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What have I done to my life? she asked herself, regrets, a million regrets, taking over her heart.
And that was how, just like that, without any fanfare and over as mundane an issue as a misplaced credit card, domestic violence crept into her marriage.
Domestic abuse.
From the outside, looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside, looking out, you can never explain it.
10
Two weeks had passed since Diwali, and Atharv had still not been able to get in touch with Koyal. Koyal was not picking up her phone, Mayuri maintained silence, Atharv had been to their usual joints multiple times without as much as catching a glimpse of Koyal. A dreadful, sinking feeling that something was horribly wrong was beginning to take firm shape.
And he was not wrong.
Later that day, Dr Jayakrishna called him. Atharv had to but hear the ‘hello’ to know that his father was the angriest he had ever known him to be.
‘What has happened between you and Koyal?’ he thundered, coming straight to the point.
Something dropped in the hollow of Atharv’s stomach. ‘What? Nothing!’
‘Atharv, I am asking you again, tell me clearly what has happened and we will deal with it together as a family. There is no shame in having made a mistake.’
‘Dad! Stop scaring me. Nothing has happened!’
‘Then why has Koyal left her degree midway and come back to her parents? Why is she refusing to go back and why has she told her family that they should have nothing to do with you or us?’
‘What?’ Atharv stared at the wall in front of him, bewildered. ‘Dad, please trust me, nothing has happened.’
Koyal had left her degree midway? Why? Oh, that mad, mad, mad girl!
‘Mr Raje called me, Atharv, and the way he spoke to me – I have never ever been spoken to like that. He insisted that Koyal’s future is doomed, she is going to be education-less and possibly jobless, and you are to blame.’
‘Dad…’
‘Atharv.’ Atharv could sense that Dr Jayakrishna was struggling to keep calm. ‘Did you and Koyal … umm … is Koyal pregnant?’
‘WHAT! Dad! No!’ exclaimed Atharv. ‘Nothing has happened, no argument, nothing. In fact, I was supposed to meet her at IMI the other day and she never turned up. I will leave for home today. I will come and speak to her. I will find out what happened.’
‘You know where she she lives?’
‘Eh?’ Atharv mumbled, bewildered. ‘Down the road from us?’
‘The Rajes moved.’
Atharv became still. ‘What? When?’
‘Last week. Mr Raje was offered a promotion and he obviously accepted it.’
‘But Koyal never told me!’ Atharv ran his fingers through his hair, feeling closer to tears than he had in years.
‘They did not tell us anything either. Mrs Raje has stopped all communication with Mummy, and Mr Raje called to shout and scream at us. I don’t know how to help them if even you don’t know what has upset Koyal. It is not looking good.’
‘But Mummy and Koyal’s mum are best friends!’
‘Were,’ said Dr Jayakrishna in a tone that made it quite obvious to Atharv that any hope of reconciliation between the families was going to be impossible. Atharv wondered why funerals were only held when people died. The death of a friendship was as tragic.
‘I don’t know what is going on, Dad, but I am very worried, very worried. And I swear I have not done anything wrong. Please trust me,’ mumbled Atharv, surprised at the stinging tears that had appeared from nowhere. I am not going to cry, the young man said furiously to himself, gulping with difficulty and bringing his hand to wipe off the tears that were already rushing down his face.
Friendship is all about understanding and being understood. Atharv could no longer understand the behaviour of the Raje family. Maybe, in a few days, things would be okay? Surely they would be okay. ‘Koyal will get in touch,’ he told himself. ‘It’s not possible for her not to.’
