The Concealed Romance
There are three key components to this fascinating tale - an ambitious politician, a savvy businessman who has achieved great success, and a clandestine romance that has been concealed for a decade.
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Story By: S A Spencer
"Even though you are the chief minister, I am the boss."
"Yes, master." Janet laughed hysterically.
The record played a few more times at the request of one of
the committee members.
"Miss Janet, this is the recording from your phone
conversation with Kevin, when you were the Chief Minister. Can you please
recognise the voices and affirm us if it was you and your boyfriend, Kevin?"
Janet closed her eyes. They were correct. But what was new to
that? Fifteen years ago, when she had even not contemplated to enter politics, Kevin
used to say this dialogue. Over a period, it was a sort of became their codeword
of meeting and making love.
It was probably the worst day of her life. If not, more such
bleak days were about to come.
The air in her Pineville house was thick with heat and
humidity as evening fell.
Janet took a glass of wine and walked slowly to the
alfresco, feeling the weight of the long day on her shoulders. It was around
eight in the evening. She was in no mood to have her dinner. Today's hearing at
the Independent Commission of Corruption was hard for her to swallow.
I am not a corrupt leader. She assured herself. Was Kevin
corrupt? She didn't know. Kevin was a business owner. Janet had never shown any
interest in the rapid expansion of his business. So, she could never complain
he kept the facts hidden from her. Janet had expressed her desire to keep their
relationship a secret. Didn't he honour her wish? For fifteen years, the secret
remained hidden until an investigation uncovered it. She had been leading the
people for four years and was still immensely popular.
The fact was, she owed Kevin her life and career.
Resting on the small table was the wine glass, its contents
as full as when she had poured it earlier, seemingly staring at her. Janet took
a small sip, and a wave of nostalgia washed over her, taking her back to the
days when she was nothing. Although she achieved above-average grades in school
and college, her confidence never matched her academic success. Despite her
efforts, attending several self-help programs did not lead to any improvement
in her low state.
"Personality is a trait that helps people to climb the
ladder of life. Be it your career in a corporate or anything in the life."
The line uttered by the lecturer in a self-help program had a profound impact
on her, as it embedded itself in her mind permanently. The setback impeded her
progress rather than propelling it. The idea that beauty comes before
personality kept playing in her mind.
Janet couldn't bear to look at herself in the mirror; the
thought alone made her shudder. Even in the final year of her college, she didn't
have a boyfriend. Is there a man who would fall in love with a girl who is
below average in looks?
A chuckle forced out of her mouth. Yes, I had one. For a
full twenty-three hours. Janet took another sip of wine and pondered over
it. In his final year of commerce, Peter was just an ordinary-looking boy. What
happened next was a blur, like a lightning strike that comes and goes in an
instant.
Janet was alone in the pub that Friday evening. He appeared
out of the blue and came to her. Next day Janet realised she was not the one
for whom Peter came. It was probably the only vacant seat in a packed pub. Occupying
a two-seater table, she was drinking the same way she did on most such evenings.
Alone.
"Anyone with you?" Peter had asked politely.
How can I be so fortunate to be with my dream man? "No.
Want to sit here, Peter?"
"Thanks, Ummm… sorry, forgot…"
"Janet."
"Oh, yes, I knew, but didn't come to mind. It happens
sometimes with me; forget the names I know very well."
After drinking a few pegs together, Peter admitted he came
there to meet her only. He knew the pub was Janet's favourite. Despite there
being other vacant seats, he headed straight for the one where she had been
sitting.
She chose to believe him, despite her doubts. Meeting
someone who actually wanted to be with her for the first time gave her a
special feeling.
Despite the raucous atmosphere of the pub, Janet's heart
swelled as she saw Peter's lips form the words, "I love you."
She was bursting with excitement and told her friends the
very next day that Peter had stolen her heart. They were all lounging on the
grass in the college park, tired after a day of studying.
"No way," Lisa gasped, "Peter Ryan? That's
who you're talking about?"
Confidence had bloomed in Janet since last evening. She
wondered why she couldn't have a boyfriend like the other girls. For the first
and only time, someone acknowledged her physical attractiveness.
"Yes." Her voice was filled with unwavering faith.
"Look there." Lisa pointed her finger.
