You and I, plus 2 years of marriage!

Somebody’s Wife

{2}

Raghav had seen Bhaumi for the first time at his cousin’s wedding. His mother liked her and very soon approached her parents proposing marriage between the two. It did not take long for both families to arrange the wedding because they belonged to same caste. Moreover, astrologers had predicted that they both would lead very happy life together. Bhaumi was a post-graduate in English literature, whereas Raghav was an investment banker. He earned a handsome salary and therefore did not see any reason to let Bhaumi work. She had quit her job as a content writer and became a full-time housewife. They had been married for 1 year, 7 months and 13 days. She spoke less and was quite an introvert. They both never had fights because she barely argued or disagreed with him. Her cooking skills were neither too great nor too bad. Weekends were spent in either watching movies, visiting parents or just hanging out in a shopping mall. Sometimes they just stayed home because he was not in the mood to venture out. Not once had she asked him for anything. Not even once.

This was all I could gather from my conversation with Raghav before he left.

‘Please help me find her. I have loved her since the day I met her. Without her, life has no meaning for me.’

His words hung in the air for a long time. As an investigator, I had a lot more questions to ask him, but I chose not to. I needed time to accept the truth and my mind was saturated with only one painful realisation that she was gone. My balcony visit for a comforting smoke would no longer be the same without her. I let out a long drawn breath and traveled back in time to the night when I had first seen her. My life was no longer the same after that night.

It was 9.45pm and the cold breeze blew over my face. A long and exhausting day had just come to an end. Usually I ate dinner and fell asleep watching some mindless TV shows. There had been nights when the TV would be running till dawn when my alarm woke me up. But tonight my hunger had died a silent death. What made me go to the balcony of my room, I did not know. I lighted a cigarette and pulled hard at it. Once again my eyes traveled back to my clean hands. They had been very neatly washed but I could still smell blood on them. That raw smell ceased to leave my mind. He was a criminal and I knew it, yet killing him was not easy. The ten seconds before my finger pulled the trigger, I did contemplate saving his life. Immediately the face of every single woman he had tortured floated before my eyes and the next moment he lay dead in a pool of blood. He deserved to die but was I right in killing him? I chose not to answer. The strong smell of cigarette numbed my sense of guilt and I gazed up at the stars. The city lights overwhelmed the twinkle of the stars and all I could see was the lone moon. Suddenly I heard an old Hindi song drafting in the air.

Mere naina sawan bhaago…

The most melodious song I had ever heard. Immediately I was drawn to it and I turned around. She was sitting on the balcony of her house and drinking from her coffee mug. The song was playing on her phone and she looked completely lost in its melody. There was a shadow of smile at the corner of her lips. She was dressed in a white kurta and pyjama which gave her a dreamy look. A few naughty strands of hair had escaped her plait and grazed her cheeks. I was not a big fan of music but that night I listened to the melancholic song with rapture. Until the song came to an end, I did not realize that I was actually gazing at her unaware of my surrounding. The whistling wind replaced the music and she stood up. As if answering my unspoken question, she turned towards me and her dove eyes met mine. That moment, I had a maddening urge to jump over to her balcony! There was something about her eyes which enticed me. But that magic barely lasted for a moment. Quickly I turned my gaze and looked away from her. After a couple of moments, I heard her retreating footsteps and a door closing behind her.

She was somebody’s wife…

The vermillion streak on her forehead screamed her marital status. But I noticed it a moment too late. Obviously the eyes were what caught my attention first. I stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray and threw myself on the lonely bed. Surprisingly I fell asleep very soon. That night I dreamt of white sky stained with a streak of blood and a pair of dove eyes staring at me…

Every single detail of that night was etched in my memory for eternity. It had been years since a woman caught my attention because I was literally married to my profession and did not fancy any woman in my life. I was damn sure that if I had a wife, it would not just complicate life for me but also make hers a living hell. All Bhaumi had to do was look at me and instantly I realized that I was just living a lie.

