Duality

Monday. 9:15 am.

Shruti was done with her bath and she walked into her room to find her doctor-husband, Vivek going through the reports that were kept on the bed.

“The results of your tests came back, Shruti. There is still no improvement!” said Vivek.

“Forget those reports, dear! You have just come back home. Should I make you some tea? Wait, I will just go to the kitchen and I’ll be back with some tea and something to eat. You freshen up by then!” said Shruti.

“Are you taking your medicines regularly?”

“I am taking them, honey! Now let’s please worry about those reports later. I’ll get you something”

“Shruti, why don’t you understand? There’s absolutely no improvement! Anyway forget the tea and snacks, I am leaving”, said Vivek. He picked up his bag and started leaving the room.

“Leaving? You just got here!”

“Yeah there is a lot of work in the hospital. Anyway I have kept your medicines on the bed-side table. Please don’t forget to take them.”

“I won’t. Actually there is one more thing I wanted to tell you. I saw Shweta yesterday. In the park.”

“What?! Shweta? Again?!”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe this. There is no Shweta! She doesn’t exist. Do you understand that Shruti?”

“I saw her Vivek! And you can’t talk like that about my sister!”

“Fine. I don’t have time to deal with this right now. We’ll talk later. Take care.”

Vivek left the room and Shruti walked over to the window. She looked out at the park nearby and continued wiping her hair.

Monday. 5:30 pm.

“I told my husband that I saw Shweta and we had a fight again”, Shruti said to her friend, Arti. Both of them were sitting on a bench in the park.

“Who is Shweta?” asked Arti.

“My twin sister of course! Haven’t I ever told you about her?”

“You haven’t, Shruti. What does she do?”

“I don’t know what she does right now. Actually she has always maintained a distance. My parents never liked her after a point. They always said she was a bad influence.”

“Why?”

“Well, right from childhood, she was always badly behaved while I was the good one. She would steal chocolates or stationery items from the other girls in the class. If any kid ever bullied me, she would go and beat him up!”

“Wow! That’s quite a bit of difference between you two.”

“Yeah. Whenever we played in the evenings, our ball used to often go into the neighbour’s house. Our neighbour was a really irritating old man. He would always complain about our playing and the noise that we made. So he would never return our ball. Shweta would always argue with him and once she even managed to get into his house and come back with our ball!”

“So where is she now?”

“I have no idea! I studied well and got into a good college. She didn’t. So she ran away. I kept seeing her here and there at times but never got a chance to talk to her. My parents and my husband have no interest in her whereabouts. But yesterday, I saw her here! I called out to her. But she didn’t respond.”

“Well, I do hope you get a chance to talk to her”, said Arti. The two of them then walked a few rounds in the park before leaving.

Monday. 11:15 pm.

Shruti was sound asleep when suddenly the bell rang.

She sat up in her bed. Her husband had warned her not to open the door to anyone after 9 pm.

She pulled the blanket over her face and tried to sleep.

The bell rang again.

This time she walked over to the door and opened it. It was Shweta!

“Can I please come in? I have nowhere to go”, said Shweta

“Yes. Please come in! How are you? Have you eaten anything? You look so thin!” said Shruti.

“I am fine. I just need a place to sleep. Can I stay over for a night?”

“Stay the entire week if needed. Vivek won’t like it though. Anyway he isn’t there tonight. He has gone for a conference to Bangalore. Come, we’ll lie down in my room.”

“Does Vivek go out of town frequently for such conferences?” asked Shweta. She had a sip of water from the bottle next to the bed and then lay down next to Shruti.

“Yup. Now and then. He is doing really well in his career and so he’s often invited to these things!”

“Have you ever gone with him to one of these conferences?”

“I haven’t.”

“Do you think maybe, he’s having an affair?” asked Shweta.

“He isn’t! Stop this nonsense or you will have to leave immediately. We have had this conversation so many times before! Now tell me, where have you been? What have you been doing?” asked Shruti.

The two women conversed for an hour before Shweta decided she will go and sleep in the other room as she had a snoring problem. Shruti agreed.

Tuesday. 8:30 am.

Shruti was sitting on her bed and reading a book when Vivek walked in. Vivek froze for a moment before walking up to the side-table and he picked up a small bottle.

“What is rat poison doing here Shruti?!” Vivek shouted.

“What? I don’t know how it got here. I didn’t get it. Maybe Shweta did. She is sleeping in the other bedroom. Anyway how was the conference? Should I get you something to eat? Sit here, I will get something from the kitchen.”

“What kitchen? What other room? There is no other room Shruti! There is just this one room that you are in. That’s it!”

“What are you saying Vivek! You are not making any sense. I think you are hungry. Wait, I will be right back!”

“I am saying there is just this one room in which you will probably be staying forever. You are in a mental institution.”

“What?!”

“Yes. And as for me? I am not your husband. I am your doctor. But for some reason, that is still a mystery to us, you seem to think I am your husband. In fact, you killed your husband two years ago. Using rat poison.”

Shruti had started crying by this time. She couldn’t believe what Vivek was saying. Suddenly Shweta entered the room.

“Shweta, please tell him that he isn’t making any sense. Please tell him that I am married to him and I am not some patient!” said Shruti.

“Yes, Vivek, she is your wife. Why are you acting like this? Are you having an affair?” asked Shweta.

“Stop this Shweta. Didn’t I tell you he is not having an affair!” shouted Shruti

Vivek stood perplexed for a minute before calmly asking, “Who are you talking to Shruti?”

“My twin sister of course. She is standing right there!” shouted Shruti, while pointing towards the door.

Vivek closed his eyes, put a hand to his head before replying, “There is no one standing there, Shruti. You have never had a twin sister. You were an only child. Right from childhood, you have just made up this Shweta in your head. And whenever you did something wrong and your parents scolded you, you have blamed Shweta.”

“What rubbish Vivek! I think you are tired and hungry. You are not talking any sense. Tell him Shweta!” As she said this, she turned to look at Shweta but there was no one there. She fell down to the ground and started crying.

Vivek sat down next to her and tried to console her but she pushed him away.

He got up and left with the bottle of rat poison.

Shruti cried for quite some time.

Tuesday. 5:20 pm.

Shruti had been escorted by another doctor to the park that was a part of the institute. She sat on the bench. Suddenly someone sat next to her.

It was Shweta.

“Why are you here again? You are not real.” said Shruti.

“I am not real. But I am a part of you. Whenever you are weak, I come to your help. I have been doing this right from childhood when those stupid kids bullied you every day and you couldn’t defend yourself. At that time, I took over and taught those kids a lesson!” said Shweta.

“And my husband?” asked Shruti.

“You knew he was having an affair. But you were too scared to do anything. Actually you couldn’t even confront him about it. One day, when you were cooking food, I took over and mixed rat poison in it. I also ensured you didn’t eat anything that day and faked a headache. That man deserved it!”

“So why did you come back now?”

“I will always come whenever you need help. Anyway I am leaving now. But I will be back!”

Shweta left. Shruti kept staring in the direction when suddenly Arti came and sat next to her. Arti was also a patient in the institution.

“I have been seeing you since quite some time. Who were you talking to? I didn’t see anyone!” said Arti.

“It was my twin sister, Shweta! Haven’t I ever told you about her?”

“You haven’t! What is she like?” asked Arti!

“Well we are really different! Like two sides to a coin! Right from childhood…”