CIRCLE OF FREINDS

Sunanda’s story

Sunanda’s daughter Padma was getting married. The family was in the middle of all the preparations. Sunanda did a mental checklist, flowers had been ordered, caterers were setting up, the wedding planner had a team of people, putting up the tents, bringing in the cushions, the makeup artist was upstairs doing up the bride and her friends. Sunanda remembered her own wedding, a more modes t wedding in the 1960’s. She had just finished her graduation in Home Science and she was getting married. Her husband Pratap Muthanna, had been working in the middle east, in Abu Dhabi, and came from a good family. He was an engineer working in the oil and gas industry in Abu Dhabi. That seemed so long ago, it almost seemed like another life. Sunanda shook her self out of the reverie and went up to look at how her daughter Padma was doing.
Padma was a pretty girl, she had long hair, thick lashes and lovely olive skin. Her parents had very high expectations of her, and so when she came home one day in Abu Dhabi with Arjun Koshy, a Malyalee boy she had met in college, they were disappointed. Arjun was a nice boy, but as Sunanda delicately hinted to her friends was not from the same “background” as them. Padma was stubborn, she would get married to Arjun and nobody else. Sunanda’s best friend Preeti had been Padma’s confidante. It was in Preeti’s house that Arjun met Padma, and with her full encouragement, they started seeing each other. Sunanda and Pratap were the last ones to know.

Sunanda and Preeti, were in a group of five women, who in Abu Dhabi was nicknamed “the Unhappy Wives club”. All of them had husbands with roving eyes. Pratap was the worst, since he took Sunanda completely for granted. It was a known fact that he would have affairs with all his secretary’s in quick succession, and then they would either be transferred or sacked. Initially he thought he loved Sunanada, only to quickly realize that it was an infatuation and he then looked at her as the mother of his kids. He then in predictable in quick succession hit on most of her friends. Preeti had not been spared either. Despite all this the women stayed friends, an uneasy friendship, which had lasted for the last 20 odd years.
Sunanda entered the room, found her daughter, with all her friends laughing and giggling, and in the corner Preeti was standing, getting out the jewellery and glass bangles from boxes. Preeti, was a stunningly beautiful Punjabi lady. She had tall, statuesque, with long hair, framing a face, with big eyes, strong straight nose, and a lovely smile that lit up her face. She turned and smiled at Sunanda and continued to sort out the jewellery.

Preeti’s story

Preeti Chibber, was 20 years old, when she got married after finishing her Bachelors in Political science from Miranda House in Delhi. Her husband Chetan Chibber, was working in Abu Dhabi, as an accountant with a trading company. He was an only child, and a complete Mommy’s boy. Preeti had, from day one problems with her inlaws. When she had a daughter, it just got worse. She then produced two more daughters and it just got worse. Husband and wife would fight non stop. Chetan was best described as an indifferent husband. When Pratap made a pass at Preeti, she was very upset. What angered her more , was the fact Pratap knew that Chetan would not do anything. Few days later, she met Sunanda and told her about the incident. Sunanda just apologized to her “Pratap is like that, don’t take it to heart, he was drunk’. He was not drunk, even Sunanda knew that was a lie.

Something snapped in Preeti that day, she wanted to get even. She wanted Pratap to feel the hurt, the hurt that he had put his wife through and all the other women. Patience , she told her self, your time will come. Today Preeti had her revenge, Pratap’s daughter Padma, the apple of his eye, was getting married to a boy Pratap completely disapproved of, there was nothing Pratap could do.

After all, Preeti knew, only a child could bring a parent to their knees. Today , Pratap was on his knees.