The room was nice. It had a little bay window with a view of the colony's garden. The sweet din of children playing in the park was so soothing. Sai was transported to Gadchiroli, where life was simple, full of love, and genuine care for each other.
If not for Nagpur, she would have never known how devious people could be. 'Mast ha mast.' Sai could not suppress a smile.
There was a twin bed, an old cupboard, a sturdy desk, a tiny microwave, and an electric teakettle. A whiteboard hung on the wall with notices: Breakfast: 6:30 to 7:30 only—no late arrivals Dinner: 8pm – 8:30pm only -- no latecomers Lights out at 11 pm. Exam time no restrictions No loud music, no dancing, no smoking, no drinking
She could not help think aloud: "Not very different from Chavan Nivas then!"
"Did you say something?"
"No, no Virat Sir!"
Virat had heard her. It was nice to see her smile. And that mischief-filled glint in her eye had always been his weakness.
"So, looks good na?"
The room was lovely indeed. All of a sudden, Sai looked like that girl he had seen in Gadchiroli, cycling around. When she was looking out of the window, she looked so at peace. It was painful to see her like that. 'She looks so relieved to get away from me.' "I am glad you like it."
"Virat Sir, I think you should leave before the landlord asks you to." She pointed at the sign that read: No co-ed socializing.
He was about to say, 'But I am your husband' when she added, "And your best friend needs you Virat Sir... you should be with her." The moment was ruined.
"Sir, I know you said last night that you have broken all relations with me. But, after my Abba, you are the only person I look up to, you and Aai. You have already told me that once I leave your house you will never associate with me, but would it be ok if I stay in touch with Aai?"
She asked this so innocently, full of earnestness and trepidation. If Virat had stayed there for a moment longer, he would have pulled her in his arms to never let her go. So he just nodded and stormed out, carrying a storm within.
Soon after Virat Sir left, Sai unpacked her things. Before settling down to study, she had one order of business. "Sir, this is Sai Joshi. Yes, I can start tomorrow. Thank you so much for the opportunity!"
Sai had not discussed this with Virat as yet, and now she did not need to. She had applied for a job at a café. It was a part-time job to do accounts. 3-4 hours daily, but it was paying enough to cover her monthly rent. Given the situation she was in, she had no choice but to accept the offer.
After that, she sat down to study. It felt weird –no one tapped on her shoulder—'Sai, I have something important to discuss with you.' She smiled and continued preparing for her HAP makeup test. At 8, her alarm went off, so she went down to bring her dinner. She forced herself to eat. It was then it hit her how much she was missing Virat Sir. She curled up like a baby and cried. She wanted her Abba. 'Sai Joshi, this will not do. you have a test tomorrow.' She hit her books again. Eleven o'clock, she turned off the lights, but before that, she sent Aai a text. She, too, had kept a door open.
On entering Chavan Nivas Virat avoided talking to anyone. He went straight to his room. Changed into his jammies and closed his eyes. He was with her again.
"So Sai has finally left!" It was Aai with his dinner plate.
"Yes, Aai—and this time I doubt she is coming back."
"Well, why do you want her to come back to this house? Sometimes I wish I had her courage. Anyway, cheer up—Patralekha has decided to divorce Samrat. Now you two can unite. You broke one promise—keep the other one at least. You still have feelings for her, no?"
"Aai—why do you do this to me?" Virat broke down. "For you I am always in the wrong—you cannot even imagine how she insulted me. And all I wanted to do was celebrate our anniversary, our relationship, but for her there is no relationship—only a deal. I cannot take it any more Aai. It hurts everywhere."
"Have you ever told her how you feel?"
"Why do you think I took her to Mahableshwar? She did not let me. And then she accused me of– sickening! What sort of a person does she think I am?! I am never going to forgive her. She has zero care for me!"
Aai's phone buzzed. As she read the message, she wiped a tear. "What did you just say?"
She handed over her phone to Virat. It was a message from Sai.' How could I go to sleep without saying good night! Love you!! PS: Please make sure Virat Sir has dinner. He is distraught. Tell him Samrat dada will forgive him—he just needs to keep trying. And Aai--love you to the moon and back!"
He wanted to scream—I love you more. "Aai—I will eat, don't worry. I just need to be alone for some time. And, does the family know about Sai?"
"Baba is upset, but I explained to him. Kaku is extremely happy. 'Good riddance' she said. By the way, she too thinks now that Patralekha is free, you two will get together."
"Aai—I really don't want to talk about this. Please."
