HE - Episode 5

HE​

A Serial By Varalotti Rengasamy​

Episode 5 ​

Timeline A​

Madhavan and Priya were on an European tour.

On the second day of their tour they reached their hotel in Amsterdam late in the night. The travel agent had messed up with the booking. They were both booked in the same room.

Madhavan protested. He insisted on an alternate accommodation. But it was tourist season and the hotel was full. They were both exhausted.

“We can manage, Boss.” Priya said more out of exhaustion than anything else.

Madhavan signed his name and they checked in.

Ten minutes later they stepped into their room.

It was a spacious room with a small alcove attached to it. The alcove had a teapoy and two comfortable chairs. The bed was made and had clean linen on it.

Human mind is the most amazing thing in the world. Even after almost a century of psychological research, we are still not able to unfold a hundredth of its mysteries. Perhaps the problem is there in the way we perceive mind and body as separate entities.

The next giant leap in psychology, and in physiology too, will be to see body-mind as one organic unit without any dividing line in between. Till that happens we will have to put up with bull**** like, “My body has its cravings; but my mind is strong.”

The best proof of these statements lay in how Madhavan’s and Priya’s minds behaved as soon as they entered the room.

Half an hour earlier they were travelling from the Amsterdam Central station to their hotel by Tram. They were so exhausted that each had planned to skip dinner and hit the sack the moment they got into the hotel room.

But now closeted in the same room, there was an excitement, a palpitation of heart which drove out all fatigue. If a doctor had monitored their heartbeat and their blood pressure, thirty minutes back and now, he would have been really concerned.

Priya took her night dress and disappeared into the bathroom. Meanwhile Madhavan also changed. The beige colour pajamas emphasised his height and made his jet black hair shine in contrast. The loose-fitting pajamas and his uncombed hair made him even more handsome.

A few minutes later Priya came out of the bathroom. She had changed into an embroidered sky-blue night gown which added an extra stress to her trim figure. The nightie was made of silky material. Priya had picked that up specially for her Eurpoean trip. She used to wear only cotton nighties back home in India.

Their eyes met and stayed in that state for a while.

It took a full minute for Madhavan to compose himself.

“Priya I’m famished. I am going to order French fries from the Coffeeshop. How about you?”

Priya spoke as if somebody had woken her up in the middle of a sweet dream.

“Oh, for me, well.,.. I don’t want…. Make it a double order of French Fries and some hot coffee too.”

Madhavan went to the phone.

“Boss, I don’t feel like sleeping now. Why don’t we chat for a while, if it’s okay with you?”

They sat facing each other in the tiny alcove. It was more of seeing than talking to start with. They were first talking of inconsequential things.

Their order arrived. When the bearer went out, Priya switched the conversation to something serious.

“Boss, you have sort of arrived in life. You have everything. You have money, looks, fame and success. Do you miss anything or anybody in your life?”

Madhavan was about to bite a piece of the crispy fries. He stopped midway and looked at Priya. Her facial expression was one of deep concern rather than just being nosy.

“I do, Priya. I do miss the Swamiji who brought me up. He was my mother, father and God, all rolled into one. I left the orphanage when I was 18. I told him that as soon as I come up in life he should come and live with me.

“I told him that I wanted to serve him in his old age, the same way a son would serve his father. I told him that I wanted to repay at least a hundredth of what he did to me.”

Madhavan was lost in emotions for a while. Then resumed in a choked voice.

“Do you know what that great man told me? He quoted his most favourite saint. “You fool, love is like the Ganges river. It flows from the heights of Himalayas, comes down to enrich our land and then flows into the sea. It does not flow back to the Himalayas.

“If you want to repay my love, love your children, love your wife. Take care of other orphans like you. Don’t waste your love on a dying old man.

“And he died before I finished my college.”

Priya reached for Madhavan’s hand.

They spent the next ten minutes silently devouring the delicious French fries dipped in ketchup.

 

Part 2!

Part 2!​

As Priya poured coffee for both, Madhavan asked her.

“How did your husband die so young?”

Priya sighed.

“Raghu was a freelance software engineer. He was an expert in his field. Even the giants like Infosys and Wipro used to call him for critical problems. I have seen nobody being so passionate about what they do for a living.

“He was working from home. My office was quite far away. He used to get up early in the morning, make coffee for me, cook my breakfast and on some days, he used to even pack lunch for me.

“Then one day he got his dream project in the US. Microsoft invited him to be part of their design team for a new product they were developing. The money was great. More than that Raghu loved the challenge. But he had to be in the US for one and a half years.

“When he told me about this, he was almost jumping in joy. I told him that I wanted to go with him to the US. Not that I was enamoured by US. Any day I prefer being in India. My problem was that I couldn’t think of a life without him for 18 months.

“He told me it was not possible. He was going to work for 15 to 18 hours a day and would come to the hotel room only for sleeping. I will be bored to death sitting in the room all by myself. I might lose my job and lose on my career.

