Adultery Mother's Secret

[garamrohan]

I spent the next few hours in a chaotic whirlwind of emotions. Married women being unfaithful, having affairs was only a concept until then. Something that’s joked about with friends. Something that happens with other people, never can happen to us, at our own homes. Our women are good. Our women would never even dream of such a sin. That’s what we always thought. But my foundational beliefs had broken today. And strangely i was not depressed as i might have expected.


Mom had already come back home as if nothing had happened, but i was no longer hungry to eat anything. My father had come back from town and had finished taking a bath. I heard his voice from my room and came out to the kitchen. He was telling my mom that he is going to the temple tonight and will have his meals there. As an important person of the village, he was in the administrative committee of the village temple and it was not uncommon for him to go there on some days with special occasions, events and poojas and return after midnight after finishing his duties in the temple office.


But this evening i had a strange feeling when he was stepping out of the door, grabbing a bag from mom with fruits and flowers to offer at the temple, putting on his sandals and leaving the house. A part of me wanted to tell him not to go today and stay home. But something stopped me from uttering a word and i silently watched him go.


I was having my dinner in the kitchen soon. I had forgotten how hungry i was until then. But the food didn’t taste like it usually does. And there seemed to be something inside me- a hunger, a fire, a pit- that didn’t seem to quiet down, no matter how much i ate. My mom saw me looking at her from time to time, and finally she asked, “What happened?”


I said, “Nothing, why?”


“I don’t know, you have been quiet”.


“Oh? No, nothing... So, dad must be after midnight to return, no?”


My mom seemed to get lost in her own thoughts as she distractedly replied, “Hmmm, yes.. i think so.”


I was back in my room by 9:30, my usual bedtime. I turned off the lights and hit the bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. I tossed and turned, eyes closed, awake. When i opened my eyes and looked at the clock on the wall, it showed 10:10. I closed my eyes again and slowly started to drift into sleep. Pictures of my mom, Shekhar, and my father were all getting jumbled up when suddenly my eyes opened again. The clock showed 10:35.


I felt thirsty. I got up from my bed and silently walked to the kitchen, when i heard the sounds again. The same sounds from the afternoon. Yet, different. It was different because it was coming from inside our house. From the spare bedroom. The one we give to guests, which was empty these days. But it was not empty now.


But my parents room was empty. My mom was not there.


The sounds were hushed, muffled, urgent.


My feet carried me to the door of the spare bedroom, which was closed and seemed to be locked from inside.


I knocked.

What??? You knocked the door? This is not what I expected and this is going to be an unusual story .. waiting badly for your next update.