The Devil's advocate

1950s.
Under the big oak tree of Saharanpur, a man in his thirties had built his precious house. The locality, supposed to be a residential hub, seemed more like a fish market. The continuous cacophony of the bizzare street , Mrs. Sharma's shrills effortlessly deceasing ones eardrums, the fruit seller calling out names of fruits just like a father calling out names of his lost children; the little lads and lasses chanting the alphabets louder than ever.
     As I stepped foot on this place, as it was a part of my case study, I was taken aback. Amid all the commotion, what appalled me were the cries of a woman, perhaps in a lot of physical agony. Even more appalling was the fact that those cries got so diffused in the din that nobody cared.
    I made my way across a rustle of innocent children unaware of the complexities of life. I reached a small house, the outsides of which had numerous decoratives of mythological demons hung as a symbol of protection. It was eerie, and I was already having my stomach twist and turn when suddenly a man appeared before me. He had a big moustache, his tummy bulged outwards, like earth bulges out in the center. I smirked. 
     I was about to enquire about the cries and shrieks when I noticed a woman peeping from the window, signalling me not to enquire. I zipped myself, bluffed something random and got away. I got away only to return the next day ,finding the man not at home. The cries had made a remarkable impact on my mind. The woman called me in. 
" What do you want ?" , said Mrs Murty.
" Umm, I am new to this place and yesterday as I was wandering in the street, I heard cries from your house".
" It's none of your business " , said she.
I had already got the senario,seeing all those scars on her body and eyes popping out as if she hadn't slept for weeks.

*************************

There was a celebration in the locality on the occasion of Holi. I saw Mrs Murty, standing behind her husband, her head lowered and veiled up. I decided to have a small chat with Mr. Murty.
"Hello, Mr.Murty!".
"Call me Sir".
"Oh, so sorry, hello Sir".
"Hmm, what do you want?".
Why does the couple say this dialogue every time? I thought to myself.
" Haha, I don't want anything sir,  infact I am here on a short stay. I am very fond of people with strong personalities. Would you mind having a small chat?".
   Looking a bit pleased, Mr.Murty agreed.
We went to his house and he immediately ordered Mrs.Murty to bring us two cups of tea, with specifications as follows :
The tea should have a moderate tone, one and a half spoon sugar, and seventy percent of the odour should be of elaichi.
    I could see Mrs.Murty frown as she went to the kitchen.
 "Oh how accurate and dominating you are! I am so envious of you ", I said.
  "Ahh, I know."
 "So sir, I am here for a case study and I would be glad if you could tell me more about you".
 So Mr.Murty kept blabber in about his achievements and kept praising himself. I kept jotting them down. He boasted about how he was the best and how Mrs. Murty was nothing but a mess.
  As few days passed, I had formed a good bond with him and we often dined at his place. One day taking full advantage of my bonding, I did something that he always did.
"Lakshmi,  go get us some fried peanuts along with some salt".
 I saw a sudden dim on Mr. Murty's face.
"Why are you looking at me, woman? , I said.
 Don't you understand? Go and fetch it as soon as possible ".
"Stupid woman", I murmured to myself.
    I could see Mr.Murty's face change its colour.
  Half shivering, half frightened, Mrs. Murty appeared with a bowl of over-fried peanuts. I slammed the bowl on the floor and yelled at her, only to find Mr.Murty as red as a tomato.
   As I was about to say something, Mr. Murty said, "Get out".
 I saw Mrs. Murty break down into sobs and I immediately took to my feet.
 From outside the window, I saw something that made me smile. I saw Mr.Murty, that man who tortured his wife, bending down in front of her and asking for forgiveness.
 I heard their conversation.

"If I would have never taken away all your rights, if I would have never behaved this way with you, if I would have respected you, then no outsider could have treated you this way".
Mrs. Murty smiled with eyes full of tears.
"I shouldn't have let that man talk to you this way. I never realised what sacrifices you have done for me and from today I promise to do everything I could do to compensate for all the times I have hurt you".
   I left. The next day as I waited for my taxi, I saw the beautiful Mrs. Murty, dolled up in a red saree with golden zari work, her head held high as she smiled at Mr. Murty. My job was done, the Devil's advocate smiled.
    Many a times to bring out the good in something, we need to give heed to everything wrong with it and that's how we achieve what we aim for. I achieved. My role was successful. I left as my next destination called me.

 Amritsar, here I come.