HER LAST WISH

Part 17

Ireached the address Daniel had given me. I found two cars in the parking lot, a Maruti which his father would have used and a Diesel i20 which I assumed was
my wife’s ex-boyfriend’s.
I rang the doorbell. A tall, smart, handsome young man – who bore a mature look on his face, wearing frameless spectacles, shorts and a t-shirt with ‘I Love
USA’ embossed on it – welcomed me. All the confidence which I could never have screamed from every part of him. I wondered whether he was the same
person whom I had come to meet. My doubt vanished when I heard a heavy American accent.
“Hi, I am Daniel.”
“Hi Daniel, I am Vijay.” I was feeling awkward. The usual question popped up in my head, yet again – how did Astha end up marrying me?
“Hi Vijay, please come inside and have a seat.”
He was clearly a very sophisticated and well-mannered person.
“Feel at home,” he said. “What would you like to have? Tea, coffee, or juice?”
“Whatever is convenient for you,” I said.
He went inside. His house wasn’t big, but at the same time it seemed to be owned by a wealthy person. The sofa was new, and the living room was tastefully done. There were pictures of Jesus and a golden cross indicating Daniel’s strong faith. Daniel was back at his seat in a minute’s time .
“Yes Vijay, you told me you wanted to discuss something personal. But before that, may I ask how Sargam is? It has been a long time since I last spoke to her.”
“She is doing well,” I said. I was wondering how to initiate a conversation about Astha.
“Are you married, Daniel?” I had no idea why I asked this question.
“Not yet,” he replied. Meanwhile, two glasses of juice along with cookies were served by the maid. I decided to open up fast, else the investment banker would
lose interest in me. I began narrating a story which I had made up.
“Daniel, I made a terrible mistake. Last week I met with an accident. In order to save a kid on the road, I drove over a pedestrian in front of a church and the person got hurt. No one noticed since it was very late at night. However, I was not completely responsible for the accident. So I didn’t fear anyone and called up an ambulance to attend to the patient. I also visited the hospital in which he was admitted. One of his legs had broken and may take about six months to heel. Although I am not sure whether he will be as fit as before.”
He was as sharp-minded as I had expected him to be and said exactly what I was hoping for. “How can I help you in this?”
“Sargam had apprised me that your family has a strong belief in the Bible. The guy who was hurt is a Christian.” For the first time, I looked right into his eyes
and said, “I want to apologize for the accident. Could you, by any chance, find me a lesson from the Bible so that I can seek an apology from that person with a
legitimate reason?”
My dull face was in complete sync with my narration. “Well, in that case, it is my father who you should speak to,” he said while sipping the juice. “Let me
call him here. ”
“Oh no. I’ll be awkward talking to him. I am sure being a religious person, you would definitely be able to help me.”
“I have less knowledge of what you are asking of me and am not a religious person at all. However, I know that the basis of Christianity is forgiveness. The
people who had killed Jesus were forgiven by Jesus. Even when we go to church, people confess to the priest. I suggest that you visit a church and confess your guilt. Also, it would be better if you could compensate the hurt person with some money or anything you deem fit. That should be enough.”
“But what if he retaliates?”
“Vijay, it is the losers who retaliate. Winners always forgive. I am sure he will forgive you.” I was surprised how he had shared the same philosophy as Astha.
“But,” Daniel said looking at me doubtfully, “I can sense that you are hiding something from me.”
“Yes Daniel, you are right. In our Hindu religion, husband and wife are considered to be partial owners of each other. Just like assets belong to both, so
do responsibilities.”
“You seem mysterious. What is the point Vijay?”
I took a deep breath and said, “Do you remember Astha?”
“I know that opportunist very well.”
I was puzzled. “Opportunist?”
“Yes, she was my girlfriend until a few months back. Then she got married to a professor. But why on earth did you mention her name?”
“Please allow me to complete what I have to say. Daniel, Astha approved of marrying a professor under family pressure. Given that you belong to a different religion, it was difficult for her to convince her parents.”
“I cannot believe that,” Daniel seethed in anger. “Astha would never listen to her family. Anyway, if that is the case, she could have waited for me to return to India or spoken to me. ”
“For all her mistakes, she has been feeling sorry.”
“I doubt it. She leapt on the opportunity of marrying a rich guy. She is an emotionless girl who has never loved anyone.” Daniel was seething with anger.
“How do you know that her husband is a rich man?”
“He has to be. I know Astha very well. I have heard that her father-in-law was a senior police officer and her mother-in-law is a journalist.”
“In that case, you don’t know them.”
“But why are you talking about her?”
“Do you think I am a rich man?”
“Who are you?” he asked raising his voice.
I sighed. “I am Astha’s husband.”
He looked at me dumbstruck. His jaw fell. His trance broke after a few seconds of silence. “How dare she send you here?” he said, his voice still raised. “You
have come here to mock at me, isn’t it?”
“No Daniel. I am here to tell you that my wife is sorry for her mistake of not fighting for you both. In short, she is sorry for running away from the situation.”
“And why should I believe you?”
“Because that is the only reason for which I am here.”
“Had she been really apologetic, she would have been standing here in front of me.”
I went silent as I did not want to reveal about her illness.
“Why is she not here?” he almost shouted while I still remained silent.
“Vijay,” he continued, “the day she dumped me was the day I vowed to meet her and prove that she had committed a huge mistake. I have fifteen POs reporting to me at the bank. I have an apartment in Gurgaon. Very soon I’ll be marrying an
IAS officer’s daughter. Astha is a fiasco to have dumped me for you! ”
I chose to remain silent instead of picking up an argument with him because he had all the right to say all this.
“Daniel, she really is apologetic for what happened.”
“Then why is she not here?” he repeated.
“Because she is unwell.”
“Mr Professor, let me admit that you are amazing at cooking up stories. But I am not your student. Please leave now.”
I stood up, but I wanted to make one final point.
“Daniel,” I said, “we cannot change the past. Currently, there is no way in which you can soothe your anger. Jesus had forgiven even those who led him to death. I hope you try to understand her and forgive her.”
“I am not interested in talking to you or her, the bloody loser!”
He was in a rage. I was standing at his doorstep ready to bear his frustration.
“Get lost, please!” he shouted loudly.
As I stepped out of his house, I said, “Don’t call her a loser, Daniel!”
He pushed me mildly. I moved out of the house and he shut the door behind me.
I said, “A loser always retaliates.”
●●●

