The rendezvous

Swapan entered the bedroom looking for Divya.Not finding her, he found the bathroom was also vacant. He was to leave for Mumbai early morning the next day. Wondering where she would have gone, he looked out of the window to see her talking across the fence to Shanthi their neighbor. He saw her iPad open on the bed. He wished to shut it when he chanced upon an email. Not one given to reading her mails, he was impelled to read when he saw the salutation as Divya dearest. One can gauge what went through his mind when he read the following mail

Divya dearest,

After my chat with you yesterday I could hardly sleep the whole night. I need to meet you soonest. You were mentioning that we can meet leisurely when your husband goes on tour. You were also telling he may go tomorrow morning. Can we meet tomorrow at Dominos near your home at 10 am and decide the venue where we can spend the day together.

I have lots of things to share with you. I loved and married a wrong person. My spouse is a clumsy blunderbuss. We are incompatible in every aspect, physical, intellectual and emotional. We frequently quarrel and stop talking to each other for days. I derive no joy from that good for nothing. My marriage has utterly failed. I wish to put an end to this farce.

You are my only recourse. We have been very close since our college days and we keep our friendship as green as ever even after marriage. I need an outlet and look to you for my next step. You were mentioning that though your marriage cannot be termed as a failure it lacked the fizz and excitement of the initial years. We are in the same boat somewhat, lols.Looking forward to meet you tomorrow. Send me a sms.

Love and hugs

R

Swapan became confused. “Who is this R close to her since college days whom she has not mentioned about but whom she is meeting regularly? Is she taking off from work tomorrow for this secret rendezvous? What is the crap about lack of fizz and excitement? This tour is not important. I am having headache. I will not go but will leave home early as planned” he was telling himself. He left the iPad as it was and sat in the hall before TV.

Meanwhile Divya came in laughing to herself. On seeing him looking at her she said “Sorry, Shanthi was talking to me and would never let me go. She was complaining about her in-laws who were expected to arrive tomorrow”

“What is there to laugh about for you?” he asked rather abrasively

“Nothing” she replied hurt by the tone of his voice.

“I will call you at your office tomorrow after reaching Mumbai around 11am” he said casually

“No, I am not going to office tomorrow. I just wish to relax” she replied.

He did not react and left the hall quietly. He was now convinced something was amiss that needed to be probed.

The next day around 10.30 am he entered Dominos with his hat drawn, sun glasses and a false mustache, He saw in the corner Divya talking animatedly with another lady of her age. After some time they left and he quietly followed them to find them entering his house. Am I being foolish or has she got a scent of his reading her mail, he wondered?

He rang her up after a while and asked “How are you? I hope you are relaxing free from office pressures”

“I am enjoying with my friend Ranjana, my closest buddy since my college days. She sent me an email asking me to meet her today at Dominos. Poor thing, she is passing through troubled times with her hubby and looking to me for advice” she replied.

“I know. What advice can you offer in a personal matter like that” he asked

“How do you know”” she asked

“I know because you were telling me. Do you suspect me reading your mails?”

“No, not at all. I was just telling her that after sometime small differences crop up and that she should give him his space. I even fibbed to her that the fizz and excitement have gone out of our lives too though you know it has surely not” she said with a giggle.”I wish that you meet her one of the weekends at our home’ she added

Late that night when they were in the bed, he whispered into her ears” Is it that you miss the fizz these days” and dragged her close to him even as she hit him gently  on his chest in feigned anger.

“Thank god if he has seen just that mail. Let me clear my inbox first thing early morning” she decided