Folks ... the long wait is over. The story finally ends. The new ones can Your feedback would be great... best JB
*
Sanjay wore a blank look on his face. He felt that even his mind was blank. He was a walking, talking impassive zombie. Events of the day had jolted him. Indeed, he had long pleasurable moments. It was a dream that he had never dreamt in his life. The perfect start... making love to a young, beautiful woman, who happens to be his daughter's friend. That was okay. He carried no burden on his heart because of that episode... but then his own daughter's debauchery, depravity. A stranger taking her in front of his eyes..., she maneuvering events in such a way that he finally ends up ...yes, the unbelievable that he ended up between her legs. How he can live with this fact. How can he face her again? How can he face his wife? How can he face the world? How can he face his own conscience? The sense of guilt was weighing on his heart. He was in a constant state of dialogue with himself, but the look on his face remained impassive... the scion of a respected Indian family...
But hadn't he enjoyed himself... hadn't the "act which should not be named" gave him immense pleasure... should he not live in the moment? Should he not seek more pleasure? One moment thoughts of sin and pleasure swamped his mind. The other, he suffered from pangs of guilt. He was clueless about his next step, next hour, and the next day. Should he not just let himself drift with the chain of events... just like he drifted, or made to drift, with little options earlier in the day?
His daughter Rekha and her Pakistani friend Masooma had a long session of talk after their love-making. General talk as nothing out of the ordinary happened. As they sat at a seaside restaurant, the two young women appeared so normal -- without any sense of guilt. There was no mention of what happened a couple of hours ago. Then he left for a walk -- alone. He promised them to be at home by evening... but it was now past midnight. He had been drinking vodkas -- which failed to make him drunk -- or so he thought... when the bar was about to close, he grabbed a taxi to be at his son-in-law's place -- his daughter's house. He tumbled into the house... he rang the bell... the door opened immediately. It was his wife Parvati.
"Where were you?.... children just went to sleep after waiting and waiting for you," she said with a concerned look on her face. "We even had our supper late... should I give you some?"
"No... I am okay," he said curtly as he headed toward their bedroom.
"You are drunk... try to behave your age. What the children will say?" Parvati admonished him in a whisper. "Do you know Waseem and Masooma are spending the night here?"
"Fuck them," he said as he threw himself on the bed.
"What kind of talk is this? Are you out of your mind?
"Shut-up," he said in a slurred tone.
His wife switched off the light and lay besides him. She tried to caress his head... but he pushed her hand away. "Sleep and let me sleep."
"You are behaving strange... if you can't hold it, don't drink that much," Parvati said as she tried to push her body against his. But he shut his eyes... he wanted to think, therefore, he pretended to sleep -- sleep which was nowhere close to his eyes.
Minutes passed... he felt his wife moving restlessly on the bed... an hour, perhaps more than ... there was silence all around. Perhaps, he had dozed, perhaps he didn't.
Then he heard a whisper...
"Aunty is the old man gone to sleep?" he heard Vinod, his son-in-law's voice.
"I guess so. He came dead drunk" his wife whispered back.
"Then come on... At least we should have some fun. I am unable to sleep." Vinod said.
"No... it is enough for the day."
"If you won't come, then I will...," Vinod chuckled.
"Don't be mad...
Here I come..., Vinod said.
"No... wait. I am coming. Let me him check first," his wife said.
"I am waiting for you in the drawing room. "
His wife touched his shoulder, whispered his name a couple of times. But Sanjay kept his eyes shut, pretending that he was in a deep, deep sleep. He even tried to fake snores ... He felt his wife leaving the bed, softly getting up and tip-toeing out of the room.... She closed the bedroom door gently.
Sanjay jumped out of the bed. He stood there listening to any movement. But all was silent.
"What is happening in this house? What is happening in his family?
He quietly walked out of his bedroom bare feet and headed toward the drawing room, which was at the far-end. Behind the tempered glass, which partitioned the drawing room and the dining room, he saw the soft light of a lone side-lamp.
He placed himself behind the glass partition which had horizontal two-inch see-through lines in it.