It rains once in a blue moon in Delhi. Today, it was raining. I love the weather
when it rains. And today, I too contributed to the rains. The best thing about crying in the rains is that no one can notice your tears. I felt defeated in idiotically chasing nothing.
Why am I doing all this? I am so dumb. I should be dead like I have been for all these years.
I cursed myself. The pain I felt was not because of Daniel’s words, but because of my continuous failure .
I stood under a tree while tears continued to flow from my eyes. I looked up at the sky and murmured, “What did I do wrong? Why is my wife going through all this?”
I pulled out that paper of her wishes from my pocket and threw it away. This is all rubbish. Henceforth I won’t try to fulfil any of it. In short, I had given up. And it wasn't the first time.
My cell phone rang. Though I was not in a mood to answer any calls, I answered when it rang again.
“Hi Vijay, this is Dr Raza.”
I was not in a state to hear anything from the doctor. But I still had to, for the sake of my wife. I answered in a half dead state, “Hi Sir.”
“Vijay, please ask Astha to stop all medication with immediate effect. All her test reports have been delivered to me. Pay me a visit tomorrow and please come
alone.”
“Is there anything serious?”
“Nothing to worry, Vijay. I am just unsure whether this is a good news or not.
Your wife is pregnant.”
I hung up without any formal greetings. I went numb. I was in a state of shock. It was one of the weirdest moments of my life. A doctor had called up to inform
me that I was soon to be a father and he didn’t even congratulate me. I didn’t know how to react. Should I be happy or sad? I was completely blank. Everything around me was moving while I was standing still. Just one question loomed over me – what if the baby gets infected with HIV?
I looked at the crumpled piece of paper that I had thrown. I picked it up,
unfolded it and read it to myself.
I smiled while tears were still trickling down my cheeks. The smile was for an obvious reason. One of the wishes of my wife was about to be fulfiled. My score
was 1/7.