Flaming Sun Collection 2: Marriages Made in India (Box Set with 5 novellas)

by Sundari Venkatraman

  Abhimanyu nodded, hoping against hope that he hadn’t bitten of more than he could chew. He didn’t want Shikha to hate him at the end of it. He had spoken his worry aloud without realising.

  “She wouldn’t,” said Gamon. “The reverse, actually. She’ll not be able to thank you enough. The most difficult part of the exercise is to get someone to begin the treatment. Once they are here and accept that there’s no choice, the healing begins. Combined with psychotherapy, yoga, exercise, meditation, massage and group therapy, change is bound to set in.” He patted Abhi on his shoulder encouragingly.

  Yeah, the schedule at The Frangipani was pretty hectic, keeping the inpatients on their toes throughout the day, as if to ensure they had no time to think. The day began with meditation for half an hour and yoga for the next half an hour. The breakfast break happened immediately after, taking up about an hour with time given for a bit of socialising. Only, Shikha refused to talk to anyone. She sat by herself, munching a piece or two of the food items with complete lack of interest.

  After breakfast, there was group therapy where people with similar addictions got together under one roof to share their experiences. There was a moderator available to keep the session going without any lag. This was followed by a leisurely walk amidst nature, before breaking off for lunch.

  The second half of the day began with one-on-one counselling sessions and physical training. The value of regular exercise was ingrained into every resident, with a talk as well as personal training.

  Then came the best part of the day for Shikha—a full body massage that she loved. The hour long massage helped her relax and kept the buzz in her head at bay.

  Immediately after the massage, she relaxed in the bath tub, with her eyes closed. The trainers encouraged everyone to look a lot within. As if there was anything else to do!

  There was another group session in the evening when someone spoke to them every day about the value of focussing on the blessings of life rather than the beatings. It was all fine to talk, but how practical was this? She sneered when they suggested that the residents maintain a gratitude journal that would help them shift their focus. As if!

  Abhi got to know all this information second-hand as Shikha refused to even acknowledge him. Well, he was patient like that and he loved her with all his heart. He planned to see this through.

  Today, when she had a proper breakfast, Abhi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her appetite had returned with a vengeance it seemed. He hoped that she would soon forgive him too.

  Shikha underwent five sessions with Dr. Dang, of two hours each, before she was ready to talk about her life with her parents.

  19

  Shikha had been barely sixteen when she returned from college one day to see her father beating her mother black and blue.

  “Pappa,” she yelled, jumping between the two of them, pushing him away from her mother. But Shlok just hit his daughter with the same stick he had been using on his wife, Antara. He pushed Shikha away and didn’t even turn to find out what happened to her. She had hit her head against a table and fallen down in a faint, bleeding profusely.

  It was a while before her mother’s cries woke Shikha up. She didn’t really know she had such anger within her. Lifting a large brass vase, she hit her father on the back of his head, hard. He fell down like a log.

  The worst was yet to come when Antara screamed louder than ever. “What have you done to him, you bitch?” she yelled, slapping Shikha.

  Shikha gave her mother a shocked look, hurt tears falling down her cheeks. “But Mamma, Pappa has been hitting you so hard. Look at yourself, you’ve turned all black and blue. And this is not the first time, is it?” she wiped her tears with the back of her hand, looking at her mother with pity in her eyes. “He’s been doing it all the time, when you told me that you had fallen down at home or had an accident outside. How could you…?”

  Antara glared at her daughter through her puffed eyelids, one side of her face swollen as blood dripped down her chin. She was holding Shlok’s head gently on her lap, sprinkling water on his face. “It doesn’t really matter. He’s my husband, do you hear? He will love me or kill me, what’s it to you? How dare you hit him so badly? If he dies, I’ll hand you over to the police. I hate you, do you hear me?”

  Shikha’s young heart broke to pieces. Her mother loved her violent father more than she loved her daughter, who had gone to her defence. She got up and walked into the bedroom, her shoulders bowed down in agony.

