Adultery When the unthinkable happens... by Ramesh1990-COMPLETED

[Ramesh_Rocky]

breville1:



Yes, divorce is certainly a way of redemption for her guilt. Being upfront about the divorce frees Ramesh from the difficulty of believing that she has learnt her lesson and won't be unfaithful again. Normally, divorcing her for her wanton actions (no other way to describe her actions) is the easy route. Ultimately people who do this sort of stuff end up destroying themselves and all around them. She proposes Preeti as an alternative partner, knowing that there is something brewing there.

But keeping the baby just doesn't make sense to me - obviously I'm not a woman so I can't appreciate what it means and I was looking for a happy ending.
However, it must be clear that keeping the baby is a reminder of what she did. Knowing this, Kajol knew that Ramesh would not agree (he wanted an abortion as a part way to remove the memory of the event) and would settle for the divorce more easily. Thus, Kajol has sentenced herself and freed Ramesh.....and perhaps Riz would make the perfect "surrogate father" for the illegitimate baby???. I ask, why did she have to tell Riz all about it?? She should have dealt with it with her own husband first. No wonder she was a PhD candidate!!

[Ramesh_Rocky]

bitchslayer:

May be you are right. She took the easy way out without sacrificing the baby but instead sacrificing her marriage. She definitely needs treatment with a psychologist

I now think she chose this way because she can't change her ways so she better leave him.
And as you said by considering Riz as a surrogate father also makes her current life style more easier. She can do whatever she wants doesn't want to change her ways of infidelity and Riz will be there for her.

But still I want to believe there is HOPE for the Ramesh Kajol family. Do a paternity test, make sure if Ramesh is the father or not, if not she sacrifice the baby or if it's his live a happy life together with the child.her current decision is pretty premature and needs rethinking.

[Ramesh_Rocky]

We are always right – aren’t we? Even when we are wrong, we think we are right – or else we couldn’t live with the contradiction. Even when life has given us enough lessons; we still cry ourselves hoarse about the unfairness or it – isn’t it?

I was getting drawn into the whirlpool of thoughts. For it had been five years – five long years since the incident at Kolkata – just before I had left for the US – totally leaving behind the memories that brought nothing but pain – and pursuing my mediocre American dream.

But first things first, I am getting ahead of myself.

I am now AVP, without a designated portfolio with HK Corp Inc. I look after strategic innovations. They call me ‘brains’ – to my face sometimes – I don’t give a damn. A month back, a mail had arrived in my inbox from Kajol.

“Glad to get your email address from Preeti, who had come over to invite us for her sister’s wedding. How are you doing! Rizu and I are now married. Our boy would be turning five in a couple of months time. Lots to tell. Can you drop in sometimes by month? Take care of yourself.”

I ground the cigarette in the nearby ashtray. I was in the smoking section of the transit lounge between layovers. I had landed straight from London where I had gone for a meeting and now there were a couple of hours to kill before my flight.

What did she want? I had a very hectic schedule. There was an acquisition process going on and that demanded all of my time. However, over the years, I had learnt to live with this constant pressure bordering on panic. Now it was all routine. It was a shock to get Kajol’s mail. We hadn’t spoken after the show down in Riz’s house. Goodness – it was so long back and yet felt like the day before.

At that time I had been mad with rage. Mad at Kajol of course, cross with Riz to some extent for siding with her. And then there was the professor and also my ex boss Rao. Funny, how the latter two came to grief. Much as I would have loved it for the professor to undergo a rigorous imprisonment for a long period, fate had cheated me out of that privilege. He never faced the trial; for in the wings of the jail reserved for the under-trials there exists a well entrenched hierarchy system where the murderers come at the top and rapist and child molesters occupy the bottom rung. Bharadwaj didn’t have a chance. Two days after his arraignment, he was sent to the prison hospital with several missing teeth, a couple of broken ribs and a punctured rectum. He barely lasted a week.

Mr. Rao’s case was tragicomic. I had imagined doing every kind of brutality to him – smashing up his smug face – throwing acid – praying to the devil to lift him up etc. However, what had happened was entirely funny and I would have enjoyed it if it didn’t relate to me. Somehow a newspaper reporter, who was on the crime beat, had approached him for clues and got rebuffed. He had seen the potential of a scandal and followed Rao up like a hound. Next thing, Rao’s profile had been splashed across tabloids – calling him the hero who had saved his employee’s wife from a mad rapist. Then the conjectures began – what was he doing with the wife – why he had gone out of station to meet her – why all the attention when he had already sacked the employee etc. Quickly that snowballed out of control and the tabloids had a field day with insinuations ranging from being some kind of Don Juan to being or a nefarious schemer – or maybe a secret lover etc etc. The name of the company he was heading was also prominently displayed. And that proved too embarrassing for a Mr. Bajajbhai whose hoardings and promotion materials invariably carried the company’s name. Promptly, he issued a quarter page advertisement in the dailies stating that their company no longer associated with either Mr. Rao or his company. Like dominos falling, other major clients followed suit, including HK Corp. Alarm bells had started ringing in the London HQ; who rushed in a team to handle the crisis. Their first decision had been to sack Mr. Rao. Funnily thereafter, despite his ample contacts, he couldn’t get a placement anywhere – for he had become the untouchable commodity. He had completely vanished from the professional circuit thereafter …

You see you never teach life anything …

Preeti had relayed me the above after she came over to New York; for I had shut myself off totally. The wounds were fresh and they were still bleeding. After the fight with Kajol; I had returned from Kolkata and stayed in our old flat for a week – the time I had at my disposal before flying to US. All those days, I had waited eagerly for her to call me back and to say that she had changed her mind – but that never happened. On the last couple of days I had sent off all her clothes and other personal stuff to Riz’s address. Then I had hired a lawyer specializing in divorce cases and given him the money and the details. He had quickly prepared the papers for me to sign and assured me to see the job through – it was after all a simple case – as it would be a divorce with mutual consent. I just signed wherever he wanted me to and got rid of him. Next I had gone to the bank and transferred half of my advance salary to our joint account...

