Chapter-9

One of my friends needed me to do some urgent work. And she chose to leave the station the same day in the evening for a few days. She summoned me to see her. I was initially hesitant because her house was on the other side of town. It took me an hour and a half just to get there, and that time could be stretched if I got stuck in an unexpected traffic jam. I couldn't think of going to her house on the very same day because Ravi had actually planned a party at his house. We finally agreed to meet at the mall, which had just recently opened and was conveniently located between our homes, because we were both pressed for time.

My car suddenly broke down on the way to the mall. The automobile was shown at the showroom. They stated it would take a couple of hours to fix it there. If I waited for the car to be fixed, I figured it would cause a delay. That day, I couldn't possibly afford to be late that day. She was to come to the hospital to show herself, which was only a short distance away from the showroom.

So, I just gave her a call to check where she was right now. She intimated that she was even now in the hospital, and she would spend another half an hour there. I told her I was coming there only. I had hardly reached there when she had gone in for the check-up. I sat there and kept her waiting in the waiting room.

The hospital staff knew me fairly well, so they did not object to my sitting there. Suddenly, my eyes fell on the form, which a woman sitting next to me was filling in. She had written the name of Ravi Shrivastava on the columns of her husband, and it was an abortion form. It totally shook me from the inside. I immediately looked up to see her, but her face was fully covered. I could not decide what I would do next. The lady sitting next to me did not like my reaction, and she left the place in a rush. And I did not like the way she moved out. I tried to follow her.

Then Amy got into the waiting room. She seemed very delightful. Actually, the doctor had confirmed the news of her pregnancy. She wanted to share that brilliant news with me first, in celebration of that moment. I was literally thrilled for her. I knew how desperately she was looking for a baby.

And it had become the cause of her divorce from her previous husband too. Things were very smooth between them. As the years passed, love waned between them. And the gulf expanded, which caused their bitter separation finally.

Her husband began to pick fights with her over every slight thing. Day by day, their disputes increased, and they began to come late to the office. When she inquired about the reason for his coming late, He made some lame excuses. His extravagance had also increased many folds, and he had stopped contributing to the house expenditure.

One day, while returning from the office, she found that her house lock had been changed without notice. She got very scared. Thereupon, she gave the call to her husband, Andrew. She came to know from him that he had already sold that house to someone else. Besides, he intimated to her she was no longer his wife, and that day he got married to some other lady. It did not take much time to know she had been duped.

She called me and asked me to give her shelter at her home for a couple of days. So that she could manage a fairly lovely flat for herself. Since Ravi had been out of the station for a few days, I had no problem keeping her at my place.

Amy had married Andrew, going against her parents' wishes. According to them, he did not deserve her. They were well off, and Amy was their only child. It was not that easy to get a house for a single lady in a compact city like Udaipur. Amy was not getting it at all what she did further. She had been at my place for over ten days, but she could not stay there for longer. Ravi was also to come back in a couple of days.

One morning, I convinced her to call her parents. It might be that they would get ready to accept her. She was sceptical even after that; she made a call to her mother and, by God's grace, they accepted her in no time. She had spent over a year deliberating about that incident. Amy's family was supportive. They helped their daughter to come out of that trauma and move ahead in her life. She left the job and joined her family business.

Her family got her married to a boy who was his childhood friend. They were thrilled with their lives. Then her pregnancy came as a grand surprise. It proved that there was no defect in her. The actual problem was with Andrew. Amy took me to the restaurant. It was a treat for me from her side. That day, she was too chirpy. She also brought me a diamond ring, which she made me wear on my finger. I hesitated but finally accepted it.

I could not enjoy her happiness wholeheartedly because the covered face of the lady and her husband's name on the form were disturbing me again and again. I was arguing with myself that there were thousands of men with the same name, but my heart was declining my statement. It said that he was none other than Ravi. He made his victims one more innocent girl. After having dinner, we both headed for our homes.

Ravi believed in showing off too much. He frequently threw parties at his home. And at every party, he ensured that the decorations, food, venue, clothes, everything should be exotic. He was well aware of it; I was capable of handling his exotic parties successfully, but he did not involve me in anything. He did everything from the outside. I attended those parties as a guest with a plaster smile and a lot of make-up on my face.

Many times, I felt that things could be done better with less expenditure. But I knew at the same time that there was no benefit in making Ravi understand anything. He would never get ready to involve me. On the contrary, my friends called me when they had parties at their homes for suggestions, and I gave them my ideas to make their party successful. Any was pushing me hard to start my event management business along with her in partnership.

She had given me a lucrative offer to make an investment of money, and I would handle the rest of the part. It was only me who was hesitating to venture out. Because I had little experience, and it was a significant investment. If the business flops in no time, She would have to face an immense loss. I did not want something like that to happen, which caused a strain on our friendship.

I was aware that running a business was not an easy task. It might demand many things. Your customers could be middle-class families too, and it was a demanding job for me to organize a party keeping their budget in mind. So far, I had been managing the party for those who were not money-sensitive people. I would need to do a lot of work before floating the business.

Earlier, I did not take any money from my friends to organize any events for them, but further, they insisted that I would take money for the last few parties. And no doubt, they paid me handsomely. Since they had begun to pay me, I would have worked harder to come up with fresh ideas every time. Yes, my work gave me great satisfaction, and I did not have to look for Ravi's credit card so frequently.

A few more people who knew me approached me through my friends. But so far, Ravi had not come to know about my part-time job. I was having a problem handling the household affairs along with organizing the party. This was true that many times I remained empty. I was looking for someone who would work with me on a part-time basis. Amy tried her best to convince me to join her, but I did not want to make any decisions in a rush. I knew beginning my business could hurt Ravi's ego.

