Love, Marriage, and Other Disasters

by Shilpa Suraj

  The truth would have to come out on its own. And that it would, Alisha was sure. Arav was too smart and Pooja too self-obsessed for it not to. One of them was going to figure out that the other was not whom they wanted to end up with and the sooner that happened the better. Then she wouldn’t have to see Vivaan ever again. The thought caused a pang in her heart that she determinedly ignored.

  “So, Alisha, this boy you’re meeting for lunch. Is he someone interesting?”

  Horrified at the turn in conversation, Alisha turned back. “No! He’s just an old classmate I’m catching up with. Ma, you remember him? The slightly plump boy in my class, remember? The one with the thick glasses?”

  “Oh right. Well, you never know. People change. He might have grown into his looks. If I remember right, he was one of the brainy kids.” Her eyes twinkling at her, her mother continued, “Maybe today you’ll feel the squiggle.”

  Groaning, she stalked into the bathroom and shut herself in trying to ignore her mother’s voice explaining the squiggle theory to her aunt. Judging from the gales of laughter coming from the bedroom, they both seemed to find it extremely amusing. Turning the shower on full, Alisha ducked under it and tried to tune them out. It didn’t help. The laughter still echoed all around her.

  ---xxx---

  Walking into the same lounge bar for the second time in two days, Alisha picked a corner booth.

  Enjoying the much quieter daytime atmosphere, she waited for Nishant to turn up. She’d barely sat down before her phone message tone beeped. Pulling it out, she read a message from Nishant saying he’d be fifteen minutes late. Deciding to placate her growling stomach, she beckoned the waiter over and ordered french fries and a Coke.

  Her order had just arrived when Nishant walked in. Standing to greet him, she realized her mother was right. He’d grown out of his childhood chubbiness and the glasses were trendy now. He looked quite nice; in a very intellectual way, of course.

  Sitting across from her in the booth, he grinned. “Look at you. You look all grown up.”

  “We haven’t met in over ten years. If I didn’t look more grown up than the last time, I would be worried.”

  Still smiling, she saw the waiter approach their table only to be waved off by Nishant.

  “You’re not going to eat anything?” Surprised, she offered him the menu. “They have some nice stuff here. At the least, order snacks.”

  “All this junk is really bad for health.” Waving a disparaging hand at her fries, he continued, “And aerated drinks, they’re just empty calories.”

  “Okayyyy. So why are we meeting for lunch, if you’re not going to eat anything?”

  “I didn’t want to say anything when you suggested it, but I follow a very strict diet. I’m a fruitarian.” With that pompous announcement, he stared at her expectantly.

  Startled, she asked, “A what?”

  “A frui-tar-ian.” Enunciating the word like he was talking to a small child, he pushed her fries away from her.

  “I heard you the first time.” Irritably, she pulled the fries back towards her. “Does that mean you eat only fruits?”

  “Fruits, nuts and seeds.”

  “That’s it? Don’t you ever feel hungry?” Taking one of the fries out of the basket, she dipped it in some sauce before biting into it.

  “My health is more important. I like to stay fit and maintain myself. You are never going to lose those extra pounds around your hips if you don’t stop eating junk food like this.”

  Tightening her grasp on her glass of Coke, she struggled to keep from throwing it in his face. So along with his weight, he’d also lost his manners.

  Gritting her teeth, she tried to change the subject. “Where do you work now?”

  Naming one of the biggest consultancies in London, he preened a little. “With the market in the condition it is in, it’s a miracle. Good jobs are scarce and international good jobs are like gold. What do you do? Where do you work?”

  “Corporate Communications for an IT company.” Giving him a tight smile, she jammed another fry into her mouth. The sooner she finished them, the sooner she could leave.

  “Oh. That must be fun.”

  “Yes, it is. I enjoy working with the media and-“

  “And I bet having a pretty face makes the job a whole lot easier.” He finished her words for her and not in the manner she’d intended to.