***

‘ACP Mirza! Well, this must be something really important because otherwise you wouldn’t be calling me at 5.30 am. Go ahead,’ said Shweta yawning into the phone. I could barely sleep last night and had to literally stop myself from calling my favourite private detective immediately. She was married and had a 10-year-old son.

‘I need a thorough background check. I have already sent you the details about her on WhatsApp. You have 2 days,’ I said in brief.

‘Stay on line, let me just check your message.’

There was silence for a few seconds.

‘Mrs. Bhaumi Raghav! A very peculiar name indeed. Any special reason why you want me and not your assistants from the department on this case?’

‘She was my neighbour and is missing since yesterday. Her husband wants me to find her sans a police complaint.’

‘And you agreed?’ she asked with a slight edge to her voice. I rolled my eyes.

‘I have my reasons to take up this case.’

‘They better be some valid reasons Adil. Otherwise this could turn out to be a dangerous gamble.’

Hers was not a mild warning, it was a threat. She was not just my colleague in some cases but also a very trusted friend.

‘Shweta, do a complete check. Let me know once you have the details, I will meet you soon.’

‘Sure. See you.’

I disconnected the call and went for a bath. When I came out of my room dressed in uniform, I had surprise visitors in the living-room.

‘Bhaumi’s parents,’ introduced Raghav. All of us sat down after the round of introductions. I asked my cook to bring four cups of tea. Bhaumi’s mother looked much traumatized whereas the father was a man of extreme composure.

‘When was the last time that you spoke to your daughter?’

‘Yesterday morning. She had called up to wish for Diwali,’ said Latha with tears welling up her eyes.

‘How did you get to know that your daughter was missing?’ I asked glancing briefly at Raghav.

Vishwanath handed me a folded piece of paper. I began reading it almost guessing its contents beforehand.

Dear Ma and papa,

I am not going to give you any reason for my disappearance. Raghav is not responsible for this. I made this decision for my life. The only decision I ever made for myself. Forgive me, if you can.

Bhaumi

The length of the letter indeed surprised me. Why did she write such a short letter to her parents?

‘Raghav can you please leave them here for some time. I would like to ask them a few questions.’

Raghav was not very happy with my request but did not refuse. He told his parents-in-law that he would wait for them at home and left.

‘Mr. Vishwanath, I can understand that this is a very painful phase for both of you. But I insist that you answer my questions honestly to help me find your daughter.’

They both nodded in silence.

‘What do you think about Raghav?’

‘He is a very good man and a perfect husband for Bhaumi. He took really good care of her and not even once had she complained to us against him. I still cannot believe that she has done something so disgraceful,’ said her father shaking his head in disapproval.

‘Mrs. Latha, how did she react when you first told her about Raghav? What was her reaction for marriage?’

‘She did not readily agree. She said it was too early for her to get married. Only after a lot of convincing she agreed to meet Raghav.’

‘Was she against marriage or only against marrying Raghav?’

‘What are you trying to imply ACP sir?’ asked Vishwanath crossly.

‘Are you certain that your daughter was not in love before marriage?’ I asked without mincing my words.

‘My daughter is not someone who will go against her family’s wishes. She knew very well that we would never approve love marriage.’

‘Mr. Vishwanath that could have exactly been the reason why she never disclosed anything about it to you. She knew that you would never agree and she might have agreed for this wedding just to satisfy you. The same daughter has now taken such a bold step to leave her home and family behind. Tell me, are you certain that there was no man in her life before Raghav?’

‘This is ridiculous! She was very happy with the wedding and they both lived like a perfect couple. I cannot even ima—’

‘There was only one about whom she had spoken a couple of times,’ said Latha coldly. Her husband glared at her.

‘Who?’ I asked with a slight pang of jealousy. Deep in my heart I wanted her father’s words to be true. Now, this case was indeed taking a much predicted course like most other missing cases.

‘Shiva.’

Is this really the man for whom she left her home?

I had to find this Shiva and if I was not wrong, she had to be with him. There was no other reason for a woman to walk out of a happy marriage. It would have been a very easy case to solve! But who knew that soon enough I would be proved wrong. The truth was more than what met the eyes. And I fell for her all over again… harder than before.

                    To be continued...