part 25
A dark night had brought three strangers together by chance, and now one of them was beginning to talk about friendship.
"Alright," Baljeet said, "I accept that."
"Good," Darren said happily. "Now, drop this stubbornness about not drinking."
"No, that stays," Baljeet replied.
"So stubborn," Babu agreed with Baljeet and said, "Let it go then."
"Anyway, I have to drive ahead," Baljeet reminded them.
"Oh yes, that's true," Darren seemed to recall.
And for the next five minutes, a conversation took place between the three, after which the waiter finally received an order to serve only two glasses of whiskey—without the third one.
Along with it, roasted cashews and, on Baljeet's special request, a plate of green salad just for him.
And the food?
That would come later.
First things first.
"Looks like when it rains…" Babu glanced at the dark, looming clouds outside, "it's going to be heavy."
"It hasn't rained yet, even though it's been threatening since the afternoon," Darren laughed.
"That's exactly why I said—whenever it rains, it'll be in full force."
"I've never seen such clouds here before," Darren observed.
"Where are you from?" This time, Baljeet willingly joined the conversation.
"Ahmedabad," Darren replied. "I grew up there and later came to Delhi for work."
"You couldn't find a job there?" Babu asked.
"I could have, but honestly, I never really tried."
"Why?"
"Because my father would never let me work there!"
"Why not?"
"Because if I got a job there, I would always seem too small in front of his vast empire, and…" Darren hesitated, "my father would never allow it."
"What does your father do?"
"Only one thing," Darren said.
"What?"
"He makes money."
"But we all make money," Babu reasoned.
"Or at least, we want to," Baljeet added.
"But my father doesn't just make money," Darren explained. "He wears it, sleeps on it, drinks it with water, chews it with his food."
"Does he swallow it with medicine too?" Baljeet muttered under his breath, but no one heard him.
"Who does that?" Babu asked.
"No one does, no one can," Darren sighed, remembering his stubborn father, Ramesh Sajwan. "But my father does. Every day, all the time."
"Unbelievable!"
"Indeed," Darren said in a somber tone. "Even today, I'm amazed at how easily my father agreed to my marriage with Saya."
"Saya…!"
"My wife."
"Is she also from Gujarat?"
"Yes."
"Love marriage?"
"It was love that led to marriage, but…"
"But later, you regretted it," Baljeet guessed.
"Regret?" Babu was surprised. "Why regret?"
"Because after marriage, only the marriage remained," Darren said in a disappointed voice. "Damn, the love disappeared like Mr. India."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, it was only heard, not seen."
"Oh…!" Babu asked, "Why so?"
"I don't know."
"Do you love your wife?" Baljeet asked this time.
"I do," Darren admitted. "In fact, I love her immensely."
"Then?"
"Then…" Darren thought of Neeta and said, "Then, I don't know."
"Even though you loved her before marriage and still do, you feel that love has vanished?"
"That's also true."
"If you loved your wife before marriage and still love her, then where is the problem?"
"Or maybe," Baljeet said in a low voice, "the problem is somewhere else."
The other two looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Darren asked.
"What do you mean, what do I mean?"
"I mean, tell us."
"What should I say?"
"Don't change the subject," Darren said, looking into his eyes. "Complete your thought."
"Let it go, sir…"
"No, not like this," Darren insisted. "Finish what you were saying."
"I was just…"
"Say it now."
"Are you sure you won't mind?"
"I won't."
"You promise?"
"Speak, man."
"According to you," Baljeet took a deep breath and said, "you loved your soon-to-be wife before marriage."
"Yes, so?"
"And you still love her after marriage."
"Yes."
"But despite that, you feel that something is missing in your relationship."
"Absolutely."
"Then there can only be one reason for that."
"What?"
"That you…" Baljeet paused for a moment before continuing, "now love someone else besides your wife."
Darren stared at Baljeet in shock.