Divorce

That punctual servant of all world, the sun, had risen, it was a bright Sunday morning. Anuja woke up to her cell phone ringing at her bedside.

"Anuja, how can you be sleeping so late, and that too today. Remember today is my divorce hearing, and I want you to be on my side." 

"Anuja rubbed her eyes and poked Sunil on the other side of the bed. "Wake up Sunil, your friend needs you today, Lisha called me and I am going to meet her in 30 minutes, you don't forget to be with Rahul." Sunil turned over and slept again. 

Anuja got ready quickly, there was no time for breakfast, she decided they can have something to eat on the way. Sunil got up a little later and was getting ready too. 

Though Rahul had not called Sunil but it was understood that he would be beside Rahul in this most difficult day of his life.

Sunil and Anuja decided to take their own cars as there was a chance that the divorcing couple would need to be dropped off or would need a refuge for sometime during the proceedings. 

They agreed to eat at the courthouse breakfast joint, they both had heard about the awesome vada they serve there. They had just begun eating when Lisha joined them. She was hungry too and she ordered vada for herself. Rahul came in silently and took a table two three tables away. He may have seen them with Lisha so he did not join them. 

Sunil surreptitiously moved to Rahul's table after making a quick eye contact with Anuja. Lisha and Anuja kept eating without exchanging any words. 

Anuja felt a pang of deep pain to see how Lisha and Rahul's Divorce was causing a rift between her and Sunil too. They had stopped talking about the two of them some months ago, after realising that their friend's domestic struggle was bringing them apart too. 

But there were times when each of them would have heard something disturbing from Lisha or Rahul and would pass in a jibe to the other. 

"Your friend just dumped Rahul's work clothes out in the rain yesterday." Sunil would say.

"Your friend crashed in on Lisha when she was having lunch with her colleagues and yelled at her for being callous, in front of all her colleagues." Anuja would say.

But they both were slowly realising that their marriage was also hanging on invisible threads, and if they severed too many of them, they would fall apart too. So both of them consciously stopped discussing Lisha and Rahul at home. 

Anuja knew that today was not the day, still she wanted to ask Lisha if she wanted to rethink her decision. The couple had been living apart for a whole year. In this time Anuja and Rahul had tough time deciding who should be called to which party, who should be given refuge in their home from time to time when either of them suffered a breakdown. They were the closest friends of Lisha and Rahul. They were literally like family. 

Anuja said very cautiously, "Lisha, I know now is not the right time. But after today there will be no turning back. Have you made up your mind?"

Lisha looked up at Anuja incredulously, "Is this the time to ask this? You know everything that happened. You know I have cried for days because of Rahul." 

"Yes I know all that. I stuck with you in those times, but that does not mean I agreed to your judgments. I hoped someone would tell you where you were getting it wrong. Someone from your family. But no one intervened and no one understood. I have realised that we were the closest family you had and we were just playing it safe with your both. And I will not be able to forgive myself for not having tried."

'Thank you, Anuja, now you have tried and it has not worked, can we move on?" Lisha snapped. 

"No I have not tried enough. Just give m a moment, I need Sunil here. I need to talk to him." She messaged Sunil on his cell phone. Sunil was so engrossed in listening to his friend, he did not notice, she called him and asked him to check his message. It said, "Sunil I need you to come here."

Sunil glared at Anuja, what was she thinking, leave Rahul alone and go to Lisha? Bet he decided to go anyway. Anuja caught Sunil midway. She said we have got it all wrong. You should be with Lisha and I with Rahul. Let's swap. 

Sunil suddenly realised that there was sense in this, even if Anuja thought it up too late, there is nothing to lose. 

Anuja joined Rahul at his table. "Rahul what is up are you sure you want to do this?" She said without any preamble. 

Rahul was so stressed and restless, he looked up from his cup of black coffee and said nothing. Anuja knew she had the answer. But it was too late now. Lisha and Rahul were divorcing and their closest friends had not been able to reconcile them because they were busy picking an choosing between the two of them. What could be done! 

Suddenly, they heard a commotion from the courthouse and a gunshot. People were running heater skelter. Anuja called Sunil out alarmed, "let us get out of here Sunil." Rahul and Lisha had taken public transport. Sunil did not want to let Anuja go separately, so he suggested that they take his car back and leave Anuja's car at the courthouse. Rahul offered to drive Anuja's car back for her. Sunil said, "Anuja you are coming with me." Lisha was torn between them. She looked at Rahul, Sunil just told things about Rahul, which was not aware of, she was struggling with the information. She said I will come with you Rahul. Rahul said a curt okay. They rushed to get the cars and get out. 

They all reached at the same time. There was a commotion on the streets too, a riot had broken out in the city. Anuja and Sunil did not want Lisha and Rahul to go back to their respective homes alone. They insisted that they stay with them. 

No one knew what would come next but for some time all of them were exactly like they used to be before. Lisha and Rahul decided to stay with Sunil and Anuja for the night. 

They were both together under the same roof after a whole year. They were no more angry but they were heart broken. Anuja and Sunil were exhausted. They knew that the emotional journey they had taken with Lisha and Rahul and last one year was no less tormenting. 

They just did not have the energy to do it anymore. They could have been in grave danger today and everyone was glad they made it safely from the courthouse. 

The next date for divorce hearing would be decided later. Till then there was a status quo. 

"Guys I am not feeling alright," Anuja announced early in the evening, "I am going to sleep." Sunil followed her to check on her. He told Rahul how to get the extra mattress and gave him some clean sheets. He asked Lisha to use the guest bedroom and he retired with Anuja too. 

Somehow Anuja and Sunil were tired of taking Rahul and Lisha's problem as theirs and of separating themselves because of the estranged couple.  They did not offer to make any adjustments for them. They just did not want anymore of it anymore. 

Who knows what is in store during these days of deferment of the court's decision. It was just some days of deferment but it had been worth it. At least that was something, thought Anuja to herself as she dosed off.