Shyam, Savita Bhabi & Kajal Ch. 07

Author's Notes:

To get the best out of this story, I would advise you to start from Ch.01.

Conversations that took place in Hindi are recorded as such initalics, immediately followed by a translation in English. Readers familiar with Hindi might find it rewarding to read through the original Hindi conversations. Others can conveniently skip them.

***

There was a call from Indore. Savita & Kajal's father Popatlal was arriving in a few days in connection with a marriage proposal for Kajal. Since Savita's hubby Kantibhai had been in town for the past few days, afternoon assignations between Shyam and the two sisters had been suspended for a while. The impending arrival of their father precipitated a discussion between the two sisters about the search for a groom for Kajal.

"Didi, mujhe nahi karni shaadi."

"Didi, I don't want to get married." Kajal said.

"Kyon? Kya kunwari baithi rahegi ghar pe?"

"Why? You want to stay a spinster?" Savita asked.

"Didi, aap ko toh pata hai Shyam Bhaiya ke barey mein..."

"Didi, you very well know about Shyam Bhaiya..." Kajal spoke after a long silence. It was a rare reference to her affair with Shyam.

"Haan, Shyam Bhaiya ke barey mein kya? Tujhe pata hai woh shadi shuda hain. Tu kya unki rakhail ban ke rahegi? Kya woh tujhe apnayenge? Mujhe nahi lagta!"

"Yes, what about Shyam Bhaiya? You know very well he's married. You want to live as his mistress? Will he even be prepared to accept you as such? I don't think so!" Savita flared up.

Kajal kept quiet, eyes downcast. Then she rushed to Savita and hugged her, sobbing. Savita gentled her for a while.

"Dekh Kajal, pagalpan mat kar. Mujhe pata hai tujhpe kya guzar rahi hai. Mai bhi shaadi ke pehle ek shaadi shuda aadmi ke pyar mein phans gayi thi. Agar Bapu aur Bua meri turant shaadi na karate toh mai shayad barbaad ho jati. Ab dekh, mera apna ghar hai, ek bachha hai. Issi mein aurat ki khushi hai. Meri baat maan aur Shyam Bhai ko bhula kar apni agli zindagi ki ore dekh."

"Look Kajal, don't act crazy. I know what you're going through. I too had fallen for a married man before my marriage. If it weren't for Dad and Bua's intervention to get me married quickly, I would've been ruined. Look at me now; I've my own home, a family, a child. This is what a woman needs, to be happy. Listen to me. Forget Shyam Bhai and look forward to your future." Savita gently admonished her.

Kajal was a young girl barely in her teens when Savita's affair had come to light, followed by her quick marriage to Kantibhai. No one had ever told Kajal anything about the whole matter; nobody had in fact even obliquely referred to the incident in Kajal's presence. Nevertheless, Kajal had always known that something extraordinary had happened. This was however the first time Savita had personally admitted that she had had a pre-marital affair with a married man. Kajal felt closer to Savita than ever before.

It never occurred to Kajal to question Savita Didi's entanglement with their sexy neighbor Shyam, if she was as happy with her marriage as she professed. Kajal continued to believe that Savita Didi had made a sacrifice of her body at the altar of Shyam Bhaiya's lust to save her own virginity, even after having repeatedly witnessed how much Savita seemed to enjoy the carnal pleasures so generously offered by Shyam ... Although Shyam Bhaiya's memory loomed at the back of her mind all the time, she finally reconciled herself to an arranged marriage with a groom chosen by her family.

***

Suresh

Suresh, the proposed groom was an engineer by profession. He was of medium height, slim, fair and bespectacled. At twenty seven, he was seven years older than Kajal, although his boyish, nerdy good looks made him appear much younger. His family lived in Rajkot, the same place to which Kantibhai's family belonged. Suresh was the youngest son in a large family of middle class Gujarati Baniya traders. The family was comfortably off but not as wealthy as Kajal's. Suresh's elder brothers had all started working in the family's trading business after graduating from high school, gotten married early and lived together as a large joint family in their ancestral home in Rajkot.

