Adultery No One Dies a Saint [Completed]

Anvita woke up a dead soul in the morning. Her body moved like a robot. She grabbed Prithvi’s clothes and shoes and woke him up. She watched him pull his pants under the skirt.

This boy fucked me. Anvita cringed at the thought. Shit. She rued and scratched her hair.

“Promise me you’ll forget it.”

She said when he was ready.

Prithvi shook his head.

“Erase everything. You and I are…. I am a teacher. You are my student. You and I haven’t done anything…”

“Anvita.”

He held grabbed her hand.

“I promise you. I know what we did is wrong. It happened. But nothing happened. Let’s forget it. Let’s not talk about it.”

Anvita stared at him. She felt he is more sensible than her.

“Yeah, right. Let’s not talk about it. Let’s stop thinking about it.”

Because it never happened.

She kept assuring herself until he left. Then she breathed normally. Nobody should know. I am not a good wife. But I will keep it to me. She made a promise to herself.

I will live with Atul. I will die with him only. I am his. He is mine. That’s all.

“What happened to your lips?”

George asked her during breakfast. Anvita couldn’t speak.

“What happened?”

Leona took a closer look. Anvita melted in her seat and she felt all the courage she had gathered so far vanishing into thin air.

My lips were savoured and ravaged by a man. Anvita thought she was caught, so simply.

“Looks like you slept on your stomach; with your face down.”

Leona made out. Anvita forced a smile.

“Perhaps. I don’t really remember anything. I was too sleepy when I made to bed.”

“Mmm… you should dip your face in ice water for some time. It’ll help.”

Leona suggested.

George and Leona left soon. Anvita studied her face in the mirror. Her lips were screaming a story. She quickly brought some ice water in a bowl and dipped her face in it. Her swollen lips were evidence of her infidelity. But dipping her face in the chilled water was not going to purify her. I would rather need to walk burning coal. She felt she had his taste in her mouth, even after ten minutes of sousing her face in the water.

Anvita stood in front of the mirror, again, studying her face in different angles, trying to figure out the chances of her lips swelling to be spotted.

No. Atul won’t notice it. She assured herself.

She heard the doorbell and froze for a moment. She didn’t expect Atul to return so early. She began to freak out instantly and then calmed down.

No. Anvita, hold your ground. She commanded herself. You had slept with your face down. You don’t know how it happened. She nodded at herself in the mirror and took a long breath.

Be confident, Anvita. She said one last time and opened the door.

There stood Rajyavardhan.

He began to smile at her. It was a rare sight Anvita would love to see any other day, but now she was too flustered to make a response. “I need just a look at you in the morning to say what you’ve done in the night,” Anvita remembered his words. Before she could react, she watched the smile on his face vanish without a trace.

Oh my god! Will he believe my story?

“Com..come in…please… dad.”

Anvita blurted out like a person in deathbed.

Rajyavardhan walked in, and Anvita closed her eyes. Her attempts to hold back tears proved to be futile in a few seconds. She had nowhere to hide.

Rajyavardhan sat on the couch and Anvita stood at his side.

“What happened, my child?”

His voice was calm. But there was a firm note to his voice that Anvita felt choked her further. She broke into a cry and collapsed into her knees. She did not stop herself at it, and she let it all flow. She cried her heart out.

Rajyavardhan waited silently until she opened her teary eyes.

“What happened, Anvita?”

He repeated.

“I…I erred, dad. I… I betrayed your son. I betrayed you.”

She collapsed further and sat on the floor.

Rajyavardhan sat, motionless, and watched her cry until her tears went dry. Until her cry became sobbing, he waited.

“I let you cry only because I thought it would make you better. Now you are better. Talk, my child. What happened?”

Anvita’s eyes remained stuck at his feet.

“Yesterday… Leona and George had come here.”

Anvita did not know where to start.

