IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO

Maya was very disturbed. It had all built up for the last month or so, since first Saturday of the last month to be precise, when she had tagged along with Abhi to one of his office get-togethers. Such parties with spouses were rare but with the stocks of Indo-Pacific Bank reaching an all time high, this time the management decided to throw a big bash at the Grand Hyatt.

She bumped into Sylvia for the first time that evening. A 20-something with a quirky sense of dressing, clean face lines and a lithe figure with curves at all the right places, she was attractive with a capital ‘A’. She had joined Abhi’s team as Manager Corporate Communication just a few weeks ago. Abhi seemed to be going a ga-ga over her and she followed each word of his like a puppy in adulation. Maya’s womanly sixth sense seemed to instantly pick her up as a potential rival for Abhi’s affections. Not that Abhi was one with a roving eye; on the contrary he was the quintessential ‘one-woman-man’, a suave, soft spoken guy with a solid middle class background and values.

This time, the sixth sense just refused to stop ticking. Abhi too invariably discussed over dinner almost everyday as to how smart and creative Sylvia was. Maya cringed each time he mentioned Sylvia’s name, but still held on her horses and did not confront him with her suspicions.

When she couldn’t take it anymore, she gave a call to Sanjay. Sanjay was Abhi’s colleague and her ‘rakhi’ brother. He too was from Indore as was she, and they shared quite a few common friends back home. He also happened to be Abhi’s batch mate at IIM-A and also the most eligible bachelor in the Indo-Pacific team.

He had sensed trouble when Maya had given him a frantic call one afternoon to meet her at her house and specifically warned against disclosing the rendezvous to Abhi. He knew he was right the moment he saw her woebegone face. “What is it Maya? You look pretty worried”, he asked her in a concerned tone.

Maya almost instantly blurted, “It is about Sylvia! Abhi has gone ballistic over her. What the hell is going on between my husband and that bitch?”  Maya's patience was at its lowest ebb and she was ready to burst.

Sanjay knew that she was serious. “Look, Maya. There is nothing going on between the two of them. Just a little bit of healthy flirting, I'd say.”

“Flirting? Healthy flirting? Really Sanjay . . .” she rolled her eyes in disgust. “That's what you men call it? There is nothing healthy about flirting, Sanjay, not for a married man.
Healthy flirting is a term introduced by perverted men who want to lend legitimacy to their extramarital dalliances. Flirting invariably has a sexual connotation to it.” She got up from her seat and walked around the room gesticulating and muttering something to herself. Suddenly she stopped, turned back, looked at Sanjay and asked, “Did my husband sleep with her? You are his friend. Did he ever tell you anything about it?”

Sanjay looked both shocked an embarrassed. “Look Maya! Stop imagining things. I know Abhi back from B School days- he has his head, heart and moral values absolutely in the right place. He loves you more than anything else. Have you forgotten the moment when he snapped all ties with his parents, just because they did not agree to him getting married to you?”

“Sanju, I don’t know how to put it across to you. Call it a primordial female intuition or whatever, but I sense something amiss here. Just tell me, are you going to help me or not?” lamented Maya.  

“Okay, since you are not giving me much of choice, tell me what do you want me to do…should I talk to Abhi and confront him about this?” said Sanjay sounding defeated by Maya’s emotional outburst.

“You will do no such thing….just keep a sharp eye on him and please be truthful to me, whatever it is….if you have any regard for me at all!” said Maya.

Sanjay thereafter left back to office, looking relieved that his brief meeting with Maya was finally over. It had been an uneasy 20 minutes for him. His best friend’s pretty wife who also happened to be his foster-sister telling him to spy on her husband and report back to her seemed straight out of a cheap paperback.

 Abhi got back as usual around 7:30 PM that night. “Hi Maya! Anything the matter? You don’t look too well” he asked, in almost a matter of fact tone. “Nothing I can’t handle myself..” snapped Maya. “Whoa! Madam, you don’t seem to be in a good mood at all”, said Abhi. “I have a bad headache. There is food in the fridge, heat it up and have it…I am going to bed”, retorted Maya.

Maya hit the sack and tossed and turned around trying to get sleep. Abhi in the meantime had dinner, showered and with a causal “Good Night” went to sleep like a baby, tired from a hectic day at work. Maya got even angrier, seeing him sleep off in such a nonchalant manner while she rolled around in fitful sleeplessness. Finally slumber overtook her tired and disturbed mind and she too drifted into somnolence.