  Blinking, Alisha tried to marshall her thoughts. Had he been this much of an ass in school? She didn’t remember him being this obnoxious.

  Trying to re-establish the camaraderie she remembered from school, she said a little too heartily, “Remember the school bag incident? When we both got into trouble?”

  Smiling back, he said, “Yes. Those were good days. We had a good group. Are you in touch with a lot of people from school?”

  Relieved, she picked up the conversation ball. “A few. Mostly on Facebook. That reminds me, how did you get my number?”

  “Oh. Ashutosh gave it to me. He said he’d bumped into you recently. He was raving about how great you looked.”

  “Oh right. I had given it to him at that party we met at. He’s based in Bangalore, isn’t he?”

  “Yep. He was talking about what a blast from the past it was to see you again. He mentioned that you were divorced? I’m so sorry to hear that.” He didn’t look sorry. Not. A. Bit. The hopeful glint in his eye had her insides turning to ice.

  “Yes.” Calmly, she continued to eat her fries with single minded focus. She had only another four to go. Maybe she should stuff her mouth with all four in one go. She’d be ready to leave and unable to make conversation with a full mouth. Two birds, one stone.

  “A lot of people in London are divorced. There is no shame in it there. Here on the other hand, it must have been terrible for you.” Reaching out to the hand she had resting on the table, he gave it a little stroke. He was trying to look sympathetic, but the look he gave her made her skin crawl.

  Pulling her hand back and placing it safely in her lap, she used the other hand to frantically shovel the rest of her fries in. Forgoing table manners for speed, she crammed two into her mouth at the same time.

  Looking a little startled at her unladylike haste, he tried again. “Why don’t you tell me what happened? What went wrong in your marriage?”

  Washing the fries down with a large swig of Coke, she took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice level. “I don’t like talking about my marriage. So how long are you in India for? When do you head back?”

  “Not for too long. I was hoping we could see more of each other. You know, hang out, that kind of thing.”

  Trying to keep her disgust from showing in her voice, she asked, “Why do you suddenly want to spend so much time with me, Nishant? We weren’t that close in school.”

  Giving her a creepy ingratiating smile, he said, “I like you. I’ve always liked you. I thought we could spend some time together while I’m here.”

  Gesturing to the waiter to get her bill, she took a deep breath to try and dislodge the anger pulsing at the back of her throat.

  “Aren’t you going to order a main course?” The bewilderment on his face almost had her laughing in disbelief.

  “No, thanks. I don’t fancy eating an entire meal while you sit opposite me with a glass of water.”

  “Well. I can order some fruit salad, if you want.”

  “I’m not going to sleep with you, Nishant.”

  “Well, of course you aren’t. I didn’t ask you to, did I?” The outrage he was trying for didn’t have a very authentic ring to it.

  Staring him down, Alisha continued, “Not today. Not on any other day of this trip of yours. I’m divorced not available.”

  Having the grace to look ashamed, he said, “I didn’t think of you like that. I just thought we could have fun together this trip, no strings attached. We know each other and like each other. What’s the harm?”

  “Did you have this brainwave before or after you knew I was divorced?�
�� Reaching for the bill that had arrived, she scanned the total and opened her purse to remove the cash required.

  Flushing slightly, he pulled his wallet out. ‘Let me pay for that, please.”

  “No, thanks. I prefer to pay for myself. Plus, you didn’t have anything to eat. Answer my question.” Putting the money into the folder, she stared at him waiting for him to say something. Not that anything he said would excuse his behavior but she was willing to give him the chance to try and make it seem better.

  “I’ve always liked you. I never had the guts to approach you before. You were always little Miss Perfect. I just thought that now with the divorce you were more in my league.” Lips twisting as he took in her expression, he said, “I should have known, once an ice maiden, always an ice maiden.”

  “Coming from a pompous little squirrel, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Pushing back from the table, she walked out. Catching up with old friends wasn’t all it was made out to be. The past and all the people from it needed to stay right there…in the past.

