Falling In Love With You

Chapter -20

After reaching her cabin Vasudha resumed her work. She started on the task that Saravanan asked about. As she continued to work towards its completion, something nagged for her attention in the back of her mind. Initially she didn't give much importance to that thought but as she immersed in her work the thought in itself took shape in her mind. ' Oh... Wait a minute! If Saravanan really wanted to know the status he simply could have emailed me . I'm cent percent sure that he didn't come upon us accidentally , but what was the reason for his sudden appearance ? Why was he so keen on getting me away from that place?...'  Whilst her mind remained contemplating the events of the past hour she heard footsteps behind her , but Vasudha didn't bother to turn around to see who it was. But as the footsteps neared her she realised that more than one person was walking towards them. As they walked past her she felt someone's stare boring on to the side of her head , but she controlled the urge to look at the person, instead she pretended to look intently at her computer screen. When she was sure that the people who came had crossed their cubicles she looked up and saw her husband entering his cabin with a frown on his face.
              Vasudha didn't understand why her husband was so angry , the frown on his face disturbed her but she ignored the concern for her husband and concentrated on her work.
               The time elapsed by and the setting Sun painted the clouds with every colour of the fire hearths and oranges. Vasudha continued to work on her task , but as time progressed on , she heard rustling sounds all around her and she also felt movements in the periphery of her vision. When she looked up she realised that most of the employees, especially the ladies were  packing  their bags and were getting ready to leave. Vasudha realised that it was getting late and it was time to leave the office , but there was still some amount of work left for her to complete , so Vasudha kept on typing on her keyboard. Someone tapped on her shoulder and when she looked up she saw Shreya looking at her " Aren't you coming Vasudha? It's getting late , although our campus is secure , I wouldn't say the same about the area in which our company is situated , it gets really scary when it gets late at night  every kind of rogue would wander through those darkened alleys and streets and I guess your house must be pretty far away from here , so I would suggest you better get going ." Shreya told Vasudha.
         " Hmm ....well you're right in  a way Shreya ! It indeed takes a few hours to reach my house but I can't leave without completing my work , it will keep going round and round in my mind and it will cost me my night's sleep. Only a few more minutes and I will be off. You must  get going too Shreya , don't wait for me." Vasudha told her new friend. " Ok Vasudha ! Be careful on your way back . I'll probably message you later . "
" Yeah !" Vasudha replied to her.
" Alright, I'll get going! Bye Rahul !" After saying her goodbyes to Rahul and Vasudha, Shreya went on her way.
                 It took about half an hour for Vasudha to fully complete her work. So after finishing it, she sent an official e-mail to Saravana stating the status of the task. While she was packing  her things she heard someone clearing their throat. When she looked up , she saw Saravanan leaning against the partition of their cubicles . " I see you are getting ready to leave , and I guess the task is completed Vasudha? " Saravanan asked her. " Yeah Anna ! I finished it , I even sent you the status via email . As you do know it takes quite some time to reach home , since it's my first day I must figure out the way and means of transportation , that's why I'm leaving early." Vasudha said this in a matter of fact tone but her eyes of their own accord travelled to where Pallavan's cabin was and instantly regretted seeing in that direction , however Saravanan noticed that and he said " Hmm..... I get it, Vasudha ! Its is good that you decided to leave early , but that wouldn't be the case with your husband , it would take another two hours for him to even realise he needed to go home. But you don't have to worry about him , I'll make sure he reaches home safely ." Saravanan told Vasudha and went on his way but again Vasudha sensed an admonition that laced his words as if she doesn't even have the right to  think or even worry about her husband.  Saravanan's behaviour troubled her , she didn't want her professional life to turn into hell but she feared whether it has become one by marrying someone from a higher caste much less from an affluent family .
      However Vasudha pushed those thoughts aside and started off towards the metro. After getting on the train she waited for her station. Soon her station came and she made her way to the bus stand so that she could reach her home a bit early since covering the distance to her house from the station by walking takes some time.
       After reaching her new home Vasudha freshened up , changed into her sweatpants and T-shirt and went to the hall. She sat on the living room sofa , the room was silent except for the faint sounds of the vehicles racing one another in the late evening traffic. After the long day at work she welcomed the silence of the living room , it soothed and calmed her. Vasudha leaned her head against the back-pillows of the cushioned sofa , it was so comforting that Vasudha dozed off for a mere few minutes. Some minutes passed by and Vasudha heard a sound apart from the whirring of the air and the late evening traffic and that alerted  her senses. Vasudha snapped open her eyes and blinked rapidly to fully wake up from her unintended nap.        Initially Vasudha thought as if the room has become even darker as she didn't switch on any of the tube lights , only the wall scones were lit , the floor length windows revealed the glimmering stars that adorned the dark sky   and the evening breeze that flowed in to the room added a kind of tranquility to the living area , after trying a few minutes to orient herself to the surroundings Vasudha realised that it was her stomach that grumbled because of hunger.