  Her father survived, but Shikha realised that she didn’t really belong with her parents. About a month later, she got herself a job and moved into a hostel. She had a bit of money stashed away, a legacy from her paternal grandparents. She managed to complete her graduation, attending college in the evening. But she couldn’t make friends. For one thing, she worked 18-hour days and for another, she couldn’t talk of her shame.

  Despite her hectic schedule, Shikha suffered from insomnia. The scene that day at her parents’ home—yeah, she’d stopped thinking of it as hers—kept replaying in her head, making sleep impossible.

  Catching a whiff of cigarette smoke during lunch break at work, she found it soothing on her nerves. That’s when she bought a packet of her own and began smoking at night. Though it never helped her sleep, she realised that she felt calmer after a smoke. Shikha didn’t really remember at which point she had moved to smoking almost three packets a day. Anger, guilt, frustration, irritation and more piled on to drive her more and more towards the addiction.

  One evening, when she was barely nineteen, an office colleague insisted on dragging Shikha to a party at someone’s home. She was introduced to beer and cheap whisky. Shikha was surprised to note that they helped her sleep. Within a few months she was an addict, though she’d never have admitted to it even at gunpoint.

  The habit left a huge dent in her earnings. Craving for love that was always out of reach and for the good life, Shikha decided that she would settle for second best and marry a rich guy. She had even gone to the point of sleeping with a couple of her ex-bosses. The sex had been awful and that’s why she’d had run away from those relationships too.

  Finally, the brash Shikha had landed up at RS Software, hoping to make CEO Ranveer Singh fall for her. Fortunately or unfortunately, it had been Vice President Abhimanyu Mehra who had proposed marriage. He had professed to love her too. But did he, really? If he loved her, why had he lied to her while admitting her into rehab? Okay, it was a lie by omission, but a lie nonetheless. Shikha felt heartbroken and so craved her whisky and cigarettes. She’d been betrayed by the one man whom she believed had been in love with her.

  Dr. Apinya Dang got the story out from Shikha Mehra in bits and pieces and finally was ready to begin her treatment. Her client had low self-esteem triggered by the lack of love from her parents and her guilt at not being wanted. She was convinced that she wasn’t good enough. The pattern had continued into all her relationships. The excessive smoking and drinking binge had made her more negative, ensuring she slid further into depression. The temper tantrums and shouting matches were all part of attention seeking.

  Dr. Dang had the full background history of her client from Gamon. She was aware that Shikha’s husband was right here on the premises. She decided to have a talk with Abhimanyu Mehra. It looked like Shikha’s issues were all psychological and her cure was imminent if her mind was set at rest.

  20

  “Take a seat, Mr. Mehra,” invited Dr. Dang. “I wanted to talk to you about your wife, Shikha Mehra. How long have you been married?”

  “Less than two weeks,” said Abhi. “What’s wrong with Shikha, Dr. Dang?”

  Apinya Dang caught his worried frown and smiled, shaking her head. “I don’t think there’s much to worry about. Please answer my questions first. How long have you known her before that? Do you have any idea about her life before you met her?”

  “She’s a colleague from work. I’ve known her since three months. I know that she has no family
or other relatives. She has a few friends though.”

  “What do you mean when you say she has no family?”

  Abhi frowned, wondering what the psychiatrist was getting at. “Just that, her parents are no more and she’s a single child. I haven’t heard her speak of relatives, so I suppose I presumed she’s not close to anyone.”

  “I see. Please understand that what I’m going to tell you is highly confidential. We generally don’t discuss matters that are told to us by clients. But you’re her husband and according to Shikha you love her a lot…,” she raised a hand to stop him when Abhimanyu was about to interrupt, “though she also feels betrayed that you didn’t take her into confidence about bringing her here. I, for a fact, think that you must love her crazily to spend double the fees to stay here at The Frangipani to get her cured. I have spoken to Gamon and we have decided that it’s to Shikha’s benefit to take you into confidence.” Apinya Dang paused to wait for his reaction. When he nodded, she continued, “Did you presume that Shikha’s parents are no more or did she tell you that?”