“Atul is not here. He’s gone to a business meeting. I have a friend whom I had taught English for a few months during my earlier job as a teacher. Yesterday he had come here. He’s a good boy. He did not have clothes to wear so I gave him my clothes. My skirt and a top. Then Leona and George showed up unexpectedly. Their car had broken down somewhere nearby so Atul asked them to stay over. And I had to hide Prithvi, the boy, in my room, for the whole night. I didn’t want them to see him. I didn’t know what others would think if they saw him in my clothes. Atul doesn’t know about it. Then, after dinner, I went to sleep. He was also there.”

Anvita looked at her room as if it was now a crime scene.

Indeed, it was.

“And it happened. I am sorry, dad. I betrayed my Atul. My husband. his family. My family. You. Everyone. I am….”

Rajyavardhan sat in complete silence for a long moment, watching her. He seemed to be in deep thought. No matter how much calmness he was putting on his face, Anvita knew deep in his heart there will be a man burning in hellfire. The longer his silence, the bigger his violent reaction is going to be, Anvita foresaw.

“How old is he? The boy?”

Rajyavardhan asked.

“Nineteen, I think.”

Rajyavardhan shook his head, thinking.

“Can I have a glass of water?”

His want pushed Anvita out of her flashback mode.

“Oh, I forgot.”

She got up quickly but she couldn’t. She stumbled over the floor before she rose to her feet and then walked to the kitchen.

Rajyavardhan did not say a word until he finished the water Anvita fetched for him.

“So, where is this boy, now?”

He asked.

“I sent him early this morning before the guests woke up. I made him promise it was a mistake. It was a mistake. But too terrible to be called a mistake. I can't look at Atul’s face now. I am done as a wife, as a woman. My life is…”

“Do you think Atul will know of it?”

“I am going to tell him.”

Her voice was now firm. Someone inside her was telling her it was the right choice.

“And then?”

“And then I’ll do what he says.”

Rajyavardhan looked at her for a long moment, studying her.

“Come here.”

He gestured.

“Sit here.”

Anvita sat beside him on the couch. He grabbed her hand, carefully.

“You know, I can understand what happened. I can understand what is happening inside you. It is really sad. It should not have happened. Some say, to err is human. But some errors render us inhumane. This is one such mistake that you think the mistake is too short a term to explain it. But we need to look forward, my child. I have so good memories of you that I can't give up on you so easily. You are my daughter. I am going to forgive you.”

Anvita heard his words and she thought she was dreaming it.

“I have reasons to believe it is none other than God who brought me here at this moment, and it is for a purpose. He shouldn’t have brought me here to punish you. You opened the door expecting Atul and if God wanted you to be punished, Atul indeed would have shown up there. But it was me instead, and now let me tell you what is written for you. I am forgiving you for what you did. It was indeed a mistake. And I believe for some part that it was an aftereffect of Atul’s lack of care for you. Otherwise, you could have defended yourself in there. Being with a boy in a bedroom doesn’t make a married woman have sex with him. There has to have some reasons. Desperation is a great weakness and Atul can't escape the blame. I know that better than anyone.”

Rajyavardhan paused as if to allow his words to sink into her.

“If you admit to him you slept with this body and did this mistake, do you think he’s gonna punish you? No. He won’t. Because he loves you. He can't leave you. But he will live with the pain forever. It will then become a punishment for himself.”

It was a revelation to Anvita. Yes, he loves me. Loves me more than his family. More than anything. And he can never leave me. He will surely be angry and hurt. But he will never leave me, for he can’t.

Dad was correct, word by word. Anvita was convinced.

“So don’t ever think of telling him, ever. You confessed to me; I am his dad. I have the power to forgive you. I am doing it.”

Rajyavardhan smiled at her. The same old rare smile Anvita loved to see. This time Anvita was not flustered. She leaned forward and hugged him.

“Dad. I am so sorry for what I did. I am so sorry for this pain.”

Her eyes were teary again and her vision blurred.

He rubbed his palm over her shoulder tenderly.

“I love you, dad.”

She pressed her face down to his shoulder.

