Bombay Romance

[ 37 ] My Wife

It's Sunday; the last day of his suspension. Murali, after dropping Rukmini off yesterday, had gone to Amarnath's house to return Gauri's car. He had crashed there for the night she left.

He now enters the chawl courtyard and stops in his tracks as he spots Rukmini sitting at her house door. She's in one of her old sarees again, hugging her knees with her head bent down. A trunk is lying next to her.

'Rukmini?' He touches her shoulder.

She looks up at him in a flash. Her eyes look small and swollen from crying. She's clutching the dress he had given her; it looks like someone set it on fire and doused it halfway. It is half burnt.

Before Murali can understand what's happening, Rukmini gets up, hugs him tight and bursts into tears.

'Rukmini, what happened?' Murali asks, wrapping his arms around her. Rukmini just cries in response, raggedly hiccuping.

'Rukmini, you are scaring me' Murali says, worried. He holds her by her shoulders and gently pulls her away from his chest. 'What happened?'

Rukmini moves her hands around, trying to explain.

'We came in the car ... yesterday... hmm ... ' He nods, inferring her actions. 'Everyone ... everyone told about it? Everyone told about it to your Kaki?'

Rukmini nods, sobbing.

'And ... she threw you out? She just threw you out like this? Because you came home late?' Murali stares at her in utter incomprehension and looks around. 'Have you been sitting outside all night?'

Rukmini wipes her cheeks, gesturing she had come up and knocked at his door last night but he did not answer.

Murali inhales, and runs his hand through his hair, shutting his eyes tight.

'I'm sorry, Rukmini' He grabs her hands. 'I should have come back home last night. This is my fault. I took you to the film yesterday'

Rukmini winces at his hold.

He immediately lets her go. She holds her arms in pain. He holds out her arms; there are angry red marks of a sound beating.

Rage rises to his head like a massive drug shot. He can imagine what would have happened last night at Rukmini's house. He walks past her and rams his fist against the door.

'Open the door! OPEN THE DOOR NOW!!!'

Rukmini clutches his arm in panic. Only then does Murali notice the door latch locked and sealed with a rusty steel lock.

'They left for their native temple yesterday night' A little boy, feeling sorry for Rukmini Tai, appears near them. His mother barks at him to get inside the house; he slinks away quickly.

Murali kicks at the door once and backs away, veins throbbing.

'See, started again' He hears a voice. It is a middle-aged lady from one of the houses, staring at Murali with hostile eyes. 'He's come again'

'They don't feel ashamed that people are around?' Another one whispers, making sure Murali and Rukmini can hear her. 'Respectful people live here!'

'Cultureless! They roam around all day. Who knows what all they did? Such a disgusting girl she is!' It's a whole gang of ladies now, hurling abuses.

'He had given her a dress also it seems. She will do anything for money'

Rukmini cries, screwing her eyes shut. Murali tightens his fist and opens his mouth to reply. But the ladies do not even pause to take a breath.

'Why will they be ashamed?' One of them scoffs.

'Such mannerless girls we have around us'

'I know. Day by day this world is becoming horrible. Our chawl ka izzat is going down the drain because of this girl behaving like a whor-'