal group spread out in the Gadchiroli jungles. While in the eyes of the law, Sada was a criminal and a terrorist, in his own eyes, Sada was fighting against the system to bring justice for the underserved and left behind classes of India. Technically Virat should have declined the mission on the grounds of conflict of interest, but he had not. On confronting Sadanand, Virat wanted to talk sense into his friend. He wanted to protect him against the bullets another mission leader would not hesitate to fire. Virat did not want his friend to die, but then he ended up killing him; he had to choose between love for his friend and duty; he decided on duty. Breathing his last, Sada requested Virat protect his wife Shruti, a Naxalite. She was pregnant, the baby was due soon, and he did not want his child to be born in prison. Virat promised he would do everything within his power to protect his wife and his child.

Virat's silence gave Sai some idea that she was on the right track.

"And to do that, you needed to check into a hotel as husband and wife, right? You needed to stay away from me, break my trust. For how long were you going to keep this from me?

"The hotel staff told me how much you care for your pregnant wife. What did that bellboy say, 'kash har pati apni garbvati baiko ka aisa hi khyal rakhe. Kitna pyar hai dono main.'"

"Sai please..."

"Chalo, at least Bhawani kaku will get her ghar ka waris!" Sai laughed again because she did not want to cry, she did not want to scream, she did not want to let out the volcano of anger simmering within. He was not worth it.

"Enough, Sai!"

"This is not my conclusion Virat Sir! This is what the world is saying. So don't you enough me!"

"Sai, how can you believe such things about me? You know I would never do this to you."

"Virat Sir tell me, what would you do if it was me? What if you were to find out that I am staying with another man as husband and wife in a hotel where the entire staff is witness to how close we are—what would you conclude?"

"Sai, I will...."

"No, stop—as if you're going to tell me the truth? Remember, when I had unwittingly overheard your heart to heart with Pakhi Didi? Then too you told me I was overreacting. When I asked you how would you react if you were to see me in a close interaction with another man, and you had nonchalantly told me it would not bother you. But then you saw me with Ajinkya—what was that? I almost died that day because of your jumping to conclusion."