  ---***---

  Chapter 9

  Waiting for the valet to bring her car around, Alisha pressed a thumb to the throbbing pain that had set up residence in her right temple. Gratefully spying her car making the turn at the far end, she pulled out enough money to tip the valet and waited. Hearing her name being called out, she sighed and turned only to be surprised by the sight of Venkat and Lakshmi, laden with shopping bags.

  “Hi.” Wincing as someone’s car stereo music had the pain knifing through her forehead, Alisha lifted a hand in a wave.

  “Hi. We’ve been shopping,” Venkat announced a trifle redundantly. “Want to see the stuff we bought?”

  Aware of Lakshmi scowling at the two of them from the side and not having the energy to deal with her right now, Alisha said, “Maybe some other time. My car’s here so I’m going to head off. I have a family lunch to get to.”

  “I’m just going to run in and see if they have a table for us. Can you wait with Lakshmi till I come back? I don’t want her to stand here alone. It wouldn’t be safe.”

  Not waiting for an answer, Venkat disappeared into the foyer of the lounge bar Alisha had just exited.

  Not safe? Did he think his girlfriend was so irresistible that someone would try to abduct her in broad daylight? It was a miracle that she’d found one guy with that charming personality. Grizzly bears didn’t normally have a huge fan following.

  Feeling a little ashamed of that uncharitable thought, Alisha tried to smile at Lakshmi through her pain.

  “Did you have fun today?” Rummaging through her purse for a painkiller, Alisha didn’t hear Lakshmi’s response. Pulling the medicine strip out triumphantly, she signaled the valet waiting impatiently to hang on and swallowed two of the tablets. When darting a glance at the door showed her no sign of Venkat, she turned back to Lakshmi.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

  “I said, did you have fun last night?” Forcing the words out through what looked like gritted teeth, Lakshmi looked like she was having some kind of a fit.

  “Last night?” Mystified, Alisha tried to think back, wondering if she’d done anything to offend Lakshmi the previous night. As far as she could remember, she’d tried talking to her but had been rebuffed. After her brief time outside with Vivaan, she’d spent the rest of the evening with Nisha and Supriya and her boyfriend.

  Not able to figure out what she could have done to offend the round ball of rage in front of her, she waited for her to elaborate.

  Permanently angry or disgruntled, Lakshmi was never the most appealing picture but now that she was turning red too, she just looked like a gigantic tomato, a furious tomato. Stifling a slightly hysterical giggle at the image in her head, she tried to focus on what she was saying.

  “I know you want him,” the tomato hissed.

  “Whom?” The headache was making her dense. Belatedly realizing whom Lakshmi meant, she wished she could recall the question. If possible, the tomato was getting puffier and redder thinking she was being mocked. Steam would start shooting out of her ears soon.

  To try and prevent an impending vegetable explosion, Alisha hastily interjected, “You mean Venkat? I don’t want him. He’s a great guy and all but he’s all yours. I don’t know what you’re upset about but we’re just good friends.”

  Grabbing her keys from the valet, Alisha decided to abandon her. She was sure Lakshmi could take care of herself.

  Smiling at the valet for opening her car door and passing him his tip, she almost made her getaway before Lakshmi’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

  “Just because your marriage didn’t work out, you don’t want anybody else’s relationship to work. You’re frustrated and desperate and-“

  Feeling the last vestige of her control snap, Alisha stared at the flushed, angry face in front of her and waited for the tirade to stop. When Lakshmi finally caught her breath, she asked, “Are you done?”

  Flinching a little at her frigid stare, Lakshmi opened her mouth to continue only to shut it again when Alisha’s cold voice cut across her stumbling words.

