Rikara Scribblings by Savina

The Trial Honeymoon : Part 14

Omkara stood by the pool, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers, while staring at the dark sky in a blank state of mind. After he'd reached back to the hotel, he'd been feeling a strange sense of uneasiness. His father had given him a cold look, and had asked to talk with him in private. Riddhima had settled in her suite after wishing him a good night, and it was then that Tej had asked him to meet him by the pool. "Finally, you listened to at least one thing that I asked of you; to meet me here and talk to me." Tej said walking into the empty space by the pool. Omkara remained unfazed about Tej's sudden appearance behind him. "You wanted to talk about?" Om asked, still staring at the sky. Tej shook his head and came straight to the point, "Why did you sleep with that girl, Om?" At this, Om turned around with a slight shock registered on his otherwise expressionless face. Before he could say anything, Tej held out the wallet and the belt; Om stared at it. She'd met his father; she'd told him about their affair. Om felt a sudden anger rising within him.

"Why, Om? When you were engaged to Riddhima, why did you sleep with that woman?" Tej did not beat round the bush, and asked him without any inhibitions. He continued, holding out that wallet and belt, "She'd come a while ago, with an intent to return this; at least that is what she claimed." Om looked at Tej trying to confirm if Gauri told him anything, "What did she tell you?" Tej chuckled, "The woman tried to put on an innocent mask and tried to gain sympathy with her tears. But I know such women better. They first seduce someone rich, and then play victim. Bloody cheap, gold-digging wh**e..." "DAD" Om said in a harsh tone, "She's not a... don't call her that!" Om couldn't bring himself to say the word his dad had used so casually to describe her, for he knew that Gauri was not someone of ill-character. She was as innocent and untainted; he could vouch for it; after all, she had lost her virginity to him. Hearing his father talk such rubbish about the woman he loves, Om could barely contain the anger within him.

His thoughts were abruptly halted when he heard Tej laugh maniacally. Omkara looked on, while Tej wiped the tears in his eyes, "Ohh my my! Omkara, you're in love with that girl!" Tej said, still laughing mirthlessly. Om looked on, at the way his father laughed at him in a mocking manner. Feeling insulted and angry, Om said, "Yes, I love her. I do love Gauri, a lot. What's wrong in that?" Tej's laughter stopped abruptly, "What's wrong? You're committed to Riddhima, and you ask me what's wrong in being in love with another woman?" Om rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, "See, Dad, I am marrying Riddhima, okay? I gave you as well as the Gupta's my word, and I am not going back on my promises. So please; please don't bother about what I feel for Gauri."

Tej stood next to Omkara in silence for a few minutes, and then, looking away from him, he said, "Years back, she said the same thing. She gave me her word. Yet she did elope with her lover." Omkara didn't need to be told whom his father was speaking of... Mrs. Jhanvi Oberoi. "Today, you proved you're Jhanvi's son, indeed, and that you have her upbringing!" Omkara turned to look at his father, who refused to look at him. Om felt sick at those words, as if a tight knot had formed in the pit of his stomach. All these years he hated the woman, who left his father and him for another man. He hated the woman to the extent that he did not want to acknowledge her as his mother. To be labelled exactly the same way as the person you once hated so vehemently was something that no person would ever want it to happen, even in his wildest dreams. Yet, here was Omkara, standing by his father, staring hard at him for loss of words at how he ad equated Jhanvi and Omkara.

"How can you say..." Omkara couldn't even come to complete his sentence, and found himself choking. His father did not say anything, but Omkara could see the utter disappointment on his face. With a sigh, Tej turned to look at Om, "Tell me I'm wrong, Om? Tell me you're not like her; that you did not stray from your relationship; that you did not sleep with another woman." Omkara couldn't defend himself for he could clearly see the parallels. His mother, despite being committed to his father, fell into a forbidden love affair with Kali Thakur. Om, being committed to Riddhima, fell in love with Gauri. He'd become just like his mother!