Chapter 55: chapter 55

GOWRI“Do you know Shiva and Raj were classmates in College?” asks my youngest cousin Rohini.I sigh and look at our surroundings. We are in a public park half an hour away from my mother's house. It is three in the afternoon. The feast was over and my cousins forced me to come to this park so that their children can play while they catch up with each other and gossip.“Yes,” I reply knowing what her next question will be. My other cousins suddenly seem interested in our conversation. God! They are going to grill me now. My sister seems to be in some other world of her own.“Do you know that Shiva had a love story during his college days?” Rohini asks. “Yeah, I know every detail of the story,” I say with a smile.“When did you know?” asks Vennila a little taken aback by my casual attitude about this matter.“Before our marriage. He informed me about it to me during our first meeting.”“Wait, you married him knowing very well that he had a past relationship?” asks Poornima a little sceptical.“Yes.”“Have you lost your brains?” asks Preetha in a stunned tone. “What if Shiva doesn't love you? Or if you are not like his ex-girlfriend and he leaves you?”“From what Raj told I gather that Shiva was madly in love with that girl. What if Shiva leaves you for her?” asks Rohini.“He will not do something like that,” I say in a confident tone. I am not sure if Shiva is done over Riya. We never had any conversation about that. But I don't think Shiva will do something like that when we are still married. “I don't believe he loves you Gowri,” says Poornima.“Why?”“He hesitated to kiss you yesterday during the photo shoot. Which newly married man will hesitate like that. If he is in love with you then why should he hesitate and let you take the lead?”God! I thought my cousins would not make a big deal of this. But I should have known better.“He is not a great fan of PDA,” I say.“But he was content enough to let a whole college know about his love affair with Riya?” asks Rohini.I exhale slowly trying not to show my anger. They are trying to turn me against Shiva. I could feel my anger rise. They have no right to judge Shiva. “Shiva is done over Riya. She is his past. He. Is. Now. Married. To. Me. Stop trying to create a rift between us,” I say through clenched teeth. I didn't mean to be rude but my cousins are making it difficult. They realise that they have hit the mark and change tactics.“We are concerned about you,” says Meena giving a smile. But it is not a genuine one. I am sure word about Shiva owning a company would have spread to my relatives and my cousins are very aware of the fact. Don't judge me for judging my cousins. I am speaking with experience. I have witnessed their jealousy first-hand. They are envious of my sister for having such a grand wedding. My sister has some issues with getting pregnant. She is taking treatment for it. It was during Rohini's wedding, I heard my cousins speak about Aishu. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but it was hard when they were having their voices high.“Your wedding function is good though not as great as Aishu's,” Meena told.“I am sure no other wedding was as grand as hers,” agreed Poornima.“But what is the use of such a grand wedding when you couldn't bear any children,” commented Preetha with haughty laughter.“That is really sad. But she deserves it. We can't have everything we want. You heard that her husband got promoted to a higher position recently,” told Vennila her voice thick in jealousy.“So what? There is no use in earning money when you can't give birth to a child,” Rohini told.That was the day I learnt to be careful with them. After, that incident I maintained a good distance from them. “If that is the case. Then stop this now. Shiva is my husband and I know him better than you. He isn't the type of man to commit infidelity,” I say in a low tone trying to contain my anger.“Ok, we get it. But we want to be sure that he loves you,” says Meena.”What are you implying?”“Call Shiva and ask him to pick you up from here. If he comes with no questions asked, then we will let you go, then we will believe you.”“But that is ridiculous. I came here in my two-wheeler. Why should I ask him to pick me up?”“That is the point of this test. If he comes to pick up then we will agree that he is in love with you,” says Vennila.“This is total stupidity. I am not participating in this,” I say folding my hands over my chest.“Are you afraid that Shiva won't come?” Preetha asks.I don't answer. Because whether or not Shiva comes doesn't matter. This is stupid and I am going to do this.“I knew from the beginning that you were both acting,” says Poornima to my utter surprise.“What does that mean?” I ask trying to keep my voice firm. Oh Damn! If they find out the truth then I am sure my whole family will know it and that would definitely make things ugly for when we would get the divorce.