After ages.. posting again

Scene:

Characters:
ANITA: Wife
RAJESH: Husband
SUDHA: Other Woman
NATASHA: Their 6 year old daughter.

Setting: A drawing room; A television set before a 3 seater completely upholstered couch; 2 other armchairs; a table next to one armchair with a telephone; A chest of drawers with a mirror, preferably; 2 windows, 2 doors. Both windows open onto a balcony, one door leads to
the balcony, one leads into a passageway into the house.

(Stage Left) Anita enters, wearing executive clothes, carrying a large thick handbag, and a fat paperback omnibus under her arm, looking furious. tear stains are marked on her face, where her makeup has been disturbed, and she has dark circles under her eyes. Rajesh follows her
into the room, slamming the door shut, muttering something under his breath. Red welts, finger scratchmarks three parallel red lines run down the side of his face. His shirt is torn and his hair is dishevelled. He tosses his car keys onto the table and slumps into the armchair next to the telephone. Anita literally plonks herself on the
sofa and strews her belongings all over the place - cellphone, handbag, jacket, book.

A brief silence ensues...

RAJESH: I'm tired. And my head is hurting.
ANITA: (looks up with disgust) So?
(and she returns to watching TV... still motionless except for her thumb,clicking through the channels)

( A brief pause)

RAJESH: Where's Natasha? At your mother's?
ANITA: How does it matter? and Since when did you care about your "brother's child"?

(Silence)

RAJESH: (after a while) (sighs) So now you're not even talking to me?
ANITA: (clicks her tongue sarcastically).

(Silence)

Then at length,

ANITA: I have decided. I want a divorce.
RAJESH : (with a defeated look) Please no, I'm sorry. (He offers her his hand).

ANITA: (dismissed his gesture and slaps her hand away) Fuck off Rajesh. Just fuck off forever. When I see you, I am filled with loathing. I loathe your presence, your touch, I don't even want to be near you.

RAJESH: (sobbing uncontrollably) I beg you, Jaan, please don't leave...
ANITA: (interjects) Don't call me Jaan!!! (she snaps)

RAJESH sits silent.

ANITA: I am tired of your schoolboy locker room antics. I am going to ruin your life and take back what is mine. I want you out of my house tonight, and forever.

RAJESH: I beg you, I cannot live without you and Natasha. Don't leave, please! I beg you. I swear that was just a fling, nothing serious. I don't have any feelings for that woman. It was a momentary lapse; It will not repeat ever
again. I will be faithful.

ANITA: (with tears in her eyes) Isn't that what you told me last time? When you had a romp in the sack with that slut from the Secretarial College? And before that with the college chick, when Nats was 2 years old?? I can't trust you anymore. This is exactly why I had the house
transferred to my name.

Suddenly the phone rings, and Rajesh sits up with a start. He picks up the phone after 3-4 rings.

RAJESH: Hello.

RAJESH: Oh, it's you. What do you want?

ANITA: (in the background) It's that whore again, isn't it?

RAJESH: (color slowly draining from his face) Are you sure? How can that be?

RAJESH: Stop saying that. That is impossible. I can't do anything. I have my own problems aplenty.

ANITA: Whats going on? Who is that???

RAJESH: Stop going hysterical. There are solutions to this problem. What I'm saying is what I mean. Stop reading into the issue too much.

(Suddenly drops the phone and runs over to the chest of drawers. He opens the top drawer and begins scrabbling around for something. His shaking hand closes around a pistol, and he removes it with a wry smile on his face. He checks the chamber and the rounds in it. He then runs out of the door, after staring for a moment at Anita's spellbound face, who is unable to move.)

(Anita runs to the hanging phone, and screams "Hello, Hello???", but is answered by a engaged tone of the phone disconnected. She runs after Rajesh Stage Left).

Curtains close.

(Copyright, May 2005) Pranay Srinivasan