HER LAST WISH

Part 13

Astha was already home when I got back.
“How did you get home early? I had asked you not to commute by public...”
Before I could finish my sentence, Astha hugged me tight and started crying like a baby. It was a repetition of what I had done with Papa. Only this time, I had to be the confident one. I had to be her rock; I couldn’t afford to be weak.
“Hey,” I said consoling her, “What happened?”
She chose to be silent, which was abnormal for Astha.
“How did you get home early, sweetheart?” I asked again. She was still buried in my arms.
I loosened my grip around her, cupped her cheeks, looked into her brownish eyes, and asked gently, “What happened, Astha?” I was a bad actor, but she was
too sad to notice my hopelessness.
“Vijay, I lost my job.”
“Oh!” I said sympathetically, but quickly added, “Well, don’t you see it?
Finally some good news! It has happened for the good. It is destiny’s way of telling you that it is high time you chase your dreams.”
“I fail to understand what is going on around me,” she sobbed.
I chose to ignore her remark and picked up my college magazine which was lying around. I held it up for her to see and said, “You can be a writer.”
“Writers are the least paid, Vijay.”
“Astha, I want you to be a writer because you wanted to be one at some point in time. Remember, it is not about the money. When you get a job, millions of others do the same thing as you do for a living. But you have the sole custody of your life,” I philosophized.
“Vijay, is that really you? You are the not the same person.” I shrugged and frowned while she continued, “But what about our expenses?”
“You don’t have to worry. I have been promoted, remember?”
“Mr Vijay Sharma! You are behaving as if you have become a millionaire overnight. What increment have they offered?” she remarked sarcastically.
“Forget about all that. What did your idiot boss say?”
“You know what, for the first time in my duration at Axis Bank, I saw my boss regretful of making a decision. When he apprised me of my probation result, I could easily sense the pain in his voice and the sad look on his face only confirmed my doubts.”
“Firing an employee is always painful.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” she said and sighed.
“Now listen carefully,” I said gearing up, “don’t try to travel by public transport again. I am very serious about it.”
“I didn’t travel by public transport, Vijay. A colleague dropped me home.”
“Oh! Who?”
“My boss, Mukul Mathur.”

●●●

Next day, I called up Sargam to enquire about Daniel.
“He was a common friend of ours,” Sargam lied. I knew, because the description from Astha’s diary was non-compliant with Sargam’s answer. It was
difficult for me to get Sargam to spill the beans .
“Listen Sargam,” I said with utmost patience, “I hope you are not treating me as your best friend’s husband. I am your friend too and you can tell me the truth because I know that Daniel cannot be just a friend.”
“Actually,” she said hesitantly, “Daniel is her ex-boyfriend.”
I was not surprised, because for a girl like Astha, her not having a boyfriend would have come as a surprise to me. I asked further, “Where is he nowadays?”
“He is currently working with Barclays Bank in Gurgaon as an investment
banker.”
I wasn’t sure of what I was about to ask, but I still tried to face it. “What could possibly be the reason that Astha would need to apologize to him?”
“Because she decided to marry you without even informing him. Daniel was studying at California State University then. He had requested Astha to wait for
him until he got back. But Astha had made her decision. Daniel is a Roman Catholic and his family wasn’t ready to accept a Hindu daughter-in-law.”
I felt nothing. No desperation. No sadness. I had no idea how to react. I stood calmly and mustered the courage to shoot my next question at Sargam, the most difficult one. “Are they still in contact?”
“I am not sure, Vijay. Daniel returned to India the same day you married
Astha.”
“Do you have his contact details by any chance?”
“Yes, I do. But I’ll share them with you only under one condition.”
“I am ready for anything.”
“What exactly is wrong with Astha?”
“I’ll tell you, but only if you promise to keep it to yourself.”
“ I hope you are not treating me like Astha's friend. I am your friend too."