by BS Murthy
'My lovey, how lovely!' said Sandhya. 'How I wish I were in your place. Well, it didn't take me long to realize that you loved each other, and won't be able to resist your urge for long. When I sensed that you're getting closer, I looked the other way, to let you experience the thrills of love in the making.'
'Oh,' Roopa kissed her, 'you're an angel, really.'
'But my love mad,' said Sandhya patting Roopa's head, 'why hide from me, even though I prompted you often enough? Don't you recall the 'blank cheque' episode and that 'take it easy' gesture?'
'How could I've missed those and more,' said Roopa scratching her head. 'But I couldn't dare, for the fear of losing your love as well as his. But at the time of Saroja's barasala, as you were forthright, I wanted to confess to you. But he only stopped me, fearing that a premature disclosure would hurt you no end. He felt that we should wait till you get used to the idea of our affair to make it easy for you.'
'Oh how handsome,' said Sandhya apparently pleased.
'Reward him,' said Roopa, winking at Sandhya, 'in threesome.'
Well before Ranga Reddy came as promised, fantasizing the presence of their man, the mates took their lesbian love to the frontiers of ecstatic bliss.
In time, as they began to wait for Ranga Reddy to come, Sandhya remembered about Sathyam.
'How I totally forgot about him!' said Roopa.
'In the triangular moment of our life,' Sandhya whispered into Roopa's ear mirthfully, 'where's the corner left for any?'
'But our man wants me to accommodate my man in my corner,' said Roopa.
'Really,' said Sandhya In delight, 'Oh, what a man we have for us, lovey. Oh, how different he Is from all other men. Won't a paramour tend to wean the wife away from her man? Now, 1 see why Sathyam Is so happy.'
'Oh darling,' said Roopa, 'that's why I don't suffer any qualms about deceiving Sathyam, as It's my affair with Raja that enables me to carry some love Into his life.'
'Oh, Roopa, how strange are your twin affairs!' said Sandhya In contemplation, 'While our affair lifts my soul, your liaison with my man, enables your man breathe easy.'
When Ranga Reddy arrived at length, not finding Sathyam at home, they left a message for him with Lalltha, and set out to see their man In the new dawn of their love life. In time, when they reached the Osmania General Hospital, they found Raja Rao, still unconscious.
'You're lucky really,' said Dr. Wazir Ahmed. 'Though the Injury was minor. It was still critical. Luckily, he was brought In time, and soon he'll be fine.'
'Doctor,' said Sandhya, taking Dr. Wazir Ahmed's hand, 'we would forever be Indebted to you.'
'Thank you,' said the doctor graciously, 'but we only did our duty.'
'Can we shift him to the Gaganmahal Nursing Home, near their home?' enquired Ranga Reddy.
'You can take him there tomorrow,' said the good doctor.
'You know 1 need Roopa,' said Sandhya to Ranga Reddy. 'Please ask Sathyam to take careof Saroja.'
'Don't worry about all that,' said Ranga Reddy.
'Don't fall to seek Sathyam's ex post facto sanction for my absence,' said Roopa to Ranga Reddy, as an afterthought.
After his system had shed the anesthetic effect towards eleven that night. Raja Rao regained his consciousness. Seeing both his women, on either side, he Involuntarily stretched his hands towards them. It seemed to them that It was as though to bring about a rapprochement between them. Even as they warmed them with their tears, he felt gratified as both of them showered kisses on his hands.
'Don't you forgive us,' he muttered to Sandhya, at length, having savored them for long In silence.
'What for Is the forgiveness?' Sandhya smiled.
'You are an angel,' he pressed her hand feebly.
'How dare you slight her?' smiled Sandhya.
'Oh God, I've got to be on guard or what!' he said In jest. 'Haven't I asked for It?'
'Don't worry, as a loyal wife,' said Sandhya to him, as she took Roopa's hand, 'I'll stand guard at the ante-room.'
'How cute, but won't we drag you In, for more of our fulfillment,' he said In all happiness. 'But why do you keep mum, Roopa?'
'Oh, I'm benumbed with joy,' said Roopa.
'What about your guilt then?' he smiled.
'It all got dissolved,' said Roopa fondling Sandhya's hand, 'In our tears of joy.'
