“You have come late again! Do you
realize it is 11 PM in the night?”
“ Well, I will jolly well come home when I feel like it! “
“ So what’s your problem? When I ask you a straight question, you have no proper answer
and yet you are behaving strangely with each passing day”
“ There are some things we can’t tell
straight to the face. But if you cared enough you would understand
Deepika.”
“ Are you suggesting that I don’t
care? How dare you Kartik! We have been
married now for over three years. I see that your behaviour has been becoming from
bad to worse in the last six months. What is the matter with you?”
“ Now, what do you mean by
that?”
“I mean that our privacy and
freedom is being violated. I seem to matter to you less and less with each passing day! Then, what does it concern you at what time
I come in“
“Hey, Kartik have you gone mad !”
“It is not about me having gone mad! If
the situation here continues like this, I will certainly become mad. Who should decide whether we should go for a late
night show? Whether I should buy you a new watch or Whether we or the children should sleep in the master bedroom?
“ You know that only the master bedroom has an attached bath room. “
“Ok so tell me! Who should
decide even the smallest of things in this house?”
“I know what you are getting at Karthik! ! This conversation is not going anywhere! I understand your problem. It
is your poor self esteem that gets you to see anything and everything as
interference!”
“ what do you mean poor self esteem!
I had sufficient self esteem to be hired
by a multinational company. They always looked up to me at office! If anything, getting
married to you has been the
beginning of my problems of self esteem.”
“ What do you want? That my mother
shouldn’t speak to me or advice me ever? You know that I am her only daughter!”
“ Deepika, why does she have to call
5 to 6 times daily? Why is it that she
is the first person to know everything that happens in this house, even before me? Why do you report to her like a running commentary even the smallest
of tiffs and private conversations we have?”
“ I think, you are becoming oversensitive Kartik. Is this the reason that you have been behaving strangely for the last three months?
“ Deepika, it hurt me that you couldn’t wait to tell me that you are pregnant with our third child. You chose to tell your mother first.
Frankly, I am not at all thrilled with the way
our life is shaping. I have some
problems in the office as well. The new boss doesn’t seem to like me. He picks
holes in my work so often, I fear I may
even lose my job!
I think you should go in for an MTP
so that we can have our next child later, if at all when we are mentally prepared for
it.”
“Kartik buck up. You are getting worked up
unnecessarily. My mother has been always
concerned about me as I am her only daughter…..Okay, okay, since this matters to you so much , I will
reduce my interaction with her, may be one call per day instead of 6?”
Kartik gave a weak , relieved smile;
his eyes registering a sign of hope.
Just then Deepika’s mobile rang. She
moved away to answer it in the bedroom.
“ Well dear, has he returned yet? It is high time you became firm with such
wayward ways! ”
“Hush, Amma. I will tell you all about it in detail tomorrow…”