“I love you too, my child. My son has a life with you. You both must live on. Try to make each other happy. We, your parents will be happy.”

Rajyavardhan had, in fact, come to return a part of Atul’s cash. One of his old friends had returned borrowed money after a long time, and Rajyavardhan immediately decided to ease the pressure off his son’s shoulders, by returning the money.

“That’s how I actually ended up here. See, how God’s ways work for us!”

Rajyavardhan remarked.

It was indeed a miracle for Anvita. She too believed that dad’s arrival was not for nothing. He was a messenger. And his message was bright; all the hope was not lost.

Anvita was now breathing normally. Yet there was something that was clouding her mind. Rajyavardhan spotted it sooner than later.

“You still have something in your mind. What is it?”

He was having breakfast when he noticed her thinking about something unpleasant.

“I will have to go out, dad. I’ll be back in an hour.”

She said hesitantly.

“Speak clearly, child.”

His voice was firmer.

“Tell me what exactly is troubling you now. You are not heading to the market, for sure. Are you going to meet someone?”

Anvita stared at him. She had never thought of him coming up with such doubt. Does he think I am going to see Prithvi?

“I am going to a pharmacy.”

“Pharmacy is here. It’s very close to the nearby street. Why do you need an hour?”

“I can't buy it from there. Actually…”

She cringed at her own.

“Dad, yesterday I did not have any protection.”

Her face was down.

“I need to buy an after-pill to avoid the risk of pregnancy.”

“Oh shit!”

Rajyavardhan rubbed at his forehead.

“It’s getting nasty between us, isn’t it?”

He got up, having finished his meal.

Anvita did not know what to say. Rajyavardhan washed his hands and returned to the hall. Anvita walked to the kitchen with the dishes. When she returned, Rajyavardhan spoke.

“What is this after-pill? Is it the name of a pill?”

Anvita blinked.

“You won’t have to go. I will buy it for you.”

Rajyavardhan explained. Anvita felt her knees week, suddenly, for unknown reasons.

“No. dad, you don’t have to…”

“I can go and buy it from the nearest shop.”

Anvita did not want to face him anymore. She wanted to run away and hide her face from him. She was such a disgrace.

“Dad, I can't allow you to do that. I am your daughter-in-law. You are my father-in-law. You, buying an after-pill for me… I can't even think of it… I won’t be ever able to forgive myself for this. I have already done enough that will land me in hell…”

“Stop it, Anvita. Stop blabbering like a child. I am asking you to be practical. Yes, I am your father-in-law, so I am not yet going to let you land in hell.”

Anvita stared at him for a moment, unbelievably. Tears continued to seep down her cheeks. Rajyavardhan rose to his feet and wiped it with bare hands.

“Stop crying, my child. My son loves you. I love you. You are a beautiful girl. It takes hell lot of courage to confess and face the consequence of what you’ve done. You are one brave woman. Let my son be in love with you. Put up a pleasant face. These things will be forgotten soon. Bad things happen, but we can move on.”

Anvita couldn’t hear anymore. She hugged him tight and pressed her face into his shoulder. He held his strong arms around her as if to protect her from demons, and Anvita felt safe.

When she moved off him, she smiled.

“Yes. It’s getting nasty between us.”

Rajyavardhan did not smile. But she felt his face was pleasant.

“Tell me about the pill; after pill, you said?”

“After-pill. You can say Unwanted seventy-two. That’s the name of it.”

“Unwanted seventy-two. Okay, got it. By the way, how is it going to help? Are you sure it will work? Don’t you want to see a doctor?”

“It’s a pill that stops pregnancy. It will work if consumed within seventy-two hours after having…I mean, you know, after it…”

Rajyavardhan was visibly surprised.

“Seventy-two hours? That’s three days.”

“Yes, dad.”

“Uff!”

He shook his head.

“That’s too convenient.”

“The earlier the better, though.”

“Still very convenient. Anybody can do anything, and nobody can know anything. There’s a pill for everything. The world is getting innovative day by day.”