       Vasudha smiled to herself  and moved her hands up and down on her tummy and got up to inspect the kitchen. She remembered seeing some carrots , green beans, potatoes and the basic veggies like onion , tomatoes and green chillies in the morning , so Vasudha thought of making something simple that wouldn't take much time to prepare since she was exhausted from the day's work , from the events of the previous day and she also didn't  get enough sleep the past night. She decided to make simple pulao with those vegetables.
           Vasudha entered the kitchen , switched on the tubelight  and rummaged through the drawers to find the knife and a chopping tray to chop the vegetables , she opened the fridge to take out the necessary ingredients and noticed that the fridge was almost empty except for a cereal box , some more veggies other than those that she had taken out and a few milk packets . After taking out the required things , Vasudha started to slice the vegetables .
       Vasudha had been cooking for almost a decade now , hence she had become quite adept at cutting veggies so within a few minutes she finished slicing them, after getting everything ready for the preparation, she turned around and searched for a pressure cooker on the wall cabinets but couldn't find anything , then again she fished within the cabinets beneath the kitchen counter for it, as she searched every cabinet she noticed that most of the cabinets were empty just like the refrigerator albeit a few plates , bowls , coffee mugs and glasses and apart from the casserole she used in the morning she didn't find any other utensil suitable for making curries. After rummaging through each and every cabinet she found a  cooker in the last cabinet. Although most of the cabinets were empty it didn't have a speck of dust or spider web , everything was neat as the day it was bought .
           She switched on the gas cylinder and after  lighting the gas stove to its maximum heat Vasudha placed the cooker over the burner, she waited a few minutes for the cooker to heat up , when it was hot enough , she added the oil followed by the basic flavouring spices. After sautéing the spices for a few seconds Vasudha added the sliced onions and mixed them with sautéed spices. She simmered the stove to let the onions caramelize in low heat . As she waited for the onions to cook she heard her phone ringing , she didn't remember where she kept her phone but as she came out of the kitchen and looked around the empty house she realised that she had kept the phone on her bed. She rushed to her room to pick up her phone before the call could get disconnected. When she saw the caller ID , all her pent up anger and frustration flared up , but she tampered it down and answered the call. "Hey Vasu! How was your day? I guessed you would be home by now so I called up to ask how you settled in on the first day of your job." She heard Sathish ask her in a casual tone.
        " Oh ! My first day in my new office was quite splendid ,you know! As if getting married was not enough, now I have to report to my husband , because he is my BOSS in this company . And all this happened because of you Sathish ... because I trusted you , when you told me this job would get me out of this country ! But in the end you pulled me into even more trouble from which I don't even know how to get out....!" Vasudha's voice was even when she started talking to Sathish but as she spoke all her frustration , anger and despair that was in check  broke out and her shouting stopped only  when she realised that her friend has not said a single word to her after she started shouting . So Vasudha composed herself and in a quiet voice asked her childhood friend " Hello... Sathish ? Are you there?" but she didn't hear anything from Sathish for a few seconds , just when she thought the call got disconnected she heard her friend speak " Yes! I'm still on the line, Vasu ! Did you think that I'll cut you off that easily? So you are working under your husband , what's the big deal in that Vasu? You are not gonna be around him each and every minute of an hour , you have your work to do and he has his own , you're just going to be a fellow colleague to him and I believe you kept your marriage to him under wraps , Right?" Sathish asked her to which she said " Hmm..." " So what's the problem Vasudha ? Unless being in close proximity to your husband is distracting you . Maybe you are letting your emotions  weigh you down? This is not the woman I knew Vasu! The Vasudha I know is not someone who would let a challenging situation frighten her or any situation for that matter that she would be afraid of . This is not the girl that Amma brought up , the girl I admired. What is happening to you Vasu? This is not you!" Sathish asked in an earnest tone . " It's just that Sathi... I didn't expect this to become such a mess da! I staggered the moment I saw him sitting behind his computer when his cousin took me to introduce their team leader ..." Vasudha told her friend but instead of responding to her distress she heard her friend chortling on the other side. " Oh ! you're enjoying this... I shouldn't have attended your call in the first place you idiot. Laugh all you want Sathish , when I see you again , I'm gonna make you pay for making fun of ....oh shit!!!!!" Vasudha suddenly cursed out loud while scolding her friend  and rushed out of her room. " What happened, Vasudha?" Sathish asked her from the other side. " It's just that I left the onions to caramelize on the stove and I completely forgot about that ... Thank God! It didn't get burnt!" Vasudha said with relief as she stirred the onions while her other hand held on to the phone to her ear . " Oh ! What are you cooking, Vasudha?" Sathish asked her in a curious tone . Vasudha shifted the phone between her shoulder and ears and lifted the chopping tray in her hand and added the sliced tomatoes to the onions while answering Sathish,
   " Nothing much Sathish , I'm just making a pulao. I was literally starving after a full day's work and I only had energy to cook this simple dish." 
