He held her tight. Her hands engulfing her body. One arm wrapped around her heaving bosom and the other holding her and pulling her close to himself from her waist. He pulled her closer with every breath she took. Trying to absorb her scent, her skin, her body into his. This was it. This was what she longed for. She wanted him to have every bit of hers.

At the end of the passionate lovemaking with Himanshu, her boss, Rituparna looked at her watch. Time to book an Ola to be back at home for dinner. Rituparna and her husband, Doctor Prosenjit Dutta, lived in a decent apartment near Shyambazar. Her husband was a dentist and made a decent income. Rituparna was a big, vigorous woman with a wet mouth. After finishing office on every Friday she visits her widowed mother at Salt Lake and then come back home in late evening, Prosenjit accepted this arrangement good naturedly. This had been a routine for the last couple of years.

For last two years, the pleasant alliance with her boss had continued in his New Town apartment. Ever since they had bumped into an offsite meeting at Manali, he had taken a transfer to Kolkata from Delhi to head the L&D Department, leaving his family in Delhi. The long wait of a week between their dates only made their hearts grow fonder and each Friday became an exciting reunion.

Today’s visit made her sad. Himanshu Khanna revealed to her while lying in her arms that he has got an offer from a competition and will put in his papers on Monday. He will be shifting to Mumbai and they will continue their relationship, albeit less frequently. Himanshu had a way of making her feel that she was a remarkable woman, a person of subtle and exotic talents, fascinating beyond measure; and what a different thing from her dentist husband, who never succeeded in making her feel that she was anything but a sort of eternal patient, someone who remained silent in the waiting room among the stupid magazines, called in to suffer the finicky precise ministrations of very clean sanitised hands advertising Dettol.

As a parting gift, her paramour gave a slender box wrapped in an expensive golden gift paper with a request to open it later. He had given her a good appraisal with an imminent promotion to enable her to travel to all the offices in the country to provide ample opportunities for their amour to continue.

As soon as Rituparna was in the cab, she started to undo the string. She shut her eyes and slowly lifted off the lid. Then she put her palm down into the box. There was some tissue paper on top; she could feel it and hear it rustling. There was also an envelope with a card of some sort. She ignored this and began burrowing underneath the tissue paper, the fingers reaching out delicately like tendrils.

“ Hey Baghwan, “ she cried suddenly startling the driver, “ It can’t be true.” She opened her eyes and stared at the bedazzling diamond necklace. It was a work of art. Her hands trembled in taking it up and her heart beat in boundless desire. The beauty took her breath away. The chain was of 22KT rose gold and there were  ten cut diamonds set into the thread. On the top of it were mounted five pearl shaped diamonds with a small brilliant cut diamond below. It was from Tanishq with the certification of authentication and hallmark. What in the world could it have cost ? She hardly dared to think. Then she googled and found something similar which was near to Rs. 4 Lakhs. Possibly more. She got a whatsapp from Himanshu, ‘ Next time baby, just wear this on your birthday suit. Nothing else is essential.’ She replied a ‘ Love u’ and cleared all chat.

She was gasping a bit now. Wearing this will change her whole personality. She would look radiant, rich, brilliant, luscious, all at the same time. And the sense of power ! Wearing this if she walks into a wedding she would deliciously savour the jealousy of the other women. But she would miss Himanshu enormously. What you lose on the swings you get back on the roundabouts.

Oh God ! The Ola has crossed Manicktala. In the excitement of the necklace she had completely overlooked a vital aspect. In another twenty minutes she would be home; and even a man like her husband dwelling as he did in a world of dark phlegmy and root canals, bicuspids and caries, would be startled if his wife of seven years suddenly waltzed in with a five lakh diamond necklace.

“ I’ve got to find a way to show this off,” she said aloud making the driver sneak a look at her on the rear-view mirror.

Very well, Rituparna. You shall have the necklace. Don’t panic. Keep calm and start thinking. You have fooled Prosenjit several times before. The man has never been to see much further than the end of his own probe. There’s a lot of time. After a while she smirked when she remembered a college Romeo in her life who can bail her out.

With these thoughts in mind she entered the house. Prosenjit was indulging of the irritating habit of reading that day’s morning new paper. “ You’re a bit late, aren’t you ? “ he said.

“ The traffic is dreadful. Kolkata is going to the dogs. I have to go mother’s place tomorrow again. Have to take her to the bank. Also Pishima is coming and wants to meet me. Probably wants to gift me something for Puja. Please make me my Friday drink.”

