A Path Forgotten

Ritikesh entered his house after 2 days and found it eerily quiet, generally he found his wife Kartika sitting in the dining table in her paint salwaar kurti waiting for him in dinner. They generally had their dinner in silence, with some little talks, his wife, Kartika was a lawyer by proffesion, so had joined a legal firm.

He thought as it was really late, she may have gone to sleep but after thoroughly checking the whole house, yet not finding her, he thought that may be she had an overtime, generally after their marriage she never stayed yet he thought to give it try, may be he was not home so she was in office, he called office but was informed they also don’t have any information of her since last 1and ½ days as she took a half day day before yesterday on pretext of being ill.

He then got panicked he tries to call all her friends and her parents but reponse was the same, he remembered that he had a fight with her before he left for business trip for 2 days where he clearly remembered that after his screaming and yelling, she just said “One day, I will forget everything including you and that day you will regret not being there for me.”

It was not that he didn’t loved her, it was just that he couldn’t express it plus his anger issues were too much for her to handle. He called his best friend and told him everything so he replied, “Don’t worry Ritikesh I will be there in few minutes.”  But when arrived he found Ritikesh not in good form as his head was spinning and he was about to fall down when he supported him and took him to hospital.       

In the hospital.

“Don’t worry Mr. Ritikesh, you very well know that you are anemic, so it was just a momentary fit happening. Take rest and if possible don’t stress much.” Said the doctor

As he was coming outside he saw Sanjay, Sanjay Thakral who was a name in their business circle worried, when asked he just cited that his wife and sister had an accident. He gave his good wishes for recovery and left.

But later Ritikesh came to know that Sanjay had lost his parents in an early age whereby he and his sister were raised in orphanage where they both were adopted by different families. After he grew up since years he was trying to find his sister and just yesterday only he had found her singular photo with her address, both his wife and him were super exicted to meet the sister. And this excitement only his wife had took car from driver and was driving when her clashed with one of the ladies, later it was found that she was Sanjay’s sister, that day only  he had important meeting so he reached a bit late, that was serious accident where he found that the both ladies were serious but they went back to Bangalore as soon as the girls were a little better.   

After 2 years,

Ritikesh was in Bangalore for some meting when he spotted Sanjay Thakral in the same club where he was staying, he was there for squash. He also spotted him so when they caught for breakfast, he invited him for dinner at his place which couldn’t refused by Ritikesh as he was also getting bored in the hotel sitting alone.

Later that night when arrived his home, he found him in front a spacious duplex villa in outers of the city with beautiful greenery and a certain kind of familiar warmth . he entered the home to find it painted beautiful shades of warm orange and yellow. There in hall he was shocked to see one full wall size portrait wherein he saw Sanjay standing or said hugging two girls of his age and one of them being Kartika, but feigned ignorance and just then he saw Sanjay there wearing a simple grey cotton shirt and darker grey pants smiling taking his seat. They both chit-chatted a bit where they had a couple of drinks. And he saw there were only servants in the serving, none of the girls and especially the one whom he died to see was there, so he keeping his tone in check asked “So Sanjay, don’t you have a family, only assistants are showing up. And who are girls in the photo?”

Sanjay sobered a bit and said “These are my family,” pointing towards other girl he said “She is my sister, Sangeeta, the one who I told you about, she was victim of domestic violence. So I got her divorced and brought her back with me. And she is…she is…”

“Sir food is served” announced the butler, so they moved to dinner so Sanjay took a sigh of relief that now he doesn’t need to answer about her…but the fate desired something else. Just when they were into desserts, they heard a scream from upper floor and Sanjay ran towards the middle room and lights brightened the room as there were motion sensors, he saw it be a white room with a beautiful bed with total white colour and there sat his Kartika, frightened as he tried to move a bit closer clutching her comforter more to herself. First time, he saw her wearing a sleeveless knee-length nightie, though a decent one. At the same time, he saw there were many photos in her room with Sanjay and his sister. Some of holidays where she is with them genuinely happy, some of work where she wore perfect office wear with knee length tailored skirts and formal shirts and with other people.

It reminded of him how he use to be with her, their was an arranged marriage where he saw her awed of him, she was a lawyer yet he never allowed any kind of freedom but she never complained she adjusted with him so when he said he preferred Indian clothes, so always wore them but slowly under his governs she lost her natural charm, but after years she looked much more relaxed tha she looked with him.

Meanwhile he heard “Tabu, Tabu, see me, Sanjay, me Sanjay. I am here. Don’t worry, he is friend, my friend, Ritikesh. He wont harm you, you go to sleep. Tomorrow early morning you have piano classes. Don’t you. Then we will go and shop in your favourite mall.” Sanjay lullabied her as he lay with her in bed. There was nothing sexual or physical in their touch, yet it seemed that she relaxed comfortably in his voice and slept back.

Sanjay rose from there and signals Ritikesh to leave from there, they sat in the first floor only, in more personal space where he saw more photos of Sangeeta and Karti….Tabu, in each photo he realized that Sanjay made her the person she wanted to be or rather had capabilities, there he saw another room where he saw Sangeeta sleeping peacefully.

Then turning to Ritikesh “She is Tabu, we met 2 years ago in that accident she tried saved my wife from that accident but in bargain she was also hurt, with my wife and sister. In that accident she lost all her memories and remembers only one name ‘Ritikesh’, we tried a lot to find her identity but failed and in turn she became scared of nightmares, still today she has dreams of that accident or else she is fine, now she works with my sister in their boutique. Now both girls live here and this is basically their home and me is just member of this house, but both girls have seen so much trauma that now they both need me.

In that accident I lost my wife, Tabsum, she lost all her life. She is now my responsibility so I brought her to Bangalore from Hyderabad. We are not friends, we are not lovers, she is not my sister, she is not my wife. But we are bonded by something, something so pure and serene that I don’t to even question that we are bonded by pain of loss. She lost her life in that accident and I lost in my life. So now we are companions of each other of loss.”

Ritikesh came from room of Sanjay and he never told the same Ritikesh she calls because in that moment he realized that the lost the chance. And now the girl in front of him was not Kartika whom he knew and married, or to whom he will always regret to not show how much he loved…she was Tabu Sinha, Sanjay’s Tabu, who even kept her knowing that all his life he will never know who this girl is or her history……similarly she will always remind him of his dead wife Tabsum…yet he kept her and gave her the safety and security…May God provide them with peace was all now he wished when he drove from there that night. Smiling sadly thinking ‘Tabsum’ or ‘Tabu’ always meant happiness. So atlast she found her happiness in this world..a new world after losing her world and herself and mumbling “Tabu” he left from there, their little sanctuary………