And if I had word regarding it with Ravi, he would get pissed off. And there was no guarantee that the business would be successful. I could not ignore that I would have to take many pains to establish myself in the beginning.

Anu and Priya were sweet children. They did not bother me much. I remembered how glad they were when they discovered their mother was also working on some minor projects. They told me that if my business was successful, we would all leave Papa and his house forever. But they avoided answering me when I asked them about the reason behind it. Day by day, I was getting closer to them emotionally, and our bonding was getting stronger and stronger. Although I could not take care of them as much as I used to do earlier, they did not complain and helped me instead.

But yes, I got it. Well, they did not stay with their father. I did not ask the reason behind it, but I came to know that they had caught someone with Ravi. They loved to see me working at home and making plans and projects on the computer. Everything was unsaid among us, but we worked together as a team.

They restrained their father in the office as long as I was busy with outdoor work, so that their father could not come to know on his own that I had a part-time job. They also had a hint that their mother was also thinking about starting her own business.

I had decided if I left the house, I would take both my daughters along with me. My gut feeling was telling me that the moment was not too far away. It could come at any time in my life. What may come in my life, I would always keep in terms with my children and grandmother.

Arunima also helped me with my business, and in return, I used to pay her share. Her kids had grown a little more, so she was looking for some additional income so that she could put them into a good school and provide them with an excellent education. She was planning to put her kids into the same school where my daughters were doing studies. Her confidence and positive attitude towards the world always inspired me.

Arunima and my friends, along with their husbands, used to do the job of mouth-to-mouth advertising among their friends and relatives so that I would get more and more work. Arunima's husband also helped me with my career. He used to manage flowers and other things for me at short notice. No doubt, my work was appreciated, and I was getting more and more jobs. I was often overwhelmed with so much work that I had had to decline offers, which made me feel terrible, for I knew refusing the offer would do the job of tarnishing my image in customers' minds.

The crunch of money, time, resources, manpower, and everything else was pinching me. I understood it well; my crisis would not let me bloom. I could feel I had a dire need for a few permanent staff to whom I would have to make a payment every month. Things could not be done on a daily basis. Arunima also suggested something to me, which had the weight that taking something on rent every time is an expensive affair. Gradually, we should think about buying those things.

And we also need a proper office. I need to get involved if I wanted to run the business properly. I could not ignore my home either. Arunima came forward to take care of the house, and she assured me she would not let me down. The kids also promised me they would do their studies independently and always behave well.

I hired Arunima's husband, Hira, permanently. I could not work from home because there was a bright possibility that Ravi could come to know about my business. So I took a room for rent and made Hira sit in it. I knew my decision was wrong. I needed one of the qualified people to sit there who could understand the customer's requirements very well and write them down. But for a while, I managed with Hira. He used to sit in the room from 10 o'clock to 6 o'clock; after that, he did fieldwork. I could not sit in the office because I had to meet with the clients as well.

I sold some jewellers, which I had brought from my mother's side, and invested them in the interior decoration of the office. I knew it was not good enough. I need to do something more. Eventually, I took the risk and put all my earnings into it. I hired a few bright college students for the work. They were available to me from 8 to 10 in the morning and 4 to 8 in the evening. They spoke good English, and they had computer knowledge as well.

My friends were helping me to get more and more work, and in return, I used to give them a few portions of the benefits. Honestly speaking, they also enjoyed working along with me. Then I had to do the registration of my company. That was a big issue for me. I could not give the address of my house. I did not get how I handled that problem. My friends also seemed helpless. They enjoyed working with me.

They were scared more than I was about the company closing forever. But Amy did not let it happen. Not only did her husband help to get the registration done, but I also got the loan from the bank with no difficulty. On the official opening day of my shop, I kept a small puja. I brought my daughters, Anu and Priya, too. They were thrilled to see my office. They sat by each side of me on the bed sheet during pooja.

Besides, they were also helping Anurima to make a packet of sweets. And they distributed the sweets among the guests. Tears roll down my cheeks as I see so much development in my life in the past few months. That day, my two adorable daughters chose me over their father. They wanted to live with their mother, minus Papa.

I had my mother-in-law in the form of my mother. Her love for me was unconditional and pure. My group of true friends helped me to set up my own business. Last but not least, Arunima and Hera. They had been my backbone throughout the time. And the most exciting thing was that Ravi did not know about my new venture so far. I preferred to keep my business hidden from him further, too. As long as I could not take, care of all the expenses of the household.

Anu and Priya were placing more compelling pressure on me to leave the home of Papa as soon as possible. Although I did not ask them why their demand, I could look at something that made them uncomfortable living with Ravi. I did not want to commit the blunder of taking any rash decisions from my side. However, I was aware I could not stay there longer. Undoubtedly, it was tough for me to get out of my comfort zone little by little and settle myself into that competitive market. First, I took a three-room house for rent and furnished it in a decent but economical manner.

Anurima had also gotten ready to take care of my house. To commute from home to the office, I purchased a scooter. I felt terrible for my kids and worried about them; how would they survive with me without all those luxuries they were so accustomed to having too? However, I did not let the fear loom on my face. They were very excited and helped Anurima to set up the house. I had determined that I would let Ravi know about my business establishment before long, and if he created any objections, I would leave his home permanently.

I would take my two daughters along with me because they wanted to stay with me. Everything was clear in my mind. I had already told the kids that after their exam, we would get there. Then, they also got engrossed in preparing for their exams, and I was engrossed in my business and my team. Two more months moved in that way. Then, I had some savings; I was able to run the house for a further three months even if I did not get any work. It was essential to move forwards with some backup so that I could not repent of my actions further.