“I was so drunk with love for him that I told him that I was going with him, period. That was the first time ever we had arguments. And that was the last time too. I was so madly in love with him that I started accusing him that he wanted to be with the American women away from the prying eyes of his wife.

“Raghu was upset but did not show. Later in the day when he drove out to attend on a customer, he met with an accident and died on the spot. I am sure that my words would have broken his heart before it was crushed by a truck on that fateful day.

“You see the irony, Madhavan. I was not ready to lose him even for one and a half years. I argued with him and then lost him for ever. Can you find a more foolish woman than me in this whole world?”

Priya was sobbing as she said these words. Her body was shivering. Madhavan reached for her right hand and held it tight. Priya found Madhavan’s grip very comforting. She cried even more. Madhavan made a clumsy attempt to wipe her eyes.

Nobody knew what happened thereafter. Ten minutes later they were in each others arms. The lights were on. The coffee was getting cold.

But Madhavan and Priya had gone deep into a world where there was nothing but sweetness.

Each were trying to comfort the other. Each wanted to know more of the other, to have more of the other and to give more of themselves to the other. The distance between them came down to zero and then even less.

 

Part 3!

Part 3!​

Madhavan had never slept like that before. It was a deep, dreamless sleep. He stirred in his bed only when it was 8 AM in the morning.

Priya also had a good sleep but was up since five in the morning. She was in the alcove thinking of so many things.

When she heard the sound of Madhavan getting up she shouted enthusiastically.

“Good Morning, Boss. Your coffee is on the way.”

Madhavan stared at her. She was now dressed up for the day in her navy blue business suit.

Madhavan had his coffee almost black. The strong brew cleared his senses. He got up and went to the alcove and sat opposite to Priya.

“Will you marry me, Priya?”

Priya had anticipated this statement but not that early. In spite of her anticipation she had tears in her eyes. But her voice and more than that, her thought process was abundantly clear.

“First things first, Boss. My answer to your question is a yes. A big YES. YES, a million times. No girl in her senses will ever think of saying no to you, Boss.”

“Thanks, Priya. I feel that a big load has been lifted from my heart.”

“I am coming precisely to that. While I will be happy to marry you, you need not have to marry me simply because of what happened last night. And please don’t take it as your obligation or your responsibility.

“You are my Boss. But in spite of that, I know, we are good friends. Yesterday night we came a little more closer. Period.

“But I am not mean enough to demand your hand in marriage because of that. That will be blaspheming the beautiful relationship we share.

“Let’s be practical, Boss. I am a middle class widow. And you… you are the most eligible bachelor – richest, most handsome and the most intelligent. I didn’t deserve Raghu and I think that was the reason I lost him. And frankly speaking I don’t deserve you either.”

“Have you finished, Madam? Now just hear me out. When I said that a big load is lifted from my heart, I did not mean a guilty conscience. I was afraid that you might not want to remarry out of your love for Raghu. So when you said yes, I was relieved.

“Priya, I may have money. But I am still an orphan. You know today I have nobody in this world whom I can call my relative.

“I fell in love with you the moment I saw you at the Convention. I am not interested in marrying a rich industrialist’s daughter and then lose my identity.

“Both of us share a kind of tragic past and that will give us more responsibility in the relationship. But, Priya, I did not make a list of pros and cons of marrying you before proposing to you. I want to be with you for all time to come. That comes from my heart.”

Now Madhavan stood up and talked in a pleading voice. Priya also rose from her chair.

“Now that you know the background better, I am now proposing again. Will you please marry me, Priya?”

Priya could not speak. She virtualy pounced upon Madhavan and smothered his face with kisses. She then buried her face in his chest and amidst sobs mumbled a feeble ‘yes.’

Then she placed her hands around Madhavan’s neck and told him in a whisper.

“I will not just be your wife, but your mother, your father, your friend, your servant, everything. You are not an orphan, Boss.”

 

Part 4!

Part 4!​

An hour later they went down to the restaurant for a buffet breakfast. Their train to Brussels was in the evening. They had no intention to go around Amsterdam as they had scheduled originally.

“What do we do now, Priya?”

“Boss, I am not interested in going to the Museum or Zoo. Lets take the day off.”
Priya blushed as she said that. Madhavan noticed that and placed his hand gently on hers.

“I am not asking about today, honey. How do we plan our wedding? When, where, how – I have a million questions.”

“Boss,..”

“What’s this, Priya, why should you still call me Boss?”

“Because you are my boss. I am working for you and you are paying my salary. As of now I am still on the job. Hope you have not fired me. So long as I work for you, I will call you boss.”

Madhavan just smiled he knew how to make her stop calling him boss. But that had to wait.

“Listen to me, Boss. I have a wonderful plan. We are going to Brussels tonight. Tomorrow we sign the deal with the client. As per the original plan we are to fly to India by early morning the day after tomorrow.