'How I love her romanticism,' he said, turning to Sandhya, 'as well as her ardency.'
'Don't I know, myself being her first lover,' smiled Sandhya, and whispered. 'She had me, much before you held my hand.'
'Oh, I thought I needed to goad you into it,' he pulled them towards himself. 'How lovely there is no need for rehearsals.'
'Sure you would find it thrilling,' whispered Sandhya into his ears.
'Hope, it's not a ringside view,' he smiled.
'Won't your virility,' said Roopa coyly, 'drive you into our arenas?'
'I'm all eager,' said Sandhya mirthfully, 'for our orgies.'
'Oh, lying in a pool of blood, how my heart bled for both of you in turns?' he said reminiscently. 'How lucky I am to survive that ordeal. Had I died, how would I have tasted all that's in store for us? But, what a frightening experience it was, really!'
'Why think about all that now?' said Sandhya persuasively.
'Where's Saroja?' he asked, at length.
'Don't worry about her,' said Sandhya. 'She's in Sathyam's care.'
'Honestly, I didn't think I would live to narrate my nightmare,' he said with an apparent relief. 'It's a miracle to be with you again.'
'You can talk all about that,' said Roopa, trying to restrain him, 'when it would have become a distant memory.'
That night, keeping vigil over their man that united them in their love for him, the mates didn't wink even for a moment. However, by the time Ranga Reddy came along with Subba Reddy towards mid-day, what with Raja Rao, raring to go, they were as fresh as the flowers at dawn.
'Raogaru' said Subba Reddy, 'what a fright you gave us all.'
'If not for Ranga Reddygaru,' said Sandhya 'we could have gone mad by now.'
'After all, it's a minimum human courtesy,' said Ranga Reddy.
'Don't tell me about human courtesies as I had seen the visage of inhumanity at close quarters,' said Raja Rao, brushing aside Sandhya's protests. 'When I was a few feet away from Wahab's office, some Hindu hooligans seeking out the Muslims for slaughter, accosted me. Oh, I was so dazed by the frenzy of those hate-merchants, that some of them felt I could be a M usiim in fright. After stripping me naked, to confirm my religion via circumcision, they advised me to run for safety. I was too shaken to comprehend whether I should thank the foreskin for having saved my skin, or feel ashamed of the crassness of my co-religionists. Then, hardly could I cross the street, when I ran into a Muslim mob that was after the Hindu blood. Before I could utter a word, someone stabbed me in my stomach. As I ran for life, with the shouts of 'death for the kafir', they chased me like a stray dog. When they were about to close in on me, I slumped to the ground, and taking me for dead, they left for good. As I lay in a pool of blood, I craved for life, while cursing the religions. Now, I vaguely remember to have been picked up by a police patrol. And as you know. Dr. Wazir Ahmed, and others here, retrieved me from the jaws of death.'
'Why don't you relax?' Roopa tried to persuade him.
'The wound I received at the Muslim hand is bound to heal in time,' said Raja Rao regardless. 'But the humiliation I felt amidst the Hindu mob would be hard to obliterate from my memory.'
This is the ugiy face of these two great reiigions,' said Dr. Wazir Ahmed stoicaiiy.
'My good doctor, to say that aii reiigions are great is a quid pro quo,' said Raja Rao excitediy. 'Weii, the foiiowers of aii reiigions feei great about their faith. If not, how wouid they become beiievers in the first piace? But, if we were to go by the static inscriptions of their scriptures, then, the one common drawback with aii the reiigions is the diktat to conform to their unique dogmas. In the guise of preachin
g goodwiii, aii faiths effectuaiiy divide humanity on reiigious iines. Isn't it the viiiainy of reiigion?'
'On the other hand,' he continued, after having some giucose water that Sandhya gave him, 'shouid the behaviorai pattern of the foiiowers be the criterion to judge the greatness of a reiigion, don't we find that aii faiths are equaiiy wanting? How can any reiigion ciaim to be great when it faiis to incuicate human vaiues in its own foiiowers? Oh, it's but the poverty of thought that veiis us from the faiiacy of the faiths.'
'But then,' said the doctor, 'are there not good peopie in aii faiths.'
