She was standing over his dead body. There were no tears in her eyes... instead there was hatred, because the smile on his face had not faded yet. She watched him, spread on the floor, gracefully. Had it not been for the blood that was oozing from his cuts, it would have looked like he was sleeping. The window opened, bringing in breeze and rainwater. She gasped as if recovering from a trance. Realization washed over her and she dropped the knife in her hands. She bent over picked it again, ran to the kitchen sink and washed it with soap. She knew she had no time before it was all over for her. She was back in the dining area with a bucket of soap water. As she tried to clean the floor she could hear the clock ticking faster and faster. She realized she couldn’t clean the mess she had made. Now was not the time for it. She better flee. She rushed to the telephone and halted... She shouldn’t be using it, she realized. His cell, she thought. She grabbed his cell which was still on the dining table and went through the contacts. Surely it would be saved. Yes it was. She hit the call button.
“Mumbai airport, may I help you?” a young woman answered the call.
“Yes, I need a ticket out of Mumbai” she said a clear panic in her voice.
“Where to ma’m” the lady asked, probably confused by that reply.
“Delhi” she said a bit more composed this time.
“Yes ma’m there is a seat vacant in the next plane which leaves in an hour. Or shall I book for you on the one which leaves at 2am?
“No, no, the first flight is good for me”
“Sure ma’m, whose name should I book the ticket on?”
“Ms. Swati Sharma”
“And may I know your age?”
“35 years precisely”
“Ok ma’m your ticket costs 9500 please pay at our counter, and you should report 30mins prior to the take off. Thank you, we hope you enjoy your flight”
Report before 30mins? That gives me jus 30mins to reach the airport she dashed to the bedroom and opened the closet. Luckily she didn’t have to dig much. She found the envelope in a drawer. She opened it, yes this was it. She took that envelope from there, and kept it in her carry bag. I better get going; I’ll need to go home first, to take few clothes and then stop in the way at ATMs. She saw her reflection in the mirror to make sure there were no bloodstains on her. She brushed her hair quickly, grabbed the bag and was out of the door.
*****
She was in the plane and on her way to Delhi. It was like a miracle that she had managed to get home, grab clothes and take a lot of money out of ATMs in just 30 minutes that too in a city like Mumbai. Now was the painful time that she had dreaded. She had time, time which didn’t let her think about anything other than what had happened few hours earlier. She wasn’t wrong in killing him, she knew that, she didn’t repent doing that. Though she knew she had no right to take his life, she knew that he didn’t deserve to live anyway. Many times had she wondered how could such people exist? And many more times she had pictured herself killing him off… maybe slipping a vial full of poison in his morning cup of tea, or shooting him in the head, or strangling him with bare hands… but now that she had actually stabbed him ruthlessly, she just didn’t feel that that was something she could’ve ever done. But he deserved that a voice in her head told her firmly. Remember what he had done the very night you had got married? She shivered as she remembered. It was like yesterday, she was waiting in the bedroom for her husband. He was out with his friends. It would be anytime now that he would return. She wanted to look her best when he did. She had already bathed... her hair were still wet… a sweet smell was emitting from her body. There weren’t any flowers on the bed as there usually were in every movie she had seen. Isn’t he at all thrilled that we are married? She thought. Don’t be silly of course he is, he just didn’t get enough time to do that. It’s not his mistake that his friends are jerks. She had a little opinion about his friends. They were all petty and self centered. She didn’t know why Ramesh even bothered to be friends with them. She heard the door of their flat. Her heart beats increased ten folds. The anticipation was so sweet. But then her bedroom door was pushed open and in came a group of drunk men, five, she remembered.
“And this is Swati, my Swati…” Ramesh had said, “Use her, apnahi maal samjho” and he had collapsed on the floor. She felt Goosebumps on her body thinking of that night. Stop! she ordered herself to refrain from thinking of that night. But the mind kept on rolling the film. She saw, she felt that night again like many other times.
*****
She was at Delhi airport; she knew she couldn’t stay hidden in India. It was just a matter of time before the Mumbai police tracked her down. That’s what she had been thinking on her way to Delhi, of buying a ticket out of the country as soon as the plane lands. Ramesh’s body was still in the flat, the flat was locked. No one would go there now. I’ll have at least 2 to 3 days before anyone realizes that Ramesh is missing, or before his body starts rotting, she thought. The plan was still not so clear in her mind. She had to leave the country, she knew that. But where would she go? She needed to go somewhere it was hard to be tracked down, somewhere she would start a new life, take up a new identity, be some one different from Swati Sharma. She felt excitement running through her veins. She opened her carry bag to see the envelope she had picked from his drawer. She had to do one more thing before she left the country. She didn’t want to carry this, to the place she was planning to start a new life. She had to destroy the photos and the film. It was the reason Ramesh was dead. Out of all the reasons, this was the final one which killed him.
Swati had no parents, the only one she had in life was her younger sister Seema. Seema was like a child to Swati, she couldn’t think of her getting hurt. It was a priority in Swati’s life to keep her happy. Swati had worked hard in her life to provide all the luxuries of life to Seema. After Seema had passed her HSSC she had sent her to Bangalore for further studies. In fact it was Seema for whom Swati had married at all. She knew that her income alone wouldn’t suffice. And Ramesh seemed promising. She had not dreamt that he would be the reason Seema would be dead.
Ramesh had ruined Swati’s life but she had endured it because she knew, as long as they were married she could send a fat sum of money to Bangalore. After that first night of crucial pain both physical and emotional, she had shifted back to her old apartment. But she had refused to sign the divorce papers. She had made a deal with him; she wouldn’t expose him as long as he kept sending her a cheque of Rs.10000 for 3 years. After which she would give him divorce. He had agreed quite readily. Ten thousand per month was like nothing to him. But he had one condition; he wanted her to be at his service whenever he pleased. She had no alternative but to agree.
