Our Mindset Episode 35
My legs were aching, but there was no choice—I had to go to work. That day, I didn’t see Balu; he had gone somewhere. In the evening, as soon as my husband left to deliver milk, Pradeep arrived. I was in the middle of cooking. Until then, he had never brought anything for my children, but that day, he handed them chocolates and biscuits and gave me a packet of fritters. I was surprised.
I asked, “Did you come to water the farm this evening?”
He replied, “No, I came to see you. The saplings you planted have sprouted. I’ll come in the morning, and we’ll go see them together.” He stayed and chatted until my husband returned.
When my husband asked why he was there, Pradeep lied, saying, “I had gone to see a friend at the farm. I brought some snacks for the kids, so I thought I’d stop by.” That’s when I got suspicious—he was telling me one thing and my husband another.
The next morning, as soon as my husband left for the village, Pradeep was at my doorstep again. “Come with me to the farm by the river,” he insisted.
I refused. “I have to go to work, I have chores to finish. I don’t have time.”
Then he said, “You were in my dreams last night.”
I was at a loss for words. Still, I asked, “Why would I be in your dreams?”
He said, “I don’t know, but I keep thinking about you. I was worried about you, so maybe that’s why.”
I deliberately picked up a water pot and took my children to the well. I didn’t return until he left.
At noon, I told my sister-in-law everything. She advised, “Tell your husband as soon as he gets home. Pradeep’s behavior isn’t right.”
When my husband returned, I told him, “Whenever you leave for the village, Pradeep comes here. His behavior doesn’t feel right. He keeps asking me to come to the farm, and now he says I appear in his dreams.”
But my husband didn’t confront Pradeep or his mother. Instead, he told Mangu and Mami. Since they were already upset with me over a previous argument, they took the opportunity to taunt me when they saw Pradeep at the farm the next morning.
When they arrived, Pradeep quickly changed the topic and said, “Did my brother bring the Chembur registry papers home? I couldn’t find them, so I came to check. Has he returned yet?” Then he left.
But Mangu and Mami didn’t stop their taunts. They spoke indirectly but made sure their words were aimed at me: “Some people don’t even understand relationships. Would he be coming here morning and evening if she hadn’t encouraged him? But of course, her husband doesn’t see it.”
That was the bitter truth. People never blame the man. The woman always carries the burden of suspicion. Pradeep assumed that my marriage was troubled because my husband had once hit me. He thought that if he spoke sweetly, I would fall for him easily.
His thoughts were his own, but where was my fault in this?
One thing was clear—Mangu had insulted me many times, humiliated me, but he had never looked at me with dishonorable intentions.
My sister-in-law gave me a firm suggestion: “Go straight to his mother and tell her. You live in a lone house. If something bad happens, everyone will blame you. Don’t rely on anyone else to speak for you.”
My husband added, “Tell her, but not in front of his wife.”
So it was okay for Pradeep to say anything to me, but his wife shouldn’t find out?
I finally told Pradeep’s mother, but she dismissed it, saying, “Why are you misunderstanding? He must be visiting you like a brother.”