Suresh was bright and academically inclined, even as a young child. His mother doted on him. At her insistence, his father had allowed him to pursue a university education, much against his own better judgment. He believed that Suresh would do much better as a partner in the family business rather than working as a salary man after obtaining a university degree. Scholastically, Suresh had done very well and had eventually obtained a post-graduate degree from a prestigious engineering school in Mumbai. Although Suresh had no interest in joining the family business, he too had inherited the strong entrepreneurial talents his community is so well known for. He wanted to eventually start his own business. He knew very well that his family would not be able to give him the kind of money he would need as seed capital, so he had no choice but to take up a job in order to accumulate the necessary funds. Since well paid jobs were hard to come by in India those days, he had jumped at an opportunity to work for a company in Saudi Arabia.

Suresh had been working in the small town of Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia for the past three years or so. Suresh had spent many years living in hostels away from his family while he was a student. So he was not too perturbed about living on his own for long periods in Saudi Arabia. The working hours were long and living conditions Spartan but reasonably comfortable. His boss was happy with his work. Suresh was frugal in his habits and in any case there were few opportunities to spend money in Saudi Arabia. His savings when converted into Indian Rupees looked pretty impressive. However, he still had a way to go before he had saved enough to start his business. Another couple of years perhaps; he thought...

As the years had passed while Suresh first studied engineering and then took up a job in Saudi Arabia, the family and particularly his mother had become increasingly concerned at the delay in getting him married off. All his brothers had been married before they had turned twenty or twenty two, while Suresh was already twenty seven. Finally, Suresh had succumbed to an ultimatum given by his mother: get married on your next vacation or else you wouldn't be allowed to return to Saudi Arabia. He had talked the matter over with his boss. He had been sympathetic and had agreed to consider giving him "Family Status" (i.e. obtain permission from the authorities for bringing Suresh's wife with him to Saudi Arabia) and also perhaps a give him raise. Armed with his boss's assurance, Suresh had given acarte blanche to his family to not only look for suitable brides but also to finalize a match. Like many Indian men, he had full confidence in his family's judgment in the matter of selecting his life partner.

***

Kajal's father Popatlal had made discreet inquiries about Suresh and his family and had liked what he had learned. He was particularly impressed with Suresh's academic qualifications and his ambition to start his own business. The family astrologer had also opined that the horoscopes of Suresh and Kajal matched well and the stars portended a long, happy and fruitful marriage. Suresh was soon expected to be in India on a short vacation and Popatlal was keen not only to finalize the match but if possible get her married as well.

Although it was a matter of the greatest importance in her life, Kajal's attitude to the whole groom hunting business was curiously remote and disinterested. She did make efforts to hide her indifference, though. It was almost as if she was a bystander looking on with mild amusement at the excitement and enthusiasm of her father and sister. On a conscious, rational plane she knew and understood that she had to get married; since all girls were supposed to get married. She also had full confidence in her father and knew that he would pick a good husband for her. She had even liked Suresh's photograph. He seemed to be a cheerful and nice looking guy. And yet, deep down in her heart, she had a funny, empty, disconnected feeling, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Even so, she decided to play along and visit Suresh's family in Rajkot along with her father.

Popatlal and Kajal returned to Mumbai after a short visit to Rajkot. The visit had been successful. Suresh's parents had liked Kajal and approved her as Suresh's bride and their future daughter-in-law, although there had been some apprehensions on account of her somewhat dark complexion. Indians are very color conscious and a preference for fair skin is deeply ingrained in their culture, cutting across all boundaries of caste, creed, religion, region and language. However, Kajal's beauty, grace, liveliness and sociable nature coupled with the affluence of her family were sufficient to overcome the handicap of her dark complexion. Suresh's parents were keen to finalize the match there and then, but Popatlal felt it would be proper to first let Kajal and Suresh meet face to face and give their approval before proceeding further. Since Suresh was expected to arrive in Mumbai from Saudi Arabia in a few days, it was decided to arrange a meeting with him in Mumbai.

Accordingly, Suresh arrived at Savita's residence one evening. After a rather awkward, formal meeting with all family members present, Savita suggested that in case Suresh and Kajal wanted to talk in private, they might do so in the balcony adjoining the living room. A couple of chairs were arranged in the balcony and the door was discreetly shut behind Kajal and Suresh as they repaired to the balcony. Popatlal and Kantibhai decided to take a walk downstairs while Savita busied herself with her household chores. Old Ba was lost in her own thoughts and the little baby was fast asleep, as usual.