Did she need any money?

I scratched my chin. That didn’t make sense. She was married to Riz now and … maybe … well I didn’t know Riz’s financial condition now… that I could take care of now – last year my earnings including the stock options were well over the six digit mark … but did I want to get myself involved in her world … well there would be a time to determine that … later

She had got my email address from Preeti …

After I had moved over to NY and settled down in a suburb that was two hours away by the shuttle. The divorce formalities would take more than a year – as my lawyer had advised me and that was that – I had shut the door on that part of my life … Life was routine, after the initial excitement of having landed in the US was over. Get up by the alarm clock, bath and breakfast of cereals and juice, short drive to the station to catch the shuttle, arrive at NY Central, move in the milling crowd for the four blocks to reach office, coffee and early morning meeting, roll up the sleeves and get to work and stay till it was late – most days having ordered a sandwich from the nearby deli for lunch; return and reach home by about ten and a quick whiskey and soda followed by a microwaved dinner and then hit the bed after setting the alarm. This was pretty much the routine. Except on the weekends, where sometimes I would try to cook up a traditional dish – realize that I was no good at it – and walk over to the local mart for the weekly stocking up on supplies.

Preeti came after three months. She was supposed to arrive much earlier. I had asked her for the reason. “Mr. Ching didn’t want to let me go”, she had smiled, “probably I remind him of a daughter or so.” I raised my eyebrows to convey a ‘is that so’. However, subsequently throughout I had found that whenever Mr. Ching was in NY; Preeti used to be in constant attendance upon him, even staying in the same hotel, from the moment he arrived till his departure. She doted on him, as I used to observe in the office, in the meetings when Mr. Ching used to be present and I thought I saw a reflection of the paternal touch – the way he used to address her. “You see him as a father”, I had once remarked to her. “Of course”, she had said, “isn’t he the person who has given me a new life?”

In any case, Preeti had come and without a word moved over to the spare room in my apartment. From the first night, she had climbed into my bed. My daily routine got modified now to the extent that it was now both of us who were following the same schedule, sans the stiff shot of whiskey at night – for Preeti would invariably drag me to bed. The sex was great and immediately, both of us would fall asleep. We rarely talked about anything that was of back home. She never mentioned the ‘K’ word not even when the final orders of divorce suit had come – and I was grateful to her for that.

At the office, both of us slogged hard. It was unusual for a lower level executive and for any intern to spend so much time after hours but we both did. On my part, I loved learning the new stuff outside the world of image consultancy. They had put me in marketing and by a fluke I had stumbled upon a major source of revenue leakage that could be plugged by a rejig of the administrative set up at a production facility. That was my ticket to the top. To my pleasant surprise – I had discovered that I was good at strategizing and designing restructuring of portfolios. Mr. Ching was very appreciative of that and two years down the line, I had been designated as an AVP with a quite lucrative stock option. That was when the label ‘brains’ had stuck to me.

Preeti on her part did the pure slog. Everyone knew that she was Mr. Ching’s protégé and she was doing the work of two. What she lacked was a formal qualification. At the end of the first year, she had been designated as the employee of the year and Mr. Ching gushed at the function, that HK Corp had been pleased to announce a sponsorship for any executive mba program that she could pursue on the weekends.

Both of us becoming busy in our work meant that we had little time for each other. One Saturday we had been to a local pub, downed a couple of beers and danced few numbers. On the way home she said, “Ramesh, this mba course you know. I have been accepted at the state university. Problem is it is highly inconvenient for me to commute to the campus from here.”

I had mulled over the problem. What she said did make sense. The right thing to do would be for her to find an apartment near to the campus – although that would mean separation for us. I said as much.

“You think, I should move over?”, she looked sidewise at me. We were still walking.

“Definitely”, I said, “Let’s start hunting for a suitable accommodation for you right from tomorrow.”

She had looked down and we had continued walking.

A fortnight later she had moved out of my house and out of my life as well. However, it didn’t take me long to readjust. There was enough of work to keep me busy – even on weekends…

Had I been wrong - letting her go? I scratched my chin. But that’s what she wanted.

She had completed her mba degree course in two years. The entire family had come for the graduation. I had visited them and it was a very joyful affair. Shortly thereafter, she had been called by the Singapore HQ and she had gone back to Mr. Ching, taking our farewell with a very big smile at NY.

And then was Jennifer whom I had met at a business conference. We had hit it off from the outset. She was a divorcee with no kids. She loved curry and yoga. Three months of dating and being in awe of each other all the while – we had decided that we were soulmates and it made no sense not to get married – at the ***** temple in NY. … Only that … to cut a long story short … I couldn’t bear the joss sticks burning in the house and sacred chants playing all the time … she had said sorry – that it didn’t work out and we had parted mutually in a consensual divorce …

Where had it gone wrong? … Where did I miss it all out?

The public speaker announced the security check in for my flight. I rose up from my seat.

[Ramesh_Rocky]

I looked at the housefront – it was Riz’s house alright – there was his nameplate. I opened the gate and walked through the small garden onto the grill work. Kajol had already come hearing the bell.

At first sight I didn’t quite recognize her. She was clad in a saree, had put on weight and was wearing the headmistress type of glasses.

“Ramesh”, she said breaking into a smile.

“Kajo”, I gave her a look from top to bottom, “you look nice.”

“You mean fat, eh?”, she chuckled. “And look at you. Since when are you sporting a paunch?”

I shuffled my feet. “Oh come in, come in”, she said and ushered me in to the drawing room, “Rizu would be coming anytime now,”

There was a boy playing on the carpet. I walked over to him and handed him the train set I had purchased on my way. He looked at me with large round eyes, the eye-brows arched picture perfect.

“He has your eyes”, I told her.

Kajol just smiled.

“Tell me, did you get to complete the doctorate?”, I asked.

