Aboli

Part 43

Randhir could not sleep for the thoughts that swirled around in his head. His father had unburdened his conscience on his son hoping he would understand his predicament. His parents had been married for over two decades yet Harsh had been unable to forget Anju. Randhir now bore the cross of his outpouring. Any other son would have rebelled against his father for being disloyal to Renuka, but Randhir knew better- the truth was not always black or white, sometimes it had hidden shades of grey that remained unseen in public. His father had proven that it was possible to care for someone even without getting physically close to them, without having to betrayal to one's spouse in the real sense of the word.

That Renuka had enlisted her father's help to pull Anju and Harsh apart was common knowledge, but Randhir had only just realised the extent to which the Anju had been manipulated emotionally. His mother had turned her obsession into a war against the hapless potential rival, who was led to believe that she was doing the man she loved a favour by turning her back to him. Randhir knew that his father had been saddened by Anju's lack of confidence and with her willingness to accept a bad marriage involving an abusive husband. Harsh had succumbed to family pressure and married Renuka who gave him two sons. His unresolved feelings for Anju had been buried deep within, manifesting themselves only during her dire need. Whatever Harsh did for Anju when she had faced problems was the mark of a compassionate and humane person, and Randhir had no bone to pick with him.

They say everything is fair in love and war. Randhir could not rationalise the absurdity that surrounded the love triangle of Renuka, Harsh and Anju. In her endeavour to make Harsh forget about Anju Renuka ensured that Harsh remained occupied with the pressure of expanding the business and being a parent to their two boys. Besides this his life revolved around attending parties and taking family vacations. The world saw Renuka as a perfectly normal aristocratic wife, a gracious hostess and a doting mother. No one remembered Anju who had voluntarily retreated into the shadows that enveloped her along with her daughter, opting to remain so insignificant that no one could possibly connect her to Harsh.

Randhir found himself brooding over the complex web of relationships- those involved seemed so fallible, flawed. All three were imperfect- Anju was gullible enough to be martyred, Renuka was single-mindedly obsessive about Harsh, who in turn was a man who was empty inside, despite having everything going well for him. Quite contrary to his father's story Randhir had been in an intimate relationship with Nour. It had felt euphoric while it lasted, they had connected instantly and shared many interests. Unlike their peers they had enough to talk about after their intense bouts of passion play. But for all her vivaciousness Randhir has sensed a deep loneliness inside Nour, as if overcompensating for what was going on in her mind by using him as a source of distraction. Later she merely substituted him with her frenzied manic lifestyle.

What went wrong between Nour and him, he asked himself. She had not been a passing fancy and had they still been together he would have remained a loyal boyfriend. But the point was she was the one who had terminated it, not him! And even if she offered to make a comeback he knew she would behave ambivalently again. It was not in her nature to put down roots whereas he needed to belong, to be anchored to someone. He was not going to be fallacious enough to go after fool's gold. The train of his thoughts strayed to Sanyukta. Like him she too had to deal with the fact that her mother had links in her past that had once sustained her spirit. He wondered if it disturbed her to know it. She was much younger and relatively less experienced than him.

He remembered how he meticulously avoided noticing her at the office. He fought the instinct to react when he could feel her pulse race if he was nearby. Every time an attractive female client called on him she tried hard to remain impersonal. When there was not much to work on he would give her Math problems to solve to keep her from daydreaming. "Don't be such a killjoy Randhir!" She would fume. "You chickened out because you are just a girl, and girls suck at Math!" He would add fuel to the fire to irritate her. "How does that make sense?" She would whine and earnestly absorb herself trying to derive a solution that often eluded her. "Show me how to do this!" She would ask him for help and after trying her patience some more he would help her out. "I feel like such a dunce, this was actually easy!" She would smile sheepishly. 

"Hey Mowgli! Hit the sack yet?" Sanyukta's screen lit up. "No, not yet, what's up?" She replied.

"Insomnia, can't sleep. Why are you up?" He probed. "Was just thinking, if my Mom had married your Dad, we could have been siblings. And I just hate the idea!" She responded. 

"But we are not, so don't sweat! Why were you giving Ms Chopra dark looks this afternoon?" He typed. "That woman needs to get a life! She should know better than to seek your attention!" She shot back. 

"She wants me to teach her capoeira moves!" He was glad he started this.

"Tell her to engage the Brazilian guy for private lessons, at least then she won't look for cougar bits!" She asserted herself.

"Are  you trying to be my pretend girlfriend?" He wondered if he had gone too far.

"Why not? Btw what's the deal being one?" She quizzed.

"And I had imagined girls have higher emotional quotient than guys!" He could sense her reaction.

"Ok, what's in it for me if I actually become your pretend girlfriend?" She asked.

"Tender loving care!" He was actually grinning.

"I've got a Mommy at home for that!" She snapped.

"Ok, I'll coach you on Math/Physics whatever!" He offered.

"It's a deal. In return I will keep out the cougars and Jezebels!" She was excited at the prospect.

"Sleep now. We work tomorrow. Signing off, Gn!" He went offline.

"What the..!"She said to herself, annoyed at being shut out after the provocation. 

"Finally I can sleep!" He smiled, having passed the insomnia baton to Sanyukta successfully. "Stop being mean to the kid!" The angel on his shoulder chirped. "She is yours to tease!" The devil countered, breaking bad!