“If you both are in love then why are you afraid of calling him?”“Maybe you don't believe that Shiva will come,” says Vennila.“You don't want to lose face before us. That is why you are hesitating to call him, right?” asks Rohini.I huff out a breath and take my phone to dial his number. 🍀🍀🍀🍀SHIVA“You should us visit one day with Gowri,” tells Ajay. We both are on the terrace. I open the ice cream as he continues, “Aishu would be happy to have you and her over there.”I smile at him. This man loves his wife so much. We had been conversing for fifteen minutes and he had mentioned my sister-in-law’s name more than five times. “You had a love marriage? Where did you both meet?” I ask.He gives me a nostalgic smile, “We were from the same college but different departments. We both met through a mutual friend. It was love at first sight for her. It took me  time to fall in love with her.”“I heard your parents were against your marriage. How did you convince them?”“That was the real problem in our relationship. I still don’t know how we were able to convince them by we somehow did and had a lavish wedding. It is ironic how your wedding happened compared to ours. After our wedding, everyone hoped Gowri’s wedding would be big, grand and more lavish than ours but in the end, it was simple and normal.”I am about to ask another question when my phone rings. I frown at the screen. It is Gowri. She has gone out to someplace with her cousins. Why is she calling me all of a sudden?Since I am having the ice cream on my hands, I put the phone on speaker and attend the call.“Shiva,” she tells but the line goes dead. I sigh. Gowri and her phone charge! Again, she should have forgotten to charge her phone. Ajay is staring at the phone in surprise.“What?” I ask at his surprised expression.“She calls you 'Shiva'?”“Yes, that is my name.”He shakes his head, “I am just surprised. I thought she wouldn’t use your name because this is arrang-”Before, he could finish, his phone rings. He attends it.“Hello, Aishu,” he says and then after a second, “Oh, Gowri. You want me to get Shiva.”He passes the phone to me mouthing Gowri's name. I bring the phone to my ear and say, “Hello.”“Hello, Shiva,” Gowri speaks. “Sorry, my-”“your phone is out of battery. Right?”“Yes,” she says sounding guilty. “Ac... Actual...Actually..it...is..,” she hesitates.“Love, whatever it is ask away,” I say in a gentle tone. I hear a whispered murmur.“I am at a public park. Can you come and pick me up?”“Didn't you go there in your two-wheeler?”“Yes,” her tone is a little frustrated. “But I want you to come and pick me up. Can you?”Something is up. Gowri, wouldn’t bother me like this. I want to ask what is happening but Ajay is staring at me so, I can't. Therefore, I do what a newly married man who is madly in love with his wife would do.“Okay Love, text me the address,” I say.I hear a relieved sigh and the phone line goes dead. Ajay gives me a funny expression. “Wait, let me guess your thought. Arranged married couples are not allowed to have nicknames. Am I right?” I ask.He laughs, “Maybe I am stereotyped too much about arranged marriage.”🍀🍀🍀🍀SHIVAIt takes me twenty to twenty-five minutes to reach the destination. It is a public park as Gowri told. People are loitering aimlessly. My eyes search for the familiar face. I spot her easily. A group of ladies are sitting and watching the kids play but she is pacing the ground. Even from ten feet distance, I can tell she is nervous. As if sensing my gaze on her Gowri looks in my direction. Her face breaks into a relieved grin and she runs to me.“Sh...Shi...Shiva,” she pants. “I.. am sorry. It was all a game.”Game? So my guess was correct. Gowri looks upset by it. I am sure she was forced to play it.“It is fine,” I assure her. “I am fine with coming to pick up my wife. Let us go.”“Hey,” someone from the ladies shouts. I think that is Meena. “Gowri, you can’t leave us here. What about your two-wheeler?”I open my mouth to offer them a ride but Gowri cuts me off, “Sorry. Shiva's car won’t fit us all. So, better call your husband or book a cab. I am off. Aishu, bring the two-wheeler back. I am going with Shiva.” The ladies groan and murmur something about her being rude but Gowri walks to the entrance without a look back. I walk fast to match her steps. “Hey, you ok?” I ask Gowri. Her hands are shaking and Damn she is furious but trying not to show it out.“I am sorry, Shiva,” she apologizes again. “The phone was on speaker and I couldn’t tell you that this was a game. It was stupid and idiotic. They tricked me into playing it. I am so-”I pull her into a hug.  She stops her apology and loosens up a little. I whisper into her hair, “Love, it is okay. I meant what I said there. Don’t worry. I am not angry or upset.”She gives me a warm smile as I pull away. I take her phone from her hand when we reach the car. I plug it into the charger in my car.“Thanks,” she says with a grin.🍀🍀🍀🍀