The Abysmal Chasm

Chapter 12

Sai did not wake up to the usual cooing of the birds, the sweet sounds she was accustomed to waking up to at both Chavan Nivas and her Gadchiroli home. Instead, she woke up to the sounds of chitter-chatter of girls busy lining up for the bathrooms, the kickstarting of motorcycles, and the ringing of bicycle bells. So it was natural Sai was disoriented when she opened her eyes. It took a few seconds for her to realize she was waking up beside her friend Prachi and not Virat Sir.

Sai Joshi had moved out of Chavan Nivas once again with a determination to never go back. Last evening with the Chavan's had not been easy, but when has anyone made Sai do anything against her wish and, more importantly, against her principles. What made matters worse was Virat's nonchalant presence. No one in the house still knew that he was now a child's father. So when Virat tried stopping Sai from leaving, the volcano of anger she had been carrying within erupted, and how?

The previous evening Sai and Prachi reached Chavan Nivas to inform Aai and Baba about her decision. "I tried, Aai, but this place is suffocating me. So please, let me go. I need to move out and focus on myself. I know you two don't want me to be alone, but I am never alone. My Aabba's guidance and strength are always with me. And Prachi is there too. So please, Baba, do not worry about me. And I am not far away. I will call you every day."

"Sai, please beta, don't do anything in a hurry. I am sure everything will be alright. Just stay here, do not leave your rightful place. Not for another woman."

"Aai—I don't want to get into that again. Please, this was never my rightful place. I had told you on the first day itself that do not have any expectations from me as I will not be here forever. So, please Aai—and this place is rightfully someone else's. Virat Sir's wife. If I continue to live here, she will never be able to come here. And she really needs this place and your support more than I have ever needed it."

"What do you mean, Sai?" Baba asked.

"Baba, I should let Virat Sir explain. Please do not stop me." Sai and Prachi carried Sai's luggage out of the guest room and into the living room, which thankfully was not too occupied. Patralekha, perhaps too upset and confused, decided to take off to keep her charade of wanting to build a life with Samrat Dada up. She was apparently visiting her parents.

"Sai, what is going on? What am I hearing? Are you leaving the house again? Do you need to create drama every other day?" Bhavani Kaku had begrudgingly and regretfully accepted Sai as the daughter-in-law of the house. And now that she had done that, how could the daughter-in-law break the Chavan parivar rule? How can the daughter-in-law leave on her own accord, yes she can be thrown out in the middle of the night, but she can never leave on her own.

"Sorry Kaku, I have given my reasons to Aai and Baba."

"But I am the head of this family! How dare you make these decisions on your own? Without any consultation?"

"Kaku, it is my life. I did not consult anyone when I agreed to come to this house, so I need not consult anyone to leave. And please, Kaku, I am sure deep inside you are relieved, so let's cut the ...." The anger bubbling within was looking to come out. But, Sai controlled herself; the word she was about to use would never be approved by Aabba.

Just then, Virat entered the house. "Sai—you are really leaving the house? Leaving me?"

Sai ignored Virat. "Ok Aai, Baba, Kaku, yete me."

"Sai, so what now you are not even going to talk to me?"

The volcano erupted! "Oh sorry Virat Sir, did not hear you come in. By the way did you not bring some pedha along?"

"What?!"

"Well in Gadchiroli when a son is born people distribute pedha and for a girl jalebi."