Mayapuri - The City of Dreams...

Chapter 4

Ajay was sitting outside the house. People say,"Mumbai never sleeps." It was indeed true. There were people on the road even though it was 11 o'clock at night. He could hear the sound of the moving vehicles.

His brother Bhavesh came outside the house and sat beside him. Bhavesh noticed that his brother was upset. He put his hand on Ajay's shoulder. Ajay sighed.

"Swati told me everything."

"Do you also think that I am trying to run away from my responsibilities?"

"Maybe yes or maybe not. I don't know. But, does it matter?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Ajay, I don't want to sound like a jealous brother. I am not jealous of you. Even if I feel jealous, I will not show it to you. If you earn well and you are able to afford a flat, then I don't have any problem. Well, it would have been a problem if you did not want to live in a separate house."

"Why do you think so?"

"The reason is...... there are just two rooms in our house."

Ajay looked at his brother. His eyes were moist. He could not understand the reason. Bhavesh looked at the moon and said,"Do you know one thing? Sometimes, I feel frustrated. I wish I was rich. I wish I had a lot of money and a big house with many rooms. We could have lived together happily."

Ajay looked down. He noticed a black ant walking on his leg. He picked up that ant with his hand and threw it away.

Bhavesh was thinking something deeply. He said to Ajay,"I had always wanted to be rich. Everyone wants that. But do you know, when I realised the necessity of money? It was on that day, Swati decided to go to her parents' house because she could not bear the taunts of the guests. Ajay, they called your Vahini a barren woman. But, she is not barren. I just don't want to have children now. I did not want my children to 'adjust' in this small house like us. But now, Swati wants children. I cannot say 'no' to her. Do you know why? Because when our mother insults her, I cannot bear it. The tears of my wife pierce my heart."

Ajay did not say anything. He just stared at his brother's tearful face. Bhavesh wiped his tears and walked into the house without saying anything else. Ajay stared at the open door of the house through which his brother had entered. The house which had sheltered them during their childhood, had started to feel like a symbol of misfortune and misery. What was the reason behind the changed feelings? He did not know.

He faced towards the road when his eyes fell on a girl. He knew the girl. She lived in his neighbourhood. Her name was Anita. Her father had died the previous year. The dead men left behind four women to cry. One of them was his wife and the other three were his daughters. Anita was the eldest daughter. She had to leave her studies to earn a livelihood. She did not allow her sisters to drop out from the school. She did not have much education. She had passed her class 10 boards exam with second division. But somehow, she had managed to get a job.

He used to see her often. Anita used to leave for work late night and return in the afternoon. She used to bring groceries with her when she returned from work.

Ajay knew what kind of job she had. But was there something he could do? Sometimes he used to wonder,"What excuse does she give to her mother and sisters?"

A few days ago, he had met her on the road. When she saw him, she greeted him and asked about the well being of his mother. They talked for a while. He noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes. There were also marks of kajal under her eyes. It seemed that she had forgotten to wipe the kajal, that she had applied the previous night. Her lips had retained the pink colour of the lipstick even though she had wiped it.

He decided not to talk to her again. Perhaps because the cloak of modesty worn by him, would get dirty if he exchanged a few words with the likes of her.

He went inside the house and closed the door. He headed towards his parents' room. He lied down on the mattress on the floor. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He did not fell asleep instantly. Several thoughts started running in his mind. He started thinking about the woman he was going to marry.

One of his cousins was her classmate in college. He got to know from her that, Renuka never had any boyfriend. He never questioned Renuka about her past relationships. His friends had urged him to do so. One of his close friends had said to him,"Take my advice, my dear friend. Don't marry a girl who had a boyfriend. Those girls are characterless. They roam around with their boyfriends and sleep with them. But later on, marry other men. You see, the thing is like that. A brand new car will always be more expensive than a used car. A pair of new shoes will always be better and more expensive than a pair of used shoes. The same goes for women."

Perhaps that was the reason why he had inquired about her. But that night, he thought,"Is he not a hypocrite? Did he not have girlfriends? Did he not indulge in amorous relationships? Then why does he care about the woman I am going to marry? Does he want me to make sure that she did not have any relationship with someone like 'him'?"

How strange is life! How strange are the people! No one cares about himself. Everyone is just busy pointing out the faults in others.

Ajay thought,"I am blaming him. But, am I a saint? Have I always been good?"