“Oh that”, she rolled her eyes upwards. “It was pretty difficult – you know – with the guide dead, and no one else willing to take over, not to mention the pregnancy. Remember Puja – the one who had been nearly murdered at the professor’s residence – she is an assistant professor now. It was she who arranged another professor at her university – and finally got the degree – two years back.”

“Wow, congratulations!”, I said. It was so easy to talk to her – I had forgotten that. “So any job, career.”

“I have a full time job now”, she said evenly, “him”. She pointed at the boy. We both laughed.

I looked at him. He was silent. For a brief second I wondered whose boy he was – then I dismissed the thought – it was all immaterial. He was silent all through, opening up the toy and trying to fix us while all the time looking at us with those round eyes.

“What do you call him?”

“Ramesh”, she said. “Rizu insisted that we give him that name.”

I had a shock. I cleared my throats and asked, “By the way, when did you two get married?”

“Right after the divorce came through – just a civil registration affair with two witnesses”, she answered looking at me with a level gaze, “Of course, when he was born; I was still married to you and so he carries your surname too. Rizu didn’t want that changed either.”

I again looked at the boy. He was just a couple of feet away and he hadn’t spoken a word yet.

We both fell silent. I began thinking when it would be the proper time to leave.

“Papa”, the boy cried out and I had another shock. I looked behind. Riz was standing behind me. He looked at me and gave a nod. Then he walked over to the boy who was smiling now, his face split wide …

My mind had gone into a turmoil. Instantly, I recollected Riz calling out that he would be never speaking to me for life … now I knew that he meant

The second thing was the smile on the boy’s face. It revealed the uplifted dentures, that special combination of muscle and bone – the feature so well known to me – for I had been looking at that everyday when I had used the mirror.

Riz had flung his office bag and bounded to the child. Hoisting him up above his shoulder, he walked out to the garden. From outside, the sound of both of their jostling and laughter drifted through.

“Come, we will watch them play”, Kajol said and we both walked to the grilled verandah. The two of them were playing with a big beach ball.

“Before he was born, Rizu used to treat me like a princess – would you like this, would you like that – that sort of thing all the time. Afterwards”, she paused dramatically, “I have become the nanny – did he have his milk, when did he get up in the afternoon, did he have the protein supplement – that sort of thing.” She smiled slowly.

I dare not look at her. A lump was beginning in my throat. There was Rizu giving everything to my boy – the same boy that I didn’t want to give a chance to live. What was I doing here – I wondered. The three of them had made a life. What business did I have to linger further?

“Kajo”, I turned towards her, “I must go now.”

“Don’t be silly”, she said immediately, “Rizu would kill me. Wait till he is done with the child. He would have burst into tears when he saw you – only that that would have upset the child – so he ran out with him.”

I was stunned. I no longer knew what to say.

“Come, I will show you the house”, she led me in. “Here is for the two of them”, she showed me a room strewn with toys of all kinds. “I have strict instructions not to tidy up or disturb any of the things inside”, she laughed gaily. Then she took me to her room, a double bed in the center and with very basic furnishing.

“You must be tired from the long flight”, she said and before I could protest she had taken off my suit. “Lie down a while, you will feel good.” She wouldn’t hear a no from me and hustled me to the bed. I lay face down, glad for the full stretch. I could sense her sitting down besides me. Then her fingers were over my stiff neck and shoulder muscles, kneading softly. I felt the sensation of relaxing under those very familiar touches. My mind had gone into a blank …

“Kajo, when did you know that he was my boy?”

“I knew that all the time, right since the doctor had told the timing of conception. It was just before you had gone on your first foreign trip – to Singapore. No one else other than Rao had come inside me – the others … they … they … always had condoms. And with Rao it was after you had gone to Singapore.”

“Why didn’t you tell me then”, I croaked.

“I didn’t because, in your heart of hearts, you wouldn’t have believed me, no matter what I said. You always wanted the test – didn’t you. For you, I would have walked barefoot a hundred times over burning coal. But, no way, could I let our child undergo any test to satisfy you.”

“What if it had been someone else’s?”, I picked up the courage to ask.

“Wouldn’t have made any difference to me. After all it was your child as it is mine, no matter who the biological father be.”

I stayed silent for a while, trying to fight off the sleep waves, arising out of her rubbing my shoulder.

“How is your marriage with him?”

“What marriage – that is on paper only. You know, he is not meant for any of that …”, she said turning me over and looking into my eyes, “besides my interest for that sort of thing died on that day the professor had attacked. Anytime, any thoughts that could come in all these years”, she looked away, “it would always be with those images. And maybe it could have gone away with the care and understanding of someone, someone … you, only you … …”, she didn’t complete. Taking a deep breath, she said; “I have always been married to you, Ramesh. There can never be anyone else.”

I sat up bolt upright. “Where did I go wrong Kajo? I did only what you asked me.”

“Yes, you always do what someone tells you to, don’t you”, her voice had gone dry, “does it matter if that is right or wrong. You put up a system and expect it to work out automatically. Did I tell you to send the divorce notice? Where were you when I needed you most – when everything had gone dark around me – did you ever think if my doing phd was for the good of both of us – it has always been you and you – wasn’t it – why couldn’t maintain a relationship with Preeti or with your second wife – have you ever wondered – you always did what they said they wanted done – for you that was always right – even if they were wrong – you would never stand by them with their wrong decisions and the consequences – it was always you and your own way of thinking.”

I was stunned. Never did I imagine the volcano beneath her calm and serene façade. God! What must she have undergone these years?

“Kajo”, I caught her hands, “it’s not too late. Let’s get back together.”

“And Rizu?”, she asked and I felt like a cad once again. She gently, took away her hand. Her eyes were sad, the passions blown away since long. “Ramesh listen; both of us together have made mistakes, thinking that things will work out their way and without any effort from our end. We must pay for that, in this life. Let us accept that and be grateful for what we have.”

I looked down. Every word that she spoke was true. Each time, I had thought of myself only – even when allowing her to have her own way. There was nothing to say further.