“I checked your schedule for the next week. There is nothing in that which our executives cannot handle. We will extend our stay in Europe by a week. And go to Venice for a honeymoon. Then we can fly back to India and get married.”

“You are quite fast, lady.”

“Boss, you owe me a fat bonus. I have saved you the cost of round trips to Europe for two persons, by just advancing the honeymoon. Aren’t I an efficient employee?”

“You are, dear. I accept your plan. I request you to consider my plan for the marriage. I don’t know about your religious faith and all. I will never interfere into that. My Swamiji used to visit the Parthasarathy temple at Triplicane quite often.

“So I want our marriage to be solemnised there with just a handful of people. We will have the marriage registered immediately. We can have a formal reception later in the evening.”

“Deal, boss.”

Madhavan shook hands with her.

 

Part 5!

Part 5!​

Whatever the love birds planned happened to a t. And a few things they had not planned also happened.

The pre-marriage honeymoon was the sweetest period in their lives. The Brussels client knowing about their marriage gifted them their trip to Venice. First class air fare, expensive hotel, and sight-seeing tours – he had designed a deluxe package for them.

As they were strolling near the EU Headquarters in Brussels the evening before they were to leave for Venice, they chanced upon a lady palmist in a small alley. Priya was in a playful mood and wanted to consult her regarding Madhavan’s future.

The astrologer demanded 5 Euros which Priya happily gave. The lady saw Madhavan’s hand for a full minute. While Madhavan and Priya were waiting for her to come out with her predictions, she silently took out the 5 Euros and gave it back to Priya.

Madhavan and Priya were stunned. When they insisted that she should have the money, she blaberred something in Flemish and ran away.

Industry experts said that the wedding reception of Madhavan and Priya was more like the Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries.

The entire city had assembled there. Madhavan had thrown his weight around and had booked both Raja Muthiah Hall and Rani Meyammai Hall for the event.

It was difficult to remember the names and faces of the thousands of guests who had come for the event.

But one face stood out. It was that of the Swamiji who was currently in charge of the orphanage in which Madhavan had grown up. Priya was busy talking to her friends. Madhavan touched Swamiji’s feet.

“Son, I am a penniless Sanyasi. I have not brought any gift for you, except my love and these words of advice. Remember this son, you are in the middle of the most happiest period of your life.

“And from now on practise standing a little away from your life and watch it as a witness. The wheel of life has to be in constant rotation. The wheel is now on the top and you do not need an Einstein to figure out where will the wheel go next. Remember God will always be with you whether the wheel is up or down.”

Madhavan was thrown out of balance by these words. In his jubilant mood he dismissed those words as the usual dose of advice coming from those who had renounced this wordlly life.

Had he known that the Swamiji was an acclaimed clairvoyant, Madhavan would have lost his sleep on those words.

 

Part 6!

Part 6!​

Their friends had decorated their bedroom for their ‘wedding night.’ Priya had gone into the room first and was impatiently waiting for Madhavan.

She teased him when he came in.

“Boss, you have reversed the entire scene. You are supposed to come first and wait for me with bated breaths. And you have made me wait for an hour. It’s not fair, Boss.”

“Sorry, Priya, I have been thinking about the right wedding gift to you. I wanted to gift you a brand new house I have built in Velachery. Then I thought of buying you a C-350 Benz. Ultimately I could come only with these pieces of paper. Please forgive your prosaic husband.”

Madhavan was flashing a cover in his hand. Priya got it from him and pried it open.

There were just two sheets of paper.

The first one informed Priya that she had been co-opted as a Director in Ad India Limited and had been made the Executive Director of the company.

The second one informed that subject to completion of legal formalities, she was a 50% owner of Ad India Limited.

Priya flew into Madhavan’s arms with a sob.

“Don’t do that, Bo…”

Before she could complete the word, Madhavan closed her mouth with his.

“Priya darling, now you can no longer call me the Boss. You are my Partner, my fellow Director on the Board. You have 50% of my company and 100% of myself.”

“But still you and only you are my boss. Nobody can change that.”

Priya blurted amidst sobs.

It was a commencement of a life-long honeymoon, or that was what they both thought.

Six months flew like six minutes. Madhavan and Priya had everything a human being can ever hope for. Money, fulfilling work and eternal marital bliss – very few had them all together.

Destiny is a strange creature. When a life is not perfect it stays on the sidelines and watch people struggling to make it perfect.

If the slate of life is already crowded with confusing writings Destiny stands away and watches with amusement.

Once people have perfected their lives, have cleaned up their slates, Destiny steps in to write some rubbish on the slate and at times, to even break the slate into pieces.

Now seeing that Madhavan and Priya had created a clean slate of their lives, , Destiny stood up from its place, yawned and stretched its limbs. It’s eyes shone with wickedness, as it always happened when it was looking for some piece of action.