The Inconvincible
Neha was born and brought up in Pune. A very mature, independent and strong woman who stands up for her and also others when such a situation arises. She had a round face with a dusky complexion and "chubby" was her pet name. Looking at her tall and muscular physique, people usually wonder if she's a sports woman. But travel and architecture were her favorites. She had her majors in History and that's what made her move to Madurai later. That is where we met and ended up together. Ever since marriage, we manage to travel to some historical place every year.
Being the only daughter of a private detective, she grew up watching her father and learnt to analyze everything before arriving at a conclusion; the one thing Neha's father is always proud of. Maturity and knowledge combined with intuitiveness makes it difficult for anyone to convince her without the right intentions. Even after so many years of marriage, how I managed to convince her into marrying me, remains a dogma. So before speaking to her about the plan to cure Payal, the whole conversation would have to rehearsed several times. Will have to look for all possible questions and be prepared. If she feels that it won't work out well or is not convinced, then no one can change her mind. Answering to the questionnaire that had to be submitted along with a research grant application would be much easier than hers. She would remember every detail so well that it will not be possible to come up with a new variation to it later. It's during such times that I wish to have had a wife who is capable of forgetting past conversations; only to end up realizing that all women are the same when it comes to remembering past events. They just never forget.
It was time to get ready for the most daunting task; to convince Neha. I managed to find her in a good mood to discuss on this. The plan was to test the antidote on cell lines, then on mice and finally on rabbits. Once everything was successful, it will be administered to Payal. After listening to all of this patiently, Neha asked for the plan to be documented. She wanted to get it verified through friends from her circle. For the first time, I could see her not believing in me. It took me some time to explain and convince her that whatever being done is considered to be unethical and her husband will end up in prison for this. She asked me several questions to ensure I wasn't just trying to woo her into acceptance. After hearing everything, a big shock was waiting for me in the end. She insisted that the anti-dote can be given to Neha only after testing on myself. I was thrown back for a moment. The woman I care about the most in this world, cares for her daughter more than me.
There was several minutes of silence. Neha soon realized that her demand has indeed hurt me. In an effort to console me, she said "We've crossed a long way in life, whereas Payal is a small child. Her life has just begun." Though it did not make me feel any better, it felt right that I had to face the consequences for what I've done. So I agreed with her and left the room.
To be continued.....