Riz came bustling into the room and gave a hollow punch to my abdomen. I got up holding my belly. “Riz …”, I said.

“How dare you”, his eyes were flashing, “give my boy a small cheapskate of a toy?”

He was bristling and looking at me with murder in his eyes. Then he came nearer and hugged me tight, “Ramesh … must you go back today … …how long do you want me to look after them alone … … why won’t you come … …

I patted his back and this time had no compunction in letting the tears flow, “I will stay tonight … … and come back again … … and again. Next time I will bring him the biggest toy that the airline will allow me to carry.”

T H E E N D

[King Alpha]

good story

[dravonheart00726]

Story is good , everything is here. Keep writing bro

[Antar]

The conspiracy of women ...

I recognized the company limo that used to come and pick me up from Changi airport whenever I came to HKC hq in Singapore. The chauffeur stowed my bags in the boot and I opened the backseat door to settle in. And then I did a double take …

“Bloody hell! What are you doing in here Preeti?” I couldn’t for the life of me understand why she had come to pick me up. That had never happened before.

“But anyway, I am glad to see you – as always”, I said grinning at her.

“Same here”, she said, clutching my arm and grinning back.

As we sped through the familiar streets, I looked at her. Under the tutelage of Mr. Ching, Preeti had proved her mettle and was universally liked in the organization. Everyone was aware of the close bond she enjoyed with him. She accompanied him on all his tours and took care of all his official as well as personal details. Rumor had it that on foreign tours, Ching wouldn’t even touch a glass of milk if it wasn’t handed over by this foster daughter. Indian black magic – the office staff used to joke to her face and she used to smile back. I knew, however, for a fact that it was she who made Mr. Ching follow his medical regimen strictly which meant regular checkups, a severely controlled diet, leaving the office on time, enforced holidays etc.

“How is it that Daddy has let go of you in the middle of the working day…”, I teased her.

“Bah!”, she slapped my thigh. “You think he will get lost in the office he has worked for the last forty years just because I would be away for a couple of hours. Anyway, I decided to come to take you to the guest house.”

“Right!”, I said and we relapsed into silence.


I closed my eyes a bit and was immediately taken back to the previous night …

Certain things never change, be it the warmth of the three of us – Kajo, Riz and me – sitting down together for the dinner; or the gentle flavors of Kajo’s cooking which revived the forgotten memories or just simply reveling in the miracle of finding myself in the present situation.

‘Kajo was so right’, I told myself. ‘Riz deservedly acted as my child’s father and if I had even an inkling of humanity left in me; then I wouldn’t dream of separating the two of them. How in heavens name had I even mentioned getting back with her? Tchh!’ I was so disgusted with my conduct.

After dinner had been over, I had volunteered to wash the dishes but Kajo had just laughed. “Now that the boy is asleep, your dear friend will slink outside for a smoke. You better join him.”

Riz had fumed. Hustling me outside, he lit a cig and offered me the packet. Though I had quit smoking, I didn’t have the heart to refuse him. Both of us sat down on the steps and having lit watched the blue smoke curling away.

“Ssale, bet you can’t blow a ring now”, his voice was defiant.

“What!!!”, I couldn’t help guffawing out aloud being suddenly pulled from the vortex of emotions. In the process, the smoke got inside brought out a bout of serious coughing.

“Accepted”, I swelled up my chest. Imagine the cheek of the fellow when I had spent hours at the hostel teaching him to blow one in the first place.

We smoked away, cursing each other’s performance and the familiar swear words flew freely. If Kajol hadn’t dragged us back with some furious tongue lashing later on, we would have probably sat up the whole night. But I had to depart to the airport early in the morning and Kajol was the only one who had sense enough to hustle us back in – saying that we could carry on the next time I returned. She was right of course. Resignedly, we came inside. She had already carried the boy to her bed and directed us both to Riz’s room. He started snoring the moment he hit the bed and was still sleeping peacefully when Kajol shook me awake in the early hours of the morning. I hurried through my morning routines and was ready for departure.

“Has he got up by now?” I asked her indicating towards her bed.

“Go and see for yourself”, she said with a smile.

The image of the boy asleep with both his palms joined together under his head – seared through my heart. I stood rooted to the spot. My breathing slowed down as if it would somehow dispel this lovely vision. In a moment I felt the familiar sting at the corner of my eyes. I turned around.

Kajol was watching me with concern. I took a step towards her and clutched her tight, burying my face in her shoulders. She stood motionless for a while and then her hands came around and rubbed my back.

“I thought”, she said, “if I had delayed showing him to you, perhaps you would have never forgiven me. So I had to call you – even though I wasn’t sure how you would take it.”

I had nothing to say in reply for the words would have been facile. Instead I clutched her still tighter and let out a small sob. The cabby waiting outside gave a short horn. We released each other and I picked up my bag to stride outside.

During departure, she held on to my arm – just a little longer than usual and I saw the mist in her eyes. As the taxi started moving I looked behind and saw her turning away suddenly while covering her up her eyes…


We had reached the company guest house. Preeti came inside with me. She opened my travel bag and started storing away my clothes in the closet – in the same methodical manner – in which she used to do when we were living together for six months in New York. I sighed. Nothing had changed between us since she had left.

She threw a towel at me and, while I was changing into my pajamas, asked in a matter of fact manner.

“So finally, you were able to meet with little Ramesh?” Her back was towards me.

“What??” I blurted out dazed. “You too knew …?”

She turned around and I saw her smiling back at me. Afterwards we had sat together on the bed and she had opened a folder on her mobile. There were hundreds of photos – all containing my boy – in various poses – playing, eating, sleeping, laughing, and even taking a pee. I don’t know how she knew, but she mentioned methodically how old he was when this photo was taken and when that one was … I was flabbergasted.

When it was all over, and I had run through a whole gamut of emotions of missed fatherhood; she had flung her arm around my neck and kissed my cheek.

