AFTER COVID

Ken was 29, was tall and handsome with large biceps. If asked about his parentage he would say “I didn’t know my parents. A distant relative was kind enough to bring me up and he is also now no more.” He had finished school when he became apprenticed to a plumber and learnt the job. He was at it only a year when he got money from an unexpected source: A prolonged litigation had ended leaving him money. Using the money he opened a shop selling sanitary ware. He was lucky in that he got the garage of a big house in a business area to trade in. The owner of the house had a grand- daughter Silvia to whom he had left his property. The forebear and his wife had passed on after a bus accident.

Life which had been going smooth for Ken, was suddenly disturbed as he became a covid victim. He was admitted to a hospital and he had assumed he wouldn’t recover. However good and timely medical treatment and care, and the fact he was young, made him overcome the sickness. The senior nurse in the hospital was Helen a woman about 40. It was she who had counselled him and given him hope as the disease progressed in him. People had respect for Helen due to her positive outlook and courage. Ken who had never known maternal affection was greatly attracted to Helen despite her age, and the fact that she was only passable in looks. Ken continued to seek her advice in life until one day he proposed to her.

Helen had thought long and hard about Ken. She liked him greatly. She wished she had been younger to accept him. She looked back on her early life. She had been married when only 18. Her husband turned out to be an unemployed man who was addicted to gambling to turn rich quickly. His gambling debts mounted and one of those in the gambling circle killed him. She had resolved she would never marry again and after suitably qualifying herself had turned nurse. Keeping her old resolve in mind she considered rejecting Ken, but she couldn’t. His pursuit was strong and she consented to marrying him. Though people wondered about how the marriage could succeed, Ken and Helen got on well and were happy. They had settled in a suburb near the hospital where she worked and he would go to work on his bike.

 Ken had to pay the rent to Silvia which she would collect herself owned. She would visit his rented premises to inspect and also collect rent monthly. She had an eye on him and was disappointed when he had chosen the woman she called ‘the fat cow’ to be his wife. She kept an eye on him and his movements. Silvie was only 24 and was nice to look at and was shapely too, but her bodily assets had not attracted Ken in the least.

Helen was aware of Silvie and her feminine intuition made her to be cautious about the younger woman. Helen would sometimes visit the shop and would be vigilant about possible rivalry with Silvie. In due course the hospital where Helen was employed, to appreciate her work when Covid had been raging, sponsored her to attend a 3 week course on nursing of geriatric patients at a hospital in New Delhi. She told Ken and he said “I’m glad. Go ahead.”

“I’m looking forward to going with you. It would be a change for you too.”

He said “Helen my shop has just started doing well. This is the time I should keep it open and welcome new customers. I can’t leave it and go to Delhi. I’ll be doing nothing there and it would be boring.”

She said “I’ve got so used to you and long so much for your nightly caresses that I’ll find it almost impossible to stay without you.” She who would be ashamed of showing him her body unclothed now allowed him to see her form to tell him of what he would miss when she was away. He praised her build and she was happy. She had had many love sessions with her late husband and knew all the ways to keep Ken happy in bed.

He said “I still remember the pain I had suffered as covid gripped me. I still remember and long for your comforting words.”

However Ken remained adamant about staying behind and Helen decided to go alone.

Helen arranged with a catering woman in the neighbourhood to serve him food during her absence. She turned on her charm on the night before her departure and he was enraptured. The next morning he saw her off at the airport. Before she left she whispered said “Keep yourself  in reserve to make love to me after I return. I’m going to miss you.”

Only a day later, Silvie learnt that the fat cow had gone away to Delhi and her mind started working to get Ken. She took the help of a friend who was a pharmacist and equipped herself. A couple of days later, Silvie went to Ken and said “Tomorrow is my 25^th birthday. You must attend my party with Helen.”

He explained about Helen and said “I’ll come.”

Silvie lived alone in the house with a female cook. She gave the cook a week off before tackling Ken.

The party seemed to be only for females as Ken was the only male attending. As they talked he said “I’m glad the covid has gone. I get a fright when I think of the suffering I underwent. They assumed I was nearly gone, but I guess I was one of the few lucky ones.” Silvie had doctored his drink and when the party was over he said “I’m feeling a little drowsy. I think it’ll be risky to ride the bike home. I’ll spend the night in my shop.”

“Don’t do that. Sleep here. I’ll sleep in my room.”

He asked “Where’s your cook?”

“She has gone to see a relative off. She’ll be back in an hour.”

Soon Ken was fast asleep and in the night when eager hands seized him he muttered “Helen nobody can douse my ardour except you.”

Silvie heard the comment and said to herself “You’ll find that I can do better than that fat cow.”

She had tried what she assumed a male would do when starting to make love, but she found she was wanting as she wasn’t clear about functions of different parts of the body. As she proceeded almost like being blindfolded, he was up with vigour. Ken went into action and Silvie was a virgin no more. In the morning Silvie provided Ken his breakfast and he went to his shop as usual. The next day Ken seemed to wait for an invitation from Silvie, and when she did, he spent the night with her and she sent him to the seventh heaven. She was careful not to talk about the old cow! The process continued two more nights. Then Ken said “Silvie, I’ve to go back to my place. I’ve been bluffing Helen that I was home. The catering woman will report my absence to Helen.”

Of course when he reached home the catering woman reported to him that Helen had been very concerned about his absence. He felt he should’ve used some ruse to justify his absence! Helen returned after her duty in Delhi and he confessed about his having felt giddy and had been persuaded by  Silvie to stay on. He added “I don’t recall about how I came to be in bed with Silvie.”

Helen said “I’ll kill that whore!”

“Forget about that one transgression. You were also a widow.”

“That’s why I wanted you to accompany me to Delhi but you refused.”

“I had a valid reason.”

“I had also suspicions about that whore Silvie. I was proved right.”

He mollified her when she said “I didn’t sleep properly as you weren’t by my side. I lay longing for your caresses.”

“You’re getting them. So don’t bother any more.”

Ken noticed that Helen continued to be moody and tried his best to cheer her up but failed. A month passed when Silvie dropped in to talk to him in the shop. She looked greatly excited as she said “Ken, you’ll  be glad to know that you’ll be a father in due course.”

He was shocked. He merely nodded. It upset her to see that he took the news without response and left. Ken knew he would’ve to give Helen the tidings and wondered about how she would take it. He said to himself “I’m a man and have to face the consequences of my actions. I must tell Helen. And I know she’ll say that the baby would’ve to go.”

That evening after dinner when they were chatting, he broke the news to her. Helen sat grim faced. She made no comment. He tried to console her but she remained upset. Not a word spoken! The next day she provided breakfast as usual and said I’ve some work. I’ve taken the day off.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in the evening” he said

That evening he returned to find her dead with the police looking for him. The Inspector of police came and said “Helen has sent a letter to us saying, that instigated by a Silvie, you were slowly poisoning her. You’re now. a suspect in your wife’s death.”

Ken was shocked. He spoke to Silvie who said “I’m sorry about her passing. Of course I didn’t instigate you! Let me talk to my uncle who is in the police and seek his help.”

With her relative’s help, police withdrew the investigation into the death of Helen and closed the  case saying Helen had committed suicide. Silvie was relieved. Now came the problem: She hadn’t been pregnant when she had announced it! She decided she must get married to Ken immediately and take urgent action to really become a mother. She asked herself what if he came to know she had lied? She consoled herself saying what does a plumber know about the happenings inside a woman? Could it not have been a symptom which had been misread?  Covid has all but disappeared and she felt she would be glad to wed Ken and restart life. She would make him forget the trauma he had faced in battling covid, and above all make him forget Helen.

END