He came home late again! (Short Story)

“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?”   

 “ Deepika, I cannot tolerate a third person coming in between us, husband  and wife!” 

“ 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…”