Wrong Number

The phone kept ringing. Vishal rushed to pick it up. “Hello”.

“Hello Monisha.” 

“Do I sound like Monisha to you?”

“Can you please give the phone to Monisha then?”

“No Monisha lives here. Wrong number”. Vishal disconnected the phone angrily. As it is he was getting late for office and now this wrong number. He will surely get stuck in the traffic jam today. Sunita was packing Vishal’s lunch in the kitchen. She shouted, “Whose phone?” 

“It was a wrong number.” Vishal took the lunch box and rushed out of house. 

“Why is he rushing out like that without answering my question properly after the phone call”, Sunita wondered. 

2 days passed. It was Saturday evening. Vishal and Sunita were watching some comedy movie. Suddenly the phone rang again. 

“Hello…no Monisha lives here.. wrong number.” Vishal disconnected the phone again. Sunita glanced at his face. Is it looking bit pale? 

Tuesday evening again the phone call came. This time Sunita thought she has to find out who this Monisha is. Must be Vishal knows her and is trying to hide it infront of her. She has to find out the truth. Since last few days he has been looking very worried and is keeping his phone always near him. There must be something fishy. She found an opportunity at night and took Vishal’s phone. She found out the phone number from the dial log by looking at time. Yes, she is now ready to find out the truth. 

Next day when Vishal had left for office she dialed the number. 

“Hello,” an old feeble female voice said from the other end. 

“Hello, are you looking for Monisha?”

“Yes, yes. Is she there?”

“Yes she is but before that can you please tell me how do you know her? and how did you get this number”

“Oh, Monisha is a very sweeet girl. She comes to teach my grandson art. She had not been coming for 2 days so I thought of checking. I did not have her number but one day she had called from a number so I thought this was her number. Who are you? You sound very sweet.”

“I am her elder sister. She has gone out for a tour with her friends. Which student is this? Can you please tell me the date when she comes and also the address? I will tell her when she comes back.”

“Oh yes yes, tell her its Vicky’s grandma where she comes every Firday at 7 pm. How old are you? Are you married?”

“Yes yes, I am married. She will not be back this Friday also. She had asked me to visit her students since I am also an art teacher but may be she forgot to give me your address. Can you give me your address please?”

“Oh sure sure you can write down but its absolutely OK if she cannot come for a day.” Sunita still insisted and so she gave her the address.

“You sound very sweet my little girl. What do you do?” and she kept on talking for another 20 mins. Sunita kept the phone somehow. 

Who is this Monisha? She must find out. Why should she call from Vishal’s phone? What relationship does she have with Vishal. She cant think anymore. The more she thinks the worse the thoughts become. She has to put an end to this. She must visit the lady this Friday. Monisha will come for sure. Then she can talk to her and find out. No, she cant ask Vishal anything about it. Of course he will say wrong number. Sunita had decided. 

Next Friday she checked the address properly and started from house. Vishal wanted to go to movie. She had given Vishal some lame excuse that she was going to meet a friend of hers. It took her quite some time to find out the house. It was an old building in a clumsy colony. It was already 6:55 pm. She rang the door bell. There was no response for quite some time. She rand the door bell again. After some time the door slowly opened. There was an old lady trying to balance herself with a stick. 

“Yes, who do you want.”

“I have come to teach your grandson. Remember we had spoken over phone.”

“Oh, please come please come.”

Sunita went in. The house was almost empty with no furniture. It looked like a 2 bhk. She sat on the chair near the center table. The lady took the only other chair and sat down.

“Where is your grandson”? 

The lady smiled. She showed her a picture on the wall. “There he is. He lives with his parents in US”. 

“But you said Monisha comes to teach him every Friday.”

“Who Monisha? There is no Monisha.”

“What?!”

“You see I am an old lady with no friends. The whole day I get so bored staying alone at home. I need friends to talk to. Sometimes some people talk, sometimes some people disconnect phone. I just need someone to talk to. Please don’t leave. Please sit and talk to me for sometime.”

Sunita felt shame and guilt and anger and pity at the same time. Shame and guilt because she doubted poor Vishal. Anger at this lady’s action and yet pity on her plight. What a life!