“Of course, I have been in touch with her all the time”, she said. She meant Kajol. “Almost every time, I went to India – I used to pay them a visit. After Ramesh was born, I urged her to give you a call but she was scared and could never work up the courage. Only last fortnight, after I had almost fought with her and Riz also took my side forcefully; that she had relented. Even then, she was too scared to talk to you directly and so sent the email. The rest … well you know …”

I was so weary…. my head hung down … and kept it supported by both hands. Again, there was nothing for me to say.

She got up, ready to leave.

“I will see you in the office tomorrow. But remember, whatever decision you take, remember – you have to be fair to all three of them. So choose carefully.”

I started rubbing my eyes. It had been a most long day.

She was letting herself out when I burst out - “Damn. Damn you Preeti! Damn Kajol! Bloody hell, damn all you women and damn all your intrigues …”

Her parting smile became only wider and she blew an exaggerated flying kiss when she left.

[Antar]

House of Dolls …
 
Normally, my stay at the Singapore HQ used to last two days and three at most.  This time, however, I found myself being detained for over a week, that too on some non-serious issues at the HQ. My restlessness grew.  Before, I had left NY, I had been entrusted with another resource restructuring project.  I had tried to impress upon Mr. Ching that the project did indeed need my presence at the NY office but somehow, he didn’t seem to share my sense of urgency.
 
“Take little time off”, he advised me instead, “helps long running machine.”
 
Curiously again unlike other times, when HQ visit would mean working late into the evening that included meetings with the board and other top bosses; this time, I was totally free for the whole time after lunch. So my mind used to wander, and it was in the inevitable direction there – so much so that – Preeti had marched upto me once in the office and fiercely whispered “Stop thinking about little Ramesh and stop smiling at nothing inside the office”. 
 
“Go to hell”, I shouted at her retreating back.
 
 
Daily after work, Preeti drove me to her house and there I used to relax in her company with a drink and dinner.  Later on, she would dial a cab for me and I would return to the company guest house.
 
I asked her about her mother and her younger sibs.  Her brother was writing his masters thesis at that time.  He had already had several firm job offers and seemed to be all set.  The sister, who was married, was all set for her first stint at motherhood.
 
Maybe it was the effect of a drink too many or it might have been that I was feeling maudlin the whole day and looking at Preeti’s bustling in the kitchen – I felt a constriction in my chest.  There she was toiling away merrily, she who had been used like a tissue paper by our ex boss Rao.  No doubt she had worked her way up, with fate arriving in the form of Mr. Ching.  She was close to being established professionally as well as being a sterling model of a daughter and sister to her family back in India.  But was that all that was there to life for her!
 
I departed early for the guest house.
 
Back in my room, the thoughts wouldn’t leave me.  I had plenty of time to ponder about the latest curve ball that life had chucked at me.  On the one hand, there was Kajol, and what was I to do with her now?  There were a cupboard full of memories that I had forcibly shut away long back – the years of young love and navigating together during the early years of struggle.  Both of us then believed that she would be able to find a job in the respectable field of academia and that would stabilize our financials, given that, I was then in image consultancy where the future prospects were unpredictable.  And after that only - then there would have been family considerations …
 
 
I had to take decide in a manner that would be best for Kajol, Riz as well as for our child.  Having arrived at my room, I had laid in bed chasing the recent  kaleidoscopic images of the past week.  My emotions were tumultuous. I tossed about in the bed for a couple of hours and sleep wouldn’t still come. Finally, nearing midnight, I got out of bed and rang up Preeti.
 
“Ramesh, what’s up?”  There was concern in her voice.
 
“Ei sorry dear, couldn’t sleep.  Hope not disturbing you …”
 
“Oh ok! “, I sensed the relief in her voice.  “Wild thoughts, eh? You looked preoccupied today.”
 
I paused trying to think of what to say…
 
But her voice came over “You know what, I think you have dialed the wrong number this time …”  she chuckled.
 
 
“Preeti, stop trying to play cupid!  You of all people should know that the problem is not that simple.”
 
In the maddeningly infuriating manner that the fair sex sometimes employ to display their thoughts, with scant regard to logic or reason, she continued, as if she hadn’t heard my admonitions.
 
“The problem lies in India but our NYC honcho is trying to fix things in Singapore.   By the way, which idiot did coin that name ‘Brains’ for you, eh!”, she added for effect.
 
I thought it over a bit.  She was stating the obvious.
 
“Preeti, I love you.  Thanks dear.”
 
“Huh!  Wish I had heard that when I lived with the man for months.”  She replied facetiously.
 
I laughed out loud and she did join me.
 
And all at once, the stiffness from my chest was gone.  I felt clearheaded after a long time…
 
With a grin, I looked up the Kolkata number in the cell phone.
 
It was Riz’s sleepy voice which answered after a series of rings and I realized that I had dialed to the landline number rather than to Kajol’s mobile.
 
“Hey, what’s up you guys?  Dinner over?”, I burst out, too glad to hear the familiar voice.
 
“Whoo?  Aa, Ramesh …”, I heard him yawning audibly, “What’s the matter?”
 
“No, no, just wanted to hear your all voice.”
 
“Voices?”, he slurped, “Ssale, do you know what time it is!  Everyone is asleep.”
 
Suddenly, I came to my senses.  I had totally forgotten about the time difference.
 
“You bloody Fucker”, it was so relaxing to lapse back to childhood slang with this friend, “you got to play with my boy-toy all the time while, here I am stuck up with my own thoughts and yet, yet ….”
 
Riz’s chuckled. “Ok, ok, got it ssale.  Little one may get up yaar. …. also I am really tired now … and there is office tomorrow … you talk with Kajol  … wait,  let me go to her room …
 
There was a brief pause after which Kajol said hello on the extension and I heard a click.  Riz had put down the phone in his room. 
 
“Kajo”, I stopped.
 
“Ramesh”, she answered without a trace of sleep in her voice, “how are you there?”
 
“I am okay”.
 
“And Preeti?”
 
“She is fine too.”
 
