‘You better stop it now,’ she reproached him at lunchtime, finding him at drink all morning.
‘Roopa, please,’ he said pleadingly, ‘don’t try to stop me today. I can’t stand it, if I come to my senses.’
‘You’re making me helpless,’ she said.
‘Am I not helpless myself?’
‘At least, do have a bite,’ she said pleading.
‘Okay,’ he said, emptying the glass, ‘I shall join you.’
After lunch, exhausted by fear, he slept for long. At length, as he got up at five, he asked her to go to Sandhya’s place lest they should come visiting them.
‘How am I to leave you now?’ she protested.
‘Right now,’ he said embarrassedly, ‘to be honest, I’m uncomfortable with you even.’
‘I’ll be in the hall,’ she said, ‘call me if you need something.’
‘At least, he drinks to lighten his burden, and he deserves it as well. But what about me?’ she felt, reclining in the sofa, and began to picture her future. ‘What could possibly come of the scandal? He’s sure to lose his job, and might find himself behind the bars even. Oh, how that would ruin him and ridicule me. What have I done to deserve all this? Oh God, what’s wrong with my life? How long I have lived in a void for want of love, and then, that yearlong pining in passion. At long last, when I’m happy, here’s this tragic turn.’
‘Won’t high connections help?’ she thought at length. ‘Can Ranga Reddy come to our rescue? Isn’t he known to be close to the Home Minister? Even otherwise, won’t the case be hushed up, as the bigwigs are involved, no less than the Finance Minister? Perhaps our fears could turn out to be liars.’
At that, she went up to Sathyam to show him the silver lining, and found him still at drink.
‘How I wish it comes to that,’ he said, even a little relieved.
‘I’m sure all this is bound to fizzle out in the end,’ she said, sounding music to his ears. ‘Don’t we see, the reports of enquiry commissions whitewashing the scandals involving politicians. I’m sure this won’t be any different.’
‘God willing, we would get the hell out of time,’ he said excitedly. ‘We will go to Tirupati and I’ll get tonsured.’
‘Whatever may be the itch,’ she ruled for the future, ‘never ever grease your palms.’
‘It’s a promise,’ he said taking her hand, ‘I won’t undergo all this for anything. I’ll resign my job and get into some business with that money.’