  “You’re done. That was a rhetorical question. I’ve tried being polite and ignoring your delusions, but you don’t seem to have the common sense or for that matter, the sanity to understand what’s staring you in the face. Now let me say this for the last time. I am not interested in your boyfriend. As far as I’m concerned, he is only a friend. If you feel otherwise, that’s between you and him. I’m not frustrated or desperate and believe me if I wanted someone in my life, I would just have to crook my finger. Look at me and know this for a fact. Look at me!”

  Knowing she was going too far but unable to stop the rage that swept through her, Alisha waited for Lakshmi to comply with her demand and make eye contact with her before continuing, “The only thing keeping your boyfriend out of my bed is me. You think about that before you insult and attack me the next time.”

  Turning, she saw an ashen faced Venkat hovering near the door. Giving him one last look, she said, “We’re done being friends.” Without waiting for a reply from him, she got into her car and drove away.

  ---xxx---

  When a last-ditch effort to back out of the lunch at Arav’s place didn’t work, Alisha made her way to their house. Luckily, she didn’t have to drive too far with her headache. They lived in a lovely colony, with wide open roads lined with trees and huge compounds. Parking on the road near their gate behind a now familiar parade of cars, she laid her head back on the car seat and waited for the pounding in her head to reduce enough to face the horde inside.

  A quick rap on her window had her jerking her head up too fast. The gremlins hammering away inside her head started working overtime.

  “Can anyone join this party?”

  It would have to be him. It was just that kind of day. Giving up on luck, Alisha hit the central locking button, to let Vivaan slide into the passenger seat.

  “How come you’re not at the hospital?”

  “I traded shifts with a colleague, so I could be home for this lunch. How did you know I was supposed to be at the hospital? Were you asking about me?” Waggling his eyebrows lecherously at her, he grinned.

  Too tired to come up with a retort, she ignored him and closed her eyes again.

  “What are you doing out here?”

  “Waiting for my headache to subside enough to go inside and face all the noise. What are you doing out here?”

  “I was sent to bring more beer. Why is it that most of the time we meet, you’re in pain?”

  An unwilling smile tugging at her lips, she turned her head to look at him.

  Holding out his hands, he gave her a pained look and said, “I just heard how that sounded. Please don’t answer that.”

  “I’m going to let it pass because that’s too easy to take a shot at.” Feeling his hands start to massage the back of her neck, she sighed. “This is totally inappropriate. Stop it.�
�

  “I’m going to ignore that due to the complete lack of conviction in your voice. Besides, I’m a doctor.”

  “Exactly. You’re a doctor, not a masseuse.” Feeling the pain loosen its vice like grip on her neck, she had to concede he knew what he was doing.

  “Why are you looking so sad? So pensive and introspective?”

  The soft question had her tensing. Trying to defuse the moment, she teased, “Look who knows such big words.”

  Trying for indignation, he retorted, “Again, I’m a doctor. I know tons of big words. For instance, I know what capillary hemangioma means. Do you?”

  “Medical terms don’t count. Normal English is what I’m talking about.”

  “I even know a few words in Japanese, but I won’t mess with that high opinion you have of me.” There was something not quite right in his voice, even though he was sounding his usual wry and charming self. Was that hurt she’d heard? It couldn’t be. Why would anything she said have the power to hurt him?

  Stopping the magic he was wreaking with his fingers, he turned away and started to get out of the car. “I better get the beer and you better get inside before they send out a search party for either one of us.”

  “I did a very bitchy thing today.” Stunned, Alisha tried to bite her unruly tongue. It seemed to have a mind of its own today.

  “You did?” His smile had his eyes crinkling in the corners. He didn’t look horrified or shocked. On the contrary, he looked interested…and amused?

  Cautiously letting her teeth release her wayward tongue, she found it started to wag again immediately. Within minutes, she’d poured the whole story out. As she watched him laugh with tears rolling down his face, she felt her mood lighten.

  “I’m horrified at what I said. Stop laughing.”

  “Why? It was all true. If that guy is going to live on nuts, a squirrel is the kindest thing to call him. And as for the tomato-“