‘Naive that he is, would Sathyam fall prey to all these?’ he developed second thoughts. ‘But don’t I know that only a handful of men are incorruptible, either by nature or by conviction. Thus, leaving those oddballs, as with bed-hedgers among women, the bulk of them, watch which way the wind blows. When they see their colleagues and neighbors prosper through bribes, their jealousy makes them anticipate a tax raid. But when none of that happens, and if they happen to sit at the right desks in their offices, they too join the bandwagon. Doesn’t that explain the ever-growing corruption in all societies? But the vast majority, without access to that extra pie, is the most vocal against corruption in society! Give them half a chance to line their pockets, and they’re sure to quieten down like kitten. Anyway, Sathyam won’t have to complain anymore.’

‘But is all this trouble worth taking when I could get half a dozen randies for a song, that Vanaja included?’ he was left wondering. ‘If not for Roopa’s distraction, was it not possible that I would have been carrying on with her by now? How disappointed she would be that she was only flattered to be deceived. Well, many a Vanaja like might come and go but isn’t it worth covering the earth to lay Roopa. If things work out as they should, won’t I have her soon?’

‘But what if Sathyam gets wind of our affair?’ he tried to foresee loopholes in his plan. ‘What would he possibly do than become accommodative? That’s what all cuckolds do, don’t they? But then, what else can a decent man do when he comes to know that his wife has taken to a paramour. Well, divorce won’t do as that deprives him of a home with the bed and all that goes with it. Substitution, though difficult, might ensure an encore, doubling the ridicule. Should he shop around for a younger one, wouldn’t it be a matter of time before she follows the example set by the first one. On the other hand, if her were to settle for a middle aged, it might as well amount to inviting her lover into the marital fold. Anyway one might look at it; status quo would seem the better course for a cuckold to stay on course.’

‘What if out of spite, Sathyam were to sue her for divorce,’ he tried to visualize in the end. ‘Won’t I make her my mistress then? Why, am I not going back to Delhi by the year-end? Then won’t my work bring me here often enough? Oh, how well, she, as my keep, would keep me in comfort in my home, away from home. Moreover, can’t I fix her at the office to keep an eye on the guys over there? What a loyal spy she would make. Whichever way it might turn out to be, all the same it should go easy on me. In fact, it would be better that Sathyam leaves her for my safekeeping. Isn’t Roopa an eminently keepable woman? Well, she would learn what it’s like flirting with me, sooner or later, one way or the other, wouldn’t she?’




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