Again the ludicrousness of the whole situation struck me.  I didn’t know what to say further. The pause was becoming a little too awkward.
 
And then she opened up.  She gave a detail of the boy’s daily activities – how he won’t let go of the toy train I had given him and how it was lying now in multiple pieces, how he tripped while trying to run while still sitting … scrapped off the skin on his knee and cried when she applied Dettol and it was the passing kulfi vendor which brought his bawling to a halt … She spoke about Riz getting into a rage when he returned home and then taken the boy off her hands completely thereafter ….
 
Sometime in the middle, I reached for the glass of water by the bedside.  Then I noticed the time on my watch.  We had been talking for more than an hour!  It had been so easy and the years had all rolled back…
 
Then she jolted me with a question.
 
“Would you listen to me if I asked you to do something?”
 
The penny had fallen.  Providentially, for one of the few times in my lifetime, I said something which I would never regret …
 
“Kajo, I can listen to each and everything that you say.  But never, never again let me know that through anyone else – anyone and that includes Preeti and Riz as well.”
 
“Oh, ok!”, she gave a sigh of relief.  “Listen, I came across something in his jacket pocket while doing laundry … there was this job offer letter from a gulf company and … and when I asked him later … … he just laughed it away … … can you persuade him? You know, his finances are not all that good."  I heard a sharp intake of breath from her end and her voice dropped "I will manage somehow with Ramesh … … you know you can trust me on that … … can get a job … … you know it will be good for him … and … and only will listen to you … …”
 
In the dark tunnel that my mind had been completely stumbling about there opened up a very dim lighted corner...
 
“Kajo”, this time there was no hesitation in my voice, “tell that crybaby husband/boyfriend/girlfriend of yours that I would be arriving this very weekend and in particular don’t forget to add that I will be whipping his ass till the point that he is able to see reason.”

[hhhotboy2000]

update

[Antar]

An Evening in Paradise …

Today was the big day, the day when I was promoted to the post of Executive VP of HK Corp and to be in charge of the New York operations.  It had been a hard grind to the top, especially in light of the situation of the global recession that had seen shrinking cash-flows as well as job losses in our operations world wide.  The solitary exception was our NY operations, where I had been stationed. That had been due to a mixture of luck, pluck and grit – on my part.

I could sense the mild perfume that Preeti had put on.  She was standing right beside me, more like a family member than a colleague and acknowledging the congratulations on my part.  I cast my eyes around and found Kajol at a corner talking to Riz who was playing with our boy.  Yes, Riz had come, said that he wouldn’t miss my promotion party for anything.  And I was seeing him after a long three years.  The way he had bonded with the boy was as if time had just rolled back and ever since he had arrived yesterday he and the boy were inseparable.  Kajol stood and smiled at their antics.  Clad in a saree, she looked every bit the traditional desi woman.  Also, she had a fear of crowds.  As soon as we arrived, she had shoved Preeti to my side and made way straight to Riz and the boy and to anonymity.

Drinks were flowing freely and I had started feeling lightheaded. Preeti had moved in closer and I was now more conscious of her perfume.  We had been bed partners – that was some ten years back – and that had been that.  There had never been a recurrence.  But something about her, the bosom that had swelled – she being in the prime of womanhood, and her perfume – it was starting to have an effect.  I felt the old familiar reaction in my loins, forgotten for long.  My dick was beginning to rise.

“Ouch!” I cried as a sharp pain pinged my bum. I looked crossly at Preeti.

“New pinch”, Preeti smiled with all innocence.

I was flabbergasted. Only Preeti could casually pinch my bottom in a full cocktail meet where I was being felicitated.  Only she could do that!

“What new pinch?”, I shouted at her and tried to move away to a safer distance.

“New Exec VP”, she said.  

“Shut up”, I said and she stuck out her tongue at me.

Preeti was the one who had been once my former boss Rao’s sex doll, who had been forced to propose me to pimp out Kajol to that bastard as well, who I had lashed out and later she had cried on my shoulders to remove her from the forced hell she had been subject to.  With Mr. Ching’s blessings and encouragement, both of us had left for HK Corp.  During the difficult period of my divorce, we had lived together at New York.  Afterwards, she had gone back to HQ Singapore and had climbed up the corporate ladder under the benevolent tutelage of Mr. Ching, who had now all but retired from active operations in H K Corp.  She was the one, who had kept track of everything about Kajol and my son (which I didn’t know then) and had been instrumental in getting Kajol and me back again.

Whah!  That’s a long story.  There were the smooth parts and the messy ones as well…


Certain things had turned out easy, far easier than I had anticipated.  After receiving Kajol’s call, I had dashed to Kolkata the following weekend to confront Riz about his job offer.  He had been sullen all through when I had launched into a fierce tirade about neglecting his career.  Our discussions had continued till after dinner when all of a sudden, he had picked up little Ramesh and carted off to his room and latched it from inside.

I was fuming at his behavior but there wasn’t anything to be done.  I helped Kajol with the dishes and then both came to her room.  Even after we had lain down, for there was nowhere else for me to go; my mind was in a whirlpool.  How was I to convince this jackass friend of mine to agree to give up the burden of my family?

“I tried, Kajo”, I said to her in bed.

“I know”, she said in a little voice.

The next couple of days were pretty much the same.  Riz wouldn’t budge and together with Kajol, I would try to think of some other way out. Finally one day, when he had left for office; Kajol came up behind me and spoke in almost a whisper.

“Ramesh, can you accept me back one more time?”

I tuned around.  She was polishing a plate rather animatedly looking everywhere but in my direction.  I was flummoxed.  Never, could I remember ever seeing her in such a state.  

“What?’, I blurted out.

The polishing became more animated.  She appeared close to panic. It seemed to me that any moment and she could have a seizure.

“I mean llike, like mmarying me …  me … and … and being a father … to … to little Ramesh.”  Her almond shaped eyes had welled up.

“Of course, I would!, I said in exasperation, “How could I leave my son fatherless, you nitwit!”

