Onto the Stage - Slighted Souls and other stage and radio plays by BS Murthy (ebook reader web TXT) 📖

I’ve lost my face with Nayak and allowed Rau to have his last laugh. Why, is it not owing to Deva’s betrayal? Oh, how he had shamed me. Won’t I pay him back in the same coin? But how is the question. [He pauses to think] Why not hurt him where it hurts most.

Rangaiah: Don’t get carried away by your hurt Rajiv babu. I’m really worried as I recall that incident when you were at Rau babu’s throat for befriending Ravi whom you used to hate no end. It was only by chance that I could save him in the nick of time.

Rajiv: Now it’s worse than that, isn’t it?

[The bedroom alarm clock rings six times. Ramya gets up and goes into the drawing room.]

Rangaiah: I’m worried more for that.

[Exit: Rangaiah as Ramya walks up to Rajiv.]

Ramya: What’s troubling you? Is that your dream or what?

Rajiv: Hasn’t my life become a joke for you?

Ramya: Why do you hurt yourself?

Rajiv: Why should I when you are at it anyway.

Ramya: How am I hurting you?

Rajiv: Maybe, that dream has only portrayed my premonition.

Rajiv: What’s that?

[Rajiv keeps mum though Ramya repeatedly asks him to tell her what was bothering him.]

Ramya: Why it can’t be a delirium born out of your failed dream?

Rajiv: Can a wife be more insensitive than that to her husband’s concerns?

Ramya: Why not I fetch some coffee to ease your nerves a little.

[Ramya goes backstage.]

Rajiv: Oh, how I loved her? What an artful bitch she has turned out to be. What a devoted ass of a husband I am! And what a cheating whore of a wife she is? Oh God, why this to me! What I’ve been missing being faithful to her? Well, dames by their dozen. What a tragedy really!

[Ramya returns with some coffee for them. She offers him one cup but he doesn’t take it. Keeping the cups on the teapoy, she sits beside him to soothe him. But he gets up and she catches him by his arm.]

Ramya: Why are you being so childish?

[Rajiv keeps mum.]

Ramya: Be a man and be done with it.

Rajiv: Don’t you see you disgust me?

Ramya: But why?

Rajiv: Don’t act innocent.

Ramya: What do you mean by that?

Rajiv: Why, are you not churlish?

Ramya: Me, churlish!

Rajiv: Why doubt.

Ramya: Mind it; I’m no mirror image of yours.

Rajiv: Enough of your high-mindedness.

Ramya: What madness!

Rajiv: Is it any worse than artfulness?

Ramya: Me, artful. Any more compliments?

Rajiv: If only you drop your veil I’ll tell you more about you.

[Ramya pauses being perplexed.]

Rajiv: You don’t want me to see your ugly moles and hideous warts, do you?

Ramya: What is there for me to hide from you?

Rajiv: You should know that better, don’t you?

Ramya: Oh me, what are you aiming at?

Rajiv: That which you’ve been hiding from me all along.

Ramya: What is that?

Rajiv: Don’t you know it yourself?

Ramya: Why beat around the bush?

Rajiv: It’s better than carrying-on behind my back, isn’t it?

Ramya: What did you say! me carrying-on behind your back?

Rajiv: Is it news to you?

Ramya: So, our life has come to this pass.

Rajiv: Because I was naïve to your ways with that Deva fellow.

Ramya: I knew you are a big dreamer and a bad loser but never could I imagine you are such a nasty character. Perhaps I should have guessed. Oh! how I wasted my life with you.

Rajiv: Why waste more of it?

Ramya: Maybe you are right for once.

Rajiv: Having been wronged for long that is.

[Exit: Ramya in a huff.]

Rajiv: She didn’t look guilty, did she? But can she deny that she has a soft spot for Deva? Oh how he has become the bane of my life by first charming my wife and then hijacking my agenda. What if in her fit of anger she turns to Rau for legal counsel. Won’t that double the ridicule? What an accursed fate that had brought him into my life! Don’t I owe it to me to avenge myself upon him?

[Enter: Divya seeking Ramya.]

Divya [to Rajiv]: Hi.

Rajiv: Hi.

[Divya goes backstage.]

[Rajiv hails for Rangaiah.]

