Life As I Dream
[Chapter-8]
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I’m little happy today. Vineeth & his mom are out on a business trip. His dad is in the city, but busy in office. So I’m all alone in the house.
Three years before, whenever I used to see Vineeth, my face will bloom like a flower. Just a year before too, we used to make wedding countdown & crave for the day we can spend under the same roof. Even couple of months before, I used to fight with Vineeth to spend time with me. Now I’m happy if he is away. I’m fed up of his mom’s constant criticism & his constant fighting. I spend more time in office these days, so that I avoid them.
I’m touching my diary after so many days. As per Vineeth husband & wife should not have any secrets, so I should share my diary with him. He doesn’t write diary & shamelessly fought with me for reading mine. I kept my diary hidden in office drawer. Reading about past incidents brings tears to my eyes.
Dear Diary,
Just let me know who’s wrong in this.
“Hey who were you on call with?”
“My cousin Ananth…”
“Oh him! What he want now?”
“Just wished me for my birthday…..”
“How come he remembers it’s your birthday today?”
“What matters here is you have forgotten my birthday. This is my first birthday after marriage. Till last year you remembered it. What happened to you now??”
“Sandya! Stop it. You are a heartless person I have seen. Didn’t my mom gift you a gold coin today? How can you say I have forgotten it?”
“I asked about you not your mom. You didn’t even wish me since morning…”
“Don’t separate me & my mom. If she does something, it is as well from me. You know my Vinaya’s MIL doesn’t even wish her. You should be lucky to get such a lovely mother like mine”
“Why my life has to be compared with Vinaya always? Is she the benchmark for my happiness?”
“You are talking too much & expecting too much…”
“No I’m…”
“Stop it. If you like it stay here else get out…”
“Vineeth this is hurting me..How many times should I request you not to say get out…”
“Behave properly. I will stop using the word….”
***
Dear Diary,
This is what happened today
I came from office around seven, chatted with his mother for half an hour & came back to room. Shortly his mom’s sister who is living in the same neighborhood has arrived. She was talking with his mom for one hour; I spoke with her for sometime then excused myself ,had dinner came back to room around eleven. Vineeth hasn’t come back from office.
“Sandya, Sandya…”
“Hi Vineeth, when did you come?”
“You are sleeping soundly, when my mom is crying because of you.”
“Me?? What did I do?”
“You didn’t talk with her sister is it?”
“No I was talking with her till ten thirty. I felt sleepy & came back to room….”
“Why can’t you stay till she’s in the house?”
“What can I do if she is staying late night?”
“Sandya, she is the guest in the house….”
“Come on. She comes here every day. I’m too tired, Vineeth. My day starts at five in the morning…”
“My mom is around fifty…she has energy. Why not you?”
“Your mom takes two – three hours nap in the afternoon. I can’t do so. You want me to go to gym every morning & I don’t have…”
“That clumsy job of yours is creating so many problems. Why don’t you quit it?”
“You want me to quit the job, so that I get time to talk with your mom’s sister is it? Funny”
” This is way too much. All I want you to do is be respectful to elders & spend time with the family…”
“Family….Vineeth I want to spend time with you first. You are either busy in office or busy driving Yams around. Make time for me & then demand from me…”
“If you are staying in this house, you have to act by ……..”
“Else you want me to get out. one day I will not be here. You, better watch what to do you talk…”
***
“Sandya…Sandya….Can you hear me?” shouted Vineeth’s father. Vineeth’s father spends most of his time in Singapore & comes to Chennai once in a month. I hardly get time to talk with him alone.
“Mama, Sorry I didn’t hear you”
“Which world you are in?”
“Sorry was reading my diary …”
“I’m hungry..Is dinner ready?”
“No mama. I didn’t know when are you coming…”
“Let’s go out then…”
“No I’ll prepare something…”
“We’ll have outside. Why strain yourself? By the way why are you very dull? Missing Vineeth is it…?”
His dad doesn’t know what’s happening in the household.
Suddenly a thought occurs to me. Why don’t I use this opportunity & tell him what’s happening.
“Sandya. Get ready fast. I’m hungry..” he told .
“Give me five minutes mama….”. I went to my room with a resolve to tell everything to him.
What’s up Sandya? You are lost somewhere…Everything okay? asked his father.
“I want to tell you something mama” I started
Doesn’t spend time with me….. I’m Waking up at 5…. pushing me for talking with athai till 11.30…… We don’t talk face to face…… He keeps checking my phone log & mails… forcing me to share password…. suspecting me… Wants to know what I speak with my brother on phone… wants me to not keep in touch with my parents, friends… Pushing me to quit the job….. My life is often compared with Vinaya….. Vinaya doesn’t talk to me on phone… but complains about me to Vineeth… No privacy…… talks about every little thing between us to athai…. Forcing me for a baby when I’m not ready….. Asks me to get out of the house….. I feel like a slave…. Long since I visited parents… spoke to friends…. Don’t know why athai hates me…. I’m trying my best…… Worried about Yams too…. fighting everyday……………………………………
He was silent for some time. Have I done a mistake in telling everything to him?
“So….. Why didn’t you talk to me before?” he asked
“Thought I could handle it…. Now I’m not sure. I’m under pressure. I don’t have anyone to talk about it… My parents don’t know what’s happening…..” I continued
“I understand Sandya..” he replied
“Do you believe me?”
“Yes..In a weird way..YES” he replied after a long gap
“Life was good when I got married. After few years of marriage I had to put in lot of efforts to my overseas business. I think that’s when Vijaya (Vineeth’s mom) started feeling lonely. Though my company kept her busy, She showered lot of attention on Vinaya & Vineeth. Vinaya went abroad at an early age. But Vineeth was always with her. Except for two years of MBA he never went outside home. She was his world until you came. It’s difficult to break the bond of twenty seven years….” He explained
” I too left my home of twenty five years to live with him and is this the way I get treated. The person he fell in love is me..He married me.. Now he wants me to become someone his mom likes…Mama, do you realize how hard it is for me?” I interrupted
“Sandya, Look if he spends more time with you, most of your problem will be solved right?”
“No. Unless and until he acts on his own not guided by his mom nothing will change….”
“Why don’t you explain this to him & start living in a separate house..I think he will”
“Sounds very easy, but… You know how Vineeth is crazy about his mom. If she gets angry..he stops eating and sleeping…If I suggest a nuclear family..he will throw me out of home & his life..”
He kept silent for a long time.
“Sandya..I’m going to help you. Not only for you..but for my own reasons. I want Vineeth to lead my business, take his own decisions. Going by what you say, looks like he is not groomed enough…….See I have an idea. It might not be a permanent one…but lets see…I need a helping hand for Singapore operations..I wanted Vineeth to take over there..but didn’t want to disturb him as he had married you recently…”
“Oh actually…”
“No, I don’t want Vineeth to travel. I will ask Vijaya to come to Singapore, stay there and help me out for few months. Probably I can deploy Yams also there for sometime..”
“Mama, tell me something frankly. Why did you give Yams a job in your company first place??”
“Because she is a smart kid.. What else…she wants to prove the world, she can reach great heights. She is very dedicated, brilliant… I think she is getting close to Vineeth because they were good friends..”
“Also your wife likes her…”
“Yes. She does. Look let’s talk about what I can do. Give me fifteen days I will convince Vijaya to come to Singapore…Let’s see how things take shape…”
“Hmmm..”
“Have hope, Sandya. I think Vineeth loves you still…”
“Yeah he does….” I told him firmly.
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