Chapter Twelve
"Āśīrvāda deūna zhālā asela, Āī, tara tujhyā Ghaṭotkacālā prasāda deto." If you have finished blessing him, Āī, I'll give prasāda to your Ghaṭotkaca, Mandar joked.
For once, Raghav understood what one Deshmukh was saying to another in Marathi. Mandar had nicknamed him Ghaṭotkaca - the name of a Rākṣasa whose head was as baldly smooth as an earthen pot. Well, Raghav thought, I have nicknames for each of you too, and Pallavi is repulsed by my embrace, so I might as well be bald and ugly. Ghaṭotkaca it is.
"Ghaṭotkaca has something to say to you alone, Mr. Mandar Deshmukh, outside," Raghav quipped, taking the prasāda that Mandar doled out to him and popping it into his mouth. Raghav left Damayanti with Pallavi and headed for the door, followed by Mandar who had handed the bowl of prasāda to Farhad.
Raghav's expression was defiant and Mandar's was serious as they faced each other outside. Then Raghav suddenly pulled Mandar into a hug. "Congratulations, Mandar. Pallavi told me that she chooses you. In fact, Pallavi gave me a chance only in your name - that's how important you were in our marriage, even when we thought you were dead."
Mandar stood motionless. One of the lessons of conversion therapy was to avoid same-sex hugs, but for Mandar, his revulsion for what Raghav had done made it impossible to feel tempted by Raghav's warm body, and he did not want to antagonize Raghav unnecessarily by pushing him away. What did Raghav mean, Pallavi gave him a chance in my name? Mandar was wondering.
Raghav showed no sign of loosening the hug, and then he hissed into Mandar's ear, "Get used to me being close to you, and watching everything that you do, Mandar. Never forget what I said: I am not going to move on from Pallavi. I promised her that her rights and her happiness are my priority, and no law and no annulment makes a difference to Raghav Rao vāgdānam." Raghav now pulled away, took Mandar's right hand in his and squeezed hard, scowling into Mandar's face. "You better treat Pallavi right. If you ever fall short as a husband ..."
"Well, Raghav, you really are Ghaṭotkaca!" Raghav let go of Mandar's hand, hearing the voice that belonged to Amruta, who was seeing Anuradha and Krishna to the door.
Amruta was saying, "Aunty, Krishna, you may have heard the story of Vatsalā, who loved Abhimanyu, but her father Bala-Rāma was forcing her to marry Duryodhana's son Lakṣmaṇa. Well, Ghaṭotkaca was Abhimanyu's brother, so he carried Vatsalā and her bed out through the window to Abhimanyu, and then Ghaṭotkaca took Vatsalā's place, disguised by his magic."
Anuradha looked surprised that Amruta knew anything traditional, but her face darkened as Amruta continued, "Yes, Aunty! Ghaṭotkaca in drag did a gay wedding with Lakṣmaṇa, and squeezed his hand so tight that Lakṣmaṇa lost consciousness, just like what Raghav was trying to do to Mandar Dādā, you see! Raghav squeezes boys' hands to find out who's interested, but my Dādā doesn't want to be his boyfriend!"
Anuradha's eyes were bulging as she looked Raghav up and down, her lips pressed in a thin line and her nose twitching with disapproval. She pulled her pallu over her right shoulder and set off haughtily down the driveway, followed by her discomfited daughter Krishna.
"O Cipakū Laḍakī! There's nothing wrong with me!" Raghav was ready to sling mud right back at Amruta. "Do girls like you chase every aisā-vaisā boy?"
At that, Mandar grabbed Raghav's wrist and twisted his left arm behind his back in a quick, smooth move. "You are talking about my sister, Raghav. Say you're sorry."
"Sorry! Ah! Sorry kahā nā?" Raghav gave up, and Mandar released him.