[Enter: Rangaiah as Divya returns.]

Divya: Where is Ramya?

Rajiv: Wait, I’ll tell you. [Turns to Rangaiah] Go and fetch her.

Rangaiah: Babu she didn’t tell me where she was going.

Rajiv: Why, she must be with one of the women in the colony. [Turns to Divya] Can’t you make a guess?

[Rangaiah lingers on at the exit.]

Divya: Why spoil her party; I’ll come later.

Rajiv: But I want to detain you for a while. [Turns to Rangaiah] What’s holding you up?

[Exit: Rangaiah.]

Divya: What’s the matter?

Rajiv: You first tell me what you thought about me the other day.

Divya: Why, you were so nasty with Deva, more so with Ramya.

Rajiv: Did you ever think why I behaved the way I behaved.

Divya: Why, I thought you couldn’t digest the prospect of Deva’s progress.

Rajiv: So you got it all wrong and I can’t fault you for that.

Divya: What else then?

Rajiv: It was only a trigger to vent my ire at both of them.

Divya: Why any ill-feeling at all!

Rajiv: Do you expect me to rejoice for being cuckolded.

Divya: What nonsense?

Rajiv: Right now they would be in each others’ arms, I don’t know where.

[Divya remains mum.]

Rajiv: Won’t that make some sense at least for them?

Divya: Do you want me to swallow that rubbish?

Rajiv: Don’t you see my misery unable to digest that?

Divya: Maybe you are imagining things. Don’t I know you are not well?

Rajiv: Do you think my grief itself is imaginary?

Divya: You surprise me really.

Rajiv: So was I when I caught them in the act.

Divya: But still…

Rajiv: If I let you catch your man with my wife, would that do?

Divya: Won’t I be shamed no end then?

Rajiv: Having endured the ordeal, I can tell you what it would be like. It would be worse than you can ever imagine what it might feel like.

Divya: I can understand [she takes his arm] I’m sorry really.

Rajiv [holding her arm]: What a relief your empathy gives me. [He rests his head on her shoulder] Won’t you give me you shoulder to cry over?

Divya [caressing his head]: Can’t I share your agony being in the same boat?

Rajiv [hugging her]: Dear, let us weather out the storm together.

[As Rajiv tries to take Divya into his arms, she smoothly withdraws from him.]

Rajiv: What a pity even a woman can’t hold her pity for a cuckold for long.

Divya [taking his hand]: Please don’t hurt yourself with self-pity.

Rajiv [holding her hand]: Divya please, I need your understanding to get over her deceit?

Divya: You can count on that.

Rajiv: When the tragedy sinks in you, don’t you crave for a lover’s solace?

Divya: I am too dazed to visualize that.

Rajiv: Why don’t’ you see the mirror image of your hurt soul in my wretched bosom?

[Divya stares at him long and hard. He gently forces her into the bedroom even as she protests.]

Divya: No Rajiv, no, please, leave me.

Rajiv: Believe me; I’ll die if you deny.

Divya: Oh, it’s not fair.

Rajiv: Is it fair to deny us our solace.

[Rajiv forces himself on Divya.]

[Lights go off to indicate the impending act as he forces himself upon her.]

[Enter: Ramya as lights are switched on.]

[Ramya goes straight into the bedroom as Rajiv was about to make it into the drawing room. Once in, Ramya finds a distraught Divya rearranging her dress. Divya sinks into Ramya’s arms.]

Ramya: Oh, how come?

Divya: Why, haven’t you brought it upon me?

Ramya: What do you mean?

Divya: Are you not carrying on with Deva?

Ramya: Don’t be crazy.

Divya: Don’t you know Rajiv is mad about it.

Ramya: He may be imagining things or worse still…

Divya: I tried to console him and he forced himself upon me.

Ramya: You must be a fool to have believed him.

Divya: Why is it not true?

Ramya: Never, I swear upon you.

Divya: But his manner made me believe him.

Ramya: Don’t I seem sincere to you?

[Divya looks into Ramya’s eyes.]

Divya: Oh, if only I’ve had more faith in you, I wouldn’t have allowed myself to be tricked by him.

Ramya: Aren’t we women, besides being human.

