Adultery WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN CH. 01​

I still remember when it all started. My ship was docked at Rotterdam. I finished my shift, returned to my room, and as was the daily routine, logged into Skype to talk to my wife Menaka back in Mumbai. It was almost midnight there.

Menaka was on time as always. We exchanged notes about each other's days, she told me about how our eight year old Ayan had scored an A in his spelling test, and complained about how hot and humid it was getting. It was well over 30 minutes into the conversation that she said,

"Oh by the way Prakash, I have something funny and embarrassing to tell you."

"What's up?"

"Hehe, it's so weird. Basically, I saw Dara having sex on the roof!"

"WHAT??"

Dara was our building's elderly Nepali watchman. A balding wiry Gurkha who lived in a small shack at the bottom of the building with another watchman. He had started working with us only a few months before.

"The internet wasn't working, and when I called the company, they said the problem might be with one of the switches near the roof's door. They said they could send someone over the next day, but if I wanted I could do it too. It was about an hour ago. I followed their instructions and reset the switch and was about to go down again when I saw the roof door was open."

The door to the roof of our building is always locked, with each resident having a key.

"I thought maybe someone had forgotten to lock it. I had my keys with me. So I decided to check no one was up there before locking it. When I walked up, I instantly heard soft sounds of moaning. Curious, I walked across the roof and there I saw them. Behind the water tank. Hehehe."

"Oh my god...hahaha...did you get to see anything good? Who was he with?"

"One of the maids who works in the building. I think her name is Vimla. She is in her early 20s. They were going at it hot and heavy."

"Were they naked?"

"Semi-naked. Bottomless. He had his shirt on. She had her kameez on. She was bent over, with her hands on the parapet wall. And he was doing it to her from behind."

"So what did you get to see?"

"Not much. It was kinda dark. He had turned off the roof light. But from the ambient light, I got to see enough."

"That is so hilarious. Old Dara, huh. Who would've thought he was such a stud?"

"Anyway, when I saw the sight, I was shocked and just stayed rooted to my spot. I watched them for almost a minute before Dara noticed me. He stopped humping her for a moment and was about to say something when I blushed, turned around, and ran out."

"Hahaha. I wonder if they stopped or if they kept going."

"No idea. Someone like you might keep going."

"Maybe. Oh speaking of which, I won't be able to log in tomorrow."

"Why?"

"It's THE reason. You wanna know details?"

"No." the smile disappeared from Menaka's face.

There was a small awkward silence. Then she said,

"But day after tomorrow?"

"Yup, same time."

"Okay. I'll talk to you then. Good night."

"Good night."

Even after nine years of marriage, although Menaka had accepted THE reason throughout, she still wasn't entirely comfortable with it. And THE reason was that I had a date. With a particularly comely Dutch woman.

--

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

I work as an engineering officer on a merchant ship. Which meant that for 6 months of the year, I was away from India, traveling various ports around the world. It's a job I had dreamed of as a child and loved it even as a grown-up. I grew up in a conservative Marwari family in Jaipur. So my days in the merchant navy opened up a whole new world to me. From being a nerdy virgin in my engineering college days, in a year or so, I transformed into a male nympho under the tutelage of my more experienced colleagues.

It started off with the relatively classy red light district in Amsterdam where a few colleagues dragged me on my first shore leave. Then shadier red light areas in other ports. Then I started learning about the singles bars and other pick-up spots around the world at every port we docked at. I picked up tips and pointers from colleagues about how to chat up women, how to read signals, how to identify the right ones to target. And even if I do say so myself, I am quite good looking and articulate.

It didn't take long until I had my first one-night stand with a woman without paying her anything. It was in Hamburg. Luisa, a platinum blond single mother in her early 30s who I met in a bar and who was quite the Indophile. It didn't take too many drinks to seal the deal and she took me to her place. She rode me like a cowgirl for hours.

The first few women I charmed and bedded were mostly white. Then slowly my repertoire started opening up. Chinese women, Arab women, South Americans, Africans and of course Indian...I had tasted almost every race by the time I was 25.