She got up later that night with a start, feeling thirsty and felt around in the darkness for the water bottle. She suddenly realized that Abhi was not here besides her. With a dark foreboding she got up to see what he was upto. She found the light of the second bedroom on, and the door slightly ajar. On tip toes she went upto the door and peeped in. She found Abhi reclining on the bed with his laptop in front of him on a Skype chat with someone. “At this hour? ….could it be that woman?” she thought. She changed angles to view the screen of the laptop and stifled a shout when she saw the skimpily clad form of Sylvia on the screen animatedly talking to Abhi and Abhi whispering sweet nothings to her in return. Maya could take it no more. She barged into the room screaming “So this is what you are upto Mr Abhishek Singh…the real thing at office and the virtual thing at home! I won’t leave you…I’ll drag you to the courts”. Abhi seemed to be taken totally by surprise and in a reflex action struck her on her cheek.

“Maya, Maya..what’s wrong? Are you okay?”, she saw Abhi’s anxious face looking at her, gently slapping her cheeks to wake her up. She was still in bed. “Did you have a bad dream Maya? You were screaming something about not leaving me and God knows what not”. Maya was embarrassed and mumbled that she was fine. Abhi reluctantly went back to sleep and she too dozed off after some time.

She got up the next morning with a splitting headache probably due to the disturbed sleep she had at night. “Maya, you don’t look well. I think we should meet the doctor right away. I’ll call up work and tell them that I’ll be slightly late”, said a concerned Abhi, looking at her tired dark circle rimmed eyes. “No I’m okay! Just lack of sleep….will take rest today. I think I should be okay by evening”, muttered Maya. Abhi reluctantly left for work once Maya insisted that she was okay.

Later in the day she called up Sanjay. “Sanju, you have not told me anything about what’s happening in the office from the time we last met. Is that all that you care for my words?”. “Don’t be silly Maya. Everything is just fine. The two just exchange some harmless banter once or twice a day that’s all” said Sanjay’s voice at the other end of the line. Maya hung up muttering to herself, “Guys are all the same. No one is going to help me. I will have to do something myself before my marriage is wrecked”.

She quickly changed her clothes and went downstairs from their 11^th Floor Apartment and asked the Security Guard to hail a cab for her. “Bhaiya! Take me to Nariman Point” she told the Cabbie. Soon they were opposite the building on whose fifth floor was Abhi’s office. She got down from the Cab and paid off the driver. She took position at  a small coffee shop overlooking the building and from where she had a clear view of the entry/exit of the building. After about 2 hours and as many coffees, she suddenly sat up. It was indeed Abhi….with Sanjay and a third person who was unmistakably that bitch Sylvia, this time in dapper business attire looking even prettier than the last time they met. Maya felt she would explode as she saw them laugh and back-slap before Sanjay shook hands and left for somewhere else. Abhi and Sylvia continued to share what seemed a funny joke and walked to Abhi’s car. Abhi then helped her with her bag and what appeared to be a laptop, started the car and then both zoomed away seemingly in gay abandon. Maya was aghast “I’ll never forgive Abhi! Some cheek he has to take his new found girl friend around in the car which my father gave him during our wedding…How dare he!!”. Big salty tears streamed down her pretty face and Maya began sobbing loudly, more or less convinced of Abhi’s infidelity. She pulled herself together after some time and took a cab back home.

She could not resist a call to Sanjay on the way, “Sanju, I saw you today laughing and backslapping with that bitch and that dog of my husband. From now on, I don’t expect any help from you. If you can, just get me a one way train ticket to Indore…I want to go to my parents”.  “Calm down behna! It is not what you think….there is nothing happening between them” said Sanjay in an assuaging tone. “Cut it out Sanjay! I am not a child. Just tell me if you can get me the ticket or not otherwise I will go to the station and buy it myself” snapped Maya rudely. “Okay chill! I will fix up you tickets…but still think about what you are doing” conceded Sanjay.  

She ignored Abhi when he got back from work that evening. She purposely got up late the next morning and did not see off Abhi. Sanjay sent her an SMS around noon that her tickets were booked in the evening train on 14^th of April, three days hence.

