You and I, plus 2 years of marriage!

ALMOST IN Love…

{3}

Jacob was taking a casual walk on the beach on that beautiful evening. The entire day he had spent in looking out for locations to begin the shoot of his next short film. The lovely sunset wiped out the exhaustion from his body. As he walked further, he saw someone sitting on the sand and gazing into the horizon. He was a young boy and there was something really familiar about him. When he walked further, he noticed a backpack next to the boy and instantly recognized him.

‘Ahan,’ called out Jacob. The boy turned to look at him and frowned for a moment. After a moment, he immediately stood up and smiled weakly. Ahan picked up his bag and walked up to him. Jacob noticed the swelling on his forehead.

‘Hello sir.’

‘What happened to your head? Did you fall down?’ asked Jacob in a concerned tone.

‘No… I fought with a guy,’ he said guiltily.

‘Oh ohhh… is he your senior at school? Were you being bullied?’

Ahan laughed at his question.

‘Nobody can bully me! I am trained in martial arts. He spoke some rubbish and I punched his face. He landed a punch by fluke,’ he said boasting about his ability. Jacob couldn’t help smiling at his answer.

‘What are you doing here? It is getting dark, shouldn’t you be home soon?’

‘Err… I have to, but I am scared sir. My mom will be angry if she gets to know that I was involved in a fight,’ said Ahan ruffling his hair.

‘Well, you don’t have to tell her the truth. You can say that you tripped and fell down. That injury can easily pass for an accident,’ said Jacob winking at him.

‘I cannot lie to mom.’

Ahan spoke those words with so much intensity that it really touched Jacob. Honesty and love for his mother shone in the young lad’s eyes.

‘How are you going back home?’

‘I will take a bus, sir.’

‘I will drop you home. Is that alright, Ahan?’

He thought for a moment and smiled at him nodding his head.

‘Thank you, sir.’

They both began walking down the beach into the twilight.

***

‘Mr. Gupta, I have mailed you the details. Kindly check it and let me know if there are any further changes. I am busy right now, could you please call me after an hour? Thank you.’

Dhwani put her phone on silent mode and started applying ointment on swelling of Ahan’s forehead. They were seated at the dining table with Jacob. He mutely watched them in amused silence. He still could not believe that Ahan was indeed her son.

‘How many times do I have to tell you to not get into fights? Is this why you learnt martial arts?’ she asked with mild anger and lot of affection.

‘He started it mom. He was the one who said some nonsense and I had to punch him,’ said Ahan defensively.

‘You shouldn’t be losing your temper at the drop of a hat. By the way, what did he say?’ she asked narrowing her eyes. He averted her eyes and looked down at the table.

‘Anu… tell me, what did he say?’ she persisted. The boy swallowed hard and clenched his fist. He knew that she was not going to let him go until he spilled the beans.

‘He called me a bastard!’ he said through clenched teeth. Dhwani gasped. Now she understood why he had lost his cool. Jacob looked away. She stood up and squeezed Ahan’s shoulder.

‘I am so sorry, ma,’ he said meekly. She held his head to her bosom and wrapped her arms around him. She stayed that way for a few minutes and later released him from her embrace.

‘It’s okay dear, I can understand. Go and get some rest. I will call you for dinner.’

Ahan quietly picked up his bag and went to his room.

‘I will be back,’ she told Jacob and walked into the kitchen. Having been left alone, he kept wondering if he should leave the place. But that felt really stupid and he waited for her to return. The first time when she introduced Ahan as her son he was shocked. Although he had numerous questions in his mind he did not question her anything about it. This was only their second meeting and he was not certain if it was the right time to ask her anything at all about her past.

After a few minutes, Dhwani came back with two cups of tea and handed him one. She sat down on the chair facing him at the dining table. Her face showed no signs of distress but Jacob could swear that she had shed some secret tears.

‘I am sorry, Dhwani. I have I came here at the wrong time. When I saw him sitting alone and wounded, I could not leave him there. That’s why I came to drop him home,’ explained Jacob.

‘You did the right thing. Otherwise I don’t know when he would have come back. Poor child, I can’t imagine what he must be going through every day…’

Quietly he sipped the tea and there was silence between them for a few minutes. Casually he looked around and found some pictures on the wall. There were pictures of Dhwani, Ahan and her parents but none of her wedding. He was quite certain that she was married or that was what he had heard from one of her classmates.

‘Where does your husband work?’ he asked unable to suppress his curiosity.

‘We are divorced,’ she said flatly. Jacob winced at her answer.

You are a fool Jake! Get a hold on your tongue!!

‘I am sorry,’ he said full of remorse.

‘Don’t be. I am not.’

Dhwani drank her tea and he finished his. He did not know how to break that uncomfortable silence.

‘I know what you are thinking, Jake. Anybody who sees Ahan and me together for the first time cannot believe that I am indeed his mother. I can understand that you are also perplexed about us. There are some who even make some stupid assumptions about me. I never cared for them. This is my life and I am living it on my terms.’

Jacob did not interrupt her. He had a twinge of guilt in his heart because like the others he had also made some assumptions while searching answers for her hidden past.

‘It’s just that I cannot believe you have a teenage son,’ he blurted out. Dhwani smiled at him wryly.

‘I know. Actually, Ahan was adopted.’

‘What?!’

Why didn’t I think about this???

Jacob was completely taken aback by her answer. Most of all, he was ashamed at himself for not having thought about the possibility of Ahan being her adopted son.

‘Ahan came into my life six years ago as an innocent 8-years old boy. At a time when I was aimlessly working, he gave a purpose to my life. I don’t know what would have happened to me without my son,’ she said tenderly.

‘What happened to your marriage?’ he asked instantly, but the very next moment regretted it. Yet she remained unfazed.

‘I married six months after graduating from engineering. He was the Mr. Right for me in the eyes of my parents. I trusted their decision and agreed for the wedding. He was in a well-paid job and was from a good family. What more could we ask for? I was married at the age of 22 and divorced at 23…’ she said in a lifeless tone.

Jacob stared at her wide-eyed. He could not believe that her marriage did not even last for a year.

‘May I know why?’ he asked hesitantly.

‘We divorced by mutual consent. The reason was very simple. We both were in love.’

That is good, right? How can being in love, lead to divorce?

                                     To be continued...