" Nothing is simple when YOU cook something Vasudha ! Oh.. why do you have to say that you are cooking . It's been months since I ate something that  was  cooked by you. There is literally saliva dribbling out of mouth now...hmmpft.." Sathish told in an annoyed tone. Vasudha laughed at his annoyed tone ," You have not changed at all , Sathu! Crying over not getting to eat my food just like when we were in school. Alright when I come to see you , I'll cook something delicious for you  and bring it in a big dabara ok!"  Vasudha assured him.
       " So how long will it take to complete your dish ?" " Hmm... It'll take another forty-five minutes da! And then I'll have my dinner and I'll get to sleep after this wearying day."
    " Hmm...good for you Vasu! But I feel as if something is bothering you very much . Tell me Vasu! What are you so worried about ma? You know that you can tell me anything.... Right? Tell me ma , what is it ?" Sathish asked with a concern born out of their lifelong friendship.
" You got me...! Hmm... It's jus... it's just the way his cousin talked to me Sathish. He was polite and nice but after he knew that we both got married I felt as if his attitude changed towards me than it was before when he received me in the morning. His voice had this tone... I felt an admonition in his voice whenever something related to his cousin came up. It was as if he didn't approve of me talking about him or even be concerned about him. Oh...God ! What have I gotten myself into ? This is what happens when you get hitched with someone who is very far from your reach ... Both in social class and affluence. They always look down upon you Sathish. If this day was any indication I really don't know how the next few months are going to be ...." Vasudha told in an extremely worried tone all the while stirring the cooker  , by now she had added all the vegetables , sautéed them , had added the water and the rice for two people. " So your husband told about the marriage to his cousin.... I do understand what you are saying Vasudha ! But we can't do anything about that . This will happen even if you joined in any other company. If you keep on thinking about such trivial things then you won't be able to achieve what you have dreamed for yourself in  life . Just don't pay much attention to your brother- in -law , not just him but also your husband. Stay as far away as possible from your husband.. only then , when the time comes you would be able to leave this life without any suspicions Vasudha! Do you understand what I'm saying ma?" Sathish asked her in a serious tone .
" Hmm... I understand Sathu!" Vasudha told her friend, but she was not so sure about what she assured her friend.
" Good girl ! Now finish your cooking , have your dinner , go to sleep and don't think of anything . If you need anything , remember Vasu , I'm always there for you. " Sathish told her. Vasudha felt her eyes tear up from her best friend's words but she clamped them down and said " Ok da dramaqueen! Now cut the call you idiot , we've been talking for more than half an hour . Good night!" Saying this Vasudha disconnected their call. She saw that the rice and the water which had all the masala and spices incorporated started boiling so Vasudha closed the cooker with its lid and simmered the stove so that the rice would cook evenly. After this she cleaned the kitchen counter , discarded all the litter that came from chopping the vegetables. Finishing the cleaning , she came out to the living area and plopped down on the sofa . She set a timer for fifteen minutes in her phone so that she would not keep the dish too long in heat. When she was convinced that everything was good she checked her mailbox in her phone for any new emails. 
    
             
    
     While on the other hand , far away from  Chennai's congested population and crowded streets , sat Sathish in his quiet room with his hands fisted tightly because of frustration. He was staying in Le Pondy beach resort which was located at an estuary between Chunnambar river and the Bay of Bengal for a corporate retreat hosted by his company . The worry in his friend's voice bothered him as he couldn't even console her and give her assurance that everything will be alright as he got stuck up in Pondicherry because of his work and also because he won't be able to go to Chennai after their drama  yesterday.
