Villainy of Life
That morning, alighting from the Dakshin Express at Secunderabad, Raja Rao headed towards the Ritz. Though the anxiety he felt all through the journey for Roopa wore him out, he felt rejuvenated upon landing with the thought that he was breathing the very air scented by her breath.
‘If only I could check into her house’ he thought dreamily. ‘How excited she would be if I knock at the door with my bag and baggage? Moreover, my stay there would have helped our flirtation, and even more, who knows? But then without Sandhya around, it would be highly embarrassing with Sathyam. Besides, how could I entertain the clients in their house?’
Checking into the hotel, he got busy to get ready. However, once in the cafe, he began to picture his prospective encounter with Roopa, ‘What would be her reaction to my unexpected presence? It has been five months since we’ve met but still it feels as though I’ve seen her only the other day! Why, hasn’t her persona got etched in my memory to the last nuance? How excited she would be upon learning that I’m planning to shift, to be near her. Why can’t I suggest that she might assist me as my secretary? Looks like, it’s now or never for our affair. If I fail to declare my love now, it might be too late later, if it’s not already the case. Well, let me see what fate has in store for us, and I have to meet her before Sathyam returns from his office.’
While he went on visualizing the possibilities of fruition of their love, as if to bring him back into reality, the bearer brought the bill for his signature.
Calling it a day early at Subba Reddy’s Sai Constructions, Raja Rao reached Roopa’s place by three-thirty. As he neared her house, he was overcome with apprehension, ‘How can I
be sure that she loves me still. What if she’s having an affair with someone already?’
Greeted by the door lock that only lent substance to his surmise, nevertheless he decided to knock at Lalitha’s door to ascertain the position.
‘Where she might have gone,’ he wondered as he went down to enquire with Lalitha, ‘has she taken a lover?’
‘Last night Sathyam underwent appendectomy,’ said Lalitha with concern. ‘It was all so sudden, and there was no time even to inform his parents. It was only this morning that I sent them a telegram. However, Roopa is managing all, on her own. She’s really amazing! You can find them in the Gaganmahal Nursing Home, just nearby.’