Piyali howled after she was sure he would have left the apartment. Why?  Why must her life remain incomplete all the time? Why couldn’t she have the security and completeness she had felt with Mukundo in last few weeks? What was so wrong with her that her marrying Mukundo so terrified her mother. “If you do not send him away right now,” her mother had told her on phone, “You will see me dead, I promise you.” Piyali had been shaken. At the beginning of the call, after she had gotten over the shock that her mother already knew about them, she had tried to explain to her that Mukundo and even his parents did not care that Piyali and her family was poor.

“I am not ashamed that we are poor. But there are things that you don’t understand. This can’t happen, Pihu. Are you with him right now?”

He was supposed to be at a conference. But that lie had already been exposed. She reluctantly confirmed her mother’s suspicion.

“If you do not send him away right now, you will see me dead, I promise you.”

How was she to send him away? She had no clue at first. Finally, she had succeeded, but in a rotten way!

—

Mukundo didn’t go back to his hotel. He wandered around on foot for a while. Then he located a café. It was a hot day. He went inside and ordered a cold coffee just to secure a seat there. He didn’t even touch the drink the entire time he was there. His self-pity and anger didn’t last long. Her behavior was bizarre. Even when she had avowedly hated him, she had never behaved like that. It was almost a pathetic attempt to hurt him, when it was obvious that she didn’t want to. So why did she? He twisted and turned that question in every way possible in his mind. No answer was in sight. The only thing he could think of was Alka’s unexpected appearance. Was she insecure? Angry? The Piyali he knew shouldn’t have behaved liked that even if it was true. But then he hadn’t known her too long as a lover. May be love and jealousy did something totally twisted to people. Even to someone as sorted as her. If that was the case, he had to resolve it. It would be silly on his part to let something like that fester between them. If she wanted so, he would call Alka right in front of her and announce their relationship to her. He hadn’t thought he would ever have to do something as childish for her. But if he had to, he would do that. With that determination, he left the café and walked back to her apartment.

—

Piyali was calmer now. She had panicked and done a stupid thing. She had hurt him badly in the process. Whatever it was, even if her mother’s objection was indeed something serious enough to come in between them, she should have been honest with him. She could see that clearly now. She must meet Mukundo immediately. But her flat mates were out and about now. Meeting him at her apartment won’t be so comfortable. Besides, she must not make him run around anymore. She would go to his hotel, instead of asking him to come back. She washed her face and put on some makeup again. After she was out of the house, she fished out her phone to call him. She would need to know his room number. As soon as the call connected, somebody’s phone rang nearby. It had the same ringtone as his. Puzzled she looked around. Her hearts stopped beating when she saw him picking out his phone from his pocket. Before he could see the name on his mobile, he saw her. She disconnected the phone and ran towards him. She threw herself in his arms and to her relief, he didn’t withdraw. He closed his arms around her.

“So, you have come to your senses now?”

“I am sorry. I should have talked to you,” she said.

“Just as an insurance, shall I call Alka and tell her exactly who you are. Not just my neighbor.”

She frowned. What was he talking about. She asked him that.

“Wasn’t that what your tantrum about? As soon as Alka appeared, you went rogue.”

“Oh God! No,” she cried, “You think I don’t trust you?”

“Well?”

“No wonder you think so. After how I behaved.”

Mukundo frowned now, “If it wasn’t that, what was it?” Then it hit him. Piyali was perfectly normal while being introduced to Alka. It was that phone call! “Who had called you really?”

“Ma.”

“Your Ma?”

She nodded.

“And what on earth–Let’s go inside. It’s so hot out here.”

But she told him that her flat mates were awake and it won’t be comfortable to talk. Although it was somewhat far, they decided to go to his hotel.

—

He offered her a juice from the minibar, then sat beside her on the edge of the bed. She told him how her mother had somehow found out and wouldn’t even hear of them being together. Mukundo thought over it silently for a while, then said, “She must think I am too old for you.”

“But–” Piyali knew in her heart that it wasn’t that. If that’s what her mother thought, she could easily have said that. The urgency and fear in her tone hinted at something much more problematic.

“She said a terrible thing, Mukundo Babu.” And she told him about what her mother had said that had so shaken her.

“Come on, Piyali. That’s just exaggerated emotional blackmail.”

Piyali looked at him miserably, “Ma doesn’t say things like those all the time.”

Mukundo looked at her for a long moment, then asked, “What do you want, Piyali?”

“Why do you have to ask that? You know what I want.”

“I need to hear it, again. I am, perhaps, a little shaken with your behavior this morning.”

“I am sorry,” she said miserably, “I was out of my mind after the call. But I came back to you Mukundo Babu. That’s what I want. Wherever I am, I want to come back to you.”

He caressed her cheek, “And I want you. Whatever it takes. I know you won’t be comfortable until this has been resolved. I will go back right away and find out what has happened. Okay?”

She nodded, then hugged him.

—

To be continued