Prosenjit folded his newspaper into a neat rectangle and placed it on the arm of the chair. Then he crossed over to the cabinet to take out the bottle of Captain Morgan. He had his back to her now, bending forward to measure the rum, putting his face right up to the peg measure and peering into it as though it were a patient’s mouth. It was funny how small he always looked after Himanshu.

“ Thank you,”  she said after he had stirred with ice and coke. “ And what did you do after closing the clinic today ?”

“ I stayed on to cast a few inlays. Also got my accounts to date.”

“ I think its high time you let other people do your donkey work. Why doesn’t that Moumita female do the account ? And now you have a receptionist also. That can be part of her job, right ?”

“ That’s Puja. She does them. But I have to price differently for different customers. She doesn’t know who is rich and who isn’t.”

“ The rum and coke mix was perfect. Let me change and I will heat the biriyani.”

Next day, she waited for Prosenjit to leave for his clinic and immediately started working her phone. Pallav, her college buddy with whom she had a brief fling had been besotted by her ever since. Though both have gone their separate ways but there was no glut of messages from Pallav and even gifts on her birthday every year. She knew he was a senior manager at Tanishq and most of the stores in the city reported to him.

Pallav was ecstatic on hearing her voice. He promptly requested her to come to the Elgin Road store and have lunch with him today. He is charge of merchandise of all the stores in Eastern Region. Over lunch at the Chinese Pavilion on the rooftop of the mall, she started her carefully crafted story, but not before she pecked a palpitating Pallav. The character of Mitali replaced herself with everything else remaining the same. Prosenjit became the husband of Mitali and Himanshu the paramour, in another organisation.

They chatted on, reminiscing their college days, when Pallav placed his palm over hers and said, “ I have a simple solution. I will make out a gift voucher from the store. Whoever comes with this voucher will get the necklace from the store manager, who will be briefed in advance. Mitali or her husband can come with this to make this gift legitimate. This voucher has won the necklace in a lucky draw. These contests happen every month, although the prizes are not so exotic. This beautiful one which Mitali has got is over Rs. 5 Lakhs + GST.  The gift voucher costs Rs.2000 and allow me to pay for it for old times sake.” To seal the deal , Rituparna hugged and kissed Pallav in the empty elevator going down to the store.

She cooked Prosenjit’s favourite dishes of Aloo Posto and Dhaniya Chicken that night. Then she put the bottle of Shiraz Sula Raza in the chiller and dressed up in a plunging silk negligee. Once he came in and changed his sanitised attire, she handed over a glass of red wine together with the Tanishq gift envelope. “ See what I got as a Puja gift from Pishima. She had bought some jewellery for her two daughters and got this gift card, which has won a lucky draw. She showed me the sms also. They did not mention the item in the message though. ”

Prosenjit began examining it minutely, as though it were a suspect tooth. “ This could be rather amusing. But the store is a bit far from our place. On Elgin Road.”

“ Do you think its worth going there to claim the gift ?” she asked naively.

“ Definitely. It’s worth finding out. If this voucher number has won a lucky draw then maybe fortune may have just smiled broadly on you. Though it’s likely to be a watch or ear-ring. Let me rush over first thing on Monday morning and find out.”

“ Oh no !” she cried, “ You have your patients. I will call them to find out and go myself.”

“ We can go tomorrow also. But Sunday is the only day I get to rest. Tomorrow is also Mahalaya. I doubt whether they will share the item details over phone. “

“ Don’t sweat. This can wait till Monday. I’m excited thinking about what it could be.”

“ That sounds fair. Why don’t you come with me when I collect it on Monday morning ?”

Rituparna was about to say ‘ Yes’, to this, but caught herself just in time. She had no wish to bang into Pallav, in case he is on his rounds, or be recognised by a staff of the store. “ No,” she said slowly, “ I have an office meeting at 10am. It will be more thrilling to hear it from you. Oh, I do hope it isn’t going to be something that neither of us want.”

 

Monday morning came at last and after breakfast Rituparna followed her husband to the door. Standing close to him and straightening his tie, which was perfectly straight, she said,” If it happens to be something nice, please call me.”

“ Don’t worry. Now, I must run.”

Around 11 am, when Rituparna was twitching in anxiety, unable to concentrate on anything, her mobile rang. She picked it before the first ring had finished.