But something was missing. I was started to crave genuine companionship. Not just booty calls and one night stands. So when one of my one night stands during a month long break in Bombay started showing signs of attachment, I jumped in too. Soon I was in a serious monogamous relationship with Neha, a Punjabi investment banker. The relationship lasted three years. But it was monogamous for only a year.

I tried my best to be faithful to Neha. And I succeeded for a year. But soon, the temptations were too much to resist on long stints away from her. I strayed, egged on by my colleagues, most of whom were married but were cheating on their wives with impunity. And strayed again. Kept it secret from Neha. But Neha was suspicious and paranoid anyway, knowing about my previous ways. It didn't take too long for me to get "caught" about two years into the relationship. This was right after I had proposed to her too.

We fought, argued, cried, yelled, and fought some more. I tried to explain to her that she was the love of my life. What I had done with other women while on assignment was purely physical and meaningless. I promised to stop. After many late night fights, she agreed to give me another chance.

But it didn't stick. After a year of recriminations, it ended with a particularly dramatic fight in which she threw the engagement ring into the Arabian Sea.

--

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

Scarred by the break-up, I returned to my old ways with a vengeance. But in another couple of years, I started feeling lonely again.

My parents, still their conservative Marwari selves in Jaipur, had been pestering me to get married right from the day I started working. They weren't thrilled when I got engaged to a Punjabi like Neha, but were happy that I was at least looking to settle down. They came to love her, appreciate her finer points, made their peace with her not being from the same community. And were livid when I told them it was over.

Their pestering got particularly intense after I turned 30. And on a 2 month long trip home, I finally caved and let them start the traditional match-making process.

The prospective women they shortlisted for me all fit the same template - they were Marwari of course, and from our sub-caste. Their horoscopes aligned with mine. They were good-looking, educated but not too educated, and were "homely". Which meant they were docile, could cook and clean, and were easy to boss around. As a merchant navy engineer with a comfortable salary, I wasn't as cherished on the marriage market as an elite bureaucrat or a a banker MBA, but I was still in demand.

The first prospect we visited was insanely gorgeous. Oh man, I still get a boner thinking about her. Things progressed well with her in the first couple of visits. The families were happy. And we finally got permission to "go out" just on our own.

That's when the match ended. Based on my experience with Neha, knowing my libido, and having observed all the philandering colleagues around me all these years, I had come to a realization. There was only one way this could work. So after ordering coffees and getting some more small talk out of the way, I started my rehearsed monolog.

"I want to clarify something up front. I am in a job that has me traveling overseas for 6-9 months of the year, many times for months at a time. I am a young virile good looking red blooded man with needs. When I am on the ship, I will satisfy my needs. Just like I have been doing so far. I will be emotionally faithful to you and committed to the marriage. But I want you to know up front that when away, I will be sleeping with other women. I have seen colleagues hide it from their wives and be in marriages based on dishonesty. I don't want that. I need you..."

"Please take me home." she interrupted me, her face red with rage.

I nodded, and took her home. I didn't want my parents to know about this so I begged her to give some other reason for rejecting me.

When the rejection was officially conveyed, the reason provided was "she is not thrilled with the idea of being in a marriage where the husband is away half the time."

My parents were disappointed. Their disappointment only grew when three other matches ended the same way. Those women couldn't stomach my proposed "policy" either.

---

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

And then came Menaka.

Menaka was "damaged goods" according to my parents. In fact they were opposed to even seeing her, and only agreed after the mutual family friend who brought her match started putting pressure on them.

In every other way, Menaka was similar to the other prospects I had seen. With one major difference. She was a widow. She had been married right after college at 22 to a businessman who died in a car accident three months after their wedding. Menaka survived with minor scratches. And she got tagged as "inauspicious". She was now 25, and stayed with her parents. Her in-laws wanted no part of her.

So you can imagine why my orthodox parents were horrified when I told them after the first visit that I quite liked her. She was pretty, carried herself well, but more than that, there was an odd kind of wisdom in her eyes, maybe the result of three years of hardship.