Raghav remembered what Luṅgīvālā Raghav had said to warn him: look at Mandar's muscles - he could take you in a fight, and impress Pallavi too. Just when Raghav had thought that his morning was as bad as possible, what with finding out that the blackmail started with Celli, then Mandar correcting his mistake that endangered Damayanti's life, Pallavi telling him that she would get their marriage annulled and go back to Mandar, and Amma having to apologize to Vijay Deshmukh, now he was being humiliated by Mandar for Amruta's honour!
Feeling very alone, Raghav walked over to his car and texted Farhad: "Come outside with Amma and Celli and Damayanti."
Mandar stood facing Amruta, thinking of how his little sister had made fun of a gay wedding. Farhad's parents might talk seriously about Farhad settling down with a man, but who wouldn't think that a man taking a woman's place was a spectacle that deserved ridicule?
"You know, Dādā, that handholding story has got to be bowdlerized." Amruta was laughing, feeling giddy about her Dādā fulfilling her dream of humbling Raghav. "The unexpurgated version, you can imagine: after the wedding, in the bedroom, Ghaṭotkaca got Lakṣmaṇa so worked up with the love of a man that he passed out."
"Amruta, enough!" Mandar felt as naked as if his clothes had flown away, just like those of the wedding guests in the story, who made a deal to trade in their old clothes for magical new clothes from the crazy trader who was Ghaṭotkaca in disguise.
"What, Dādā, are you uncomfortable? Raghav is homophobic, so I got him to react, but you? I think two boys doing stuff together is hot - so there!" And Amruta winked as she took Mandar by the hand and marched inside.
Mandar found Farhad with Jaya and Kirti and Akash, and said to him, "Farhad, could I ask you for a favour?"
"Yes, Mandar?" Farhad's face lit up with a smile.
"I need to know what happened to me after the accident. Raghav took me to the hospital, but which hospital? Who treated me? Who was aware that I had lost my memories? Why was Raghav told that my family got me discharged? Where can I find someone named Dr. Janaki?" Mandar knew that answers to his questions might lead to even more uncomfortable questions. After all, it shouldn't be simple for the health care system to lose track of a person!
"Raghav would be the right person to ask," Kirti offered.
Right, thought Mandar, but after everything that your Rākṣasa brother did to ruin Pallavi and my family, how can I humbly ask him for a favour? Besides that, I just took his wife and twisted his arm, so why would he help me? Farhad, I know I said that you share Raghav's guilt, but even after that you've been only kind to me. You may be like a brother to Raghav, but you're my friend already; you'll save my dignity, and I can trust you to go to Raghav for me, right?
Mandar had said nothing aloud, but Farhad sensed that Mandar did not want to be the one to ask Raghav. "I'll do my best, Mandar. I'll talk to you later today."
Anticipation of another talk with Farhad today made Mandar's mouth open into a smile instantly, unaware that his expression sent Farhad's hopes soaring.
Pallavi approached them to hand over Damayanti to Kirti. Sharada and Manasi were with her.
Jaya gave an encouraging look to Kirti, who said, "Sharada Aunty, Manasi, Pallavi, I want you to know that I am truly sorry for what I did after the accident that hurt Mandar. Thank you for allowing me to attend the pūjā."
With everyone looking at him, Mandar added, "I told Kirti that she doesn't have to feel bad for me."
Farhad thought, Mandar is a remarkable man. The idea of being left to die in the street would make anyone feel angry. Anyone in Mandar's situation would ask, was I so worthless? And yet Mandar is keeping those feelings to himself, and expressing compassion for Kirti. Mandar's beauty is as much on the inside as on the outside. Yesterday, Mandar was in so much pain after hearing about what Raghav Anna did to Pallavi Bhābhī, and today that same sensitivity is helping Mandar to forgive Kirti. I want Mandar for myself. Yā Allāh, please let Mandar understand that Pallavi Bhābhī will not make him happy. Let Mandar share his feelings with me, so that he doesn't have to bear his hurt alone, and he will never feel worthless. Let me be worthy of Mandar. Let Mandar forgive me for doing whatever Raghav Anna tells me to do. Protect Mandar's sensitivity, so that it brings him only happiness.
