Living the Dream
The next morning as Raja Rao and Sandhya went to see Roopa, it was Janaki who received them at the door as Roopa was still having her bath.
‘Your in-laws speak well of you,’ said Janaki to Raja Rao, ‘and that goes in favor of any man. Besides, your wife too sings your praises, and so also my daughter Roopa. Now that you’re moving over to Hyderabad, we can relax about Roopa.’
‘I’m glad that Roopa comes back into Sandhya’s life,’ he said smiling. ‘She led only half a life in Delhi.’
‘Roopa tells me that you’re all going to stay nearby,’ said Janaki.
‘I wonder why Roopa didn’t look for a house of two portions,’ said Sandhya.
‘Oh, how they grew up glued together from childhood,’ said Janaki to him, ‘may God bless them.’
‘They have your blessings,’ said Raja Rao to Janaki, ‘and the support of us all for that.’
‘Oh,’ exclaimed Sandhya, sighting Roopa, coming out of her bath, ‘you would live for hundred years.’
‘That only interests me,’ said Roopa, slyly looking at Raja Rao, as she proceeded into her room, ‘if you too live along with me.’
‘Come, Sandhya,’ said Roopa, as she joined them at length, ‘we’ll show him my place.’
‘Why do you need me for that?’ said Sandhya, engaged as she was with Janaki.
‘Grace our house,’ said Roopa, leading him inside.
Once they entered her bedroom, she embraced him ardently, and he kissed her passionately.
‘Nobody will be at home tomorrow,’ she whispered to him, as he released her lips. ‘Make it by ten.’
‘Expect me with tons of love,’ he crooned into her ear.
‘Let’s get going,’ said Sandhya, as the lovers reappeared in the main hall.
Soon the three of them got into the waiting Ambassador to make it to the Collector’s bungalow. After a sumptuous lunch, that followed a lot of merriment, Sandhya closeted herself with Roopa, leaving Saroja to Raja Rao’s care.
‘You never looked sexier,’ said Roopa, having ardently kissed Sandhya.
‘I’m glad both of you feel the same way about me,’ said Sandhya. ‘It’s nice that everything is going my way.’
‘With all your generosity,’ said Roopa hugging Sandhya, ‘you’ve made me even more indebted.’
‘I’ve an axe to grind,’ said Sandhya taking Roopa’s hand. ‘And you know that.’
‘Oh, my lovey,’ Roopa kissed Sandhya affectionately.
‘How I wish we get fused into one,’ said Sandhya lovingly.
‘How are we to see each other,’ said Roopa in jest, ‘and gloat about us then?’
‘By making him a witness to our closeness,’ said Sandhya coyly to Roopa, ‘can’t we gauge how it feels from his eyes.’