  “Shikha told me that her parents are dead.” He paused to recollect her exact words. “Well, her exact words were that she’s an only child and her parents were no more. Why do you ask?”

  “Her parents are probably alive. It’s just that Shikha decided to cut them off from her life and has convinced herself that they are no more.” Dr. Dang went on to explain everything she had learned from her sessions with Shikha. “So, you see that it all boils down to a deep sense of insecurity. She must have used you as a punching bag pretty often.”

  Abhimanyu protested. “Yeah, maybe. But that really doesn’t matter. She’s in pain and needs to vent out.”

  “Exactly. She also needed to know that you wouldn’t stop loving her however much she punched you, her way of confirming your unconditional love. She’s been craving for love and was just beginning to gain confidence in her relationship with you. Only you brought her here without her by-your-leave.”

  Abhi nodded, shrugging. “I know it wasn’t the best way but it needed to be done.”

  “You’re absolutely right. I would have done the same for someone I loved too,” said Apinya Dang encouragingly. “Now, Shikha is definitely on the road to recovery. All the old hurts have been brought to the surface. We have put her on a special diet, specific massages and psychotherapy. She’s begun to respond and is healing. But then, in this safe environment, it’s not really difficult. What happens when she gets out into the outside world is another story. A lot rests on your support. Her continuing to abstain from smoking and drinking is dependent on how convinced she is of your unconditional love. Are you able to grasp the implication of what I am saying? It’s a mammoth task and not for the faint-hearted.” Her face was grave as she was keen on drumming the importance of his role into Shikha’s husband. “Are you up to it?”

  “Yes!”

  21

  Almost three weeks were over since they came to stay at The Frangipani. Shikha refused to even look at her husband’s face. Abhi kept his peace, completely focussed on getting her rehabilitated first. He took on a lot of office work and kept himself busy. He also participated in the yoga, meditation and other sessions.

  That night, Shikha whimpered in her sleep, waking Abhi. He turned to see her curled into a ball under her comforter, her hands covering her face. She was keening, her body stiff. She was obviously having a nightmare.

  He put his arms around her and hugged her close, rubbing her back gently. The keening stopped within a few minutes, even as her body relaxed in his hold. Shikha stretched her body from the foetal position, moving closer to him, seeking warmth. Abhi pressed her head against his chest, close to his heart, as a parent would hold a child. He’d read somewhere that the proximity of the mother’s heartbeat brought about a feeling of security to the baby. She calmed down, her breathing turning normal as she snuggled close to him, deeply asleep. Abhi also slept way better that night, holding his wife in his arms.

  Shikha came wide awake at six and was surprised to find herself in Abhi’s arms. Not that she complained. Her anger towards him had long since gone but she was clear about not taking the first step towards bridging their broken relationship.

  But now that she was where she belonged, Shikha felt more confident. She gave him a wet kiss on his rough cheek, open-mouthed. Her hands moved down his bare chest, revelling in the texture, her nerve ends tingling. How she had missed making love with him! She stroked the shape of his masculine lips with her tongue, gently biting the lower one.

  Abhi came awake, opening his eyes a slit to look at the lovely woman in his arms. She was a woman on a mission, kissing his features one by one, her tongue playing hide-and-seek in his ear. “Shikha,” he groaned, “I’ve missed you so.”

  He pulled her nightshirt off her to bury his face in her breasts, his body shuddering as he tried to bring some semblance of control. Shikha held him tight, her hands moving down his smooth back, her face buried in his hair. “I missed you too, Abhi.”

  They made fierce love, as if there was no tomorrow, not bothering to attend the sessions before breakfast. Neither was interested in foreplay. “Come inside me Abhi, now,” ordered Shikha, her nails raking his back. Abhi dipped a finger into her vagina to find her wet and entered her with a grunt. He buried himself into her, his heart beating heavily as her legs went around his hips. Light exploded behind their eyelids as they reached the stars as one.

  “I love you, Shikha,” said Abhi, his face buried against her neck, his heart pounding.

