Chapter 05

ROHITA

Rohita woke up and looked beside her. Milind was not in bed. She stepped down, tossing the blanket aside. Her gaze shifted toward the balcony. He was speaking on the phone, leaning on the balcony railings. Annoyed with his behavior last night, Rohita hated going to him. Instead, she went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Milind’s erratic behavior haunted her as she splashed water on her face. She could sleep well only after midnight. Why had Milind avoided having sex again? His attitude had peeved her, but she had controlled her urge to ask him the reason. She would get hurt again if Milind spoke against her wishes. Rohita was eager to get her visa, and she didn’t want to upset her plan.

Will Milind continue to avoid having sex? She couldn’t imagine herself deprived of their intimacy. Was Milind gay? Should she talk to him and offer him medical advice? He would need counseling if he had lacunae in his machismo. But Rohita needed to stay patient as her inquiry so soon might anger him. Maybe, he needed some time to become intimate with her.

She took a hot shower and chose to wear a chocolate cotton T-shirt and grey corduroy pants. She applied the lip gloss and rubbed her face with a talcum puff. Standing in front of the mirror, she checked her makeup. She appeared beautiful, and her gold necklace, pearl earrings glistened in the white light.

She sat on the couch and waited for Milind to get ready.

Milind, in his navy blue suit, approached. “We will eat breakfast before we go to the consulate.”

“You look handsome,” Rohita said.

Milind smiled. “Thank you. You look so beautiful.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and walked her outside the room.

While they ate, Milind behaved friendly and was cheerful.

Rohita submitted the visa papers at the consulate. The attendant told her to come back in two hours to collect her passport.

Milind took her to a shopping complex and bought her a pair of jeans and a few T-shirts. He bought a water-resistant, sports watch for himself.

She went back to the consulate and stood in the queue to collect her passport with her heart racing. The adrenaline rushed through her veins when the attendant gave it to her. Rohita flipped over its pages, her heart pounding in her rib cage. Her photograph printed on a page caught her eye. She glanced at the contents then handed the passport to Milind, smiling.

He congratulated her, patting her back. His face was lit with a smile. He seemed interested in helping Rohita to achieve her career goals. She wouldn’t have enjoyed the success had she told her parents about Milind’s behavior last night.

#####

Rohita watched a movie until the evening. Milind told her to get ready to leave for the airport.

She had spoken to Ravi two days before, and she should call him before she left. Milind hurried to go to the consulate in the morning.

Her stomach growled. She grabbed a chocolate from her purse and tossed it in her mouth.

She took the phone and tapped on Ravi’s name.

Ravi answered after a couple of rings. “How are you, Rohita?”

“We are doing well.” Rohita inhaled a deep breath. “Did I wake you up?”

“No. I’m taking a walk in the community park.” He paused for a few seconds. “Are you in Chennai?”

“Yes.” She threw the chocolate wrapper on the floor. “I got my visa.”

“Congratulations!”

“We are leaving for America in two days.” Rohita straightened.

“That’s great.” He cleared his throat. “How is Milind? Is he around? I would like to speak with him.”

“He is doing well.” Rohita gestured for Milind to come.

Milind approached, adjusting his belt at his waist.

“Ravi wants to talk to you.” She gave the phone to Milind.

“Good morning,” Milind said.

He listened for a while then went to the balcony as he stared at the floor.

Rohita’s stomach clenched. Why did he go away from me? Milind’s suspicious behavior bewildered her. She took a deep breath, tried to remain positive. Her main goal was to travel to America and settle there. Milind’s behavior shouldn’t bother her. Was she overly sensitive to his attitude, she wondered.

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Rohita traveled back to Mysore from Chennai. She felt at ease in Milind’s company on the flight. Milind remained confident as night fell, and showed no signs of weakness in his manliness. At times, his face blushed whenever she locked her eyes on his.

At the airport visitor’s lounge, she went and hugged her parents. She told her in-laws she would spend the night with them and would meet Milind at the airport the next day.

She reminisced about the good times she’d spent with Milind as she traveled back to her home. The santoor music playing inside the car soothed her mind. She rested her head on the headrest with the cold breeze gently hitting her face.

----

The next day, she boarded the flight to Newark after bidding adieu to her parents at the airport.

Milind placed their luggage in the cabin. “Please go and take the window side seat.”

“Thank you.” Rohita slid between the seats and sat.

She watched outside the window, contemplating. Milind was very friendly with her parents at the airport. He assured everyone they would be comfortable in America, and he would help Rohita in her career. He acted with the utmost maturity at a time when her parents were worried about her.