Maya did not speak to Abhi at all for the next two days except in mono syllables when utmost necessary. On the evening of 13^th April she decided to break the news of her coming to her parents. One minute into the phone-call and she was in tears and rattled out everything to her Mother. Her mother was shocked “Why don’t you speak to Daamadji and ask him, there might be nothing between them at all..or should I speak. I will be calling you both tomorrow in any case, to wish you both a happy anniversary”. “No, there is nothing to speak, I just want to leave this place” said Maya. Sensing the mood she was in, Maya’s mother decided to leave it at that and speak to her in person once she was in Indore.

14^th April dawned and it was Abhi and Maya’s 5^th wedding anniversary. She found Abhi getting ready for office as usual. “Hi Maya! You okay? I have to leave a little early today as I have an important Board meeting, will get late in the evening too”, said Abhi and left for office. “The Rascal has even forgotten our anniversary! He is so smitten by that bimbo of his…”, Maya was all ready to have another session of sobbing all over again. Her stupor was broken when her mobile shrilly rang- it was her Mom and Dad. “Happy Anniversary Beta!” said her father’s voice at the other end. “What anniversary? You son in law didn’t even wish me in the morning, let alone anything else” sobbed Maya. “Don’t worry child I am sure he must have been pre occupied with work. We know him well. He is a gem of a boy” cooed her Mother. Maya angrily cut the call. “They will never understand! Gem of a boy..my foot! Anyways good thing I would have left before he is back.” she muttered. She had tied up with Sanjay to get dropped at CST Station at 7:00 PM. Her train was at 7:30. She had also sworn him not to mention a word to Abhi until she had left. 

She spent the rest of the day packing. At 6:45 PM sharp, Sanjay was there to pick her up. He helped her with her suitcase and bag and loaded it into the car without a word. They drove in silence. The car turned towards the road leading to Taj Palace Hotel. “Why are you taking this route Sanju?” asked Maya. “Nothing! I just need to pick up some muffins I ordered for Uncle and Auntie in Indore. I know your Dad loves them”.

The car pulled up at the hotel and Sanjay gave the keys to the Valet.  “Why don’t you wait in the lobby, it is warm here. I might take a few minutes to get the stuff packed” said Sanjay as he led her into the lobby.

She sat at the lobby, disinterestedly surveying the passersby. She was suddenly feeling very low and empty. Abhi…who rebelled against the world to marry her, was now doing this to her- it was too much to digest. Tears again welled up in her kohl rimmed eyes.

Her mobile rang. “Hey Maya! I have got confused with the muffin flavours, can you just come over to the bakery and help me” said Sanjay at the other end. Though slightly irritated she walked upto the bakery. A smiling sales girl at the counter told her that special packings were done in the room adjacent. She went to the room a little confused. It looked like a convention room and was dark.

She pushed the door, and it opened. “Sanjay, where are you?” said Maya apprehensively stepping inside the room.

Suddenly there was a bang and a flash and the lights came on. She could not comprehend- she saw the smiling faces of Abhi, Sanjay, Sylvia, Mom, Dad and a number of other colleagues of Abhi all gathered there with a large 3 tiered cake in the centre. “Happy Anniversary! Abhi and Maya..” they all shouted in unison and before she realized, Abhi had planted a wet kiss on her lips with all cameras going off. “Wha…what is this? “ was all that she could blurt – her mind whirling.

“Darling! Thank you for the five most wonderful years of my life..” said Abhi kneeling down ceremoniously before her and opened a small red box revealing a beautiful ring studded with a magnificent solitaire. He gently slipped the ring on her finger and gently kissed her hand.

Maya’s cheeks flushed to an embarrassed pink. She then saw Sanjay smile- “By the way Maya, let me formally introduce you to my fiancé – Sylvia- I believe you have already met”. Maya could not get her eyes to meet Sylvia’s and she shyly shook her hand.   “I don’t believe this Abhi, Mom, Dad, Sanju, all of you part of this…” she muttered under her breath.

“Sweetheart! I sensed it the very first time that you were uneasy of Sylvia’s proximity to me. So we all planned this little game just to assuage your fears once in for all and convince you that you are the only girl I will ever love! By the way Sylvia and Sanjay are getting married next month- the most eligible bachelor of Indo-Pacific has finally succumbed!  After all it takes two to Tango!” said Abhi with a twinkle in his eye.