Adultery Who Watches The Watchmen? by aurelius1982

[Ramesh_Rocky]

"I just sat there, my ankle hurting, rubbing it a little. The pain was just growing. I wondered if I had a fracture or something. There wasn't much else i could do but sit and wait. Dara returned twenty minutes later. He had milk. But also some other stuff. There was a crutch he had borrowed from one of the other tenants. And he was carrying a plastic bag. I thanked him again. He put the milk in the kitchen, put the crutch next to me and then sat down on the floor at my feet.

I asked him, "What are you doing?"
He said, "Memsaab, I have this balm from Nepal that I have used many times in such situations. A little massage with it and you will feel a lot better."
I said, "Thanks, but I think I'll just go to a doctor."
But he was already taking the balm can out. He then unbuckled and slipped off my sandal from the right foot.
"Dara! Wait!" I protested, but he was in a very purposeful mood.
"Just try this memsaab. I am very good with massages." he said and gently put his palm around my leg"

"Whoa!" I interrupted Menaka. "He was feeling up your feet and you were letting him?"

"It's not like I had much choice. i couldn't kick him away." she replied with consternation.

"True. So he gave you a massage?"

"Yes. He rubbed that ointment all over my foot and my ankle and gently massaged it with his rough hands." she blushed.

"Did you like it?"

"It was reasonably effective. The pain started subsiding."

"I mean did you like the sustained massaging touch of another man's hands on your feet?" there was a little jealousy in my voice.

Menaka caught it right away.

"Oh, so you are jealous at that while you go around bedding half the world's women?" she replied in a flash of anger.

"No, I didn't mean it that way." I got on the defensive. "It was a genuine question."

Menaka glared at me for a few seconds. Then her expression changed to one of introspection, and she said,

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. Honestly......I was feeling a little...not exactly aroused, but.....something different at the constant physical contact we had been in. And his massage was actually giving me goosebumps." she said.

"That's natural. The foot is an erogenous zone for some people."

"Anyway, I noticed that Dara's expression was also serious. He focused on massaging my ankle, but once in a while, he would tentatively caress my calf."

I got the feeling that Menaka's breathing got a little heavier.

"How long?"

"The massage lasted about ten minutes. We were both silent throughout it. There was palpable tension between us. The third or fourth time he caressed my calf, I said, Dara, my calf isn't hurting, just my ankle. He looked embarrassed and apologized. And immediately got up, saying he was done. Things got a little awkward so to break the tension, I thanked him again."

"Interesting."

"He left, saying I should call his cellphone if I needed anything more and gave me the number. The massage did make me feel better. The leg wasn't hurting as much. But I wasn't able to put any weight on it either. With the help of the crutch, I went to the medicine cabinet, popped a couple of painkillers and decided to take a nap."

"Hmmm...."

"I was woken up a couple of hours later by the doorbell. Using the crutch, I hobbled over and opened it. It was Dara with a plastic bag full of food. He said he guessed I wouldn't be able to cook, so he went and got me lunch from the nearby restaurant. I thanked him again and asked him to put it on the dining table. He took a plate sitting there and started spooning out the food. I felt obligated to him so I asked him to serve himself too."

"Lunch date!" I chuckled.

"Shut up!" Menaka blushed. "Anyway, I don't need to bore you with all the mundane details. Long story short, he helped me out a lot over the next couple of days until I was able to start walking again. Brought me food and other supplies. Picked up and dropped off Ayan to his school bus. Took him to the playground."

"And more massages?"

"Yes." she blushed. "Twice a day. It really helped a lot. I didn't even need to see a doctor."

"Good." I said.

Menaka was silent. From her expression, I could see that she had more to tell me, but was feeling shy. So I kept quiet too. After a couple of minutes of silence, I finally asked,

"There's something more, isn't there?"

She nodded, her face red.

"Go on." I prodded her.

"It's.....embarrassing. And I think you'll get angry at me."

"I promise I won't." I said, but my mind was flooded with possibilities of all kinds of things that had happened between them.

"Okay....the last time he gave me a massage, I had taken some strong painkillers. I was sitting on the couch as usual and he was massaging me. The warmth of his touch felt very soothing, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep, probably because of the painkillers. I don't know how long it was after that, but I stirred awake with the feel of something brushing my face. It took me a few seconds to realize it was Dara's thin mustache."

"WHAT?????" I sat bolt upright.

"He had one knee on the couch next to me and was leaning over, gently kissing my cheeks. I half opened my eyes. When he realized I was awake, he froze. I looked into his eyes. Part of me was screaming to yell at him and push him away. But honestly Prakash, I was just so caught up in the moment. Relishing any kind of intimacy. I said nothing, just kept looking into his eyes. When I didn't stop him, he resumed kissing my face all over, brushing my lips a couple of times. I closed my eyes and shuddered as the touch of his lips and facial hair sent goosebumps all over my body."

I listened, aghast that our building watchman had made a move on my wife and she hadn't resisted.

"Then he moved his hand to my breasts, and when he touched them over the sari and the blouse, I felt a jolt of passion and guilt. But guilt was stronger. I pushed him away, and said, "DARA! What are you doing?"
He took a couple of steps back and said nothing. Just stared at the floor.
"I think you should go." I forcefully said, my face red with anger.
He nodded, gathered his stuff, and walked out."

I sat in my chair halfway across the world, trying to come to terms with what I had just been told. Menaka looked wracked with guilt. I had promised not to get angry. And I had always maintained I was not a hypocrite. The only thing I could say was,

"So what happened next?"

"Nothing." Menaka shrugged. "He didn't come back after that. My leg got a lot better. Whenever I went in or out of the building, we avoided each other."

I was silent.

"Are you angry, Prakash? You look angry."

"I am not angry. I am just.......I don't know. A watchman????" I finally identified what I was having an issue with.

"I am sorry. It's not like I planned it."

We were both quiet for a while as I gathered my thoughts. Finally my sensible side overpowered my irrational side, and I started speaking.

"Menaka, as I have said, given what I am up to, I have no right to get upset at you for what is child's play by comparison. I am just struggling to come to terms with it. You were right earlier when we spoke after that guy hit on you at the party. It is one thing to agree in theory and another to actually hear something like this play out. But that's my problem, not yours. What I have said all these years still applies. You have done nothing wrong, and my troubles dealing with it shouldn't make you feel guilty."

"Thank you, Prakash." she blew a kiss at the camera, looking relieved.

"Anyway, I have to get back to work. We'll talk about this later." I said.

"Okay, I love you."

"I love you too."