In Between The Lines

I was working on a case when my phone rang. Absent minded without even looking at the caller I attended the call. “Hello…”

“Roohi…” The voice of my best friend made me immensely happy. “Megha, wow what a pleasant surprise. How come you are calling me today? And where the hell had you been? No phone no message… what’s going on?” I was super excited as this call was the best thing that had happened to me in the entire day.

“Roohi, I am…” Her voice cracked and I knew something wasn’t right. “Megha, what’s wrong? Tell me.”

“Can you meet me at a coffee shop? I need to talk to you urgently.”

“I am on my way.” I kept the phone down. Hurriedly picked up my bag and went to Prashant’s cabin. Before entering the cabin, I knocked the door. Ironical it was that I was knocking at the door of my husband’s cabin and was asking his permission to come in.

“Yes…”

“Prashant, are you busy?”

Without looking up from his file, he answered me. “Of course I am. What is it?”

“I wanted to go to meet Megha. She called me up and wasn’t sounding so great. So, ummm I was wondering if I could meet her.”

He looked up and his eyes softened. “Roohi, come inside.” I realized that I was still standing on the door and talking to him from there. I went inside and closed the door. He again had started looking back in his file and his eyes motioned me to sit. I sat down obediently and he looked up. “Roohi, you are my wife as well as partner in this law firm. But most important of all you are a free individual. So don’t ever feel the need to ask me where you want to go. Had you just informed me via phone or message it would have been ok. And yeah do invite Megha and Sudhir over dinner. It’s been a long time since we had some fun.”

His attention turned back to the file and I hurriedly exited the cabin. Right now my meeting Megha was more important than thinking what sweet words Prashant had uttered just now. I reached the coffee shop only to find Megha already waiting for me. Her face looked pale as if color had drained out. I hugged her and she held my hand as if gathering strength to tell something. “What has happened Megha, tell me.”

“I am going to divorce Sudhir.”

“What?” I realized that I had almost screamed and gathered attention for myself. I maintained my calm and looked at her with questioning eyes.

“It’s not working Roohi. It seems like we are two strangers who are living under one roof. Two well mannered strangers. He doesn’t stop me from doing anything nor do I. But I don’t think any of us have a reason left to be with each other. I can’t bear it. I loved this man at one point of my life. And now I don’t know if he was the same man or not. He’s perfect. But not someone I fell in love with. With whom I dreamt of retiring and living near the beach side. And now I can’t do it anymore. And for this I need your help. Sudhir is not giving me divorce. So, I want you to take my case. I don’t need anything. Not a single dime. I just don’t want this hollow marriage. Help me Roohi, please.”

I looked at Megha and I wasn’t able to decipher what she was saying. They were an ideal couple. Sudhir was a top level Manager in an MNC whereas Megha was an elite interior designer. College sweethearts who later on became man and wife. And now she wanted to end the relationship. But I didn’t ask her anything. I didn’t try to reason her that she should try to save the marriage. I held her hand and gave her an affirmative nod that I would help her out. After staying with her for a pretty long period of time I reached home. Prashant wasn’t home till now and I had a slight idea that he might be with Sudhir. After all they are best friends. My big house might be an element of jealousy for people but I had no idea when it became a house from home. I prepared dinner. Even with a full time maid, I knew that Prashant liked to eat food cooked by me. The table was already laid when the bell rang. The maid opened the door and I saw Prashant entering the living room. “Guess what Megha and Sudhir have filed for a divorce. And this petition has been filed by Megha. What the hell happened to her? Do you know in what mental state Sudhir was? God! I can never get what you women want.”

I laid down his plate. Prashant was furious over Megha and I was wondering if it was the right time to tell him that I was going to be Megha’s lawyer. But it had to be told sooner or later. “Prashant I am Megha’s lawyer. I guess you’ll be Sudhir’s.”

“What? Are you out of your mind? You are fighting the case? And here I thought you would be telling your friend that she has gone out of her mind.”

“Prashant, she’s my friend just like Sudhir is yours. I have to be with her.”

“Fine,” saying this he started eating his food. He was sitting on one corner of the dinning table and I was on another. And there was a strange silence. After dinner we retired to our rooms. I knew that sleep had evaded our eyes still no one was talking. Maybe because our own emotions were in turmoil. Soon the day of the case hearing came. In my entire profession, this was the first time that I was fighting a case against Prashant. I knew he didn’t like it. But he chose to remain silent on it. Suddenly we were not Mrs. and Mr. Awasthi, but we were Prashant and Roohi. The hearing started. It felt odd. But one look at Megha’s face made me remind that she needed me right now. I was still in terror of fighting a case against Prashant, who was not only my husband but also the man whom I have always dearly loved. Suddenly in Prashant’s voice I heard my name. I looked up in surprise and saw that the court was waiting for me to proceed further. I gathered up all the strength that I could muster and went to the witness box.

