Part I

(2000)

“Ahh! Chuck it Natasha. Just don’t get started with your baloneys again. I’m tired now.”

“Why don’t YOU understand that it needs to be done as soon as possible? Ignoring will only worsen the situation, that’s it.”

“I’m not ignoring Natasha. I tried my level best. I tried to convince every fucking lawyer in this entire city but none of them wants to take up his case. And the ones who are ready, they want hell a lot of money and we can’t afford them.”

“It’s been more than a month Arav. He’s just a child; he’s been there in that dungeon since the past two months and we aren’t able to do anything about it. There must be some way out for this situation.”

“There’s no way out for this now. He has already pleaded guilty and so why will any lawyer want to take up our case. Besides he was just a servant for us.  It’d be better if you concentrate on your children now.”  He slammed the door once again and stepped out of the room without making an eye contact with her.

Natasha was crestfallen. Every single day was like a battle for her now. She couldn’t forget those innocent eyes of his, the soft voice that fell in her ears every time he called her “tai”; she missed her ‘third child’.

Shrikanth was hardly ten when he used to come to Natasha’s place with his mother to help her in the household chores. However it was until one day that his mother was diagnosed with cancer. He would have been hardly twelve when she passed away and left behind her nothing and no one except for a twelve year old boy, Shrikanth. It was since then that Natasha had taken care of Shrikanth. She had been like a second mother to him and treated him like his own child. It was Natasha who had forced Arav to get him admitted in one of the schools.

There on the other hand, Shrikanth was growing up day- by -day. And not only just growing up physically but also he was now way mature than the boys of his age. Gradually with time, the memories of his mother’s death had started to fade away. Natasha had somewhere occupied an enormous place in his heart. He respected her more than he respected his mother. Although he missed her sometimes but Natasha’s love was making him tenacious day-by day.  She’d become very fond of Shrikanth and left no stone unturned to make him feel comfortable in this new, small world of hers.

It was all going hunky-dory!

****

(1998)

“When is she supposed to return?” she asked while puffing a cigarette. One could see the stains of her red lip rouge on the cigarette.

“Tomorrow!” He answered while he sat up straight on his bed.

“Where’s my t-shirt Ankita?” he murmured. He looked around the grubby room but couldn't locate his t-shirt.

“Shrikanth... Shrikanth,” he shouted while scratching his head.

Part II

(1998)

Ankita sat aimlessly on the couch, staring outside that window. The kohl had smudged all over her eyes but she hardly bothered to clean it up. It was in one of those official meetings where Arav had caught sight of her. Her stark features with an awfully seductive and a curvaceous body had tantalized Arav. It started with a normal conversation and had continued to this day.

She still sat on that couch, motionless, for a long while, lost in her world of thoughts; completely ignoring Arav’s presence in that room.

Meanwhile Shrikanth came running, on being called by Arav.

“Ha Sir (Yes sir),” Shrikanth said while he breathed heavily.

“Pull out my T-shirt from the cupboard. Quick! And bring something for her.”

Shrikanth ran hastily towards the cupboard, looked for the t-shirt and handed it over to Arav.

No sooner did he leave than a strange silence took over. Not that it was unusual but it was quite different from the other days.

“I think we should just run away,” said Ankita, her gaze still fixed on that busy road outside the window.

“Not again Ankita, please! I’ve told you umpteen times that I’m married, I’ve a child, so please stop asking this now and then.”

“Why not? You just can’t get away with this so easily every time.” She stood up while she banged the table.

“Listen I just don’t have time for this shit right now Ankita.”

Shrikanth could hear the faint noises in the kitchen. It wasn’t the first time that they were fighting. Since the past two years he’s been aware of the on-goings. He knew who Ankita was and why Arav brought her in Natasha’s absence. He felt bad for her ‘tai’ but he was helpless.

“You think I’m a doxy! You should have thought before starting all this,” Ankita yelled.

“Listen...” he pushed her against the wall while he took a tight grip on her arm. “I don’t care. And you can leave whenever you want to.” He pushed her aside and turned around to leave.

“You b*******!” she cried out loud, grabbing him by his collar from behind.

****

The faint noises had now turned into deafening ones. This made Shrikanth uneasy for the first time. With time the intensity of the excruciating noises kept increasing. However he couldn’t muster his courage to peep inside Arav’s room.  The noises continued until there was one last ear- shattering cry and then, a deadly silence spread over the entire house.

 He now couldn’t resist himself and immediately rushed towards Arav’s room;

He pushed open the door slightly and all he could see was Ankita lying on the floor, bleeding profusely; one could see the tears rolling down from her lifeless eyes.

He ran towards her until he saw Arav, on his knees, frantically mopping the floor.