When I gave Menaka the same speech I gave the other women, she didn't look angry or offended. She heard me out with a patient expression on her face. Then she was silent for a minute. And then said,

"My school friend Priya's uncle was in the merchant navy. She used to tell me about how he was."

"Okay." I said.

We sat in silence for another minute or so.

"You are aware of my previous marriage? And how it...ended?" she finally said.

"Yes."

"And you're okay with it?"

"Yes."

"Your parents?"

"Leave my parents to me."

She sat silently for another minute.

"We can't really afford much of a dowry. My parents used up their savings in my first..."

"Dowry? Who said anything about dowry? I don't want any dowry. Nor do my parents."

She nodded. And then quietly said,

"Give me a couple of days to think about it."

She conveyed her acceptance a couple of days later. My mom threw a tantrum but I was steadfast. And threatened to bring home a foreigner wife if they kept objecting to Menaka. We were married a month later.

-------

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

Nine years of marriage went by very smoothly. Within a few months, Menaka was pregnant. Ayan was born. We bought an apartment in Bombay and moved base there from Jaipur. My parents came to love Menaka dearly very soon. When I didn't die within a year of the marriage, their superstitious fears melted away.

Menaka held up her end of the bargain about THE reason. She never brought it up, never grumbled about it, and if it somehow came up during conversations inadvertently, changed the subject.

The only time we had a bit of a fight related to the subject was about a year into the marriage. We had just finished having sex, and I said,

"You're incredible! I can't believe how easily you lost all the pregnancy weight."

"I'm still 5 kgs overweight." she said.

"Nonsense. You're voluptuous."

"You're just being nice."

"No, seriously. Any man would be happy to sleep with you."

"Shut up!" she punched me playfully.

"Don't take my word for it. Try it out."

"What?"

"I've never made it explicit but I thought this was implied. I am away half the year. You have needs too. I'm not a hypocrite. If you want to..."

"STOP!" she angrily said. "HOW CAN YOU EVEN..."

And then she started crying. I apologized and dropped the subject, never to bring it up for seven more years.

------

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

The next time the subject came up was six months ago when we attended a friend's 10th anniversary party. It was a big event in their sprawling bungalow in Thane. I knew the guy from my college days. There were a couple of dozen people and several kids. There was catered food, drinks, music, entertainment for the kids, and so on.

Some of my other college buddies were also in attendance and our group soon got down to reminiscing about the old days. Menaka was mingling with the other wives and Ayan was playing with the kids. Soon it was almost 45 minutes before I realized that I couldn't see Menaka anywhere. So I excused myself from the group and went looking for her.

Asking a few people if they had seen her, I eventually reached the balcony at the back of the house and heard Menaka's voice. She was on the porch under me,

"Yes mom, yes, I'll talk to Prakash about visiting."

She was talking to her mother. I looked over from the balcony and waved to her. She waved back. I started heading downstairs to talk to her when I ran into another friend and we spoke for a couple of minutes.

Then I made my way to the back porch. There was a big manicured shrubbery beyond which I had seen her standing. I was about to walk around it, when I heard her voice say,

"Very cute!"

"Aren't they? They take after their mother." a man's voice responded.

I stopped in my tracks. I recognized the voice. It was Dinesh, a guy we had been introduced to earlier. He was there alone because his wife was traveling for work and his kids were with his parents. I remembered him because I had notice him check out Menaka a little too obviously at that time. Now, someone checking out Menaka isn't unusual. She has a very pretty face with long silky hair, a petite but striking figure, and larger than average D cup breasts. Motherhood and subsequent years have only accentuated her curves without making her overweight. She gets more than a few glances from guys wherever she goes because even at 34, she is a knock-out.

What struck me was the way this guy had blatantly checked her out even with me standing right next to her. Later in the party, I noticed that he flirted with a lot of women. He was a handsome sort of guy. And a natural. I was a little amused to note that he was probably trying to flirt with Menaka, who was very prim and proper in every way possible.

With soft steps, I moved to the side. Through a gap in the shrubbery, I could see the two of them about 20 feet ahead of me. He was flipping through his phone and Menaka was standing next to him looking at the pictures.

