Adultery DISEASE

[OLDWINE]

NATASHA


I expected my frequent visits to Mr. Gupta's house would be frowned upon by my new family; after all, he is a man, sick or otherwise.

 Not only did I face no such restraints from my in-laws, but also my mom-in-law encouraged me to spend time with Mr.Gupta. At first, I thought my in-laws and husband were very good-natured people for letting me take care of a sick Mr.Gupta, but soon, my perception turned out to be false.


One night, after rocking the bed together, Pritam, my husband, asks me, huffing, "Mom told me that you and Vishal's uncle bonded over some Saas bahu serial."

I chuckled, "Don't be mean. He likes such shows."

I sigh, "It is sad that he is a lonely man, and now, with that disease, he is utterly miserable."

Pritam did not seem to share my mourning.

Instead, he asks, "How close are you two now? How affectionate is he towards you?"

I sense something wrong with that question.

"What do you mean?" I frown.

" Well... there is a problem. You see that big space between our houses at the North-east corner? " He lifts his finger.

"You mean where the Neem tree is?" I reply

"Yeah. That space is disputed. My father and Vishal's uncle have been fighting in the court for 20 years now." He almost laughed at the irony.

He continues, "There is a nefarious bond between judges and lawyers in district courts. The judges get a cut of the fee the lawyers collect from the clients and intentionally delay the verdict."

This time, I giggle, "Tarikh pe Tarikh pe Tarikh type situation!!"

Pritam sneers, "Yup. Meanwhile, the judge gets transferred, and the new judge comes. The lawyers from both parties and the new judge again makes the same deal amongst themselves ...the traikh pe traikh continues."

"Why don't your father and Vishal's uncle settle the matter between themselves?" I point out the obvious.

"Well, they kind of refused to see each other's face, and we started talking with Vishal uncle only after he got diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease." He lets me know.

I take the hint.

"You want me to broker peace between your father and Vishal's uncle?" I say it without beating the bushes.

Pritam nods, "Kind of and not necessarily. I don't think their personal vendetta is ever gonna dissolve. I am hoping Vishal uncle to drop the case and hand that portion of the disputed property to us. That's why I asked how affectionate he is towards you?"

I grimace, "It is kind of wrong to take advantage of a person when he is that vulnerable, don't you think?"

Pritam grows impatient," Don't do it for my father or me..do it for our future children. Do you want our children to fight the same court case for ages?"

I stay silent. I have something thinking to do.

Pritam was still talking, "Now you can understand why I was so upset when you told me that you yelled at Vishal's uncle. I glad that you two have mended things."