THIRTY TWO
The next evening, Raghu came to Maya's apartment.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“A few minutes more, Raghu.”
These days Raghu was growing more and more restless, she thought. Perhaps his job was stressing him out. The airline he was working for wasn't doing well, financially. Then he had to fly at night more often these days, more night shifts were common now. “It's not a shift. It's a shit,” was his view he had of night shift.
Maya felt that he worried about her too much. When he was not with her or not flying, he literally called every hour to find out what was she doing, whom she was with.
“How much more time will you take?” he said impatiently, even as she was finishing her make-up.
“Oh, Maya, you look lovely,” he said, when she stepped out. She smelled his strong perfume.
“I love you!” he whispered. “Do you really want to go out? Let's spend the night at home,” he said, tempting her.
But they went out anyway, to a club a couple of kilometres away, in Raghu's car. They had a couple of drinks and Maya thought it would be fun to dance a bit.
“Come, let's dance,” she said.
“I can't dance,” he chuckled, waving his hands in a no signal.
“You can't dance, how ridiculous!”
“You go and dance, na,” he said. She walked to the dance floor and joined some folks there who were already dancing. She must have danced for some twenty minutes or so when she suddenly felt Raghu's hand on her wrist.
“Come, let's go home.” His tone was sharp and firm.
“Why? What happened?” she said, surprised at his change of mood.
'Come, I said!” He pulled her away from the dance floor. A couple of people noticed it, but turned away.
“What happened? Will you tell me?” she asked.
“You are asking me what happened, you shameless woman?” he said, bitterly.
“What are you talking about?”
“Did you see the way you were dancing looking at that boy”
“Which boy?”
“Oh, like you don't know? You were staring at Danny. Do you even know how embarrassing it wasfor me?”
“Danny, who's he? And why would I stare at him? Are you crazy?” she screamed at him. Danny was one of the guys who Raghu had introduced as an acquaintance of his, when they entered the club. Maya had not even noticed him after that.
“You've lost it, Raghu,” she said angrily.
“If you are so interested in sleeping with other men, why do you come to me?”
“Raghu, will you stop being cheap now?”
“You can go ahead and sleep with him. I can arrange it for you. He will be happy to screw you.”
“Stop it, I said.”
“Bitch, don't scream at me.” He slapped her hard. People at the parking lot looked on, as stunned as Maya was.
“How dare you hit me?” she screamed.
“You deserve it, you whore,” Raghu replied. “I am leaving you right here on the road. I don't want you in my home.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” Maya started crying. He went and sat in the car, smoking.
It was late. She got into the car submissively as he looked on. Once they reached his home neither of them spoke. She was humiliated and did not know what to do.
She took a shower. When she came out, Raghu's expression had changed. “Come here. Come to daddy,” he said.
His voice had changed. It was again the same person she knew earlier. There was the same affection in his tone. He came near her and hugged her. She let the tears come. He touched her back and caressed it. She felt his touch distressing. The other Maya grabbed the comforting moment. He is manipulating your emotions, mind said.
He was exploiting her need to be loved, but she could not control it. She felt as if she was no longer in control. She had given up to him.
“Why do you make me so angry, baby?” he asked, as if she was at fault. Maya sobbed. “Will you do it again?”
“No!” he replied.
“Let me give you a good massage,” he said. As she lay down on her back, he brought some warm oil and started rubbing it on her arms.
Raghu is very possessive about me, that's why he gets so angry, she told herself. As his hands rubbed the oil on her thighs, Maya had forgotten about the slap. She was now anticipating sheer physical pleasure. She smiled at him. “You like it, baby?” he smiled back.
His hands moved on to the sides of her breasts, caressing them for some time. He started exploring her body with his mouth. He licked her brown glory till she begged him to stop. He licked her across her stomach and reached for a small button right on the top of her vaginal lips. He felt her hand holding him and pressing him towards her own clitoris. He finally removed his pants and entered her, moving swiftly inside her for long. After they climaxed, almost simultaneously, they slept, dazed and spent.
Her heart, though silently disapproved of her being so illogical and needy.