Ever since my son died in a road accident, the warmth of our small house in New Delhi has completely vanished. Three months have passed, and I – Savitri Devi – have still not gotten used to the feeling of Aarav’s absence. Every afternoon, I sit in front of the pooja nook, looking at my son’s picture wrapped in a garland of marigolds, and caressing everything he touches.
While I was still grieving, Nisha – my daughter-in-law – confused me. She used to wear simple clothes, just a little mascara and light lipstick, and go to work. Now she wears a lot of makeup, wears a body-adhesive office dress/kurta, and high heels that click on the tiled floor every morning.
She goes to work early and comes home late. There are days when she comes home around midnight. When I asked her, she only said vaguely:
The subsidiary is working quickly on a project, I sympathize with you.
I nodded, but my mind was full of doubts.
The climax happened one weekend night. At around six o’clock in the evening, I got up to go to the bathroom, and when I passed by my daughter-in-law’s room, I heard a man’s soft voice from outside, along with Nisha’s whisper. I stopped, my heart seemed to be pounding: In this house, there are only two of us, mother and daughter, so who is in her room?
The next morning, I chose my words thoughtfully:
— Nisha, last night I … Did you hear a man’s voice in your room?
She was a little confused, then she lowered her voice:
— You must have heard me make a video call with my colleague. The project is in the final stages, so we need to talk about it for a long time. Don’t worry, Mom.
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I didn’t say anything else, but my heart was restless: It’s only been three months since my husband passed away, and is my daughter-in-law in a hurry?
Since then, I’ve been secretly paying attention. Nisha’s clothes are becoming more stylish, her fragrance is strong, she always carries her phone; Whenever she calls, she goes to a different place and speaks calmly. I feel sad. I love Nisha as if she were my own daughter, but now I can’t help but think that she is cheating on my lucky daughter.
Everything fell into place on a rainy night.
I was thirsty, and when I passed by her room, I saw that the light was still on. I opened the door slightly—there was Nisha sitting hunched over on the bed, her eyes red and her phone tightly clutched. On the screen, Aarav—my son—smiled at an old clip. Her voice rang out:
“, I’ll be back tomorrow, what gift do you want me to give you?”
Nisha burst into tears and whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks:
— I miss you so much… I won the bid again today. If you were still alive today, praise me so much…
I was stunned. The man I heard in the middle of the night turned out to be Aarav’s voice in the old video—the same voice Nisha had used to satisfy her desire. I blamed him for not realizing it.
The next morning, when Nisha entered the kitchen, her eyes still swollen, I asked calmly:
— You’ve been coming home late these days and staying up late at night. Is work going well?
the fans’ choice:
Yes, I’ve just been promoted to manager. Now I have to meet with partners and go to events, so I dressed up a little. I don’t want to be depressed forever. I know him… “That’s over, but I have to move on, Mommy.”
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I put my hand on his shoulder and whispered:
I understand, my child. I’m sorry I misunderstood you.
Nisha looked up, tears welling up in her eyes. As I said, she still hadn’t forgotten Ai-Ai. She was learning to live – strong and proud, just like she had promised near his picture on the day of his funeral.
Since that day, I’ve been less strict. Nisha and I cleaned Aarav’s room and cherished the memories by choosing a small corner in the house. He still came home every night, but every night he would stop by the place of worship, light incense and tell me a few little stories from that day.
I no longer hear the stranger’s voice in the middle of the night. Instead, Nisha whispers:
I’m home from work, I know…