Suresh had liked and approved Kajal at first sight. He hadn't actually felt a need to talk to her in private but had agreed since he didn't want to offend Savita by declining her suggestion. As for Kajal, her initial positive impression about Suresh had been confirmed when they had met face to face. Seems like a sweet fellow; she thought just as she would have thought of a puppy being sweet. They made some inane, forced conversation. Suresh asked Kajal whether she was ready to live in Saudi Arabia. Kajal of course had no clue what living in Saudi Arabia was like but nevertheless nodded her assent, as a dutiful bride-to-be was expected to do. Detecting a faint hesitation in Kajal's response, Suresh hastened to add that he planned to spend just another couple of years there and then return to Mumbai to start his own business.

This perked Kajal up. She too confided her interest in starting a business, perhaps something in the field of dress designing or garment export; of course subject to his approval, she added quickly. Having thus established a rapport, they both felt there was nothing more to be discussed in private and returned to the living room. Savita took Kajal aside and she whispered her approval in Savita's ear. Savita then asked Suresh what he thought of Kajal. Suresh rather coyly replied that he would abide by his parents' wishes, knowing fully well that they had already approved the match. There were smiles all round as Suresh took leave of Kajal and her family and it was agreed that Popatlal would soon contact his parents for further discussions on finalizing arrangements for the marriage.

Popatlal was a go-getting, action oriented businessman. He lost no time in meeting Suresh's parents (without Kajal this time) and soon everything was finalized. The marriage would take place in Indore in a fortnight, ten days before Suresh's vacation ended. Apart from putting his family, friends and employees to work on organizing the thousands of big and small things that needed to be done before the marriage, Popatlal also found time to locate and purchase a small apartment for Kajal in the suburb of Mulund in Mumbai. It was not too far from Savita's place and could be reached with relative ease, traveling by local train on the Central Railway. Being a farsighted, prudent man, he purchased the apartment in the name of a beneficiary trust he had set up long ago for just this purpose. This way the apartment would be available for use by Kajal and her family but at the same time, in case her hubby or in-laws turned nasty, they wouldn't be able to force her out or compel her to sell it. (Unfortunately, such things sometimes do happen in India.)

***

One day, as she met him on the staircase of their building, Savita told Shyam about Kajal's impending wedding. He took the news rather philosophically. He had once told Savita that he'd feel a bit jealous of Kajal's prospective husband, which was not really true. Although he mightily lusted after her, he did not feel possessive towards Kajal. He did feel a tinge of regret, though. After all he had spent some memorable times with her, pleasuring her while getting pleasured in return. He had been flattered by Kajal's infatuation for him and strongly aroused by the submissive streak in her character, which made her do his bidding without complaint or hesitation. Oh well, all good things have to eventually come to an end; he thought. While he sincerely wished her well, he couldn't help having a sneaky thought that maybe, just like her sister, after marriage Kajal too would come back to him for some more doses of illicit sex that she so obviously enjoyed. He'd then be able to fuck her without worrying about ripping her hymen; he thought, his cock stirring to life...

***

Soon, Kantibhai, Savita and Kajal along with the baby traveled to Indore for Kajal's wedding. Old Ba had been packed off for a month to her cousin's place near Prarthana Samaj in south Mumbai. Ba's cousin was a wealthy old widow who lived by herself in a huge, beautifully furnished apartment, looked after by a posse of servants. She was sprightly and sharp, in full possession of all her senses, including a very sound money sense.

In spite of the short notice at which it was arranged, Kajal's wedding in Indore was a grand affair. Popatlal had spared no effort or expense. After all, she was his youngest and favorite child. It was a typical traditional Gujarati wedding with some influences from Hindi speaking north India. The celebrations were spread over three days. At the end of it all, thebaraat (Groom's wedding party) along with the newly married bride departed from Indore by air-conditioned coaches for faraway Rajkot. The bride was welcomed into her new home in a ceremony called "Gruhapravesh". Suresh and Kajal were both so tired and dazed by the hectic wedding ceremonies and the long bus journey, that on their first night together as husband and wife, they could do no more than just fall into an exhausted sleep.

