Crossing the Mirage - Passing Through Youth

Chapter 21 - Stooping to Conquer

When an excited Vasu left on tour, a vengeful Nithya opened the closet to seal his fate. Retrieving his letter from its recess, she gave it the kiss of death and stooping to conquer, she gave it to Chandra for Prema's perusal. Being on her errand though, Chandra was bogged down with a troubled mind, yet he placed the fatal letter before Prema after briefing her about the problem posed by her husband to his wife.

"So you're privy to my proclivities in bed," said Prema finally in disgust. "What's left of me to bare more?"

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to hurt you," he said embarrassedly. "But I don't want him to mess up with my life either. I love my wife and don't want her to get involved again. And there was no way for me than to alert you of his designs."

"I appreciate that," said Prema shamefacedly.

"I know all that was cooked up to curry Nithya's favor," he said feeling hurt for having caused her hurt.

"See what life could come to!" she said nonplussed at the development.

"Oh, how I've hurt you!" he said in hurt. "Now, I realize it's a mistake showing that to you."

"Why do you think so," she said, "when you've opened my eyes."

"How to close his eyes to my wife's charms?" said Chandra. "That's still a problem."

"I wish I could turn him blind," she smiled impishly, "with some sort of a magic wand."

"Jokes apart," he said sounding serious, "won't you speak to him?"

"That might avert your threat," she said contemplatively, "but would it remove my hurt?"

"I think it's time we soften life's blows."

"I too think so," she said contemplatively. "You know I've come to admire you. I know Nithya had a great escape thanks to you, while I remain entrapped with him. I've to admit that what all he wrote about me is true. I'm really cold to him. How can it be otherwise when I'm not even warm to myself?"

"But why," he said surprised, "if I may ask you?"

"Honestly, I myself was thinking of telling you my story," she said turning nostalgic. "But I held myself out of delicacy. It's all so different now and I feel like pouring out to you. What an irony it is that Vasu should've put me at the cross-roads of life for the second time. I tell you that you've many things in common with the man I loved and lost, having been spurred on to err by this man."

"I think your tone betrays the magnitude of your loss."

"So your face shows your concern," she said animatedly. "I wouldn't have found a better man to tell my tale and ironically not a more appropriate occasion for the narration. Don't ask for his name and all, after all, the world is small, and one day, for all I know, you may even come across him. Who knows, he may even become a celebrity some day and why compromise him, should either happen."

"Oh what sensitivity!" he said moved. "I love you for that."

"Know it gives me hope," she said. "I'm the only child of my parents who happen to be rich. As my father doted upon me, he gave me every plaything I fancied. That made all the children hang around in our house and how we used to turn it into a playground! My mom didn't mind that but Vasu, who was one among them, used to be fussy whenever he was at the receiving end. I knew he was a bad loser from the beginning. Come Diwali, and my father used to spend a fortune on fire-crackers and everything else but while goading the boys to light them for me, I always used to close my ears. I grew up enjoying the attentions I received from the neighbors and it was much to do with my father's exalted status that made everyone fete me."