Fortune Favors Me

I was trying her number for almost an hour now, but it was unreachable just when i was got her call.

 Trringg..!! Trringg..!!

 “Hello  Senthil..”,said my wife on the phone.

 “Thank god, Meena where are you ? I have been reaching you for last one hour. What happen to your goddamn mobile? Do you know what time it is?”, I began with my string of questions.

 “Sorry dear, my phone’s battery is down. What is vimal doing ?”, she asked.

 “He is busy in his homework, are you on the way ? Whether i will come and pick you ?”, I asked back.

 “oh great!”, she cheered.

 “great? Great for what?”, i enquired.

 “oops, forget the reason for the call.”    

 “and what is it?”. I was waiting for another bomb to be explored.

 “I am doing extra hours today. We need to deliver the project with in tomorrow.  It will take another couple of hours.”,she said. Her voice said that her energy was lost an she was feeling dizzy.

 “2 hours !!! It will be midnight. Are you kidding ? How will you come ? Give the phone to your md , i need to talk to him.”, I exclaimed.

 “Please, don’t start again Senthil. Other girls are also staying with me. Nothing to worry , cab will drop me home. I gotta go dear, take care of vimal”, she said and hung the phone.

I heard a male voice calling her name from behind. I was pretty sure that it was Sam’s voice and not her boss’.Sam was a colleague of her. I had seen him twice before, in her office.  He was young smart kerala boy in his late twenties. Meena had once told me that he was assisting her a lot in her profession. She also had an unusual charm and smile while speaking his name.

Her smile had left me bittered from that day. I  wondered, why he wanted help? What purpose was he looking for? Will he be a threat to my marriage? These thoughts were horrifying me for past last six months. but asking her to quit or change her job would have been silly. Her earning was a big support for us in this economic times.

I had worked in a reputed software company for seven years. I had a perfect life with a spacious flat, beautiful wife and lovely kid. But alas! Last year, it came to an end. The recession worked against us and I was thrown out of my company like the tiny piece of chicken is pickled out from teeths.

As i look closer to my system, my vision blurs.. I can’t identify the words i am typing. I had consulted all the eye specialists and they told me that i have an eye deficiency and suggested me to never work in front of the system. If i do, i may turn blind.

I cursed god! It was not at all fair. I was in my late thirties, so switching career was out of sight. But still i had to do it. I had no other option left, but to join as a professor in one of the private colleges.

Due to my lack of experience in this field, i made only one third of money which i have made earlier. It left me indebted under a lot of debts. So, in order to maintain our luxurious lifestyle, my wife came up with the idea of her job. I hesitated initially, but my situation demanded it. So, she joined her company a year back.

But like life is, one problem was solved but another one started dancing in my mind.

I doubt if she is has an affair with someone.  I even get nightmares thinking about it. She has been eloping away in my dreams more frequently these days.

Meena is not like me. She is in her earlier thirties and very pretty. No one will agree that she is a mother of five year old kid. She has stunning personality, rounded face, beautiful eyes, long hairs, whitish complexion. I consider myself to be lucky to get married to such a girl as i am a fatso, bald figure.

So this was the inferiority i had and i was never happy about her job. I had once tried talking to her about changing her company but she just gave a laugh and did not agree to my deliberation. She was very much into her work.

Today, she would be working late hours and i can’t do anything about it. I went to bed with suspicion and when i woke up in the morning, she had already started for work.

“Meena, it’s just 7. What’s the rush ?”, i said to her while rubbing my eyes.

“Board meeting in office, some documents to prepare. Hey, i have made food. Feed vimal, take him to your brother’s house afterwards.”, she said without looking at me. She was very much busy in placing our things in right order so that we don’t panic.

“Wait, i will drop you.”, i said while looking for my slippers.

“no,  cab is already waiting for me. Catch you later”, she said while kissing vimal and rushed outside.

Today is republic day, holiday for me and vimal. Meena works in a mnc company they never consider government holidays, besides she is very interested in leaving us. I bathed my son, fed him lunch and took him to my brother’s home  where he would play all day with my nephew. I dropped him there and went to meet my friend.

On the way, while i was waiting  at signal, Meena’s yellow saree got my attention. She was sitting on a bike’s rear end with someone. They went ahead, crossing the signal, and she didn’t notice me. Tremors started inside my body, swing my head in anxiety. My eyes widened, soaked in all my sweat. All my nightmares were true.

I was doing nothing but will standstill like a statue. After a minute, my desperation transformed into madness. My eyes went red. I blew my kicker with full strength, started following them. I raised my speed to full and within no time i caught them in a restaurant. So, it was true; the guy in helmet was Sam.

Sam parked his bike in the parking lot and went to a table with her. I hid myself behind the tree and watched them with curious eyes. I could only see only Sam’s front and my wife’s back. Sam was holding my wife’s hand and wereromantically smiling at each other.

