Chapter Seven

K-Shandra

@K-Shandra

Anurag walked into the charred house, his heart heavy. It had been Prerna’s home, all her memories had been created there and to see it in such a devastated state as good as shattered him. It had been there where he had asked her mother permission to marry Prerna. He caught himself short on that and pushed his mind for more, only to once again hit a blank wall. His temporal lobe started pounding and he could feel his ire rise.At times his memories seemed so close but at the same time so far. The house was a visual reminder of the wreckage he considered his memory to be.

He watched as the men went about the home, tapping and checking things. Most of the scorched goods had been removed by the cleanup crew he had hired, but not much remained unaffected. His attention was drawn to the doorway where a familiar face stood, but he could not place where they had met. He moved towards the man and said, “Good morning, Sir.”

“Oh it is you, I was wondering who was behind the work crews.” The man’s reaction was one he’d grown accustomed to over the preceding weeks, just as he’d learnt it best not to ask too many questions.

“Yes, Sir, the sooner we get this cleaned up the sooner the repairs can be done.” Anurag enthused.

“You must be looking forward to welcoming the little one soon?”

Anurag took a moment to process what the man had said and then realized that everyone would be aware of who the father of Prerna’s child was. In a manner then man’s confession eased his doubts. What he found harder to understand was why there could be any doubts within his family.He shook off the uneasy sensation and enthusiastically said, “Yes, very much.”

“Better get some sleep in before it arrives though,because until it sleeps through there will be no rest for you.”

“I will remember that, and thank you.” Anurag replied, never really having thought of what things would be like for Prerna or him after the birth, or whether he could handle the separation from either or both of them. He had to find answers to his questions, and soon.

And then there was Prerna’s argument with Sonalika,which confused him. He had never really picked up on any animosity between the two, but then it was difficult with women sometimes. Their conversations had milled about it that had stuck and swirled in his head ever since he had left the house. He had no idea why Prerna had called Sonolika Komolika. At first he had thought she might had gotten Sonalika’s name wrong, but then Prerna had no reason to do such a thing. And then there had been that name: Komolika. For some reason it stuck a cord in his mind, and the longer he thought about it,the stronger the sense of disquiet became. He wanted to question Prerna on it,on what was going on, only he knew she would not answer him.

Her eyes are different… Again the thought startled him. He has never understood women, especially Prerna. How could she have allowed him to remarry? How could she withhold the fact that he was the father of her child? He felt the stirrings of a headache, warning enough that he should pursue a different line of though.

The consulting architect approached him and Anurag moved to greet him.

“There has been some substantial damage?” the man said and first pointed to the roof, “Some of the beams were damaged quite badly and will need replacement if you want to attempt to salvage the home, and it would be better to do it before the rains come.”

“Can you save it?”

“To be honest, it’s going to cost as much to repair it as it would to build a new home.”

“What do you mean?

“Well after the cleanup and the removal of all the charred window and door frames, the walls will have to be chipped to allow for new frames. In places large patches of plaster are loose and will need to be removed. It is not the cost of the materials as much as the manpower and labour needed to clean up repair and replace what is damaged. The bathrooms can be redone in their entirety, the piping is old and will need to come out. Same for the wiring. There’s no telling what damage the cables experienced due to the heat.

“Do me a favour then, calculate what it would cost to fix it as it is, and then what it would be if we started anew.”

“You need not start the entire building anew, the outer walls are fine, but changes can be made to the interior of the house.”

“I realize that it is difficult to estimate a project like this, but I would like to know what I’m getting into before I decide what to do.”

The man nodded and bid Anurag farewell, promising to get back to him with the estimates.

Anurag decided that it would be best to have the matter of Prerna’s home managed by his attorney as it allowed him sufficient distance between him and her family. It also meant that Prerna would not suspect his intentions.

 It was a welcoming sensation, one he had sorely missed and allowed to over take his senses.

He shifted between the sheets. The simultaneous excitement and calm he felt was unmistakable. The eyes watching him no longer belonged to some nameless person. He welcomed the familiar sensations, his body’s tingling and intense heat that surrounded him. It was her eyes that held him captive, they held back or hid nothing. The quickening of their heartbeats,the catch of their breath as their movements shifted. The bite of her nails on his shoulders as restraint gave way to instinct and pleasure. Her hitched breaths soothed his soul while urging him on in a manner that was fundamentally them. And somehow it seemed fitting.

He felt a hand creep over his back, causing shivers,shudders, which caused him to frown. It felt strange, wrong, but at the same time familiar. He searched for her eyes but they faded, causing immediate distress.

Instinctively he turned, pushing against whatever restricted him. When it resisted he applied more force, resulting in a strange yelp and audible thud, stirring him from his sleep.

“What the?” he asked turning towards the sound. He reached for the light switch and flicked it. The sudden blinding brightness had him pinch his eyes for a moment before again opening them. This time he could make out Sonalika as she shifted to regain her feet.

“What the hell is wrong with you, did you really need to do that?” The manner in which the words were spoken, especially the tone seemed familiar. For a moment his conversation with his attorney came to mind.

“Why are you here, Komolika?” Anurag asked, and saw Sonalika’s eyes distend in shock. He then said the first thing that came to mind, “I thought we had agreed on separate rooms until things have been resolved.” He watched her recover her composure moments before she said, “Why would you call me that?”

“What?” Anurag asked.

“Komolika.”

“Did I say that, no I didn’t, I’m certain I said your name. Forget it. Why are you here?”

“Seriously, Anurag, I’m your wife and you ask me what I’m doing in a room with my husband?”

For some reason the manner of her address distressed him. Exactly why, he had no idea. Only that her presence brought with it an ominous sensation.

“But we had agreed that…” Anurag moved his hand in some semblance of a line, adding, “…separate rooms.”

“Anurag, Anurag, a wife has rights on her husband. I am only asserting those rights.”

The manner in which she said that turned his blood cold. A flash of a face, a sneer as it took Prerna’s name… terrifying dread overcame him, freezing him into position. Only one name registered in his mind,Prerna. Concern for her safety unleashed a level of anxiety in him he had last felt on realizing he… he had been in an accident. For a moment he considered the possibility that Komolika could have been involved with it, but without all of his memories he would not be able to make such an assessment.

“What happened? You’ve suddenly gone pale.” 

Anurag shook his head and tried to make sense of all of the conversations he’d had, leading up to that moment, and decided on a course of action. Turning his attention towards Sonalika he said, “There were flashes, involving a wedding and a girl, but I don’t know who she was, for some reason the name Komolika came to mind.”

Anurag deduced that he had successfully managed to divert her attention when she said, “I think we should speak to your mother in the morning, she mentioned something about a wedding album, perhaps you will recognize the person from the photo’s.”

Her sudden willingness to allow him to view his wedding album alerted him that not all was well, but he agreed none the less.He had to determine what she was up to. That sudden realization confused him almost as much as the sense of disquiet that filled him when she re-approached the bed. Quickly he said, “I think it is best if you return to your room, I really need to get some sleep in.”

He did not miss the flicker of irritation that crossed her face, however she turned from him and left the room.