My story for Ravi Subramanian's Prompt

What the hell is going on between my husband and that bitch?' Maya's patience was at its lowest ebb and she was ready to burst.

Sanjay knew that she was serious. 'Look, Maya. There is nothing going on between the two of them. Just a little bit of healthy flirting, I'd say.'

'Flirting? Healthy flirting? Really Sanjay . . .' she rolled her eyes in disgust. 'That's what you men call it? There is nothing healthy about flirting, Sanjay, not for a married man.

         Healthy flirting is a term introduced by perverted men who want to lend legitimacy to their extramarital dalliances. Flirting invariably has a sexual connotation to it.' She got up from her seat and walked around the room gesticulating and muttering something to herself. Suddenly she stopped, turned back, looked at Sanjay and asked, 'Did my husband sleep with her? You are his friend. Did he ever tell you anything about it?'

‘I hope not,’ he said and paced toward her. He put his arms around her shoulder and said, ‘I mean, he has never mentioned anything like that to me.’

Maya broke down in tears the minute his hand landed on her. She wanted a shoulder to cry on from the moment she figured out about her husband cheating on her and she realized Sanjay’s was right there for her. Sanjay tightened his grip reassuringly and wiped the tears, which rushed to her cheeks, with the other hand. She did not cease to cry.

‘How could he think of doing something like this to me? It must have been that bitch’s plan and he must have fallen prey to it,’ she said. ‘Our life was so perfect,’ she choked.

After a minute of silence she continued, ‘we were planning to have a baby soon,’ she gulped down the remaining piece of joy that inched her voice when the word “baby” was uttered. ‘He was so much in love and so was I. Suddenly, things started to change and you know the rest of the story,’ she said and hugged him.

‘I have no idea what I would have done to myself if you weren’t here for me,’ she added.

‘I will always be,’ he said and planted a kiss on her forehead.

A few minutes passed. The doorbell rang, making them realize that they had been tied to each other for a long time. He rushed to open the door.

‘Hello,’ Sanjay let Rohan, Maya’s brother, into the house and locked the door behind him. Rohan gave Sanjay a disgusted look as he walked in.

‘Rohan, where have you been all this while? What took you so long to come here?’ she asked with her strained voice. Rohan dragged her to a room, locked the door and maintained a tone that was lower than what could have reached Sanjay’s ears.

‘I am sorry Maya. I had gone for a wildlife photo shoot. There was no signal. The moment I received your message, I rushed here,’ he said as he walked to her. ‘Did you confront him?’ he added.

‘Not yet. But I got it confirmed from his friend Sanjay. If only Sanjay wasn’t with me in your absence I have no idea what I would have done,’ she said, continuing to cry.

‘Why do you cry? You have done nothing wrong. It was him. He should cry, not you,’ Rohan said, wiping her tears. ‘Relax and tell me what had happened. You guys were so much in love the last time I met you. What went wrong in three months’ time?’ asked Rohan, concerned.

‘That was three months ago Rohan. He distanced himself from me as time went by. He would go to work and not return for two to three days in a row. He would send his assistants or colleagues or sometimes even his friends to stay with me here when he was gone. A new person would come every day to sleep in the guest bedroom so that I and his other properties were not alone in this huge bungalow. I had to be nice to them. I had to serve them the dinner I would have prepared for him with love. I hated doing it and I had stopped talking to him by then. Things worsened. He was gone for a week and at that time, it was Sanjay whom he had sent to take care of me and the house, during his absence. I liked Sanjay. He was there with me all day. He was very understanding and considerate. Sanjay reminded me of my husband whom I had loved with all my heart. From that time, it was always Sanjay who was sent to guard me during his absence. One fine day he left and he is yet to return until now. It’s been a month,’ she said.

Rohan stood confused while the banging on the door intensified. He opened the door in agitation and let Sanjay in. Sanjay gripped Rohan’s arm as tight as he could and dragged him out of the door. But he made sure he stuck a smile on his face when Maya looked at him.

‘Maya, you are very tired. You have your tablets and sleep for a while. I will explain everything to Rohan,’ he said and closed the door leaving Maya alone in the room.

           

~

‘What the hell is happening here?’ Rohan raised his voice.

‘Lower your voice. Let me explain everything to you,’ Sanjay said keeping an eye on the door of Maya’s room.

            ‘Maya messaged me that you are cheating on her. I understood she had been traumatized and rushed here to talk to you. Now, she is telling me that you leave her alone and send strangers to accompany her. What’s wrong with you, Robert? Are you nuts? And who is that Sanjay?’ Rohan fumed with anger and confusion lurking in his voice.

            ‘If you let me speak I will tell you the entire story. Sit down, will you?’ Sanjay said.

            ‘Two months ago, on my birthday, I came home back from work and Maya’s behavior was strange. She welcomed me and spoke to me like she would to a guest. She asked me if Robert would come late that day. She usually referred to me as a third person when I get too busy with work and not spend time with her. That was her way of showing sarcasm and anger. But since it was my birthday I thought she had planned to surprise me with something and this was a part of her play. She asked me to get fresh in the guest bedroom and come down for dinner. I was excited as she always surprises me in the least guessable way. I came for dinner with so much hope that the birthday night was going to be the most memorable night of my life. She served dinner without speaking a word and told me that she had already eaten. Later, she went into our room, asked me to sleep in the guest bedroom and shut the door. I thought she was angry that I was late. She must have planned to surprise me and I must have disappointed her. I went to bed without knocking her door or disturbing her in any way. The next morning there was a note on the breakfast table asking me to have breakfast and leave.