Peter and a girl strolled hand in hand, his arm protectively
around her shoulders.
"I knew Peter has a girlfriend. They are going steady for
the last two years." Jenny's words were muttered, but they still landed
like a punch to Janet's heart.
She had no courage to ask Peter why he said "I love you"
the evening before. Did he say, or she heard something which she was dreaming
since long? Both were drunk and the noise in the bar was huge.
Her mobile rang. Janet ran to the family room.
"Hi baby, how are you?" it was her mother from Canada.
"I am good Mum." she was in no mood to explain what
happened and that she is actually clean.
"Just wanted to check on you. Okay, enjoy your evening."
she hung up.
Good mother didn't know yet. She came back to the alfresco.
Even her own mother never cared for her. Mother had Janet
with her boyfriend, and she never saw her biological father. She was an average
looking older sister to two beautiful sisters from her mum's first husband.
During her childhood, she felt like an unwanted stepchild. Fifteen years ago,
Mum divorced her husband. Then she moved to Canada with another man and her two
younger daughters.
As she looked at her father's photo, she couldn't help but
feel repulsed by his appearance. She also couldn't understand how her mother
could have fallen in love with him. The photo is old and faded, and she wondered
what her mother saw in the man and why she chose to have a child with him.
These questions leave her feeling confused and disoriented.
Janet was accustomed to a life without love or kindness from
anyone, not even her parents.
She couldn't believe her luck when God sent Kevin to be her
man, but she remained in denial for a long time. However, she couldn't shake
off the fear that he might change his mind, just like Peter did.
She was wrong.
Kevin was the person who helped her regain her confidence.
His love for her was unwavering, and it allowed her to fully embrace her true
self. With Kevin's support, she felt empowered and capable of achieving
anything she set her mind to. Her inner strength was unleashed, and she was no
longer afraid to take on the world.
One day Janet had announced she had a boyfriend and the next
moment realised it was a mirage only.
She couldn't risk it again. She wanted her relationship with
Kevin to be confidential, and surprisingly, Kevin was okay with it.
And the need to keep it more confidential arose when she
entered the state politics.
"You're going to break barriers," Kevin said, "as
the first woman to hold the position of chief minister in the state."
Janet laughed as they clicked their glasses to celebrate her
selection as a candidate in the election. "Let me at least become a member
of parliament first."
Janet felt the weight of past injustices lifted as the
infinite energy flowed through her. She was not only victorious in the election
but also appointed as the health minister by the then Chief Minister in a
surprising twist. When the previous Chief Minister resigned due to personal
reasons, Janet was the natural choice to take on the coveted position. Her
handling of the Covid crisis and daily updates on television had made her the
most recognisable and trustworthy face in the state, and the only popular
candidate for the role.
Janet continued to keep her relationship a secret. She
aspired to advance in her career and become the Prime Minister someday. She had
been striving for success for a long time.
"Even if you are the chief minister, I am the boss."
Kevin would tell her over phone and when they meet, and Janet would laugh. "Yes,
master."
She knew it was a joke, but she couldn't help but laugh. Kevin's
acceptance of all her conditions was proof that she was in charge.
Wasn't it the same Kevin who was so lucky for her? A girl
who was nothing but becoming a Chief Minister was not a joke. And who was the boss,
really? Kevin kept the relationship a secret for the last almost a decade so
that Janet could climb the ladder of politics. After all, she was no ordinary
woman.
She didn't realise her action or inaction led Kevin's
company to bag so many government contracts. She had never thought of declaring
her conflict of interest in such dealings, as she believed the relationship
itself was not official.
The wine glass, its contents untouched, beckoned to her from
the table. She snatched the glass and drank it all down, feeling the cold
liquid wash over her tongue and down her throat.
The investigation wouldn't harm Kevin in any way. Before
awarding the contracts to him, Janet failed to reveal her relationship with
him. He could be laughing his way into a luxurious life at the cost of Janet's
career or even her life with another secret relationship.
Janet closed her eyes. Keven was not joking when he was repeatedly
announcing he was the boss. In fact, he was.
All Stories on this Blog Site are purely a work of fiction and any resemblance to anyone or any incident is purely a coincidence. Copyright by Shrimant. All rights reserved.
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