Chapter 7 #2
‘Her mother told us that morning when we met,’ his mother explained.
‘She was stabbed, Mom. Beaten …’
‘Come sit,’ she said.
His father and Natara were sitting in the armchairs, so his mother led him to the couch.
‘I know it’s a shock to the system. We were horrified too, but it does explain a lot about Kaavi. She hasn’t fully healed,’ Natara said.
‘I’m angry. Furious. I feel like I want to punch a dead man. But I’m sad. Just so sad. I feel sick,’ Neel said, his voice hoarse with emotion.
No one said anything. They just sat in silence. Neel bent and put his head in his hands over his knees. His mother rubbed his back, which released a torrent of bottled-up tears.
When he got back home, Kaavi was already there.
‘You really should have changed the locks,’ she said, holding up her key and then shoving it back into her handbag that was lying next to her on the couch.
‘How’d you get back?’
‘Sen dropped me off,’ she said, turning her attention back to her phone.
‘What you doing?’
‘Making a list to put together a couple of makeup kits,’ she said.
He nodded.
She went back to her list. She started humming the tune of a popular song.
Neel stood there. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say. He didn’t know what he wanted to say.
She stopped typing and looked up at him.
‘Yes?’ She asked as she stood and faced him.
Neel reached out, his fingers brushing gently against her cheek.
The touch was tender, a silent apology for not understanding what she’d been through.
Their lips met in a kiss that started slowly, with hesitant movements.
The kiss deepened as their tension began to dissolve, their bodies leaning into each other as if trying to erase the past. Neel’s hands moved to Kaavi’s waist, pulling her closer as the kiss grew more intense.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, their breath mingling as they lost themselves in the shared need for reassurance and connection.
Clothes became an afterthought, discarded in a heap on the floor, as they sought comfort and understanding in each other’s embrace.
Their movements were slow and deliberate, each touch and caress, a way to bridge the chasm that had formed between them.
Kaavi leaned back in her chair. They were having breakfast in the kitchen.
‘I think it’s time to go back to Rally,’ she said.
Neel looked up from the newspaper that had been delivered earlier.
‘When?’
‘Today.’
He folded the newspaper.
‘I asked my mother to come back to Rally with me. She said she would eventually return, but she wants to stay here for a while. She wants to experience independence. She’s going to rent a flat. I’m going to put the house on sale,’ she explained.
He nodded.
‘Makes sense. Shall I check if there are any available flights?’
‘Yes, please. But please let me pay for it. I still owe you for the flight here,’ she replied.
He ignored her and picked up his cellphone.
He suddenly looked up at her and his laughter was loud and hearty.
‘What?’
‘I’m thinking about that hideous dress you wore last week,’ he replied.
She started laughing too and then she sighed.
What would happen when they were back in Rally? Divorce papers were in Rally. Neel didn’t even live in Rally. She would leave the ball in his court. She’d made too many decisions – wrong ones – for them. The decision was his.
As Neel scrolled his phone for flights, his mind drifted. Was his wife back? Did she want him? He would leave the ball in her court. The decision was hers.
They arrived in Rally at about eleven o’clock that night. They didn’t have a chance to talk on the plane because Neel had urgent work to attend to. While he typed away on his laptop, she fell asleep. Now back in Rally, Neel was at The Grand Meyer, while she lay in her bed in the apartment.
Their parting was casual. He kissed her cheek and said he’d call her tomorrow.
She nodded. Now she wished she’d asked him to stay the night.
She was restless. It was 2 am. She wondered if Neel was tossing and turning too.
She got out of bed and padded, barefoot, to the hallway.
She fetched the brown envelope and sat on the couch with her legs tucked under her.
She hadn’t opened the envelope when it arrived.
She was avoiding it. But now she couldn’t simply ignore that it was there; she had to deal with it.
She carefully removed the document. Seeing the word ‘divorce’ in bold print wasn’t what she expected.
She’d left him; just walked out. But now that word made her heart ache.
She read the rest of the document. It was clear. It was clean-cut. No settlement. No fight. Just two parties’ signatures. She pushed the document back into the envelope without signing it. She’d do it tomorrow.
‘Tell him to either be patient or come see me in Rally,’ Neel said into the phone.
‘I wouldn’t put it past him,’ replied Sarika.
‘Danny Mbatha is all talk. Any other meetings set up for today?’
‘Nope, you’re free,’ she replied.
Neel looked at his watch. Free for what at 7 pm?
Rally was probably asleep. Most stores in town closed at exactly four o’clock.
He’d had back-to-back meetings and was playing catch-up after being away with Kaavi.
Sarika didn’t even wait for him to reply.
She hung up. He didn’t blame her. The day had been long and draining.
He pulled off his tie and started to unbutton his shirt. He looked ridiculous. He wore shorts, but the top half of him was all business because he had video meetings.
He was just about to call Kaavi when his phone rang.
‘Nats, how’s it going?’
‘Hi. I’m good. I see you’re back in full force. You could have taken the day off. Granddad would have jumped at the chance to fill in for you,’ she said.
Neel put her on speaker to pull on his T-shirt.
‘That’s what I’m afraid of,’ he said.
Natara chuckled.
‘So, how’s Kaavi?’
‘I didn’t really chat to her today because I had to play catch-up,’ he replied.
‘You haven’t discussed the future of your relationship?’
‘We didn’t really have a chance to, but I’m going to leave the ball in her court,’ he said.
‘And you think that’s a wise idea?’
‘I don’t want to pressure her.’
‘Fair enough, but remember Kaavi doesn’t face anything head-on. She runs. Do you honestly think she’s going to be the one to initiate this talk?’
Neel sighed.
‘Nats, you know it wasn’t always like this. I admit my initial attraction to her was her beauty, but then I saw this smart, funny, kind and lovable woman. Of course, I fell in love with her. I never expected it to fall apart the way it did,’ he explained.
‘I know. But what I don’t get is how you never knew what happened.’
‘She didn’t have panic attacks. She was always happy. We’d argue only over the secrecy. I hated that I’d invite my family over only when my wife was away and I didn’t even have to hide any of her stuff away because my wife lived out of a suitcase, jetting all over the damn world!’ he said angrily.
‘And she never ever mentioned her past?’
‘I can now understand the secrecy. Her mother told me in the hospital that she was glad her husband didn’t find out because he would have ruined us. We actually did that on our own,’ Neel said bitterly.
‘I don’t understand why her grandfather or Senthil didn’t confront her about the marriage when they found out about it.’
‘I asked Senthil. He said Kaavi runs when confronted. They discussed it and his grandfather advised that she would most likely run from them too. Senthil said he wanted to contact me when Kaavi moved to Rally, but Shona told him to give her time,’ he replied.
‘She had two years …’
‘Nats, I know. I’m just so confused and conflicted. God, Nats, I can’t get over the last couple of days,’ he said.
‘It’s stuff that we think only happens in the movies. I had to put Mom and Dad off showing up in Rally. They want to put Kaavi in a ball of cotton wool and keep her there,’ his sister said.
‘If only …’
‘Neel, you love Kaavi. She knows that. All of us know it. We heard you say it at the funeral. We can see it in the things you do. She loves you too. But sometimes love is not enough to stay together. Kaavi has a lot of trauma and issues to deal with. I don’t know if love is going to be enough.’
‘She didn’t get her justice. I want to say “hey, he’s dead, that’s justice”. But the reality is none of us endured what she did. No one but her and her mother know what they went through. I won’t pressure her.’
‘But you can’t wait forever,’ his sister sighed.
‘That’s the thing, Nats. I can. I can wait forever …’
‘I know. And that’s what I’m worrying about.’