This continued for the next two days. We did not exchange a single word. She let me into the house, asked me to get fresh in the guest bedroom, served me dinner and we slept in different rooms. She was not ready to talk in spite of me trying hard to make her talk. On the fourth day, I couldn’t contain myself anymore; I asked her what was wrong to which I received nothing in response. I furiously went upstairs to our room leaving her alone at the dining table.

A few seconds later, I received a call from her mobile. She asked me where I was and why I hadn’t come home for three days. Before I could comprehend what she was speaking about, she asked me why I was sending my friends, assistants, and colleagues to accompany her. Again, she did not wait for me to respond. She said that the guy I had sent that day was taking advantage and was harassing her. She wanted me to call him and ask him to get out of the house. I was confused. She dismissed the call not waiting for me to respond. I heard a huge cry and before I could come out she locked herself in the guest bedroom. I kept banging the door. I received a message from her which read “Ask him to leave or I will kill myself”. I was scared and decided to keep silent till the next day. I heard her weep all through the night.

The weeping ceased and silence prevailed for a while. I was so worried. I broke into the room to see her lying unconscious. I rushed her to the doctor. The doctor monitored her closely for a week and suggested to me that I take her to a psychiatrist as she was mentally disturbed. I took her to one. She treated me like a stranger all along. Do you understand what kind of pain it would have given me without knowing what was wrong and why, suddenly, life had changed so much?’ he paused to see Rohan still caught up in the whole story, unresponsive and yet contemplating.

‘The psychiatrist told me that she was suffering from Capgrass Syndrome. Patients with this syndrome will not be able to register the identity of one or more people close to them. They will be a normal people otherwise. In Maya’s case, only my identity had been erased from her memory. All these days, she had seen me as a different person every time I entered home. She wasn’t able to realize that I was her Robert. She thought Robert, her husband, had sent different men each day to accompany and guard her. These different men were none other than me,’ Sanjay said.

            ‘It’s hard to believe this, even though I am able to chronologically connect your story with hers. But how will you connect the woman she says you have an affair with and the guy named Sanjay to your story?’ Rohan said, still unsure as to whether he could trust Sanjay.

            ‘Don’t you understand? She sees me as Sanjay, Robert’s friend!’ he said as he hoped that Rohan would believe him.

            ‘How did you become Sanjay all of a sudden? Why are you playing along? And I insist you answer my question about the other woman,’ Rohan demanded.

            ‘I will. Trust me! It was difficult for me to believe in it at the beginning, but the psychiatrist showed me a few similar case studies. He made me read how a woman, who suffered from this syndrome, thought she had 80 husbands while she had just one.

I realized that Maya suffered from a strange disorder. I wanted to bring her out of it. But the psychiatrist told me that if I contradict what she says and make her feel that I don’t believe in her, it might tear her apart as she might start feeling emotionally insecure. That would make her isolate herself and she might even go to the extent of committing suicide. I agreed that I will play along. That evening, I took her back home and told her that Robert was gone. She called me Sanjay from then, every single time she saw me. I understood that she had begun seeing me as the same person each passing day but only as Sanjay, not Robert. To her, I am her husband’s friend who is one person who understands her’, he said and took a deep breath.

            ‘My question about the other woman still remains unanswered,’ Rohan stressed on the last word.

            ‘I am coming to that part. A few days prior to my birthday, I had hired a new PA at the office. I introduced her to Maya. She hated the way this woman dressed. She hated the way this secretary flirted with me that day. I didn’t bother much about the secretary, anyway. Maya kept telling me she disliked my new PA for quite some time. Then she created an impression that Robert is cheating on her with his PA and is staying with her, leaving Maya alone. It’s all her imagination. Trust me,’ Robert (Sanjay) said.

A ray of belief spread across Rohan’s face.

‘I am able to connect the dots now. I am sorry for suspecting such a nice man like you, Robert. I don’t know how to thank you enough for being there with her in such a terrible phase. Is there no way to bring my sister out of this?’ Rohan asked.

           

‘Syndromes can’t be cured once for all. At least, that’s what I understood. All I want is to keep her alive and happy. So I became the Sanjay she thinks I am. I will make her hate Robert and fall in love with me, who is Sanjay according to her. I will live as Sanjay the rest of my life,’ he said, dropped himself to the floor and shedding a few drops of tears.

            Rohan placed his hand on Robert’s shoulder. Silence prevailed for a while.

‘Sanjay, where are you?’ Maya came out of her room.

Robert wiped his tears hurriedly and turned to her. ‘Where will I go leaving you alone?’ he smiled.

‘I hoped there is no introduction needed anymore. Anyway, let me formally do what I should have done. Rohan meet Sanjay, a friend of that scum. Sanjay meet my brother Rohan.’

            The two of them shook hands with a smile plastered onto their faces.