One year passed with a few of the torture visits from him. And one fine day she found her baby sister on her doorstep, luggage in her hands, and tears in her eyes.
“Seema?” she was surprised.
“Di, I can’t stay there anymore, he dumped Me.” she said crying.
“What? Who??”
“Ravi, my boyfriend”
“You have boyfriend?”
“Had” she cried louder.
“Okay, okay, come, its alright you don’t have to cry” she gave her a hug.
“He is a dog, he wanted me to do lines for him, but I refused and he dumped me”
“Lines? What lines?”
“Drugs di” she said tear faced, “he was forcing me in front of his friends. When I said no, he felt insulted. And he dumped me”
“But Seema, how did u at all fall in love with some one who did drugs?”
“I don’t know di, he’s so handsome, and when I started dating him I kind of became very popular” she paused, “he is very rich also, he used to pay for my expenses.”
Swati couldn’t help but think of Ramesh. Was it the same everywhere? She thought.
“Its good that he dumped you, you are free to choose a good guy for yourself now and in the meanwhile, you can also concentrate on your studies and carrier” she tried to console her.
Seema started living with her sister from then. Both sisters were happy until one day when Ramesh banged on their door. Swati didn’t want to tell Seema about the marriage and other events for that matter. So when Ramesh came in, she introduced him as her office colleague. Little did she know that time that it was the biggest mistake of her life, not telling Seema about his reality.
It was only after a few months that she realized what she had done. It was when one day Seema came home late at night, highly jubilant about something. When asked she told Swati that she had finally found that special someone, and that she was finally over Ravi. Swati nearly had a stroke when she heard that the guy Seema was talking about was none other that Ramesh. She told Seema everything that night. Both sisters cried till late night. Next morning, Swati woke up to a bright sun. It was late already. Her head was pounding so she decided to call in the office and take a leave. She went in seema’s room only to find her gone, and a note on the bed. ‘di,’ the note said, ‘I’m going very far away frm here, I may not come back 4 a long time, don’t worry abt me, I need sm time, alone… luv u, seema. ps: di, thanx 4 everything’
Swati was shocked and hurt to read the note. She felt extremely worried. She called on the police station and entered an FIR. For two days there was no news. Two extremely painful days they had been. But the third day brought her pain beyond measure. A body had been found which matched the description of the missing; and she had to go to identify the body. She went through the process of identification, her worst fears were confirmed. Indeed it was Seema. She had committed suicide.
Swati’s world turned upside down. Of all the bad things that had happened to her, this was the worst. She decided to confront Ramesh, to hurt him, and to kill him.
She knew she had to wait for the right moment. She couldn’t storm out now. So she controlled her anger and let the grief take over.
*****
She bought the tickets to Switzerland jus because the flight to Switzerland was about to leave, and somehow magically there was availability of a seat on the plane. She couldn’t believe her luck that she got both the tickets, first to Delhi and now to Switzerland. It was like life was offering her a second chance. May be god had finally opened his eyes and seen the injustice that he had done to her. She advanced through the security gates. She felt the thrill of rebirth.
*****
She rang the doorbell of Ramesh’s flat. Seema was long gone now; it had been six months since that night. Many times Swati wondered how life would be if she had told Seema about Ramesh’s truth the very first day. Nothing of this would have happened. She sighed and rang the bell again, Ramesh opened the door. A wicked grin spread on his face when he saw who it was.
“You kept me waiting so long” he said.
“Now I am here you won’t have to wait longer” she said, without a trace of anger in her voice. She was very composed. She knew why she was there. She wanted to do it the way she had pictured it.
“Come on in, lets have a glass of wine shall we?” he let her in, and then went to the bar counter where different brands of alcohol was placed in a flamboyant manner. “Let us drink to the memory of poor Seema, what a sweet girl, let her soul rest in peace.” He said it pouring the wine in the glasses.
“You really shouldn’t be talking about her you know” she said, you will only shorten your life time, if you continue to take her name she thought.
“You are funny, of course we should talk about her, you know live her memories. I have been waiting for so long to tell you things about her, especially those which you aren’t aware of”
“I knew everything about her, she told me everything you said to her, everything you did to her, I haven’t forgiven you Ramesh and I never will.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know how you must be feeling now, but come on Swati I didn’t kill her. She killed herself. You can hardly blame me for that”
Swati didn’t reply to that. She still held him responsible.
“I am wondering now, because you sounded quite confident when you said that she told you everything, why didn’t you come earlier? Weren’t you afraid that I would leak the photos?”
“Photos..?”
There was obvious unawareness in her question. His evil smile was on.
He knew she had no idea about the photos.
“Didn’t she tell you? Oh, of course not.” He answered his own question.
“What photos Ramesh?”
“Photos of her, n mine, you know those kind of pics. They are with me. I was so astonished, that fool agreed so quickly, even you wouldn’t and legally you are my wife.”
“Don’t you dare call her a fool” Swati was losing her temper.
“Of course not, she wasn’t a fool, even a fool wouldn’t. She was a total dumb, mentally handicapped retard. She let me click some awesome photos of our intimate moments, you know while we were making love. I still have them. Was wondering what to do with them I cannot blackmail you. What will I get in return..? You have no money, and I don’t want money I have by god’s grace enough. But then there are other things that you can give me. A divorce for a start, and then…. Well we’ll see about that later” he gave her a dirty look.
That was it
“Where are the photos?” she asked through gritted teeth.
“Oh they are there, safe with me. In my cupboard.” He said coolly.
She pounced at him cutting his throat with the butcher’s knife she had carried with herself. And within seconds it was all over for him.
…end