Pallavi gave Kirti a hug, and Manasi followed her example. Sharada said, "I don't know what will happen in court, but as Mandar's mother, I believe that you want to outgrow your mistakes, and I should give you a chance."
After Farhad departed with Jaya, Kirti, and Damayanti, and when Akash and the other guests including Gurujī were gone, Pallavi came and stood next to Mandar, smiling at him. She had removed Raghav's maṅgalasūtra and applied a fresh mark of sindūra for Mandar.
"Shall we tell our family and Vishnu the good news?" Pallavi asked.
"Yes, I'd like that," Mandar replied. This was it; there was no turning back now, and of course he didn't want to turn back; what he felt was just nervousness, he told himself.
"Āī, Bābā, Kākā, Kākū, Manasi, Nikhil, Amruta, Vishnu, give us your attention, please!" Pallavi called everyone to gather in the courtyard.
Mandar looked around at every face: Kākā's was alert, and Nikhil's was dreamy; Amruta's was excited and Kākū's was bored; Bābā's was confident and Vishnu's was serious; Manasi's was nervous, and Āī's was thoughtful. All of them knew what was coming.
"It is my great pleasure to tell all of you that from now on, I and Mandar will stay together in life," Pallavi announced.
Nikhil cheered, echoed by Vishnu, and they high-fived, while Manasi hugged Pallavi and Amruta hugged Mandar. Sulochana simpered, but Milind grinned with his eyes overflowing, and Vijay exchanged beaming smiles with Sharada.
"What we promised three years ago is finally coming true," Mandar reflected aloud. "Our Deshmukh family will welcome Pallavi as my wife, the senior daughter-in-law. Of course, by now everyone knows Pallavi very well, and I've become the new arrival."
"Are, tujhyā navalāīçe cāra divasa; lavakaraça ekhādā lahānasā bābū yeūde, āṇi tulā moṭhā karūna ṭākūde!" Hey, your novelty will last four days; soon a little lord will arrive, I wish, and turn you into a grown-up! Milind joked, bouncing his eyebrows at Mandar.
Mandar felt awkward, and Pallavi blushed, but together they bowed at the feet of Āī and Bābā, who said, "Akhaṇḍa saubhāgyāçā, sukhāçā saṃsāra karā." Live a married life of unbroken companionship in comfort.
As they turned to bow to Kākā and Kākū, Kākā shook his head and embraced them instead, saying "Dādā-Vahinīṃnā kelelā namaskāra āmhālā paṇa poçalā. Dīrgha āyuṣyāçā āṇi sukha-samṛddhīcyā saṃsārāçā tumhālā āmaçā āśīrvāda nehamī āhe." Your bowing to Dādā and Vahinī reached us too. Long lifespan and a married life of comfort and prosperity is always our blessing for you.
"We should celebrate Pallavi's arrival with all of the post-wedding rituals," Sharada suggested. "Manasi, tāndūḷa bharūna māpa āṇa gaṃ!" Manasi, bring a measure full of rice-grains, dear!
"Āī, mī itakyāta kāhī gharī yeṇāra nāhī," Āī, I won't come home so soon at all, Pallavi protested. "First, I have to annul my marriage to Raghav. Until that happens, I will live with Farhad's Ammī-Abbū, or in a hotel, but I and Mandar will meet every day and talk about our plans."
"Meaning, you'll go on dates?" Manasi was excited.
"Yes," Mandar shrugged. "We will get comfortable with each other before we start married life together."
"Before I come to live here, I would like to get Mandar's death certificate expunged so that there will be no question that our marriage is still valid," Pallavi explained. "I know that this process sometimes takes years ..."
At that opportune moment, Mandar's phone rang. It was Subhadra, telling him that his affidavit was ready for swearing in front of a notary. Could Mandar meet her at the notary's office right now?
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Avneel07 @Avneel07
2 years ago
A lovely chapter. Please update soon