  “I know,” she whispered back, “the only reason that I’m still with you.” She felt him smiling against her neck, an answering smile on her face, her heart soaring. The world had turned into a beautiful place as she heard the chirping of birds outside on the trees. Colourful parakeets came regularly to feast on the mangoes that grew just outside their villa.

  “Forgive me?” he asked, his teeth nipping her earlobe.

  She moved away to look at him. “Are you apologising?” she asked, a raised eyebrow touching her hairline.

  “Well, you wanna hear the truth?” he asked. When she nodded, he continued, “I’m sorry I brought you here without telling you first. But…”

  “That’s the problem, right? There’s always a ‘but’.” While she wanted to jump with joy, feeling so free and healthy and good about herself, she wanted to let him stew a bit before she was ready to admit that he had been right.

  He got up to sit, leaning against the bed headboard, pulling her into his arms. “I did promise you the truth, right? You’re my life partner and I want you to know that I’ll always tell you the truth. You can trust me.”

  “Oh really! You mean you’ll always tell me the truth, but there may be times when you may not say anything, but do what you want, even if it’s a life-changing decision for me.” Her left hand traced the contours of his chest, as she couldn’t keep her hands off him.

  “I’m sorry Shikha. I’m really sorry about that. I know it wasn’t fair. But I just couldn’t sit back and watch you risking your health.”

  “But we’d been married barely three days before you decided to bring me here. You obviously must have planned it at least a few weeks before that. What was the rush?”

  “Hmm.” He was busy taking a bite of her shoulder and was completely distracted.

  “Abhi!”

  “Oh, yeah. That’s true. Yeah, we got married just before the trip. But I fell in love with you three months before that, the moment I set eyes on you. I knew about your addiction within a week. Believe me, it wasn’t easy watching you drinking and smoking your life away.”

  Shikha stared at him in awe. He had loved her from first sight? She hadn’t even noticed him over the first few days. Even after that, she had thought he was a nerd and just an assistant and not bothered to get to know him. It had been Abhi who had been relentless in getting close to her. And now, it looked like he had been instrumental in transforming her life.

  “I s
till think you should have asked me or at least informed me before bringing me to the rehab centre,” she said, just to bug him.

  He obviously knew her as well as she knew herself or even better. He grinned at her. “Would you have agreed?”

  “No way,” she grinned back. “I’d have refused to wed you if you’d told me before the wedding. I’d have fought with you tooth and nail if it had been after the wedding. However, I would’ve never stepped on the plane in the first place.” Yeah, it was time for the truth, from her side too.

  “And now? Are you still upset with me that I brought you here?” He wanted it in words; that she was glad to have come here.

  “Would I be in your arms if that were the case?” Shikha wrinkled her nose at him. “You know something Abhi?” She threw her arms around his neck, pulling his face close to hers. “You’re not just my lover and husband. You’re my saviour. It took me more than two weeks here and the many sessions with Dr. Dang before it struck me how much I was spoiling my health—both physical and mental. Did she talk to you about my early life?” Shikha got up to sit next to him, her head on his shoulder.

  “Yeah. I hope you don’t mind. She…”

  “Nope, I don’t. If anyone has a right to know, it’s you Abhi. There’s some more that I didn’t share with her. I didn’t leave my parents’ home immediately after that incident. I stayed back for more than a month, trying to convince my mother that I had only tried to protect her.” Her shoulders drooped. “It was no use. My parents were too involved with each other. Somewhere, his beating made her happy I think. I don’t understand what drove her, but she seemed to look at it as his way of giving her attention. It was so horrible, when I sat back and really thought about them. The last straw came when my father hit me again. He called me names, none that I want to repeat. I had been thinking about moving out of the house. That day, I did just that.”

  Abhi hugged her close, pressing her head to his shoulder. It was tough controlling the anger that leaped within him in her defence. He wanted to throttle her parents. She had been a teenager, thrust out in the world all alone. His heart bled for Shikha. He would make her forget her hurt and spoil her with his love.