Thousand thoughts passed my mind. Am i gonna kill them ? Am i gonna kill them in this public place ? What will happen to my son, if i went to jail ? Should Meena be forgiven for this? Is he planning to divorce our marriage?, passed my mind.

In midst all these thoughts, one thing i was very sure of, i am gonna kill Sam. My wife had never allowed me to touch her before marriage, so how did this ba*tard turn my lovely angel to a b***h? I am gonna rip him in to half, drink his blood, throw his bone to dogs, i thought.

Standing there and watching them was indeed very frustrating. I could not watch them together anymore. I made a safe plan of assassinating him. My plan was to incision his bike’s brake wire and then present me before them. So, my wife will come with me and Sam will go alone in his bike.

I bought a knife from a near-by store,went near his bike and waited till nobody was looking at me. I dropped my purse near his bike, so i bend forward and took a knife from my pocket. My hand trembled, imagining this wire is his throat. With in one swing, i would slash it off. May be, his brake wire was already in fault or my anger to execute it . I put the knife and purse in my pocket and walked away from the parking lot.

I went inside the restaurant. Before, i could reach them, i noticed my wife talking to another young girl. I saw Sam getting out of the restaurant and moving towards the parking lot. I hid behind the door to watch him taking his bike. I knew this was the last time, i was seeing him. As soon as he kicked his bike, i rushed to my wife, pretended that i accidently met her.

 She was really shocked, but she pretend to act normal. She asked, “what are you doing here ?”

“Wait! This should be my question.  Is this your office ?” , i asked back furiously.

“Ah, Sam is getting married today in register office. She is arthi, his girlfriend and this is aarthi’s brother baskar. Aarthi and Sam are getting them married today in register office.”

I was completely taken off by her reply. I glanced her hand where Sam touched her few minutes back.

She shook her hand and told with her franting smile, “look, Sam tied me rakki. He always told me that i am his elder sister. I finally got my first brother”

Aarthi also joined her, “We were just talking about you, Meena bhabhi just told me how she loves you . You are a lucky guy, Senthil ji”

Meena had no brothers before. She told me that she wishes to have brothers and one day she will have. She had even bet me on that.

Tears dropped from my eyes as i turned back . I gave  them a fake smile in return. Acting normal was tough in that situation, very tough. My heartbeats went fast like a wild horse, i panicked myself regarding what have i done ?

I presumed that Sam might have been dead by now. I tried to take some water, most of it drips on my shirt. I stood up from the chair abruptly.

“Excuse me, ladies”

Being my better-half, Meena noticed that something  wrong in me.at he had a worried face. I rushed to parking lot.

I could not find Sam and his bike. I went to the washroom andlooked at my face in front of the mirror. I was very angry with myself. I spit on my face in the mirror, slap it with my hands. My brain told me to act normal, that no one should not guess me.

I cleaned my face and  the grief inside it. I went there and sat near my wife.

“What happened ? Is everything ok ?”, she asked, placing her soft palm onto mine.

“Yeah, just dropped my key in bike itself. So, went to parking lot and grabbed it”

“You should be more careful..”

Half an hour passde and there was no news about Sam. Aarthi called his number, no one picked the call. A drop of sweat fell from my forehead to my neck. Inside my heart, i prayed for him. I cursed my act of stupidity.

Finally aarthi received a call but she got no signal. So, she went some far distance and gave some serious voice. I stood from my seat and noticed her. My eyes were moist, thimking about the sin i had committed.

My wife raise a hand with “Hi” to someone. I turned back and was left ashtonished.

Sam coming back to the restaurant. He was walking towards us with his legs. He had legs, thank god, he is not a ghost, i confirmed.

Aarthi asked in frustration, “Where the hell had you gone ?”

“chill sweat, my bike is got repaired. Workshop is nearby, so took it there”

I stammered  him, “W Wh Wha what happened to the bike ?”

“oh! You are here! Nothing  Senthil ji, just my accelerator wire cut off. Couldn’t rise the bike. It was already very loose, now totally gone off”

Aarthi started again, “Why don’t you check this before ?”

I just lauded and ask him. “Did you say accelerator wire ?”

Sam nodded his head positively, where Meena startled. “Is that important ? We have got a marriage to held.. Come on everyone.. ”

Of course it’s not important to anyone, besides me. I lived in the hell for last few minutes. A sense of relief came to me finally in this restless day. I gave a little blow to my back head and to my thinking. I laughed myself, thinking of it.

We then move to register office along with the bride and groom.

Meena grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ears. I loved her when she does that. “you don’t like Sam, that’s why i have not told about his marriage plan today. Don’t be mad at me..”

I hugged her and told, “never ever…”

Author's Note

Ignore grammar problems. comments, reviews will encourage me..