Part 19 –

 

Mishti was sitting in an armchair looking out the window, her back to kripa. No one else was in the room, angad must have gone, although they had made arrangements to meet up late afternoon.

 

Kripa – mishti, it's me kripa.

Mishti – (stunned) what the hell are you doing here?

Kripa – I would have thought that obvious. I came to see how you are? Knowing what your family is like I thought you could do with a friend.

Mishti – ain't that the truth!

Kripa – thank god you got out of it as well as you did. Please sit down again. You don't look so good.

Mishti – how's prithvi? I dared not go near his room (leaning over as though her stomach ached)

Kripa – I was about to tell you. When you sit down. Perferably lie down.

Mishti – okay, okay. How's he?

Kripa – you know he's been in a medically induced coma. He's fully conscious now. He recognizes everyone. The fracture will take some time to heal up. His doctor is expecting him to make a full recovery.

Mishti – (she looked relieved and then burst into tears) it was all my fault. Everything is my fault .

Kripa – are you well enough to talk about it or should we let it go?

Mishti – you must be furious with me. Furious and disgusted. I'm a b****, a real bad b****. I've gloried in it.

Kripa – no you haven't. Somehow I think you've been pushed into that role. I'm not furious with you. I don't exactly understand why. By rights, I should be. Did you have an argument? Was that it? Prithvi  lost control of the wheel?

Mishti – do you love him, krips? He is a real b*****d you know. (and didn't replied for kripa's question)

Kripa – but you love him.

Mishti – god knows why! I've always loved him. I've tried, but I could never get myself free of him. He slept with me, you know. He thinks only of himself.

Kripa – It certainly looks like it, and you've been with him all this time?

Mishti – he's as mad as he can be for you, but you wouldn't come across. He told me, I could barely stop laughing, I , unlike you, couldn't keep away from him. Not that he ever turned me down. S** is very high on prithivi's agenda.

Kripa – a little bit too high, if you ask me.

Mishti – he even wanted it the night of the dance when he had that fight with angad.

Kripa – oh my god! And that's the man I got myself engaged to! How utterly blind I've been

Mishti – don't sound so shocked. He needed comfort. He knows I can give it to him, none of this bit of loving stuff like you dish out.

Kripa – thanks for sharing that with me  mishti. You're one underhanded pair and it's starting to show.

Mishti – you're a very dull person krips. Face it, I have more than a few tricks.

Kripa – of course you have. Even then prithvi isn't all that interested in you.

Mishti – you don't love him?

Kripa – you'd have been ready to do violence had I truly taken your man.

Mishti – you bet! I'd have skinned you alive.

Kripa – only I wouldn't stoop to p*********** myself with another woman's fiance. Has angad been to see you?

Mishti – you know my cousin's a really nice guy when you get to know him. One of the good guy. I didn't get to know too many of them. Prithvi got in the way. Angad would never tell a woman to get herself an abortion.

Kripa – abortion!!!!! (shocked and her face turned pale)

Mishti – I'm sorry krips, I'm really and truly sorry. You're a good person too. You've always been nice to me even when I've been a pig.

Kripa – you are pregnant?

Mishti – I am.

Kripa – even through the accident? (it was a mystery to kripa)

Mishti – strong little beggar.

Kripa – how far along are you?

Mishti – ten weeks (patting her flat tummy)

Kripa – did you tell angad?

Mishti – god no! of course I didn't. what's it got to do with him? Angad was acting like you're the love of his life. What's with you anyway that the guys got carried away?

Kripa – you're the one who got carried away, mishti. Either that or you decided to resolve the situation. I wouldn't put it past you.

Mishti – it wasn't like that.

Kripa – you have a gnat's sense of what's right and wrong, msihti. And prithvi suggested you get an abortion?

Mishti – not suggested dear. Prithvi is not like that. It was a command, it's you he wants to marry.

Kripa – what are you going to do about the baby?

Mishti – (touching her tummy again) I don't know yet. This will be a great, great scandal unless I pack up and leave home in hurry.

Kripa – do your parents know?

Mishti – come off it krips. We're talking the world's most sanctimonious people. It's just you, me and prithvi, and the doctor who examined me, of course and he's not talking.

Kripa – you must keep the baby, mishti. It's precious new life you're carrying. This is your child. You'll regret it all the days of your life if you allow yourself to be taken into an abortion. Your little one has put up a fight for life so far.

Mishti – that's he has, it's a boy, prithvi's son.

Kripa – so you'd better get the strength to stand up. I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole.