Life had taken a dramatic turn for Roomi. She was treated with gentle care and waited uponhand and foot. Gulprasad ensured his wife chanced no domestic accident or any strenuous episodes thatmay induce an abortion. Maids were employed to care for her every need and wish. She wasencouraged to take long walks, rest well and eat nourishing foods. Gulprasad prayed that the Lordwould bless his small family with a baby daughter.

When the day arrived all was in readiness. She was rushed to the hospital's maternity wardwhere she was expected. Four hours later a high pitched wail announced the arrival of little Guddi: baldand wrinkled with long fingers, sharp nails, and large eyes. Gulprasad's prayers had been answered. Hethanked the Lord and cried with emotion and gratitude.

Mandeep rushed in a little later. "Where's my little daughter?" he asked in a loud voice, "I'm afather twice over now." He puffed his chest out. "How are you, my sweet?" he went over and strokedRoomi's arm. She opened her eyes and smiled groggily at him.

"Please keep your voice down." Scowled the nurse who was settling bottles on the corner table."Get out of the room." Said Gulprasad in a low voice full of menace. At that point the dooropened and the attending doctor walked in and requested them all to leave the room as she would checkthe mother now.

In the corridor, Gulprasad turned to Mandeep and said in a low growl, "You don't know what Ican do to you bastard. I can have you waylaid and beaten up to an inch of death - or maybe to an inchbeyond death."

"... And I can have your balls fried for breakfast, arsehole!"

I'll have to teach this son-of-a-bitch a lesson seethed Gulprasad.I'll have to get Tanya to fry his balls thought Mandeep with rising angerMandeep rushed in a little later. "Where's my little daughter?" he asked in a loud voice, "I'm afather twice over now." He puffed his chest out. "How are you, my sweet?" he went over and strokedRoomi's arm. She opened her eyes and smiled groggily at him.

"Please keep your voice down." Scowled the nurse who was settling bottles on the corner table."Get out of this room." said Gulprasad to Mandeep in a low voice full of menace. How dare youcome in here and raise your voice? At that point, thankfully, the door opened and the attending doctorwalked in and requested them all to leave the room as she would check the mother now.In the corridor, Gulprasad turned to Mandeep and said in a low growl, "You don't know what Ican do to you bastard. I can have you waylaid and beaten up to an inch of death.""... And I can have your balls fried for breakfast, arsehole!"

I'll have to teach this son-of-a-bitch a lesson seethed Gulprasad.I'll have to get Tanya to fry his balls thought Mandeep with rising anger.#

Gulprasad realized that such confrontations would continue to take place; He would have tochange his approach until he thought of a suitable way to put Mandeep in his place permanently. Hewaited until they got home; there he uncorked a bottle of bubbly wine."Let us have a drink to celebrate."

"Sure. What is that drink?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's a bubbly white vine . . . low in alcohol."

"Is it very expensive?"

"Not very expensive, but yes it is expensive."

"Why are you giving me this, you know I drink the local hooch."

"Well, it's not every day that a daughter is born to my dear wife."Mandeep noted that Gulprasad said, "A daughter." And not "My daughter." He was pleased. Hetook a tentative sip and liked it. It was sweet. He drained his glass in two large gulps. Gulprasad refilledhis glass, this time almost to the brim.

#

When Mandeep arrived at his two bedroomed apartment he was staggering drunk. He fumbledwith the door key and eventually entered and went straight to his bedroom. He stripped off and got intobed in the semidarkness. He found a woman in his bed. His heart leapt. He presumed Maya had givenup her resistance to him and showed it tellingly by getting into his bed stark nude. He kissed the backof her neck, for she was facing away from him, and fumbled with her breasts and quite easily enteredher(she appeared to be ready for him), He was a bit disappointed and sad to realize she was not avirgin, but what the hell...he was in no mood to complain. He took her with rising passion andunrestrained abandon. Being numbingly drunk, it took him a long time to reach crescendo - his partnerwas reacting with equal passion and had climaxed several times.

Maya was awakened by the noise emanating from the adjoining room. She looked across at theother bed in the room and saw it was unoccupied. She was immediately wide awake. Thoughts crashedthrough her brain. Where is Tanya? And where is Mandeep? Grunting sounds of vigorous love-makingwere emanating from the adjoining room. Maya lay rigidly on her back, fists clenched and jawclamped. A black rage was cursing through her. She was thinking of what she must do. In a whileTanya came noiselessly into the room and lay on the other bed with her face to the wall. Soon soundsof gentle rhythmic snoring arose from her.

Maya did not sleep anymore that night. 'The bloody fucking bastard' she kept repeating toherself - and she had fallen half in love with him. She felt like killing the randy bastard.At 3a.m. Tanya stirred and sat up. She headed for the washroom. Maya kept her eyes shut andpretended sleep. Tanya returned soundlessly and picked up her bag. Maya arose, "Wait I'm comingwith you."

"Why?"

"You know why. Just leave me somewhere and I'll find a cab."

"Don't be an idiot! You want to leave because we fucked."

"Maybe."

"Look, don't be an ass. This means nothing to him or me. And, if you must know, he thought hewas laying you. He kept moaning your name: saying how much he loved you; and how happy he wasthat you understood. So don't be a moron, have a happy life together - he's not a bad sort. He'll lookafter you."