Divya: Oh what a cheat he turned out to be!

Ramya: I didn’t know he could play act too.

Divya: But for his wiles, I would’ve resisted him more vigorously than I did.

Ramya: Don’t I understand that?

Divya: What an irony that truth should deprive me of some solace though perverse. And now I am worse off for the reality, am I not?

Ramya: It’s one of those ironies of truth.

Divya: Oh, why did the devil enter into his head to ruin my life?

Ramya: Well, it was all along lurking behind his ambitious wings. What with his greed baring it, it came to the fore. Didn’t we all see that yesterday?

Divya: Damn the devil but how can I face Deva now?

Ramya: Dear, treat it as a bad dream and let life take over for time to dissipate the distress. I can understand how difficult it could be, but for Deva’s sake, you must put all this behind.

Divya: I’ll try, but whatever happens, promise you stand by me.

[Ramya hugs Divya.]

Ramya: I’m yours dear, more than ever.

Divya: Now I really feel easy.

 

[Ramya caresses and kisses Divya before she goes to Rajiv.]

Ramya: If you carry your villainy any farther, I myself will end your accursed life.

Rajiv: Ramya, please listen.

[Ramya goes behind the stage and comes out with two suitcases that she keeps in the drawing room. She goes into the bedroom and comes out with Divya.]

Rajiv [holds Divya’s hand]: I’m really sorry, forgive me if you can.

Ramya [pushes Rajiv]: Leave us alone.

[Ramya and Divya pick up a suitcase each.]

[Exit: Ramya and Divya leaving Rajiv.]

[Curtains down.]

Scene - 6

 

[Curtains Up: In the drawing room Rajiv looks lost.]

[Enter: Rangaiah with an envelope.]

Rangaiah: Rajiv babu someone gave it for you.

[Rajiv tears open the envelope and starts reading the letter aloud]

“Rajiv:

You would have realized by now that all is over between us bar divorcing. My new found advocate who happens to be your long lost friend would call on you to discuss the terms of separation. I hope he would find you sensible for once.

Once yours,

Ramya”

Rajiv: See Rangaiah, your Ramya beti wants to divorce me. What’s worse she has engaged Rau as her lawyer to rub some salt on my wounded psyche. Oh how gleefully he would have taken her vakalat to upstage me. So, the one I slighted once is going to put me in the dock now. Can life get more ironical than that!

Rangaiah: I can’t believe that babu. There is something that doesn’t meet the eye here.

Rajiv: Whatever, didn’t I bring it upon myself? When did I lose my way in life? Could it be when I began to think I outgrew Rau? Oh how I took it for granted that he could be living somewhere in the wilderness of life suffering from an inferiority complex. How I was to know that fate would bring us together to let him catch me on the wrong foot! What a mess I’ve made of my life!

[Sound of the calling bell.]

[Exit: Rangaiah only to readily return.]

[Rangaiah talks to Rajiv (mime) and Rajiv’s colour changes.]

[Exit: Rangaiah as Rajiv goes to the entrance with apprehension.]

[Enter: Slesha in vardi with a baton in her hand. She pulls out her ID card from her shirt pocket and flashes it.]

Slesha: I’m Inspector Slesha.

Rajiv: What brings you here Inspector?

Slesha: Investigation into a rape case.

[Rajiv is shocked but he quickly recovers.]

Rajiv: How can I help you madam?

Slesha: By giving truthful answers to my questions.

Rajiv: Of course, you can count on that.

Slesha: Do you know Ms. Divya?

Rajiv: Why not, she’s my friend Deva’s wife.

Slesha: She has accused you of raping her.

Rajiv: Oh God. How could it be!

Slesha: That’s beside the point, isn’t it?

Rajiv: Don’t you see I’m shocked no end?

Slesha: Why it’s apparent from the beginning.

Rajiv: How it can be different when the police come knocking at the door.

Slesha: The alarm of the guilty and the anxiety of the accused don’t look alike, do they?

Rajiv: How am I to know that?

Slesha: You would know when I begin my interrogation.

Rajiv: I’m no expert in these matters but I hear I can have my lawyer on hand.

Slesha: Besides the law, I don’t mind suffering your lawyer’s presence.

[Rajiv tries to