THE UNWANTED

CHAPTER 14

Days passed, with many Sundays to come and go and Gauri kept visiting Ramu to repeat their acts together. One Sunday, as Ramu was standing on his doorstep waiting for Gauri, Badri passed by. Ramu could also see Gauri coming closer to his room.

Badri's eyes met Ramu's and before he could utter something, Gauri made her way into his room. Badri could sense something fishy but showed ignorance on his face and moved on. Inside into his head Ramu's sixth sense prevailed and he could know that Badri could create trouble for him by reporting his misdeeds to his wife and mother.

After about a fortnight, Badri took his annual leave from his employer to visit his village which he was quite religiously doing every year. For Ramu, this was a sign of danger now, as he knew that Badri won't be able to keep his mouth shut and will definitely let the cat out of the bag and he was also aware of the fact that Badri was strictly against this relationship of Ramu and Gauri.

"This is what happens. You tell your friends your most personal secrets, and they will use them against you," Ramu muttered to himself.

After about four days, Badri was all set to go to his village. Ramu, from inner self wanted to meet Badri to plead to him not to tell anyone about his extramarital affair but his ego and self respect came in between. He called up Gauri instead and told her about his qualms.

"But why are you that scared? If he does tell your mother then there is nothing intelligent about not standing up for yourself. You may not win every battle. However, everyone will atleast know that you stood for...............YOU," muttered Gauri in a stern tone.

"But how can I compromise my respect for your love. You can keep your love, I'll keep my respect," growled out Ramu at her.

"But why are you getting furious at me? Is there something I've done wrong? It was you who took the first step and now I'm pregnant of your child," Gauri too spoke angrily, "and moreover, if you can't face the world, I'll make you face it by going to your home in the village and announcing everything to your wife and mother. I'll not take your nonsensical rebukes by just lying down. I'm a city girl and not like your wife who is a village woman whom you can treat however you like."

Hearing Gauri's tone, Ramu mellowed down as if nothing had happened but internally he was all scared to his wits end.

"Now...now!! Don't get so angry. I'm sorry for what I said as I was afraid of the venomous mouths who will definitely have an opinion about me," mumbled Ramu in a desperate tone.

"People can have their opinions about everything in the world, but people's opinions end where the tip of my nose ends," Gauri said cooling down a bit, "So, don't bother about people or your family or the village folk. Time is a great healer and soon they will forget about everything. Okay then, take care and don't get scared as a jack rabbit who has heard the howl of a wolf," said Gauri laughing and chilling down a bit further while disconnecting the call.

Plagued by the fear of the unknown and pricked by what was known............apprentice on sufferance.....Ramu thought he was caught between the devil and the deep sea. Compounding his misery was the thought of the effect his desertion would have on his hapless mother. Thus he felt, as though, he was a bird caged at birth, not acquainted with the faculty of flying.

"What's the way out?" he racked his brain. "Why not tell Ma and seek her support."

But on second thoughts he became doubtful about the wisdom of it all. She would sympathize with me only to plead that 'I fall in line' he figured it out.

'What's worse, she may even extract a promise or an oath from me to never desert Tara, moreover what if she blurts out it would only make matters worse.'

Puzzled by the predicament, his mind played snakes and ladders with his resolve..........even as his enthusiasm for freedom surged him to the threshold of action, the fear of the fallout pulled him back to square one. Unable to take the plunge and yet detesting the status quo, he decided that if Badri blurts out anything to either Tara or his mother he will not spare him to the end.