She swayed and fell over me clutching my shirtfront and sliding down to the ground.  She put her arms right around my legs and started sobbing …

“I have brought so much … so much … misery to your life … and to Rizu … what a wretch … you were so right … wish, I had told the truth about the boy …

I dropped down to the floor and took her in my arms.  Her chest was heaving and she started to recount all her follies despite all my attempts to calm her down.  The tears were flowing freely and I let her have her say … the floodgates of all the pent up feelings was open.

Much later, when she had calmed down, I timidly put up the question.

“What about Riz yaar, aren’t we being selfish towards him?”

“I have been thinking about that too”, she spoke evenly, “but little Ramesh is a kid.  He will get over him in time … and of course … Rizu will always remain the loving uncle that he is…”

I looked away.  It wasn’t the perfect arrangement, but then, when did life give me a 10 out of 10!

When Riz returned in the evening; Kajol asked me to keep an eye on the boy who was playing in a corner with the monster truck I had got him. 

“Can I have a word with Rizu?”, she asked with some anxiety in her voice.

I chuckled and winked at her, “You need nobody’s permission to talk to your legally wedded husband.”

She gave a small smile and vanished into his room.  I heard her locking the door from inside.

They were closeted for some quarter of an hour.  I heard the door open and Riz came charging inside.  He pounced on me and started pummeling me with the sweetest of blows that took us right to our childhood days – all the while hurling the choicest abuses. I tried to fend myself the best dreading what was to come next.  I wasn’t wrong, for all at once he fell on me and started crying out aloud…

“Ssale, it took you so long to do the right thing … …. And bloody dog shit, … you thought I would mind it … fuck you asshole … the boy’s future means everything  to me …  doesn’t he deserve a father like you … or … maybe not …”, he collapsed on me panting from the effort.

Surreptitiously, I cast a look at the boy’s corner and was relieved to find that Kajol had removed him from the scene …


The rest was a matter of procedure.  One marriage was annulled and another took place.  Riz flew to Qatar where he had got his new job.  Kajol and little Ramesh traveled to New York with me….

If you don’t know already, that was the easy part!

After a couple of months of frenzied preparations that included marriage registration, visa vetting, travel to the US, hunting for a proper accommodation in a suitable neighborhood around NY, getting Ramesh admitted to the prep college, buying the furniture, curtains and what not – well you know what it is like – I was physically and mentally drained. Although, there was no let up in the office work; I forced myself to a holiday.  Together we traveled to a retreat on Long Island.  After a day of sightseeing, we had a very quiet dinner – Kajo was delighted by the jazz players who put out some romantic numbers – and when I invited her to a waltz, she did so and enjoyed it very much.  Back in the room, after putting junior to bed, we changed into pajamas and jumped on the plush bed.  Both of us were fairly buzzed from all those drinks we had taken earlier.  

I pulled her towards me and she gave a shy smile.  I laughed at her coyness.  Although we hadn’t been intimate even after the second time marriage, hell – she was my Kajo of years back.  In my arms, I smelled her hair and kissed her face, her neck.  She moaned.  My hands traveled inside her nightshirt, fondling those familiar boobs while I latched on my lips on hers.  We kissed for a very long time and the clothes came off periodically.  I feasted on the sensation of her naked body rubbing against mine.  My dong had gotten pretty hard.  Instinctively, I climbed over her and pushed it inside her… 

She froze.  Her eyes became wild.  Before, I could understand anything; she had started to rock her head from side to side while her arms and legs thrashed about …

“Kajo, Kajo – it’s me - what’s the matter?”, I said pulling out to the side. 

She didn’t speak. Nor was it necessary.  I knew that she was reacting to a bang rather than our love making.

After she had calmed down, I held her tight, while she sobbed softly.  She attempted to speak but I shushed her and kissed her head instead. After she had fallen asleep, I went out of the room and got a pack of Marlboros from the dispenser and started smoking …

Later on she was very contrite, said sorry repeatedly and cried incessantly.  I comforted her; told her that it wasn’t her fault and that time would take care of it.  We agreed on that – both lying to the other – when the same sequence repeated a couple of times later – we knew that it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.  Life had given us a second chance alright – but with this price tag attached.  The bright spot was the little one … I could never have thought that I could derive so much pleasure from anyone … every moment spent with him was a trip to the wonderland.

I had buried myself in my work and Kajol took to bringing up the child.  Yes, of course, we had been to counseling but that hadn’t worked out either.  Outwardly, we were the example of perfect family who had made it out in the US.  In reality, we had implicitly compromised on a sexless marriage with the sole goal of bringing up our child.  I sought out relief through jacking off – each night before bed – for I could never think of seeking sex outside.  Kajol must have known about my delayed stays in the attached bathroom, but she never brought that up…

The liveried waitress held out a tray full of champagne glasses and I pulled myself to the present.  In the distance, I could see Riz playing with the boy.  

And then it was time to leave.  All five us trouped into the hired stretch limo and Riz and little Ramesh continued their antics inside.  Riz had taught him how to scrunch bits of napkin paper into tiny balls which they threw at Kajol and Preeti relentlessly.  I felt a heavy nostalgia.  It was almost like being back at India and how carefree we had all been then …


I must have been careless with the bathroom lock for I was caught with my dick in hand – literally.  Back home, Riz had immediately trundled off with the boy to his bedroom and Preeti retired to the other guest room.  I had changed into a towel and had hurried to the attached bathroom for some urgent release from the sexual tension that had built up during the evening.

“Kajo”, I cried alarmed as the bathroom door opened and I heard her behind me.  I was facing the commode, and was just a few strokes away from release.

“Shhhhh …..”, I heard her whisper and a hand came around to close on my dick.  It was then that I realized that that was Preeti.

I was shell shocked and before I could register anything she had pulled me by my dick back to the bed, where Kajol lay with eyes wide open.  I looked from one to the other.  There was mischief written all over their faces.

“Really, Preeti”, I puffed my chest to deliver a long sentence but stopped short.

