A secret never told

Juhi took an excited breath as she stepped out of the Delhi's International airport along with her husband, Lalit. It was cold outside, a soft breeze stirring her forelock. She shivered and folded her arms against her chest.

"It's cold," she said. She was wearing a warm sweater, but the chill was still teasing her.

"It's December darling," Lalit said.

"Where is your driver? I want to get into the car as soon as possible." The company in which Lalit worked had arranged a vehicle for them at the airport. But Lalit hadn't contacted the driver yet. "Call him now, please."

"There," he pointed toward a man holding a pickup sign for them, 'Welcome Mr. Lalit' printed in bold letters on the white paper.

She took a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"I knew he would be here for us. That's why I didn't call him."

"Don't justify your lethargy."

"Am I lethargic?"

"Yes."

"Who gives you pleasure in the bed then?" he said teasingly, as he rolled the trolley toward the driver.

"In that you are hyperactive but in other things...," she said, biting her lower lip.

"Maybe that's a side effect of having a beautiful wife."

She blushed. "He's watching us," she said.

"He can't hear us. Tell me why are you so beautiful," he said, grinning.

"Because I wanted to trap a handsome man like you," she said. Though she had said it in a joke, she was right about his look. He was indeed smart. All her friends had wowed when they had seen him on their marriage ceremony.

"Maybe it's otherwise. Maybe I have trapped you," he said mischievously.

"It's perfectly possible. Now I wonder why do I suffer in the bed so much."

"It's just a beginning sweetheart."

"Beginning? You are torturing me since four years?"

"I'm still warming up honey," he said, smiling.

"Shh... we are close to him," she said.

"Welcome sir," the man said. From appearance, he seemed from Himachal Pradesh.

"Thank you. What's your name?" Lalit said.

"Rajesh," the man said.

"Rajesh, put our begs in the car and give me the key. I will drive."

Rajesh gave him a confused glance. "Don't worry, the car would be safe with me," Lalit said.

"It's not that sir," Rajesh said, smiling.

Lalit gave him five hundred rupees and said, "You can go home and enjoy. You can pick the car tomorrow."

Rajesh nodded, grabbed the money and started putting the luggage in the car.

"You must be tired after a long journey. You should have let him drive," she whispered.

"I don't want anyone around when I'm with my beautiful wife."

She shook her head, blushing.

After about fifteen minutes they were on the main road, pacing toward Paharganj, toward her home, where she had lived all her life before marriage.

"Happy, huh?" Lalit said.

"Yes, very much. It feels nice to come back to your roots, doesn't it? It's been a long time," she said in an excited voice.

They had shifted to the US after marriage four years ago. The company in which Lalit worked wanted him to manage an important project there. She happily accompanied him. The first time she saw a foreign land and a foreign culture. She enjoyed a lot there. But home is a home. You always crave for it no matter where you are.

"You could have visited earlier, but you didn't."

"Yes because I knew you wouldn't be able to take care of yourself."

"I'm a man honey. I can manage."

"Don't tell me. You become so workaholic that you don't even bother to take meal in time."

"I just reschedule them."

"You miss them altogether."

"Only sometimes."

She started counting the occasions on her finger tips.

"What are you doing?" he said.

"I'm counting your sometimes on my fingertips."

"You keep a record?"

"Yes."

"Oh God, why do you do that."

"I'm a wife. It's my job."

"I never noticed it before?"

"You remain busy always. Thank God we have got a break."

He spoke after a minute. "I'm sorry, I couldn't give you much time."

"It's okay. It's good that you realise."

"But I always managed to screw you somehow, despite my busy schedule," he said, grinning.

"That you never miss Mr. hubby," she said, giggling.

"Yeah, that I can never miss," he said, caressing her thighs.

They remained silent for a few minutes then Lalit said, "I hope the girls in your neighbourhood are as hot as before. Oh man, I am also excited."

"Yes, they will be but they are out of bounds for you," she said, chuckling.

"Um... what was the name of that girl who had stolen my shoes?"

"Priti."

"Yes, Priti. She was so hot. I still remember her breasts. They were wiggling seductively when she was dancing with me. I wish I had got an opportunity to touch them."

"I knew what were you craving for, that's why I had pushed her away from the dance floor."

"You should have allowed me a little fun," he said, grinning.

"Uh huh... tell me what would you have done," she said, staring into his eyes.

"I would have squeezed them, of course, just like I squeeze yours."

"Mr. naughty husband, put your wild imaginations on hold. Your wife is sitting beside you."

"My wife knows fully well that I'm just joking."

"I know," she said, smiling.

"I have never touched anyone in my life except you."

"Really?"

"You always ask this question whenever I say this. Don't you believe me?"

"No, no, I believe you. It's just unbelievable that a handsome man like you remained a virgin till marriage."

"You want to know the reason behind it."

"Yes, tell me."

"Actually I never got an opportunity," he said, laughing.

"Now you are telling the truth."

"Well, there is no need to hide it. This is a fact."

"You never told me that you were looking for an opportunity."

"You never asked?" he said, grinning.

"What you would have done, had you got an opportunity?"

"I wouldn't have hesitated at all."

"Seriously?"

"Of course."

"I know. Men are like that. They can't let any opportunity go."

"But I can't make the same statement now. I don't even dare to think about it."

"Telling the truth?"

"Yes. I am happy with you and I have no desire to go to bed with a stranger."

"What if she's not a stranger?" she said, looking at his face.

"What do you mean?" he said, turning his face toward her.

"I mean, what if you get an opportunity to make love with someone known. For example someone from your office."

"First of all, there isn't any hot woman in my office. Secondly, even if there had been any, I would still like to stay committed to my wife."