"And that's their mother." he said. "Isn't she a knock-out?"

"She is very pretty." Menaka politely responded.

"Nothing compared to you though." he smoothly added.

Menaka just blushed and then looked around. She was uncomfortable with compliments even when they came from me.

"We should do a play-date sometime." he said. "I saw your son earlier. He's about the same age as my eldest."

"Sure. Let me know when your wife is back in town."

"Oh, she is very busy. She travels a lot for work. She's consultant. No idea when she'll have time for something like this."

"I see."

"It's not easy, right? Bringing up kids when one spouse is always traveling? Your husband said he was in the merchant navy, so you know how it is."

"It's okay." Menaka said, again looking around for me, but I was hidden behind the shrubbery where it was dark.

"And it's not just about the kids. Things can get lonely in other ways too." Dinesh said suggestively.

Menaka stayed silent.

"Think about it. We can meet sometime when my wife is traveling and your husband is traveling." Dinesh said, reached into his pocket and fished out a card. "Here's my card."

Menaka said nothing, but took the card.

"Anyway, I'll head back inside for another drink. Call me." he said and gently pressed Menaka on the shoulder before walking away rapidly.

I admired the guy's technique. Didn't push too hard. Dropped a suggestion, gave her his contact info, and then walked away.

I waited a couple of minutes observing Menaka as she stood there alone, just staring at the card in her hand. Then she put it in her purse and fished out her phone. That's when I decided to walk out from behind the shrubbery.

"Oh, there you are." she said and smiled as she saw me. "What took you so long?"

"I ran into a friend coming down. And then...well, I was listening to that Dinesh guy and you talk."

"Oh." Menaka's smile vanished. "Did you hear what he was saying?"

"Yeah."

"What a shameless man!" she said, looking offended.

"But I noticed that you kept his card." I smiled.

"What?" Menaka looked a little miffed.

That's when someone came to the back entrance and yelled,

"EVERYONE, COME ON IN! THEY'RE CUTTING THE CAKE!!"

Menaka and I walked back.

------

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

We didn't really get a chance to follow up on the conversation till much later. First we were at the party for a while. Then Ayan was with us as we drove home. So it was only in the bedroom that the subject came up again.

"I threw away the card." Menaka said as she got into bed.

"What?" I feigned ignorance.

"That guy's card. The only reason I put it in my purse back there was that I didn't want to litter on that pretty lawn. I was going to throw it away in a bin later. And I did that."

"There's no need to get so defensive, honey. Even if you kept the card and met the guy, you know my policy on it."

She just shook her head and turned away. I put a hand on her shoulder, and didn't say anything further. A minute later, she said,

"So you would be okay with me just...calling the guy and meeting him?"

"Sure."

"You saw the way he was hinting at things. What if I...you know...started hanging out with him?" she turned around and looked me in the eyes.

"I've said this before even after we got married. I am not a hypocrite."

"It's easy to say that. It all seems very theoretically easy to you. But trust me, I am the one who has had to...struggle with this for all these years."

"I know you have. Which is why I am saying that if the shoe were on the other foot, I'd be able to handle it."

She just snorted and turned away again. We were quiet for a while before I said,

"Haven't you ever thought about it? How it would feel like to be with another man besides me?"

"I have been with another man besides you." she replied without turning away.

"WHAT????" I sat up bolt upright. "WHEN??? WHERE?????"

She turned around and looked at me with a neutral expression.

"Does it bother you?" she asked in a neutral tone.

"Yes...I mean no...I mean..." I felt very confused. All these years, I had maintained that she was free to explore other avenues of sexual gratification while I was away. What's sauce for the goose and all that. But to hear her say it so nonchalantly seemed to stab at my heart.

Menaka just stared at me, as if waiting for me to say something. Finally I did,

"If you have slept with someone else, that is fine by me."

"Is it really?" she asked.

"Yes, it is. I just...I would prefer honesty. Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"Do you tell me every time you screw around with those tramps on the ship?" Menaka said sarcastically.

"You said you didn't want to know."