He blurted before he was gone.

Anvita sat on the couch, trying to believe what was happening. Her father-in-law was fetching an emergency pill for her. She tried to envisage Rajyavardhan walking over to the pharmacy and asking for the pill.

“One unwanted seventy-two.”

He would say.

The shopkeeper will stare at him for a moment. A man in his sixties asking for a morning-after pill deserves some glorious staring, especially in this country.

“Did you mean this?”

The shopkeeper might ask him, showing him the pill, to confirm he hadn’t heard it wrong.

“Do you have any doubt on what you are selling here?”

Dad would raise his voice then, embarrassing him.

A smile came into Anvita’s lips. Somehow, suddenly, she was feeling excited. A deep feeling of fulfilment that she could not really identify was making her satisfied.

The pharmacist will surely think the old man slept with a young woman he was not supposed to. He will try to make out who could that be. A young servant? A young friend’s wife? A friend’s daughter? A neighbour’s daughter? A cousin’s daughter? Or a daughter-in-law?

As Anvita’s thoughts grew thick, she found them turning senseless. It was insanely stupid, she knew already, but she couldn’t stop pondering over the possibility of the pharmacist doubting his elder customer having a sexual relationship with his daughter-in-law. He would be jealous of dad.

She looked at her own reflection on the large TV. You and dad. She remembered his strong built body that obviously beat his age. The shopkeeper would indeed be jealous if he saw me. Anvita knew.

She remembered an embarrassing old dream she once had in that she and dad were making out on top of a herd of sheep at a bus stop. It was weird, and a stupid, strange dream. Suddenly Anvita felt shy. Stop thinking about it, Anvita.

Rajyavardhan returned very soon. He had bought two pills.

“If one didn’t work…”

He explained.

“No. It’s not supposed to be taken twice. I only need one.”

Anvita said.

“I know that, my child. The shopkeeper was looking at me with doubtful eyes. So I demanded one extra, just to piss him. I am sure he must have thought like how lucky is this old man. Idiot fellow!”

He said.

Anvita laughed slightly.

“Wow. You are laughing. So the extra pill worked first. Now don’t waste time. Have it before my son arrives.”

Anvita couldn’t believe how casual he had become now. She sat in front of him and took out the pill. She didn’t look at him until she was ready to put it into the mouth. She took a glass of water from the centre table and looked at him; as if to seek permission. It was silly, though, but Anvita felt thrilled by it. Rajyavardhan nodded slightly and she swallowed it. Her eyes remained at him as she drank water. She felt aroused, suddenly.

She had done a crime and she now had a partner in it.

For a moment, she remembered the night before. She remembered how Prithvi was emptying his balls into her. It was a huge load; an unbelievably huge load of a man’s seed. Will this single pill be sufficient to defend them all? It was a worrisome thought.

However, Anvita was confident now. Because her father-in-law was there, watching her, protecting her. He brought me this pill. It can never fail.

Anvita breathed easy after that. She talked normally and laughed honestly. And she was her complete self when Atul arrived.

She gave him a warm embrace that panicked him as he saw dad watching from the hall. He began to push her away but then he noticed a slight smile on his face. Is he smiling? Atul quickly moved to him, unbelievably. He stood there awkwardly. Anvita walked behind him and nudged him.

“Smile at him!”

Atul was not sure, yet.

“Sit down, Atul. What are you staring at?”

Rajyavardhan raised his voice.

“I came to return some cash.”

He picked up his small bag and placed it on the centre table.

“It is eight lakh rupees. You can reduce that loan amount.”

Atul’s eyes widened.

“How? How do you…”

“I got some money, from someone I had helped earlier; he returned it. Take it; I don’t want to be blamed by you later.”

“No, I wouldn’t blame you.”

He blurted.

“Are you saying you don’t want the money?”

Atul blinked.

“Take it before he takes it back, Atul.”

Anvita interrupted, laughingly.
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