My Husband Is Missing

Tea Break

My Husband Is Missinghem, they all invited him and pointed to the empty chair to sit down. One of the other lawyers called for the peon to bring a cup of tea for Laxman, and one more handed the biscuits. The conversation was heated up. The competition was to know which of the divorce cases was ridiculous. Laxman got hold of his tea and was all ears. 

I got the best one, said one of the lawyers. All turned to him with curiosity.

"A girl wants a divorce because her husband is only a dental doctor. "

Not bad to have expectations.

"Worst thing was the girl too was a BDS student. The guy was an MDS and had five years of practice and family property to his name."

All lawyers agreed it was not that ridiculous for the days they were seeing.

The best one was what I got last week started one of the lawyers. The girl wants a divorce as the husband bought a washing machine.

"What?" shrieked all together. Laxman smirked as the sip of tea stopped him from saying anything.

"Before the husband bought a washing machine, the maid washed the clothes. After the washing machine came home, there was an additional duty. Dropping the clothes in and start the wash. Both husband and wife agreed it was the husband's job to take care of it. Things were going ok. One morning, the wife decided she wanted to wash her dresses for a trip. The husband noticed this and requested the wife to drop in underwear. He asked me to "wash" his clothes because of the washing machine. I want a divorce", concluded the lawyer.

He was stupid. How can he ask a wife to do anything? Don't he know what generation was this? Agreed and nodded all lawyers in unison.

The ridiculous divorce case was mine, declared one of the lawyers. 

"More ridiculous than the washing machine case? Let us hear", said Laxman. 

Divorce was because the lady was an interior designer. 

What?

Listen to the story carefully.

Unplanned journey

Radha was angry as she walked into the kitchen. She came in to drop the empty cup in the pile of soiled utensils. That was when she noticed the dustbin still had yesterday's waste. It started to smell. She got angry and walked out to the living room mouthing words of contempt. She got doubly angry seeing her husband watching IPL highlights. 

"Nothing gets done in the house. How many times do I have to say throw the garbage out before it smells?" shouted Radha in the general direction of the husband, not directly addressing him.

"I was about to throw out when you asked for tea. I will throw it right away", walking towards the kitchen, replied the husband.

"Ready with some stories, why can't he do it before I asked for tea," murmured Radha. 

A few minutes and Radha's phone started to ring. It was her friend Ramya. 

"Hi, Radha. I was coming on my way to Chennai. That shop I saw last time is open."

"Really?"

"Yes, he says he will leave soon. If you want that tree-shaped furniture, then you come quickly. I am sending you the location."

Radha clicked on the location, and it was about one and a half-hour drive from her house. She picked the keys to her Nexon EV. She messaged her husband she was going out and coming back in a few hours. 

She got into the car, started, and noticed a hundred percent charge indicator on the dashboard. Good that husband knows to follow orders, she thought for herself and took the car out. Fifteen minutes into the drive, she noticed no reply from her husband, angry she picked the phone to see. The phone was waiting for the network. That was when she realized the data was off. She switched it on, and she saw the two tick marks. Still, there was no response. Angrily she wanted to call him. Before she could make a call, she got a call from her friend Ramya. 

"Please come quickly. The shopkeeper is getting ready to leave", said Ramya.

Forgetting the call to her husband, she put the car in sports mode and started to drive faster. She reached the place before the man closed the shop. 

Ramya and "her husband" were happy seeing Radha. 

"Sorry, I hope I did not keep you two waiting", asked Radha.

"It was only 2 hours, don't worry", said Radha's husband smiling.

What he did not realize was both Ramya and Radha were already browsing the roadside shop. Frustrated, he walked to the tea shop next door for the eighth tea of the day. After finishing his tea, he walked back to his car. After browsing through a few Twitter feeds, he fell asleep in front of the steering. Radha woke him after close to two hours. 

"Let us go home", said Ramya.

"What took so long?"

"She felt the items are not as good as they are in the photo."

"What did you two buy then?" asked the husband.

"Nothing."

"You made him wait for this long and not buy anything?"

"You are right. Let us go back," said Ramya.

"It is one way we cannot go back, and the U-Turn is five kilometers later", lied the husband.

"Let us go home then. I am tired", said Ramya.

"Is Radha following us?" 

"No, she went to her mother's home. It is only another half hour."