"I don't. So why do you?" she asked pointedly.

"I..." no words came out.

There was tension in the air for a while before Menaka smiled.

"See how you reacted just at my saying I have been with another man? And you're saying you'll be fine with it."

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

"So it's not true?"

"It is."

"Who????"

"Why is it so important for you to know?"

"Menaka!" I felt very annoyed. And also a little confused because as my brain was flooded with images of some unknown guy screwing my wife, I could feel my dick starting to stir.

"Okay, fine." Menaka said and after a long pause, added, "My first husband."

"Huh????"

"You can be so dense some time. You asked me if I had never wondered how it would feel like to be with another man apart from you. I said I had been with another man already. Before I even met you. My first husband, the one who died."

"Oh!" I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. "So you mean..."

"Yeah, I was answering the question literally. But if you're wondering, no, I have never been with another man after we got married. But if I had, your reaction speaks volumes. It's easy to say such a thing in the abstract knowing that I would never do it. But if I actually did...you'll flip out."

She turned around again. I just lay there thinking about what she had said.

-----

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

After that conversation, neither of us brought up the topic again. We soon went and visited her parents. A month later, I was back on a ship. And back to my usual ways.

But something had changed. I suddenly found myself thinking more and more about Menaka being with another man. Even when banging comely young things on my shore leaves, I found myself imagining Menaka having sex with someone else like Dinesh. And it started turning me on. I didn't mention it to her of course. But it was something that started dwelling on my mind.

The next time I skyped home, after talking about this and that, Menaka said,

"By the way, I had a slightly awkward conversation with Dara."

"Haha, about walking in on him having sex?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"I was downstairs, keeping a watch on Ayan and his friends as they played in the parking lot. I was reading a book when I noticed Dara had walked up to me. I looked at him, and blushed a little. He also looked very uncomfortable. Finally he said, "Memsaab, I am so sorry about the other night. Please don't tell the society chairman. I can't lose this job." I said to him, "I have no idea what you are talking about." hoping that he would drop the subject and walk away."

"Did he?"

"No. The idiot couldn't read between the lines. I was pretending it never happened, so obviously, I wouldn't tell anyone. But he persisted, "That night, memsaab. On the roof." I got annoyed, and said to him, "I really have no idea what you are talking about. Please let me read my book." He was quiet for a while, then said, "I am sorry, memsaab. I...I couldn't help it. It's not like I have a proper home where I could take her. That shack I share with the other watchman Hira...it's not exactly built for privacy." I finally changed strategy and said, "Dara, please, just...fine. I won't tell anyone. Now leave me alone.""

"So did he finally leave you alone?"

"I wish! He then started talking about how his wife had died five years ago and how he was lonely and he couldn't help himself, and all that. Finally I just got up and walked away. Luckily, he didn't follow me."

"As long as he's sure you won't tell anyone, I think he should be fine."

"I hope so. I still can't that image and those sounds out of my head."

"The moaning sounds?"

"And the slapping sounds."

"He was slapping her????"

"No no...you know." she shyly blushed. "When someone is having sex really hard...the skins slap making that sound."

"Haha, he was fucking her hard enough to make those skin slapping sounds? That little old man?"

"Hehe. Yeah, it was very...intense. And so kinky. I mean out there on the roof under the open sky, this old man with that maid half his age. Going at her like that. And the sounds she was making..."

Menaka's voice had suddenly gone a little hoarse.

"Sounds like it turned you on!" I joked.

"Shut up!" she giggled and said.

"Sounds like someone wishes she was in the maid's place!" I said.

"WHAT???" A look of anger flashed across Menaka's face. "Why would you say that?"

"Easy, easy, I was just joking."

"What a horrible joke to make." she said, even angrier.

"I'm sorry, Menaka. Seriously. I didn't realize you'd get this upset."

Menaka just glowered at me for a few seconds. Then said,

"I am going to bed. Bye."

And she logged off.