The flight became airborne after a smooth take-off. She looked down the window as the plane tilted and turned its direction. The Mysore Palace was lit with the yellow bulbs, and everything on earth appeared tinier. She would go to a new place, far away from her beloved ones. Her dream to settle in America and to embrace a new lifestyle would become true.

She feared how she would manage for the initial few days. Her academic accomplishment so far had been satisfying, and she should derive confidence from her past achievements. She had both Milind and Ravi to help her, too.

Her thought process was interrupted when Milind tapped her shoulder. “Are you comfortable?”

“Yes.” She smiled.

“I thought you were upset.”

Why is he thinking so? “No, I am all right.”

“You will miss your parents.”

“You’re with me, right?”

“That’s true.” His lips quivered into a smile.

She rested her head on Milind’s shoulder as the plane entered into air turbulence.

----

Rohita collected her bags at the Newark airport and went to the taxi stand with Milind. She crossed her arms across her chest to avoid the freezing cold.

Milind hired a taxi and told the driver to take them to Princeton. Rohita stepped in and sat beside Milind in the rear seat.

The sky was overcast and the snowflakes fell on the treetops. The piles of snow stretched across the street, and the melted ice trickled from the rooftops. People with their hands in their jacket pockets hurried to their destinations.

When the taxi stopped at a red light, Rohita glanced at an NJTP signboard. Was it meant for the drivers, she wondered.

Milind told her it was a short form of a highway name – New Jersey Turn Pike.

Several signboards with route numbers were visible on the streets. When the taxi entered the NJTP, the cars in the side lanes were speeding like maniacs and exceeded the speed limit. The green exits boards were hung on the overpass. How meticulously the highway is planned and built, Rohita thought.

Milind told the driver to head for their apartment, and he parked in front of a wooden building. The pine trees stood tall across the street from their apartment. The snow-covered the grass on either side of the parking space. A few men tried to clean their cars, buried in snow.

Rohita walked behind Milind and climbed the wooden stairs leading to their house.

Milind inserted the door key and unlocked the door. “Welcome to my home.” He stepped inside.

“Thank you. We arrived, at last.” Rohita sighed in relief as she entered.

The room was cold. Rohita was nauseated by the pungent smell.

Milind switched on the lights and adjusted the thermostat. The room heater rumbled and spewed the warm, comforting air. Rohita sat beside Milind on a black large leather couch.

The room had a small couch placed near to the TV. Two wooden chairs were placed on the balcony. The dining table sat in front of the kitchen, nestled within the living room.

Rohita glanced around. “The house is so beautiful.”

“Why don’t you take a look inside?” Milind held her hand and rose.

The refrigerator stood in the kitchen, beside the counter. Two electric stoves and an exhaust sat on the right side of the platform. The wooden cabinets were fixed above on either side.

“The kitchen is so well furnished.” Rohita turned on the tap in the sink.

Milind told her about the twenty-hour supply of cold and hot water supply.

He walked her to a master bedroom. A wooden closet was nestled within its wall. A large-size bed sat at the center with a flower-patterned bed sheet spread on its mattress.

The smaller bedroom had a worn-out couch and a book rack. A wooden coffee table with a Sony music system on it sat beside the couch.

“This is my private room.” Milind went to the window and pulled its drape aside.

Rohita pressed his hands. “You don’t need it, then.”

“Well--” Milind chuckled and stumbled for words.

She hugged him and wrapped her hands around his neck. “I love you.”

Milind tried to move his blushing face away from her. “I love you, too.” The smile on his face faded after a moment.

His phone rang. After releasing his hug, he glanced at the screen and answered. “Hi, Snehal.”

He spoke for a few minutes before he ended the call. “Snehal, my colleague, spoke. She invited us to dinner tomorrow.”

Why hasn’t Milind told me about her before? “Does she live nearby?”

“Yes. A few blocks away.”

“Is she married?” Rohita tried not to sound loud.

“She is married.” Milind put his hands around her neck. “Her husband, Ajit, is a doctor. He works in a community hospital.”

“Wow, it is so good to know. Ajit would help me in my career decisions.”

“Yes, he will.” Milind kissed on her forehead. “We will meet them tomorrow.”

Rohita hid her face in Milind’s chest. She knew someone who worked as a doctor in America, and she would follow his guidelines to achieve her career goal. I’ll meet and know more about Snehal and Ajit tomorrow.