'That's due to the diversity of human nature, said Raja Rao, 'and not owing to any reiigious conditioning of human character.'
'The trauma of the event couid be but a passing sentence in the history of man,' phiiosophized Ranga Reddy, 'and iife, except for the dead, wouid go on, on the famiiiar course.'
'You can take him now,' said Dr. Wazir Ahmed, after checking up Raja Rao's condition aii over again. 'This is the case history for reference.'
Having thanked the doctors and the staff profuseiy. Raja Rao ieft the Osmania Generai Hospitai with his famiiy and friends for recuperation at the Gaganmahai Nursing Home. Once he was admitted there, he was gripped by an urge to see Saroja, and once Sathyam fetched her soon enough, he heid her, as if he were ciasping to his iife itseif.
'How pieasurabie it is to iive?' Raja Rao said, turning to Sathyam and seeing him visibiy moved, he thanked him for his concern and expressed his regret for having detained his wife.
Towards the evening that day, Asiam came with tears in his eyes and a bouquet in his hand. Narasaiah, on hand, then narrated the taie, as if he were the eyewitness to the happenings.
'Inshah Allah,' said Asiam holding Raja Rao's hand, 'you will live long sir.'
'I heard there was some problem at M usheerabad as well,' said Raja Rao.
'True, there were a couple of stabbings here and there,' said Asiam in all emotion. 'The saddest part of it all is that people go by rumors. It was said that the M usi turned red with the M usiim blood and that was enough to spur some of the M usiims in of our locality to goad others to join the jihad, for Islam was in danger. I wonder why the faithful fail to realize that Allah is all-powerful to protect Islam on His own. And being merciful. He wouldn't approve killing people in the name of Islam. It's sad that the thoughtless outrage of a few brings a bad name to our faith as a whole. If only the Muslim who stabbed you knows what a good human being you are, he wouldn't have harmed your little finger.'
'The communal jaundice colors our vision with the bigotry of our faith, to project hateful images of the people of other religions,' said Raja Rao. 'It pays to be more humane and less religious, as, the more religious one is, the more biased one would be.'
When Roopa was alone with Raja Rao, she told him that Sathyam was accommodated in that very room after his operation. At that, they reminisced how wretched they felt, unable to have a longing look at each other, owing to the patient's presence. And having recounted the tale of her anxiety after his sudden departure, she told him about the 'one line love letter' of hers that she kept ready for him then. At that, a visibly moved Raja Rao vouched his eternal love for her.
However, as his recuperation at the GNH took longer than it was expected. Raja Rao turned apprehensive about the possible fallout from Roopa's long hours at the hospital.
'If you hang around here this long,' he said to her that day, 'Sathyam could become suspicious.'
'Don't worry about that,' she said coolly. 'He himself asked me to assist you, as long as it takes. Why, when push comes to shove, won't I walk over him to walk into your home? Don't you know that Sandhya has kept the door open for me?'
'What courage!' he was amazed.
'What's love without that?' she cooed in his ear.
'How true,' he said, 'but sadly, it's jealousy that spoils love.'
'Jealousy is the device that denies man the divinity of love,' she said contemplatively. 'I wonder how our Sandhya is an exception! An angel, indeed she is.'
'How well you've put it,' he said, pressing her hand. 'You right you are about our dear.'
'And love can be the failing,' she said looking at him fondly, 'of the divine even.'
'But, only those who are in love would realize that,' he said patting her affectionately.
'It's not that I'm being good and all, but I feel our union is indeed great. I realized that, on that D-Day, that August day, even as I was desperate in having you to have a feel of sexual love,' she said, reminiscing about their first night's togetherness,
'Oh! Roopa!' exclaimed Raja Rao. 'Wasn't that day as much a Divine Day as it was the Deliverance Day?'
Chapter 35
Date with Destiny
For the first anniversary of her D-Day that August, Roopa was dead set to be in Tirupati with her lovers. However, as she was clueless about keeping her man away from their love triangle, she got reconciled to Sathyam's ironical presence at her thanksgiving.
That afternoon, as Sathyam was helping Roopa pack their luggage. Rami Reddy, his department head, sent for him.
