THIRTY FOUR
“I will pick you up in about twenty minutes. Better be ready,” she heard Aditya say.
“How come you're in Mumbai?” Maya sounded surprised and happy at the same time. She loved Aditya for making her laugh and forget all her worries.
“Girl, you're in my flat! I needed to check if all is fine.”
“Adi, you'll never change.”
“And you'll not stop saying that over and over again!”
They met a few hours later, at a beer lounge.
“So girl, what's up? Are you keeping my flat warm with sex or not.”
“Shut up, Adi.”
“What shut up? Did you find a guy or not.”
“Well, I did.”
“That's like my girl,” he pinched her cheek.
The waiter got a bottle of beer and two glasses.
She loved his openness, his flamboyance, his straightforwardness. He was a sweet and simple soul and all that mattered to him was having a good time.
“Let's drink to our unending friendship and your marriage.”
“My marriage?” she queried.
“If you fail to find anyone, I'll be there to marry you! Who else will?” he said, as always, ready to banter.
“Shutup Adi,” she smiled.Tell me what happened to Simran, your last girlfriend.”
“Simran Kaur or Simran Bhatia.”
“You had two Simrans, is it?”
“I had three. There was a Simran Pathak too! But yes, the one you know was Simran Kaur. Ah she was good,” he winked.
Maya looked at him, wondering how he could take things so lightly.
“Adi, don't these girls get sad when you dump them?”
“I don't dump them. Either it dies a natural death or they dump me,” he said, with no remorse at all.
“Adiiii !”
“Yes, the moment they find out that there are others involved, they dump me. As if I had pledged to be loyal to them!”
She laughed out loudly. The way she hadn't for some time now.
“By the way, you told me you are writing a book!” he reminded her.
“Yes, I'm almost done with it.”
“Let me know when you're done with it. I'll market it for you.”
“Really. How?” she was excited.
“Maya, my dad is filthy rich as you know. One of the divisions in his company is into digital marketing.”
Her phone rang. It was Raghu. Aditya glanced at her, then at the other girls sitting elsewhere.
“Hi!” she said screaming as she walked past the speaker.
“Hi, where are you?” Raghu asked authoritatively.
“I've come out to meet a friend of mine.”
“Which friend?”
“A college friend. You don't know him.”
“Like a chutiya I've been trying your phone for an hour while you are dating some bastard.”
“What's wrong with you?”
“Look at your phone, you bitch. Or were you so busy with him that you could not see the missed calls.”
“Raghu, why do you keep thinking on these lines all the time?”
“I am a bloody choot to love you so much.You, you whore.”
“Raghu!” she said, “I am putting down the phone.”
“Where are you? Tell me now. I'lll come now.”
“I'm going home, we can meet there.” She nearly came to tears.
“Tell me na, tell me where you are. Or are you scared that I'll come there and bash up your hero?” he said.
She disconnected the phone. She came back to where Aditya was sitting.
“What happened, heroine?”
“Nothing,” she sat and took her glass to finish off the wine.
“Have you been crying?” he asked.
The phone rang again. She picked it up.
“I told you I'll be home in twenty minutes,” she said.
“Talk to me now,” Raghu said.
“For God's sake, understand.”
She disconnected.
They paid the bill and came out.
“Is anyone bothering you, Maya? Tell me if anyone is. I'm still the old Adi who loves brawls. Grrrr,” he said in jest, but his tone was serious.
“No, nothing like that. It's just that I need to go. Something important has come up.”
“All right. I am in the city till tomorrow afternoon. Let me know if there's anything. I can come and sleep over anytime.”
“Oh shut up, Adi.”
“I'll drop you home?” he offered.
“No need. I'll go. Someone is coming to pick me up.” She said. She didn't want Raghu to see him dropping her off for he was sure to create a scene.
“All right then. Take care, sweetheart.”
The way he said it, she wanted to fling herself into his arms and cry.
“I will.” She smiled and walked out.
Aditya saw her off. She had changed. This wasn't the old Maya whose eyes were full of life, he thought. Something's amiss, he thought. It sure was. Her phone rang constantly till she reached home. She entered her apartment and took the call.
“Why are you not taking my call?” Raghu roared.
“I was in an autorickshaw, Raghu.”
“Autorickshaw or his bed?”
“Raghu, I don't understand what gets into you. Come home if you would want to see me.”
“Why? Aren't you satisfied still? You want me to come and fuck you.”
“Raghu, I was with a friend,” she said, ignoring his filthy language for the umpteenth time.
“You didn't have time to talk to me.”
“Raghu. I thought I'll finish with him and speak to you at length. I was at a beer lounge. There was loud music.”
“You could have called me at least once.”
“I don't understand why can't you just be normal.”
“I know you're lying.”
'I'm not. Besides if you don't trust me, there's no point in trying to make anything work.”
“How can I trust you? You have been lying to your husband and sleeping around with me. How can anyone trust a whore like you?”
She closed her eyes, sickened by the thoughts his words revealed. She had had enough. “That's enough Raghu. I think this needs a break.” She was fed up. She disconnected the phone and felt anger flow through her eyes.
Raghu's abuse was getting out of hand. She, who once took his angry words as a mark of his possessiveness was not so sure about it now. He had no right to monopolise her time, impute that she was sleeping around with every other man in sight. It showed a complete lack of respect, of grace. The phone kept ringing. It was Raghu again. She chose not to take it.