Page 91 - DENG202_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_III

Elective English—III

Notes Soon after marriage, a flamboyant Sunil was often found teasing his sister-in-law more than
quite often. What started as a leg-pulling gesture turned into something forbidden by the rest of
the family members. Within a couple of years, the blossoming charm became a thorn in the eye
of the married sister.
Then one fine day, the catastrophe had hit. “I don’t want you to talk to her.” An enraged Madhu
had finally blurted out sharply to her husband.
“Why? What happened?” inquired Sunil with a well-cast concerned, innocent look on his face.
However, Silent outside but his insides were restless. He cursed his fate, which was going all
haywire. He had already played his game well and was already on the receiving end of his
efforts, when the bomb had exploded.
Despite the imploring look, Madhu had waved away her husband’s consoling pursuits and
carried on, “I just don’t like the way you two huddle and scheme things in corners. It looks
strange and now people also have started saying stuff.” “You don’t understand what all I have to
hear from them”, she cried out.

”So you care about people and not me? Is it a kind of an accusation?” he had asked innocently.
Madhu was firm and she had replied, “Yes it is. Considering your old habits, I am bound to think
like that but, let me remind you if you don’t mend you ways, I’ll have to speak to her.” With that,
she had barged out of the room, picking up her two-year old son then.
And indeed the warning came in like a life threatening disease to Amrita. After just a few days
since the duo left, Madhu had called Amrita.
“Enough damage has occurred and I and my family are not in a position to bear another blow,
especially if it is from my own sister. So please promise me that you will never share any kind
of communication with Sunil from now on.”
Amrita was devastated. No communication, no connection? How will she survive alone in the
lonely bad world? She had started cherishing the companionship as it was a route to freedom
from monotony and loneliness. A bond, from which she had expected support and friendship,
and maybe a harmless little more, stood ruined by the foolishness of her sister, who she thought
had a narrow-minded approach.
When the matter was confided by Amrita into her close friend, Sangeeta, she too had surprisingly
no supportive words to soothe her.
“I think she is right. Even I would’ve reacted the same way as Madhu has.”
Amrita still remembers how coldly and unsympathetically Sangeeta had continued, “You’ve
got to understand dear that you might be ruining their marriage in the hope of a friendship,
which will spell nothing but doom into not just one but many people’s lives.” For Sangeeta the
only way to maintain dignity was by severing all ties with the man who had brought a whole
new meaning into Amrita’s lonesome world. What if she had to splurge material comforts on
him? In return, he gave her peace of mind, which was more vital than anything else was.
Had she told her to sever all ties with the rest of the world, the idea would have seemed sensible
but the actual plan suggested, was heart wrenching. However, Amrita did not execute the plan.
On the contrary, she had stuck to her wisdom.
Irrespective, of the harshness in those words, she had gone ahead to share a clandestine
relationship with Sunil, which remained out of focus from the eyes of the other family members.
Since then, her secret world with Sunil had been challenging. Her life had witnessed several
turns of betrayal by Sunil but each time she rose as a winner. Her desperation and foolish
wisdom had allowed her to have Sunil as a trophy at the cost of her dignity.

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