"I still want to leave. I need time to sort this out."

"O.K. get into Mandeep's car. His car is newer and I'm taking it for services rendered."#

Mandeep slept the sleep of one who had a lot to drink and topped it off with vigorous ball-wrenching sex. He awoke at mid-day with a satisfied smile and a niggling headache."Hey, beautiful, where are you, honey?" he cooed. When there was no answer for the seventhtime, he hauled himself out of bed and padded out stark naked to look for her. He didn't find her. Hesat on the couch to wait for her. She must have gone out to pick up something.He slept all day and woke up at 4p.m. Spittle drenched the cushion he lay his head on. He washungry and thirsty and wanted some tea. The house was strangely quiet. Now where could she havegone? He padded through the house again; in the kitchen he put a kettle on for tea.Something was not quite right - he rushed to her bedroom. The room was bare...Maya hadtaken all her luggage with her.

'What the fuck...what's with these women? And we had such a grand time last night...was thata farewell fuck or what?' he idly scratched his pubis and stared out the window.#

The car spluttered and coasted to a halt. Tanya kept engaging the starter, but nothing happened.She swore loudly and thumped the steering wheel in frustration.

"Bloody car - and it's supposed to be new....fuck!"

Maya just looked on helplessly not knowing how she could help.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait and sleep till someone comes along or until its morning."About then they noticed a car coming along quite slowly from the opposite direction. Tanya gotout on to the road and waved her torch. The car came to a shuddering halt abreast her stalled car andfive bleary eyed drunken youths stumbled out. Their eyes cleared slowly and soon a leer replaced thevacant look. Tanya realized it was a mistake to have waved them down for they could not possibly beof any help; more likely a hindrance or likely a danger. She waved them on saying she would be O.K.but the lads only stepped closer peering at her face and checking her figure gaping closely at her breastsin the reflected glow from the headlights. Then somebody spotted Maya in the car. She looked fresh,young, and virgin like. Boy, their leer said, this is jackpot and they pulled her screaming from the car.There were immediately six pairs of hands fondling her; her breasts, her butt, and her front between thelegs. She was lifted screaming in terror, kicking and flaying her arms to no avail."Oh shit!" Tanya exploded, "Leave her alone!" She yelled and waded in kicking them as hardas she could. But they were in a frenzy and her kick did nothing. By now they had torn her blouse andripped off her bra and fought her to the ground.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Tanya screamed. She backed a few steps, put her hands together andconcentrated... she hated being forced to do this. She pointed her finger at one boy in the melee and ablue streak hit him midriff. He screamed and two of them fell to the ground twitching and groaningloudly. Another streak from her finger hit another boy who also screamed loudly and fell to the groundsquirming and jerking. Two boys holding Maya down saw what happened. There was instant terror inthem and they ran quickly, stumbling and falling. Others hauled their friends, by the hair, off Maya.They huddled together cowering and trembling, eyes wide with fright and horror as they quicklyswitched looking between their friends squirming on the ground and the woman with the ray gun."Get out of here," screamed Tanya, "and take those apoplectic louts with you. And keep yourmouths shut about this or I'll come after you. I really will and then what is left of you could be in theslammer hospital for a very long time."

The boys sobered up fast cowering with fright and dragged and bundled their inert friends intothe car and took off quickly, craning and twisting their necks back to take a last frightened look at thenow receding scene where that screaming witch stood arms akimbo..Tanya held a trembling Maya firmly and walked her to the car; she helped her change and puton a fresh blouse and bra from her trunk. Maya was still shaking and bewildered. "How?" she asked,"Did you chase those horrible boys away?"

"It's a long story...let's just say I managed to kick them hard...hard enough to hurt them andmake them flee."

"But...but...I saw bright lights...?"

"That was probably when they punched you in the head."

Something told Maya to let it go. She was certain she saw a bolt of blue lightening shoot fromher fingers. My God! There was nothing, no amount of screaming or threats that could have deterredthe boys when they had reached that extreme state of excitement that she saw them in. It had to besomething that superseded their sexuality. An almost impossible call.Ten days later Maya returned home and found a very bewildered Mandeep who kept very quiet,sat outside on a broken packing case and followed her with his eyes. He held an unopened can of beerin his hand which he planned to open and gulp down as he had been doing over the last ten days. Theonly way to smother his curiosity and live with the vagaries of women was to be in a state of total'uncare'.

He then on lived with her. But, on the third day, she had dragged him, reluctant and mute to askinny, rapidly chanting pundit sitting crossed legged and shirtless in front of a roadside brick temple.He sprinkled some water and a few wilted marigold flowers on him and then ,a half hour later turnedsmiling and advised them the marriage had been blessed and successfully solemnized in heaven andreceived there favorably. He now asked payment of a hundred Rupees.For the next five days Mandeep did not let a drop pass his lips, for he wanted to work out howhis wife, who had, that drunken night ten days ago, given off her charms freely to him, but had laterturned out physically and medically virgin again and whom he dutifully deflowered again on theirwedding night? Now he waited to see if she would re-grow a hymen and become a virgin again, andwould he then be required to rip her virginity again. He wasn't complaining, just bewildered.*