It had been almost four weeks since Virat last saw Sai. He did go to the coffee shop the very next day after the Pakhi debacle, but Sai toh Sai hai. He could not break through the barriers that he had helped put her up because of his past.
Virat had bribed the barista to ensure Sai bring him his coffee.
"Here you go! Enjoy your coffee!" Sai placed the cup on the table. She had not seen the patron as yet.
"Hello Sai, can we talk? Please!"
"Virat Sir, it's you!" Sai did an about-turn to run away from him.
Virat held her hand to stop her. "Please, Sai---just a few minutes. Just hear me out. Please."
She pulled her hand out of his grip. "Sir, for you this might just be a cafe and me just a waitress, but for me this is my workplace. I am sure you wouldn't want me to come to your station and create a scene, so I humbly request you to not create a scene here."
"Please, I just need to explain what happened yesterday."
"Virat Sir, I think you've forgotten what you told me in Mahableshwar so let me remind you. YOU are the one who told me that whatever is or was there between us is finished, over. So I don't need any explanations. You are a free man now. Actually, you were always free. As you may remember, we had agreed that we would not have any commitment to each other in our marriage. So please, you don't owe me anything."
"But I do, Sai. You're my wife."
"Not for very long."
"What do you mean?"
"As soon as the law permits me to, I am going to file for a divorce. So, please stay away from me."
Although their marriage had always been a compromise, an understanding that would end once Sai became a doctor; Virat had never imagined it would end this way. And Sai was talking about divorce so nonchalantly. "Sai, what...."
Sai continued putting on a calm demeanor. "Please Sir, I am just course correcting. See, when we got married our circumstances were so jumbled up that I couldn't think straight. Instead of asking you to run away, I should have. While I know Abba asked you to take care of me I am sure he did not want us to get married. Not like that."
She sat down. Her eyes turned up to the ceiling and her lips curved into a smile. She was with her Abba.
"You know Virat Sir, one day Abba had told me--'Sai bala, the moment I met your Aai I knew she was the one for me. She was the one I wanted to spend my entire life with. I want you to feel that way too one day. I want someone to sweep you off your feet. Sai, your Aai loved me so much—for my entire life and more. Until you find someone like that don't even think of getting married—and I hope you find someone like that only after you become a doctor'"
Sai's smile widened. She was in Gadchiroli, where her Abba was giving her head massage, their every Saturday routine. Regaling her with her mother's stories. He had kept Aai amidst them each and every day. Yes, she wanted someone to love her just like her Aai had loved her Abba, just like that.
"Sai, I know our marriage was forced on us, but today I...."
Sai returned to the café, her lips turned rigid again. "Virat Sir, the noise around me shut my Abba's voice. If I had only taken a moment to listen to him– you and I would not have been in this situation. Both of us are getting an opportunity to correct things. You belong to Pakhi Didi, me to my Abba's dream."
"Sai, Pakhi is my past."
"Virat Sir, tell me something, if you had not been forced to marry me, wouldn't you still be yearning for Pakhi didi?"
"Sai, I don't know, I am not some soothsayer. I just know what is going on now."
"Pakhi Didi loves you. It is always better to be with someone who loves you, and Pakhi Didi's love for you has been constant. Please get the courage and accept your love for her. You are not going to offend Samrat Dada more than you already have."
Virat was finding it hard to maintain his calm composure. "Sai, as always you think you know everything. Are you even listening to what you're saying?"
"Virat Sir, I have to go now. If you keep coming here, I will have to leave this job, which I don't want to. So please Sir, leave me alone. Live your life and let me live mine." The finality in her voice shook Virat's core.
Virat did not know that Sai had left to lock herself in the Ladies' room. "Abba, I am sorry; I know you did not want me to leave Virat Sir, but trust me, this is the right thing, especially for him." She dried her eyes, washed her face, and touched up her makeup. Finally, she was ready to put on a smile again.
