Note:
This is my first submission, after having enjoyed reading various stories, I wanted to contribute something myself. All events in this are pure coincidences. This is not a wham bham to the end sort of novel, the build up I feel was a bit over than necessary and I would hope you guys give a commentary on the same, will appreciate it much.
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Part I
Archana checked the time, stared at the wall clock, it was going to be midnight and she was expecting a call. Her phone buzzed and she picked it up, it was Aryan, her husband.
"Happy Anniversary Sweet heart..." Aryan greeted her.
"Same to you..."
"Please smile... that is not the way dear..." Aryan replied.
"You know I wanted you here right... you could have come just for the weekend..."
"Honey... I told you when I left.. I'm doing this for us... work here for few years... build a resume and have some savings..."
"Jesus... just drop this... we have had this conversation a hundred times... I know how it ends... I know how it very well ends..."
"One more year Acchu... just one more..."
"They are putting people in cages there and throwing them out... why can't they throw you out..."
Aryan chuckled, she had used the same sentence last few times, he knew better not to get into an argument, not today, it was their anniversary.
"Okay... you sleep dear... you look tired... very tired..."
"Happaa... he finally notices it..."
"I said tired...you are still pretty..."
"Ya... I know..." Acchu replied.
Aryan smiled, the telephone on his desk rang, he stared at it and looked at the mobile cam, talking to his wife.
"I need to go baby... love you..."
"Love you..." Acchu's voice trailed, he hadn't even heard it when he disconnected the mobile.
She stared at the mobile for few seconds watched the light go off. She then turned around, gripping the mobile, as she cried into the pillow. She hadn't slept in the bedroom for the past few days, it was happening all over again, just like the previous two years. All over again. She felt lonely in a big apartment, the nights were the worst, she had felt neglected and watching television series repeatedly was beginning to bore her, she wept into the silk cover of the cushion as sleep took over her.
Archana had waited for six year to finally find the person she wanted to be with. In her mid thirties she was the marketing head for south India for an MNC firm, with a good salary and good life, from the outside she looked successful. Appearances that was always important. Focused and dedicated to her job, the only thing that mattered when her husband had left to pursue his ambition abroad, she knew it would only be a matter of time when she would finally begin to miss him. Over the last few months she had realised that. The trouble of it all was she was the one who forced him in the first place, hoping he would start a career there and then she could join him and leave India once and for all like most of her friends did. He had yet to move out from his old firm when two years she saw no hope of moving out with him, they had finally decided it was in best interest for him to return home and continue with his job, at least they could then start a family together finally. She was already thirty four and most of her friend had kids who were going to school.
When she had passed out with her BTech and MBA from two of the finest institutes in the country, she had decided she'd want to first focus on her career, her parents too agreed, they were not in a hurry to send her off in marriage after all she had worked hard to be where she was. With a good take home she was already among the one percent of the professionals in the country and she needed to get to the even elite one percent of the one percent. Maybe retire by the age of forty five and live out the rest of her life as a consultant or director of few firms, living peacefully.
During the first few years of her professional life, she had dated few times, mostly casual, nothing serious, none ever had even progressed to a kiss. Mostly because she was not really interested and in her own words, testing the waters to see the quality of fishes. Her first committed relation was with a strapping young guy a year younger to her from West Bengal and she had been happy through the relation. The sex was great and so was the cuddling and talk after that. He listened and he cared for her, something rare in most young men. When they realised they both wanted different things, they parted amicably. She remained in touch with him for few months and then they lost contact, not one to waste time hunting for ex-partners on facebook and instagram she moved on. She had got a promotion in her job and she had to relocate to the digital capital of her country, a hip and happening town in the up. Though like rest of the big cities in her country an absolute crap in terms of traffic and pollution and got flooded when it rained. At twenty seven she bought her first car, a SUV to be precise, a second hand Suzuki Grand Vitara, she loved the engine and she loved how comfortable it was and above all she loved how rare it was to see one in India. Her meticulous research had told her Grand Vitara was a good buy and when she found one used by an elder woman, she purchased it without a second thought.
The next few years went between few long drives home and some vacations in India and abroad and few relations and one abusive relation. Someone who had always been frank and honest to her parents had told them about him and they got worried. They hadn't insisted on marriage for a long time and they finally decided it was time to look out for. They didn't ask her to marry the one they found for her, they just wanted her to find one and they too would find boys eligible for marriage. Months later she met with one of the first guys her parents had found for her, not the typical, come home with family meet a nervous woman and not say a word. This was more outside a coffee day meet. He drove in an Swift, it had been heavily modified, with comfort seats and stickers on it. She had already made up her mind about him even before she shook his hands. When they parted and she stepped into her Vitara she could see him staring at her in an awkward manner. Many of the proposals went bust in similar manner, she was too western, too full of herself, smoked, drank, had former boy friends and the ever present, 'too western'.
When she met Aryan, it was supposed to be another hi, bye. She could see he too had seen enough girls and had been rejected or had rejected and neither of them were there because they wanted to be.
"Do you really want to meet here..." Aryan asked looking at her.
"I'd rather meet at a pub with a cigarette in my hand..." Archana replied.
He chuckled, "Same..."
He pulled out his purse, "Since I cancelled this... let me pay... but this is not going to happen... you pay for your shit..."
"Done..." Archana smiled as she stood up.
Aryan was even more happy to be driven around, as he put it, the fucked up traffic fucked him up. Archana loved driving and she was drove fast even for a guy, one of the perks of having brought up in a hill station with big Gypsies and Ambassadors around, none of them had power steering when she learnt driving at twelve.
They stopped at one of the pubs and ordered a pitcher, with lit cigarettes they spoke about the people they saw, though Archana noticed how he didn't laugh at anyone, just like her, neither did he say a thing bad about anyone.
Respectful.
She had observed.
He was a good listener which most men were not.
After just a mug of beer, they shook hands and said they'd be in touch.
A week later they were dating and months before they even married they were living together like husband and wife. So marriage was just a formality to announce their relations to friends and family. A formality that had to be done. The first two years of marriage had gone as fast as their fifteen day long honey moon had gone, on the bed, under the blanket, fucking. Aryan was a gentle lover, he knew how to please her and he made sure she was pleased, the days or nights he could not, he would apologise and go down on her and make sure she too had her climax. With him climax was guaranteed. Few of her previous relations that was not assured.
Morning light washed down her weary face, she opened her eyes and stared at the television screen, it was turned off. She didn't remember turning it off, maybe the timer had turned itself off. She saw the reflection of a man in the kitchen and she figured she was still asleep. Her eyes fell on the door and it was open from inside. Had she not locked the door the previous night, it had happened few times, but she remembered locking the door.
She sat up and turned around.
"Jesus... you scared the shit out of me..." Archana said as she grabbed the blanket to cover herself. She wasn't wearing a bra and her sleeveless t-shirt was too thin. The boxer shorts she wore was one of Aryan's old ones.
"I'm sorry... I rang the bell and tried calling you... but..."
"The bell does not work..." she replied wrapping herself in the blanket, wiping the sleep of her eyes, "And the mobile must have been silent..."
"Coffee.." Her father-in-law asked.
"That would be great..."