The next day they departed for Mumbai, en-route to Dubai where Suresh had planned to spend their short honeymoon. Suresh's close friend lived in Dubai with his family. Since he too was currently on vacation in India, he had graciously allowed Suresh and Kajal to use his apartment in Dubai for a few days. So, finally Suresh & Kajal found themselves alone in his friend's nicely furnished apartment. Suresh was a jolly, friendly person with an amiable disposition. As two individuals, they hit it off quite well together, establishing an easy rapport. Kajal was thrilled at the novel experience of traveling abroad for the first time in her life. She took in the sights & sounds of glittering Dubai with wide eyed wonder. On a visit to the Gold Souk, she gaped in astonishment at the sheer quantity of gold ornaments of every imaginable type so lavishly displayed in showcases without any apparent security. Suresh bought her a heavy gold bracelet. She also bought some expensive and rather strong perfumes that are favored by Arabs.

Although Suresh was over the moon, Kajal was less than enthused over his performance in bed. She however knew it would be prudent to pretend that she too enjoyed his love play as ecstatically as he did. Try as she might to shake it off, Shyam's shadow loomed large in her mind. The only times she actually became sexually aroused were when she imagined it was Shyam making love to her. Suresh's love making could best be described as enthusiastic and impatient. Suresh's skill and technique was no match for what Kajal had already experienced with Shyam. He was unable to bring her to orgasm even once. Kajal however took care to ensure that Suresh didn't notice that. Funnily enough, Kajal didn't feel cheated or let down; she never expected it to be otherwise. She was now clearer than ever where she was going to get her satisfaction from...

Their honeymoon lasted barely for four days. On a Friday morning, Suresh saw Kajal off at Dubai airport on an early morning flight to Mumbai and then himself took a flight to Dammam en route to Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia. He had to report for duty on Saturday, at the beginning of a new week. Suresh and Kajal had decided that she would stay in Mumbai for a few days to get some paperwork organized for her application for a Saudi visa. She would then go to Rajkot and live with Suresh's family for perhaps a couple of months, until her Saudi visa came through. Thus, Kajal landed up at Savita's place in the noon on a Friday.

****

Kantibhai, Savita and the baby returned to Mumbai soon after Kajal's wedding. Kantibhai immediately left on a longish business tour. He had to make up for the days he had lost on account of the wedding; he said. Old Ba was still at her cousin's place in south Mumbai. Savita rather enjoyed the few days she had to herself with the baby.

****

"Didi! Mai wapis aa gayi!"

"Didi! I'm back!" Kajal greeted Savita as she hugged her.

Savita of course generally knew about Kajal's plans but didn't have the exact date of her arrival. After Kajal had changed and freshened up, the sisters chatted over cups of tea.

"Kajal, kaise raha?"

"Kajal, how was it?" Savita asked, referring rather obliquely to her honeymoon.

"Ji Didi. Sub kuchh thik tha."

"Didi everything was fine." Kajal replied without elaborating.

"Suresh aur tere beech sab theek hua na?"

"Was everything OK between you and Suresh?" Savita persisted, probing a bit deeper.

"Ji Didi. Woh ek achha aadmi hai."

"Yes Didi. He is a nice fellow." Kajal replied diplomatically.

"Tu khush toh hai na?"

"Are you happy?" Savita asked. She sensed that something was the matter. She had noticed Kajal's use of the familiar "achha aadmi hai" rather than the respectful "achhe aadmi hain" while referring to Suresh. That's not the way an Indian wife would normally refer to her husband. As against this, Kajal always used respectful terms while referring to or addressing Shyam. Savita felt a slight unease but decided to hold her tongue.

(Author's Note: In Hindi as in many Asian languages, different terms are used for addressing or referring to persons of higher or lower social status or degree of familiarity with the speaker. Thus, in place of the universal "you" in English, one would use "aap" to address a stranger or person of higher status, "tum" for a friend or person of equal status and "tu" only to address persons of much lower status or for someone very close or intimate.)

Kajal paced the living room restlessly for a while. She went out and noticed that Shyam's door was locked. She wondered whether he had just stepped out for lunch. She kept furtively checking his door for the next hour. Finally, she lost her patience.

"Didi, Shyam Bhaiya ghar par nahi hain kya? Kahan gaye?"