Anniversary Games

A Perfect Husband or Sinister Mind?

What the hell is going on between my husband and that b***h?' Maya's patience was at its lowest ebb and she was ready to burst.

Sanjay knew that she was serious. 'Look, Maya. There is nothing going on between the two of them. Just a little bit of healthy flirting, I'd say.'

'Flirting? Healthy flirting? Really Sanjay . . .' she rolled her eyes in disgust. 'That's what you men call it? There is nothing healthy about flirting, Sanjay, not for a married man.

Healthy flirting is a term introduced by perverted men who want to lend legitimacy to their extramarital dalliances. Flirting invariably has a sexual connotation to it.' She got up from her seat and walked around the room gesticulating and muttering something to herself. Suddenly she stopped, turned back, looked at Sanjay and asked, 'Did my husband sleep with her? You are his friend. Did he ever tell you anything about it?'

“Yes, your husband is my friend… no best friend and I am your brother. Like hell, he will be telling me anything. He knows I am scared of the angry you.” Sanjay tried to change the topic with his jokes at the least, tried to lighten up the mood. He was in a tight spot. He either has to take his sister’s side or his best friend’s side. His wit and sarcasm won’t help him escape Maya’s rapid fire questions.

“I swear if you are involved in this, I am going to send you next to our mother's grave,” Maya warned as her face was turned crimson red. She was imagining weird stuff about that b***h neighbor of hers and her a*****e husband who had completely forgotten that day after tomorrow is their anniversary.

“My husband flirting...? Gosh! Sanjay please tell me it is a lie.”

Sanjay felt helpless. His strong sister was broken and crying for the first time… at least in front of him. It was high time that Sanjay lets off his friendship swear because it was her right to know it and somewhere deep she knew what was happening.

Just before Sanjay could open his mouth, he received an SMS. It was from Karthik saying “Just 1 more day, please!” Sanjay thought was this thing worth seeing his sister cry like a soap opera heroine. Sanjay’s silence was rewarded with a door slam on his face. Sanjay called Karthik, but the later did not pick. He just got a message “Everything will be alright.” Sanjay waits until he drives to an empty and abandoned sight and yell his frustration out.

After a harsh goodbye, Maya sleeps with tears in her eyes and remembered the morning bed teas and Special Sunday Breakfast, Karthik made especially for her.

On Saturday, Maya woke up 10:00 am in the morning. It was the first time she ever woke up so late. No one will blame her since she is been all worked up and tensed this whole week. It’s the 7th day without a bed tea. Maya guessed, she has to get used to it. 

She will probably be hearing about Karthik and ‘1901’ b***h from her gossiping neighbors. Sanjay betrayed him and Karthik cheated on her. What best can happen to her on the day before her wedding anniversary?

 "Who is Ms. 1901? I never knew someone lives there?" said Mrs. Kharbanda. Mrs. Kharbanda knew Mrs. Srivastav, Karthik’s mother for a long and so was helping Maya by telling her anything, the former knew about the ‘b***h’ and the ‘dumbass’ couple. “Sweetie, you are so stressed lately? I guess you should rest. I am baking a cake for your anniversary…” Mrs. Kharbanda tried to comfort Maya with a smile and carefully tried to deny the existence of Ms. 1901 such that it won’t make Maya more frustrated.

“What cake!? What anniversary!? My life is ruined! My marriage is ruined!” Maya said angrily as she was totally irritated. “I thought you were with me, Aunty.”

Every neighbor denied every argument regarding the existence of Ms. 1901.

Who is she?

Never heard of her!

Aren’t you too old to play with imaginary friends?

These were the comments she was receiving. They were harsh. Maya returns home with yet another emotionless expression on her face.

 “It is just last day of your trouble, sweetheart! Please tolerate it for few more hours.” He speaks to himself as he receives a text from Mrs. Kharbanda saying “She is completely broken.”

She could not believe what Karthik is making her do. She feels like she is an annoying neighbor we usually see in Indian comedy serials. She was using a pair of binoculars to spy on Ms. 1901 and Karthik. If her husband is lying and he spends 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm with that b***h, then he will be arriving with her in this parking lot in about 10 minutes.

Every minute was making her more nervous. WHY? She repeated this question in her mind again and again. She wanted to know why Karthik cheated on her. Maya had seen Karthik return with ‘her’ in his car. Karthik do know her. She was heartbroken. She clearly lives in apartment 1901. Why was everybody lying? She felt like Nicholas Cage’s character in Wicked Man. Is there a conspiracy being planned against her? Maya dials Sanjay’s number and asks him to come to her house for the final confrontation.  She was scolding… until she dropped the phone. What she saw was horrifying? Karthik stabbed Ms. 1901. She couldn't believe what 

she saw.

A few minutes later she heard her door bell ring. She didn’t have the guts to face her murderer husband. She had no idea about what was happening anymore. She went to her room, locked herself and laid into her bed. A few minutes later she heard the door to next room open. She understood that Karthik is lying in next room.

When she closes her eyes, that murder scene repeats again and again which torments her. How did her peaceful life turn upside down in a week?