“Mr. Sudhir, how long it has been that you both have been married?”

“7 years.”

“That’s a long time. Can you tell me what’s the reason that your wife has filed for a divorce?”

“I have no idea.”

“But still she might have told you something about why she wants to end your beautiful and nearly perfect love marriage?”

“Ms. Roohi,” I suddenly froze as I realized it was Prashant’s voice. “For your information let me tell you that my client has never abused his wife leave alone any kind of physical violence. She enjoys all the rights and has a complete freedom of her own. He has no extra marital relationship and has supported his wife in every deed that she had done. And I think so that you should ask your client why she has filed for a divorce rather than asking mine. There’s has been a perfect marriage”

 There was a complete silence in the courtroom. But suddenly I found my voice and answered, “Mr. Prashant let me correct you, it has not been a perfect marriage. A perfect marriage isn’t one in which nobody has extra-marital relationships or where you enjoy freedom.”

“Then what according to you is a perfect marriage?”

“Where the partner talks with one another. Mr. Sudhir when was the last time you talked to your wife? And talked doesn’t mean sharing cricket news or news around the globe. Talked in the sense really talked.”

Prashant laughed in between and I turned to look at him. “Seriously Ms. Roohi, is this the reason your client has given you to terminate a marriage? I don’t know about you but I am thoroughly amused. I must say this is for the first time that such reason is going to break a happy marriage.”

“Mr. Prashant, I can’t blame you for not understanding it. You don’t know how it is to live with a complete stranger in your house. You have no idea how it feels like when suddenly out of nowhere your home becomes a house. You don’t know how it feels like when the man with whom you are spending your life with has nothing to say to you. You don’t know how to deal with the fact that the spark is no more there and none of you can count a single reason as to why you should live together. You don’t know how it feels like when at times you think if you have committed a mistake by giving a name to this relationship. You don’t know how it feels like when you ask this question to yourself every single minute as to where the things went wrong?”

“And you think you know all these feelings?” Prashant challenged me.

“Yes, I do.” Suddenly again that ear deafening silence enveloped the courtroom. Prashant was looking at me with hurt and surprise. I don’t know how come my own emotions were presented in a stark naked form in front of everyone. But I again found my voice, as if I wasn’t finished. “All these things make a perfect marriage. The need to remain together makes a marriage perfect. The bond and the…”

“Oh cut the crap Ms. Roohi. Now don’t say that a perfect marriage involves the husband to sing songs on some exotic locations or to dance on the tunes of a film around the trees. We are living in a competitive cynical world and we have to be practical.”

“I’m not talking of the filmy romance that we come across the screen. But I am talking about the bond that drives two people to live together. I agree that we are living in a cynical world of tough competition but is it worth to forget our relationships and then survive. For every one of us they are an ideal couple, then what went wrong? A couple who at one point of time in their life made numerous excuse to ditch a party just to be with each other, what went wrong that they started throwing a party every fortnight? How come two talkative people had nothing left to say to each other once they were alone?

Prashant was quiet and was looking at me intently. I knew I was on the verge of breaking down so I turned away. “There is no doubt that Sudhir is one of the best guys I have ever known. I am not saying that it was just his fault. But yes this is the reason for this marriage of falling apart. It may not be a milestone reason that you might have come across. But trust me they are more painful than any hurt or betrayal. What would be more painful than the man with whom you fell in love with becoming a stranger for you? My client has been in love with her husband but right now she’s not in the frame of mind to live with an unknown man for the rest of her life.”

Silence prevailed in the courtroom. Prashant looked at me like he was trying to read me. He knew that these were not Megha’s words but my own. He knew that I hadn’t presented Sudhir and Megha’s marriage in front of everyone but my own. I was shaking and remained in that state for a long time. I had no idea when the court was adjourned. I never knew when Megha tried to support me but seeing Prashant on my side left.

“Roohi, come.” Prashant came towards me but when I didn’t make any movement he gathered me and walked towards the car. I sat on my seat. “Biwi, seat-belt.” But it seemed the voice wasn’t reaching my ears. He buckled the seat-belt and drove the car. After a point of time Prashant stopped the car and looked at me. I don’t know what happened but I started crying. Actually howling would be a better word. Prashant gathered me in his arms and was rocking me in hope that I might stop crying but somehow it never stopped. “What if… what if we…”

Maybe Prashant realized what I was trying to say. He hugged me more hard and was giving me assurance that it won’t happen with us. I had no idea how I reached home. I was still sobbing but I could feel Prashant tight and assuring arms around me giving me strength that this time would pass. In my half sleep I could make out that someone called him. Prashant switched off his phone, lied just next to me and his grip tightened. “Trust me dear, I’m not going to let it happen to us. I might have forgotten to show you that how much I love and need you but I haven’t forgotten that I love you.” I somehow relaxed and my nightmare slowly diminished in my mind.