“Wasting all that hard on”, Preeti said stroking me, “while two gorgeous hot ladies are starving here”.

“Stop!”, I said to her and turned to Kajol for help.  But clearly, they were in cahoots for Kajol’s smile had only broadened.  She got up and came over to me and together both the women made me settle into bed and positioned themselves on either side.

“Tonight”, Preeti continued, “I am going to fuck a senior management grade of our company for the first time.”

I caught on to the mood.  
“So, you have been doing non-senior company men before eh – out with the truth!” I joked.

“Oh yeah!”, she responded, “Only with one.  That had been ten years before.  Here in New York”, she looked at me pointedly, “the moron was pining for his ex-wife for all the four months I stayed with him.”  She laughed out aloud and Kajol joined her.

“Aw shut up!”, I said abashed.

Preeti slid downwards and latched her mouth on my dick, which was now at full attention.  Kajol put her arm below my head and lowered her mouth over mine.  I didn’t have a chance to figure out, the sudden change in her attitude for she had slipped her tongue into my mouth and I sucked at it.  She stopped for a moment and removed her nightie.  Instinctively, I reached out for her breasts and the luscious globes had my full attention.  She hitched herself up and put a nipple in my mouth.  I latched on to it and started giving it full attention.  Lucky, I had shifted my mind to Kajol, for Preeti had been going full throttle down below and I would have exploded at any time.  Mercifully, she removed her mouth from the ram rod hard on and slithered upwards kissing my chest.

Kajol jerked herself away and I found the nipple slinking away.  She gave a tug to my arm and indicated shyly downwards.  I got her meaning.  Gently, separating myself from Preeti, I put my mouth at her pussy.  The moment I put my tongue tentatively inside, the flood gates opened up and she was gushingly wet.  Another moment and I found her fingers clutching my hair and pulling me deeper.  It was one of the activists she used to enjoy the most – I remembered and that thrilled me.  I used to love bringing her to uncontrolled excitement by my lapping and this time, there was no exception.  She stared moaning and thrashing her legs around and the hand that clutched my hair had gone slack and was instead trying to push me away.  But I wouldn’t let go and gave pin point thrusts on her clitty which drove her crazy.  Finally, when she couldn’t take it any longer, she forcibly pushed my head away and pulled me up for a long furious kiss.  A moment later, she had turned me round and climbed up.  This time there was no hesitation on her part and she straddling me by the waist, she reached below and positioned my dick at her entrance.  She had settled in and I entered a warm wet world.  Then the delicious strokes began and I reached out for those bouncing globes …

Preeti laid her head near mine and was running her fingers through my hair …

Kajol’s tempo picked up and she was going full steam now.  I felt her juice running out all over my legs.  She had the look of a tigress now and I loved the show.  A while later, she slowed down and settled into a gentle humping.  I loved that better, for I could last a lot longer now with that respite.  Suddenly she gave a loud ‘ahhh..’ and resumed stroking faster and faster.  I knew she was approaching climax and started squeezing her breasts hard.  And then it was all over.  With a final grunt she collapsed on my chest, quivering, with my dick still hard inside her.

When she had regained her breath, she kissed me hard on the lips and rolled over.  She took her nightie and wiped away the copious amount of our love juices from my dick and the thighs.  Then she got up and went off to the bathroom signaling for me and Preeti to carry on.

Preeti didn’t waste any time.  She put her arms round me and tugged me up.  I climbed over and for the first time realized, how much of a voluptuous woman she had turned into since our last time.  Her breasts were fully rounded and the long nipples were very inviting.  I nuzzled her neck and she sighed in pleasure as I worked myself downwards.  I took a fully taut nip into my mouth and lashed her aureole with my tongue.  She gave a low moan and I switched to the other one.  She drew my head down and kissed my forehead.  I slid down further and put my tongue in her navel.  She shuddered in pleasure.  Moving down still, I put my tongue into her love hole.  One stroke of the tongue on her clitty and she bucked up – her chest rising up in an arch.  She drew my hands to her breasts and I went gentle with them while I concentrated on her nether regions.  In no time, she had started flowing…

“No longer please”, she pleaded, “put it in.”

I obliged.  The first thrust drew a deep moan from her.  There was no let up.  She exhorted me as I stared diving into her rapidly.  She threw her head around wildly, bucking up intermittently.  “Faster, faster …ahhhh”, she rasped out while I maintained a furious pace.  Then I felt the tightening of her cunt muscles and my dick could hold out no longer.  I came and came, counting some ten or more spurts and she held me in a tight embrace and then suddenly released me.  She kissed me deeply and the look in her eyes told me that she had achieved a full release.

We lay cuddled in each other’s’ arms savoring the moment.  There was neither any need nor justification for words.  Presently, Kajol emerged from the bathroom.  I gave a loud kiss on Preeti’s forehead.  “My princess!”, I said, and I went to the bathroom. 

When I returned, Preeti had left and Kajol had replaced the bed linen.  We went into an immediate snuggle and Kajol whispered, “It was her idea.  I couldn’t say no to her.”

I kissed Kajol.  “Neither, could I have ever said no to her any time.  But forget that, the best part of it is that I got my Kajo back today.”

Drawing her closer still, I whispered, “And I am prepared to pay any price for that.”

She hid her head in my chest like a shy bride.  One hand snaked down below closing in on my dick.  Instantly, I felt a jerk.  I could never have imagined it to spring back to life so soon.

“Looks like someone still doesn’t feel like sleeping”, Kajol said.

“Yeah!  Let’s find out what he wants – shall we?”

She wrestled me down and got on top again …


~ CURTAINS ~

[Sunny8488]

Dear Friend Ramesh,

To my knowledge, Bravelle also concluded this story from his thought process, which I am unable find in this xossipy. Would you please share the same if you have it?

My regards to you. Please take care and be safe.

Thanks 
SP

[Sunny8488]

Sarit garu,

Can please share the conclusion written by bravelle ?

Thanks 

Sunny