'Yes sir,' said Sathyam to Rami Reddy, having cursed him all the way to the Secretariat.
'I'm sorry Sathyam,' Rami Reddy sounded apologetic. 'I have to cancel your leave.'
'Why sir!' said Sathyam dumbfounded. 'You know, I'm going to Tirupathi with my family and friends.'
'Don't I understand,' said Rami Reddy sympathetically, 'but then, Nagaraju wants to talkto us about those World BankTenders.'
'But sir, they're due for opening oniy the coming Friday,' said Sathyam pieading. 'And I'ii be back by Wednesday itseif.'
'You know Nagaraju speaks for the Finance Minister, and no iess,' said Rami Reddy. 'There's 'no way I can iet you go now.'
'Yes, sir,' said Sathyam heipiessiy.
'Six sharp at 206, Royai Flotei,' said Rami Reddy.
'Oh, these are the inconveniences of iife in the service,' Sathyam thought, on his way back home. 'Flad I been into some business, wouidn't I have been my own boss, as Raja Rao is? I shouid make a fast buck and start on my own soon. Obviousiy, Nagaraju wouid iike the Worid Bank Works awarded to the Finance M inister's benami firms. Oh, how couid there be any hanky-panky in the open tenders? Weii, the meeting won't serve any purpose save for the record. And the boss knows that as weii. Aii the same, Nagaraju wouid pressurize boss, and he wants to use me as a cushion, that's aii. Besides, won't he want to be seen as trying his best, to be in the good books of the powers that be? And that's why aii thistamaasha. But sureiy Roopa won't iike it. Won't she be dejected at yet another canceiiation? Sureiy she wouid curse me, and drop out herseif in frustration. What about Sandhya? Weii, she was no iess excited about the trip. Better that I iet Roopa go aiong with them. At ieast, iet them aii have a good time.'
When at five in the evening, as the Sathyams and the Raja Raos reached Nampaiiy Station, said Sathyam to Roopa, 'Let me cancei my ticket.'
'It's with him,' Roopa pointed to Raja Rao.
'Give that to me,' said Roopa to Sathyam as he took the ticket from Raja Rao. 'It might take a iong time for you in the gents' queue.'
'Perhaps it's God's wish to biess our Amorous Triangie in Flis Shrine itseif,' Roopa thought joyousiy, joining the queue for appearances sake. 'Let this be the ticket for our orgies, in the bogie to begin with. Won't we manage the TTE to keep that extra berth of privacy for us? Once he's through with his checking business and aii, we couid iock the cabin for the night. Can't this be the Lord's very own biessing for our iovemaking? Whiie I wanted thanksgiving at Tirupati for that night of my iife, the Lord seems to grant us orgies in Flis precincts no iess. Does that mean our iove has the sanction of the heavens? Who knows that anyway, but how is our affair taken on this earth?'
'Oh, how peopie wear morai biinkers, of the weii-worn kind,' she feit, as her thought process had brought her face-to-face with the reaiity of iife. 'The irony of it aii is that, in spite of censure by the moraiists, iife tends to evoive
in tandem with the ever changing human condition. Of course, they aii start on the siy oniy to set the trend in the end. Once it comes into vogue, the new pattern becomes the vaiue of the times, picked up by the worid as the morai mantra of the era. That's aii about the across the board morais, which faii to take into account the individuai compuisions in the changing times. Thus, it makes sense for one to draw one's own boundary of ethics, of course, aided by a compass of reason, with the needie of equity that is.'
Buoyed by that new found feeiing, Roopa ieft the booking counter and rejoined the Raja Raos and Sathyam. In time, they moved their iuggage into the first ciass coupe for four. As though the driver was pushed by their urge for orgies, he biew the horn unceasingiy, forcing the guard to show the green iight. Thus, as that Rayaiaseema Express began to move, waving off his wife and friends, Sathyam stepped out of the raiiway station, and stepped into the Royai Flotei across the road.
'Sorry Sathyamgaru,' Nagaraju greeted Sathyam apoiogeticaiiy, 'for not fixing our meeting in a star hotei. But you know we might get noticed in any.'
That suits me fine,' said Sathyam. 'Why, my boss hasn't come yet? Won't oid habits die hard?'