“ I got it,” Prosenjit exclaimed.

“ You did ? What is it ? Something good ?”

“ Good !, “ he sounded excited, “ Its fantastic. Wait till you get your eyes on this. You’ll swoon.”

“ What is it ? Tell me quick.”

“You’re a lucky woman.”

“ Stop keeping me in suspense. I can’t bear it.”

“ You’’ll go mad when you see it.”

“ What is it ?”

“Try to guess.”

Rituparna paused. Be careful, she told herself. Be very careful now.

“ A necklace ?” she asked.

“ Wrong.”

She was taken aback at the rejection but forced herself to continue. “ A diamond ring.”

“ No.”

“ For goodness sake, Prosenjit ! Why don’t you tell me ?”

“ Because I want it to be a surprise. I’ll bring it home this evening.”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” she shouted,” I’m coming down to your clinic at lunch time to get it.”

“ I’m packed today. Already an hour behind my schedule. But come at 2 pm.”

At 1:45 pm precisely Rituparna entered the clinic. She had taken a half-day off feigning sickness.

The receptionist, Puja did not know her by face and she had to introduce herself. She smilingly requested her to wait as the Doctor was inside with a patient. Before long Prosenjt came out in his white dental coat with his patient in tow and followed by the foxy, Moumita who sneered at her.

Prosenjit told Mounita, “ You can put in the instruments later in the surgical box. Go off for lunch. We have half an hour before the next appointment.”

They waited till Moumita went off swinging her hips and giving Rituparna another smug smile.

Prosenjit led her to his chamber and stood in front of a closet.” Its in there. Now , shut your eyes.”

Rituparna did as she was told. Then she took a deep breath and held it, and in the silence that followed she could hear him opening the cupboard and a hissing sound as he took out something among the clothes and then the soft sound of unclasping of a box.

“ All right. You can look.”

“ I don’t dare to,” she said laughingly.

“ Go on. Take a peek.”

Coyly, she raised one eyelid a fraction of an inch, just enough to give her a dark blurry view of a man standing in his white overalls holding up a jewellery box.

“ Gold, “ he exclaimed, “ Real Gold.”

At the sound of the magic word she opened her eyes quickly. But there was no necklace. It was a pair of  bangles, very elegantly designed of 22K  gold with lobster clasp.

“ Feast your eyes on that !” he said waving it in front of her face.

Rituparna put a hand to her mouth and started backing away. I’m going to scream, she told herself. I just know it. I’m going to scream.

“ What’s the matter ? Don’t you like it ?” he stood staring at her, waiting for her to say something.

“ Why, yes,” she stammered,” I..I think its lovely…really lovely.”

“ Quite took your breath away for a moment, didn’t it ?”

“ Yes, it did.”

“ I reckon a pair like this will cost at least a lakh. Was surprised that they have such costly stuff on lucky draws.”

He leaned forward and placed the box in her hand.” Try them on. Am sure it will fit.”

“ Will do it at home. Bye. See you in evening.”  Rituparna moved towards the door. A range of needling suspicions were ravaging her mind. She will have to call up Pallav and complain about the store manager.

“ I’ll be late today, Ritu.” He husband’s voice floated over to her.

She almost collided with Moumita while opening the main door of the clinic. She noticed a lilt in that dame’s walk, a little whiff of perfume attending her. Moumita graciously asked whether she should book a taxi for Ma’am, which Rituparna refused by moving her head sideways.

Rituparna couldn’t get over the tragedy in the next couple of weeks. It was like a stubbed toe, rhe pain coming back time and again baffling her with various questions. She just went with the motions of daily life connecting with Himanshu now and then. Right after Puja, Prosenjit handed her a wedding invitation card one evening. Moumita was getting married with a reception on next Saturday. Rituparna sighed a relief contemplating that her husband  would at last have an opportunity to get a new assistant, preferably a male one.

Rituparna dressed with care for the reception to be the cynosure of all eyes that evening. A violet benarasi and trending gold jewellery with the new bangles. They waited in the que with the present to greet the newlyweds. It was only then she noticed the dazzling necklace of the bride, with thread of rose gold connecting the ten cut diamonds, then the five pearl shaped diamonds with the iconic small brilliant cut diamond. She could feel Moumita watching her. When their eyes locked, Moumita gave her a pitying smile with a condescending look followed by a glint in the direction of Prosenjit.

The king sized prawn malai curry missed the taste buds of Rituparna that evening.