-----

 

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

I sat there, stunned at what had just happened. This was the angriest I had ever seen Menaka. She was by nature a shy, quiet, and generally non-confrontational person. In the nine years of marriage, she had never once raised her voice to me. Whenever we had disagreements, she usually gave in right away. And if she was unhappy, she expressed it either by gentle sulking or occasional tears or then complete silence. But this was unprecedented.

I wondered why she had gotten so upset. I had made similar bawdy comments in the past, but she either shrugged them away or then made a face. I was tempted to call her on the phone and talk it out, but considering how angry she had been, I decided to give her some time to cool off.

Half an hour later, my Skype screen started ringing. I answered.

"I am sorry." Menaka said, sounding contrite and looking very tense. "I don't know what came over me."

"I am sorry too, honey. I had no idea you would get that upset."

"No, it's...it's actually my fault."

"No, I was out of line."

"You weren't. In fact...that's kind of why I lost my cool."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh god...I don't know how to even say this." she put her face in her hands.

"What's the matter, honey?"

She just kept her face buried in her hands for a minute before finally lifting it.

"I...I had a dream about Dara."

"Okay..."

"A couple of nights ago. And it was...like you said...in the dream, I was in the maid's place." her face was absolutely red.

"Okay, and?"

"And?"

"Well, did you do anything?"

"In the dream?"

"No, in reality."

"Of course not!" Menaka said. "It's just that...I had that dream. And since then, I keep replaying that dream in my mind. And it...it arouses me."

I sat back and smiled.

"So you are feeling guilty because you had a dream about some guy?"

"Yes!"

I started laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" she was annoyed.

"Hahaha, come on Menaka. After nine years of being married, and being faithful, you had one sex dream and you're feeling guilty? Compare that to what I have been up to."

"I am not like you." she said icily.

"I know, I know." I raised my palms.

She looked mollified.

"It's not just this dream." she said. "In general...the last year or so...it's been different."

"How?"

"I just feel...so often...aroused. Thinking about...you know."

"Thinking about sex?"

"Yes."

This was not exactly surprising news. The last time I had spent three months home, I had noticed a marked increase in Menaka's sex drive. Our sex life was always satisfactory. Right from the time we got married, whenever I initiated sex, Menaka was ready for it. In the early years, she was a little tentative and shy. Especially during pregnancy and a year after Ayan's birth. But as the years had gone by, she had gotten more and more comfortable with sex. She wasn't a tigress in bed by any means. But over the years, she had gotten comfortable with oral sex, and some minor experimentation.

I never pushed her boundaries too much because my port booty calls tended to be very wild and raucous. So sex with Menaka was more like the carnal equivalent of home cooked food - simple and comforting. I sowed my wild oats outside the country and when I came home, I respected Menaka's prim and proper personality and what I considered a moderate to low sex drive.

But on my last trip, I found her a lot more vocal, a lot more susceptible to having orgasms, and in general, a lot more sexual. Although she hadn't gone so far as aggressively initiating sex herself, a few times, she had given subtle signals of being ready for it.

"So you are horny a lot?"

"That word is so cheap!" she made a face and said. "But yes, this time after I left, I found myself yearning for physical intimacy a lot. Something that never happened before."

"It's natural."

"Not for me!"

"Honey, don't you know that most women hit their sexual peak in their early to mid 30s?"

"Really?"

"Yes. Especially women who have kids. Your body is beginning to feel confident and you are now embracing your sexuality after years of tentative experiences."

"Hmmmm." she looked thoughtful.

"How often do you masturbate?" I glibly asked.

"Prakash!!" she blushed.

"Oh come on, if you can't tell that to your husband of nine years, who can you tell it to?"

"Please."

"Five times a day?"

"Noooooooo!"

"Then?"

"Once or twice. In the shower in the morning or before sleeping at night."

"And what do you think about?"

"You." she answered a little too rapidly. I felt like pushing her on this, but let it go. It had taken almost a decade to get such an honest conversation going with her.

We were both silent for a while. Finally, she spoke.

"Anyway, now I really have to sleep."

"Masturbate for me." I said.

"Shut up!"

"Come on! I am alone in my cabin."

"Still, it'll feel weird."

I tried to cajole her a little more but she kept refusing so I let it go.