Unkindled Love

Chapter 24

Abhyudaya woke up at five in the morning. His disciplined mind could wake him up at any time. He never required an alarm. But that day, even though he was awake, he did not get out of bed.

Was it more than just laziness?

Was it because of what had happened the previous night?

After tossing and turning for fifteen minutes, Abhyudaya felt that he could not afford to waste any more time. He got upand went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. He did not feel like disturbing Gautami.

While having his tea in the balcony, he looked at the road. A fresh cool morning breeze was blowing. Though it was pleasant, he felt the chill. He pulled his gown tight around him and went inside and brought Gautami's shawl to wrap around himself.

Once again he felt like watching the road and trees, standing in the balcony.

Normally, he would never waste time like this early in the morning. He would rather make overseas calls at that hour.

But that day, he did not feel like doing so. Probably this was one of the few occasions where he listened to his heart rather than his mind. 

Abhyudaya contemplated how in ten years Bangalore had changed and so had his life. In spite of all the problems, Bangalore was most dear to him.

He appreciated its cosmopolitan nature, its professional approach and work ethic. He thought if he hadn't left Bandra, he would not have been in this position!

While watching the roads and trees, Abhyudaya remembered his childhood. He remembered the first time that he had seen the sea in Bandra, when he was about twelve years old.

He had gone to Gokarna with his mother on one of her pilgrimages. It was the first time he had gone anywhere outside Bandra. He had very few relatives to visit. The only place he could go toin the holidays was his uncle Bhanu's house.

Along with memories of his childhood, came the thought of his mother's hardships during that time. Once again he remembered his mother. Her only desire was that Abhyudaya should become an engineer and join the PWD.

Things had turned around, Gangakka was the superior one now, thanks to her son's achievements. 

The sun had already risen and Bangalore was bustling with activity, destroying the morning peace. But Abhyudaya's mind was still in turmoil.
Bangalore! he thought. With money, one could buy anything and everything here, except a mother's love. 

Abhyudaya knew that his mother was not educated and so she would make some rude comments. Gautami wouldn't understand that. He felt that both Gangakka and Gautami were not rational. 

Where People are sentimental, emotion has the upper hand. When people are emotional, practicality slackens. When a person is not practical, he or she is not able to do any business. When there is no business, there is no economic growth.

His mind went back to the family feud between his family and Gautami's. No one really remembered the reason for it, but it still continued. Gautami's mother Komal was different, though. 

The bakula flower came to his mind. He thought how he had not seen any fora long time. Would he be able to buy some here? He wanted to tell Gautami to get a few for him.

An efficient, resourceful person like her would definitely find them. Once she took responsibility for a job, she made sure it was completed.

As usual Abhyudaya left for office at eight in the morning. Due to the heavy traffic, if he delayed leaving home by even five minutes, he would get late by half an hour in reaching his office.

For Abhyudaya, who weighed every minute,time was precious. His driver Maruthi liked to talk, but Abhyudaya did not encourage him. He believed that a distance should be maintained between him and the driver. However, Gautami did not believe in barriers like this and would chat with drivers and maids.

Normally, Abhyudaya would look at files or make calls from his mobile phone as he drove to office.

But that day he failed to do any of these things. He tried to figure out Gautami's behaviour of late. She was no longer her calm and docile self. She would argue over silly things. She had everything in life, all the comforts and conveniences. Her mother-in-law was not staying with her, she could do what she liked, buy whatever she wanted.

To this day, Abhyudaya's cheque book was with her. He would ask her for money whenever he needed some. He had no bad habits—he did not drink nor did he womanize. And yet Gautami was unhappy. She didn't want to go to any business dinners any more. The last time she had gone to Germany three months ago, she had spent three days there and enjoyed seeing the Berlin Museum. She had skipped every single business dinner. 

Abhyudaya couldn't understand what there was in the museum that so fascinated her. She had seen the best museums in the world and yet she insisted on going there every day. 

Abhyudaya had gone to Paris for three months but not once had he thought of visiting the Louvre. Suddenly the car jolted. The driver had applied the air brake. There was a huge traffic jam on the busy Road. 

Gautami had so occupied Abhyudaya's mind that he had not noticed it. Her behaviour was bothering him. Was it her extremely sensitive attitude that was making her unhappy?

Recent incidents kept surfacing in his mind. Like when Suhana had come to Bangalore along with her children, Abhyudaya had taken all of them for dinner to The Leela Palace.

Looking at the bill, Suhana had commented, 'Abhyudaya, the cost of your one night's dinner is equal to a month of ours.' Abhyudaya had laughed but Gautami had interpreted it as Suhana indirectly hinting at their lavish spending on luxuries, while they were suffering in a smalltown! 

Abhyudaya had told her, 'Gautami, Suhana has never seen a five-star hotel. So don't take her comments seriously.'

When he was young he remembered his mother spending enormous time and labour cooking with firewood and using the grinding stone. Gautami had never had to do that—she had a cook.
And the amount Gautami had travelled! Probably only a bird would have travelled as much!
It was possible only because Abhyudaya earned that kind of money. To do so, he had to work the way he had been working all these years. Even now, unless the company did well, they could not afford to pay such salaries.

If the company had to be well-off, then business had to be better, and to do good business,entertaining was a must.

But Gautami refused to attend such parties. Was it not wrong?

While Abhyudaya pondered these thoughts, the car reached his office. 

Abhyudaya saw his office and Gangakka, Suhana and Gautami, all vanished from his mind. Computers, competition and products occupied that space.