"That's like a good husband," she said, patting at his thigh.

"Thank you so much for believing me."

"I always believe you," she said, smiling.

He caressed her cheek affectionately with one hand and said, "I love you."

"I love you too," she responded eagerly.

"We are getting romantic, aren't we?"

"Yeah, the winter of Delhi is affecting us I guess."

"I will fuck you hard tonight."

"You will torture me at my home?"

"Any objections?"

"Not at all," she said, laughing.

"That's like a good wife," he said, caressing her thighs lewdly.

She blushed and looked out the window. It was cloudy and hazy outside, no trace of sunshine at all. Though it was just 11 in the morning, it seemed as if they were speeding through the dusk.

Then Lalit asked a disturbing question which clouded her senses like the weather outside. "Juhi, you ever had fun before marriage?"

"No," she said quickly, her stomach churning with anxiety.

"Come on, give it a thought for a moment and reveal to me your secrets. I'm your husband and I must know everything about you."

"You already know everything about me," she responded quickly again.

"Everything?"

"Yes Lalit," she said loudly.

"You never gulped a penis before marriage?"

Her mouth went wide at his statement and she hit at his knees. "Stop this nonsense. I don't like such a discussion," she said, her voice shaking.

"Hey don't mind. I'm just joking."

"I don't like such jokes."

"Moments ago we were discussing about me. Then you didn't object at all."

"You are a man. I am a woman. We are different."

"Yes agreed. I'm not forcing you to tell me anything. It's up to you."

"There is nothing to tell Lalit," she said in a loud voice.

Oh God, why I'm reacting like this. I should calm down.

He gave her a strange look and said, "We are just having casual discussion honey. Don't take it seriously."

"I know. I'm sorry. Actually, I'm excited to meet my parents and my whole attention is there..."

"I understand. We will be there soon," he said, patting her shoulder.

"Don't mind okay," she said.

"I will take the revenge tonight for this," he said, grinning ear to ear.

"Dear husband, will you really punish me for such a minor fault?"

"Of course."

"Please forgive me."

"No way. You will be punished no matter what."

"Hmm... I'm excited already."

They stared into each other's eyes for a second and then erupted in laughter.

Then Lalit pulled over the car to the side of the road.

"What happened?"

"I think one tyre is punctured."

"Oh shit. We still have a long way to go."

"Don't worry, there is a stepney in the trunk. I had seen it when Rajesh was putting our begs."

"Can we leave the car here and get a taxi? I want to reach home as soon as possible."

"It will not take much time honey. Relax. We will be there soon. Moreover, it's not advisable to leave the vehicle here. It's Delhi, you know."

"Car Rajesh, he'll manage it all."

"We still have to wait for him. Don't worry I think I can do it."

She took a long sigh and said, "Okay do it quickly."

She remained seated in the car as Lalit started replacing the tyre, watching the vehicles passing by. The traffic had increased in Delhi she noticed. Now more heavier than before. She had read in the newspapers that odd and even policy had helped slightly but it wasn't operational at the moment. It was implemented on a trial basis only and was yet to become an established norm.

She was feeling bored, so she stepped out, folding her arms as the chill challenged her. Lalit was opening the screws of the punctured tyre.

"Are you sure you can do it?" she said as she walked to him.

"I haven't done this before but I know how to do it. I think I can manage."

"We can call some mechanic."

"Let me try first," he said as he removed a screw, placing it on the floor. "You sit in the car, it's very cold outside."

"Yeah," she said, turning away from him, rubbing her palms to warm them.

Then a car stopped in front of their car and a guy stepped out, walking toward her with a flirty smile. She gulped nervously as she recognised him. He was Sanjay, her boyfriend of college days.

Oh shit. Was it a dream or something? Lalit was asking her whether she had gulped a penis or not before marriage. She had denied it vehemently, not only to him but also in her thoughts. She didn't want to recall the dirty past. But strangely, she was face to face with the truth now. It seemed as if life was forcing her to remember it.

Then another guy stepped out from the car. She recognised him too. He was Hitesh, Sanjay's best friend. Did they still stick together, she wondered as her stomach churned with anxiety.

"What a pleasant surprise Juhi," Sanjay said, extending his hand.

"Hi Sanjay," she said, smiling awkwardly, avoiding his hand.

"Hi Juhi," Hitesh said, running his hand in his hair.

"Hello Hitesh," She said, feeling a knot in her throat.

Lalit stood up at the commotion and eyed her strangely, perhaps wondering who were these guys with his wife.

"Meet my Husband," she said urgently before they could utter any embarrassing thing and shifted closer to Lalit, avoiding his eyes.

"Lalit they were my classmates in the college," she said, revealing only a half-truth. It was true only for Sanjay. But she didn't want to complicate things with unnecessary details so she curtailed them to a bare minimum.

"Oh," Lalit said, shaking hands with them, disturbing questions appearing on his face.

"Hello sir," both of them said simultaneously, looking embarrassed. They hadn't expected to meet her husband.

"It's punctured?" Hitesh said, eying the tyre.

"Yeah, I'm trying to replace it."

"I can help you, if you...," Hitesh said.

"No thank you, I can manage," Lalit said, seeming uninterested.

"He's expert in this sir. He can do it quickly," Sanjay said.

Lalit considered for a moment and then said, "Okay, If it wouldn't trouble you much, you can..."

"It won't sir," Hitesh said politely and started working, Lalit and Sanjay watching him curiously.

Juhi took a long sigh, wondering why had she encountered the two men all of a sudden, her thoughts drifting to the past she had almost forgotten, details flashing so vividly as if it were happening now, again.