10 minutes later her husband exits the home again. She leaves her room. She wanted to scream and cry loudly, but the bell rings again and she with a cricket bat in hand slowly walks to the door. She quickly opens it and prepares to attack only to be stopped by Sanjay. She gives him a tight hug and tells him everything.

Sanjay shared the same horrifying look “Are you sure your eyes were not playing tricks on you?” 

“I couldn’t believe it myself,” Maya said, “It is more difficult for me to digest but even as his wife, I am unable to trust her.”

“My best friend could not even hurt a bug…” Sanjay grins to himself. He was sweating.  Sanjay asks for Maya’s binoculars. He takes a look at 1901 apartment. Karthik was wearing a new shirt, cleaning the room and putting out the trash in a huge plastic bag. Sanjay guessed it was a dead body. Sanjay's eyes were bloodshot.

“That’s it,” He screamed.

He took the bat from his sister and paces towards the 1901 apartment. He demanded not to call security guards. He doesn’t want a murderer as his best friend and as a brother in law. Security guards and neighbors will only be a hindrance in killing. He wants to end this all by himself.

Sanjay got suspended from school 10 times in just 3 months when he was in 8th grade. It was a final confrontation scene of a murder horror fiction. Maya wore her slippers and follows Sanjay. She doesn’t want his older brother to go to jail because of her and Karthik, the sinister waste of a human. 

She arrived 10 minutes after her brother. Everything was silent as ‘death’- quite a sinister word to be used during this tensed environment. Maya enters the 1901 apartment. Everything was stormed. It must be the aftermath of a big brawl. Maya yelled for his brother in the dark only to fell onto her knees. Her hands felt something: blood, human skin. She screams and takes a look. 

“NO! NO! NO!” she yells. It was Sanjay’s lifeless corpse lying on the floor.

“Sanjay you are not dead, are you?” Maya tried to move the corpse believing it to be a kind of joke “Please don’t you dare leave like our parents?” She could not believe that Karthik can lie, can cheat and can kill. Was her perfect married life, a lie?

Her face got covered by a black cloth and she was knocked unconscious. She wakes up after 10 minutes and a big splash of water. She felt dizzy. The tight grip around her limbs was hurting her.

“Maya I never wanted this to happen…” Maya heard his voice properly after 3 days of interval. She wanted to ask a lot of question, but she can’t be weak anymore. 

“You a*****e kill me,” Maya said

“You know it’s not easy. I did all of this for you.” 

“These lines don't suit you murderer. Nothing was for me.” Maya stopped yelling and begged, “Please kill me.”

“Okay.”

The suspense that  was present in the air had already killed half of her. She was eagerly waiting for death because now she lost everything until...

 “Happy Anniversary, my little princess…” It was the song composed by her brother and she was hearing it in Sanjay’s voice. She had no idea where she was. It was a dark place. She felt she was hallucinating. Her chair was aggressively revolved hard. The black cloth was removed from her face and suddenly there was colorful light all around. Mrs. Kharbanda and other neighbor were present in the apartment. Even Ms. 1901 and Sanjay were present who were looking perfectly fine.

 Karthik had changed into his best suit. All the walls were done with their beautiful moments clicked in pictures. She couldn't believe her eyes. She was unrobed and Karthik hugged her, wishing her. She hit him hard. She sobbed to tears and hugs him back. Neighbors laugh and whistle cheerfully. Maya then hugs Sanjay while she cursed him and warned him to never do this to her ever again.

“Calm down, honey. It was a harmless joke.” Karthik got another hit for joking like that. It sure was not a healthy harmless joke.

“How did you pull it off?” Maya asked as Mrs. Kharbanda offered a drink to her. Maya seemed weak, but her smile hid almost everything.

“I watched it in ‘Castle’. Isn’t it one of your favorite shows? I mimicked one of its episodes where the detective gives her writer husband a big surprise.” 

“Haw! I thought you don’t English television series.”

“He took a brief summary from me.” Sanjay interrupted the conversation. “Your 1901 b***h is my subordinate, Palak from the company.”

“I told him my plan. I asked Mrs. Kharbanda to contact every person in the society you are close to.” Karthik explained. “Security guard agreed to act for a few bucks, though.”

“What about expensive jewelry and clothes in the photos?” Maya asked as she given another glass of coke “…and I saw you stabbing that bit- Palak?”

“Fake knives used in magic show…” Karthik answer demonstrating the knife’s function “My dramatics teacher from college agreed to help me.”

“So even the PI Raj was your accomplice?” Maya asked.

“That was me.” Mrs. Kharbanda said eagerly waiting for the spotlight. “Actually my nephew is a website designer and he knows Photoshop too so he edited the photo in a way we wanted you to see.”

“How long?” Maya asked 

“A month or two… lost my count. Did you like it?” Karthik asked, “You wanted an adventure.”

She only gave him a smile while her friends take her to another room for a change of clothes. Sanjay wondered if it was a yes or no. Karthik replied that let some happy ending retain their mystery.