        Sathish's mother passed away when he was just a toddler , he met Vasudha when they were in kindergarten  , soon they hit it off and became inseparable ever since.  He spent most of his childhood days in Vasudha's home. Her mother welcomed him wholeheartedly , showered him with the love and kindness that he never experienced from his own mother . But time never favoured anyone , after his father got transferred to Hyderabad , it became impossible for Sathish to maintain correspondence with his best friend , but he never forgot her , her tear stained face when she came to say her goodbye to him in the railway station the day he left for Hyderabad with his father remained imprinted in his mind  .
    He stood up from his bed and walked towards  the balcony overlooking the resort's private beach . The serene picturesque outside his room calmed him. But  his inability to be with his friend when she needed him the most bothered him. Sathish loved Vasudha as a little sister , even though they were of the same age , he adored her . The night sky with its billions of stars  stared back at him , as if accusing him for what Vasudha is going through in that very moment. It pained him to think about their past , how he was not there for her when her mother passed away , how he wasn't there for her when she coped with the  loss of her mother , how he wasn't there for her when she needed his strength to gain stability in her life. But he tried to keep in touch with her , however he couldn't continue to do so because of the fear of what everyone would think , he didn't want anyone talk ill about Vasudha , speculating as to why a teenage boy would write letters , send messages , gift cards to a teen girl. So he stopped communication with her altogether. Years passed by and Sathish finished his graduation , secured a job in an MNC. He became financially and socially independent , so when he had a chance, he came back to Chennai solely to see his childhood friend.  Eventhough they hadn't spoken in years , he remembered her house landline number and called up to meet with her. She agreed to come , but when they met and started to talk about the developments in their life , Sathish felt as if the girl in front of him was someone else. The carefree girl of their childhood was nowhere to seen , it was as if that mischievous little girl vanished into air. The woman who sat before him was emotionally strained , a woman who aced at masking her emotions from the world. He didn't understand what made her into this stone of a woman. But he didn't voice any of those thoughts at that time , however even after going back to Hyderabad he kept up his correspondence with her through various social media networks.
      Through time she opened up to him , laughed at his inane jokes , scolded him , threatened him just like when they were kids and he started to see glimpses of his childhood friend in her.
      Then a year ago , he got transferred to his company's Chennai branch as  a temporary replacement for a high-end project. Everything was going on smoothly until that night two months ago. The phone call that came in at midnight from Vasudha,  changed her life forever , even for Sathish too. He never thought he would see Vasudha in that state , her hair was disheveled as if she was running away from something, when he saw her she was trembling  from head to toe. Her eyes that were always sharp were unfocused . That night , that few hours is the one thing that he wished to never repeat in his friend's life.
              Suddenly Sathish snapped back to reality from those memories. Thinking back to that night , he realised that his hands were shaking without his knowledge.  However he pushed those memories away from his mind. He can't do anything to get her out of the country , it's not that its impossible but after a few days without a job in any foreign country would drain up all her savings and destroy her future , so all he can do is support her through this whole mess until she gets what she wants. Consoling himself by thinking through this logicality of the real world , Sathish went out to light a cigarette.
                
                   The timer went off on her phone and Vasudha went into the kitchen to switch off the stove. She placed the hot cooker on the island counter and waited for the pressure to release so that she could open the cooker  easily . As she waited , she checked the time on her phone.  It was quarter past ten , she realised that her husband has not yet reached home and it bothered her. She thought of calling him but her ego stopped her from dialling his number. Vasudha decided to wait for some more time but she opened the phonebook on her mobile and selected his phone number which she saved on her phone when he gave it to her yesterday while they were leaving the marriage hall ,ready to tap on the call button if he doesn't come home even after half past ten. Fifteen minutes passed , and just when she raised her finger to tap on the call button she heard keys jiggling outside the main door . After a few seconds she saw her husband coming into the house. When he came into the living area , she saw him keeping his backpack on the living room coffee table,
Vasudha  stepped out of the kitchen just to announce her presence and at the exact time Pallavan looked up at her from across the room and Vasudha's breath hitched. 
       The first few buttons on his shirt was open , his shirt was out of his pants on one side , his hair was sticking out at odd angles as if he ran his hand through his hair out of frustration , his five o'clock shadow graced his smooth shaven face, sculpting his strong jawline. Their eyes locked for a mere minute and Vasudha remained rooted in that place mesmerized by her husband's appearance.