Radha got a call before she was ready to leave home. It was her sister. She came to her hometown. For a long time, Radha wanted to visit her sister. 

She reached her mother's home in less than an hour. To her good luck, the sister was home. Seeing Radha, she quickly came to the door.

"What a surprise?" the sister exclaimed.

"Yes, sister. It had been a long time."

"How are you, Radha?"

"I am fine. How are you? How is the redoing of your house going on?"

"Straight to the question, the interior designer in you never stops," declared the sister.

Before Radha or her sister could say anything, their mother started speaking.

"She did the house very well. I loved every bit of it."

Radha had always been jealous of her sister. The mother gave all compliments to her sister. The reality was, her mother never left the town in many, many decades. So, she had no chance to see Radha's house. Her sister remained in her hometown. That gave the mother opportunity to visit frequently.

"Mother is just generous. You know, for a small town, we did what we could", said the sister.

"She is downplaying the beauty. The arrangement looks good", said the mother.

"I want to see it now."

"Not now. The workers have closed for some work. We can only go tomorrow evening. I don't think you will have time. Your husband also will be waiting for you", said Radha's sister.

Why is my sister not letting me see her house? Is it going to be that bad? What else can we expect from a small town? Radha thought for herself. 

"I will wait and see. I will call and tell my husband. He won't mind. I will call and tell him."

Radha picks and calls her husband. The message came, "The number you are trying to reach was switched-off or out of coverage area". Angry, she disconnected the call. He must have used up browsing stupid news feeds.

Hearing Radha disconnecting the call, her sister asked, "Did you not talk to your husband?"

"I could not."

"What happened. Maybe your husband is in trouble. Why don't you go home."

Radha was more determined to stay. So, she lied, "He must be in one of his long coding sessions. I will call him later."

Where is the Husband?

Radha woke up the following morning and made the first call to her husband. Still, the phone was not reachable. She was getting angrier and angrier. But she was determined not to leave until she visited her sister's house. After a long wait all day, she went to see her sister's house that evening. Radha could not believe her eyes. The interior looked beautiful as soon as she entered. After fifteen minutes, she said she was in a hurry and left for her home.

Radha started her drive home. Driving, she starter to scrutiny the interior of her sister's home. That sofas were what she had in her first house. It was something her husband bought, but Radha already had it. The wardrobes were what Radha designed for her customer. The TV unit was what Radha saw recently on the FabFurnish site. She cannot outdo me. I am a creative one. She just copied things from here and there to create her room. Radha convinced herself before she reached home. 

As soon as she was in the lift, her priorities changed. There was still no message from the husband. Where did he go? Can't he charge his phone? She opened the door of the house angrily and started shouting for her husband. She could not find him. She called a few of his friends. They too had no clue where did he go. After ten minutes, she got tired and went to sleep.

Please find him

The morning after waking up, she searched the whole house. She expected her husband to be home. But he was not. Nothing left to do, she had a tea and went to the police to complain about the missing husband.

"Please find him soon", she requested the officer.

"We will do what we can."

Walking out, she called his friend once again. 

"Did you have any idea where he went?" asked Radha.

"No. "replied the friend.

"Can you tell me if you hear anything?" she requested.

"I got an idea. On your husband's laptop, he has a find your device for apple. It can find the mobile."

"But his mobile is switched off."

"Try searching for his watch." said the friend.

She went home, logged into his laptop, and searched for his watch. It was up. To her surprise, it was showing the device was still at home. She thought her husband left his watch too and left someplace. Still, she followed the location. It ended at the kitchen door. She opened the door, and there was her husband unconscious.

Back in the lounge

"What?"

"Yes, he went to throw the garbage bag, and the door got locked. He could not get back."

"Why did he not shout for any help?"

"He shouted. But no one could hear."

"Why?"

"Radha designed the house soundproof."

Now, Laxman joined the conversation. 

"The case is not ridiculous. The man almost died. She left him no choice. If she found her husband before leaving home and told him she was going out. All this would not have happened."

"That is where you are wrong", smirkingly replied the lawyer.

"Why? How?"

"The husband did not ask for the divorce."

"The wife is asking for, but why?"

"How can a door in an interior designer's house be stuck? It was sure clumsy work overseen by the husband. She cannot live with such a husband."