Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"We're almost home," Nikhil was narrating for his video. "My Dādā is officially back with all of his belongings from Vikarabad. Only his friends are still there, but Mandar Dādā has everything he needs right here, with his family. He'll never have to eat alone or live in a rented room again. Dādā's old memories are coming back fast, and now it's time to make new memories with Pallavi Dī and the rest of us. Manasi Dī knows that we're pulling up to the house now. Let's see if she is outside yet."

Nikhil realized that the driveway was full of reporters. Farhad honked the horn to get them out of the way, and brought the car to a stop right at the door. The men got out, and Nikhil continued to make his video while Mandar began to carry his belongings into the house, with Farhad's help.

"You're Mandar Deshmukh, right?" A woman's voice alerted the other reporters. She had found a photograph of Mandar from the news coverage of Raghav's arrest for the hit-and-run. As soon as Pallavi had said that her first husband was living, the story had acquired a new angle.

"Did you desert your wife, Mrs. Pallavi?"

"Where have you been since 1st December, 2018?"

Mandar had been brought up to answer whatever questions were put to him. He had never had to face reporters before. He smiled, trying to reassure them and himself.

"Yes, I'm Mandar Deshmukh," he began. "Until Pallavi found me three days ago, I didn't know my name. I lost my memories in the accident. I was in Vikarabad the whole time. I wanted to find Pallavi, but I didn't know where."

Manasi came up to Farhad and took the box from his hands. Mandar, carrying another box, followed Manasi into the house and they placed the boxes in the courtyard.

"Aika, Manasi," Mandar spoke gently. "Āpaṇa āza saṃdhyākāḷī bolūyā." Let's talk this evening. "Tujhyāvara kāhī mahinyāṃpūrvī zo prasaṅga ālā hotā, tyābaddala tū malā saṃpūrṇapaṇe sāṅgaśīla nā?" You'll tell me all about the incident that happened to you a few months ago, won't you?

"Ho, Dādā," Manasi agreed. The memories of her wedding to Rahul, ruined by Āī's indiscreet behaviour at every event, were still painful. What should have been the first happy occasion in the family after Mandar Dādā's death had been disrupted by the death of Sharada Kākū's mother, and turned into a grotesque spectacle with Āī telling everyone that Raghav took shameless liberties with Pallavi. When Manasi's turn had come to be the bride deserted and marked with ignominy, like Pallavi after her wedding, Manasi had missed her big brother more than ever.

"Hyā vārtāhārāṃçā Pallavi-lā trāsa hoū naye, mhaṇūna mī ātā dukānāvara zāto." These reporters shouldn't trouble Pallavi, so I'll go to the shop now, Mandar was saying. "Paṇa mī kāhī tulā visaralo nāhī." But I haven't forgotten about you at all. "Āpaṇa doghe bolū, Amruta-lā ādhāra deū, āṇi Nikhil punhā çukīcyā mārgālā lāgū naye mhaṇūna prayatna karū." The two of us will talk, give support to Amruta, and make an effort so that Nikhil won't go on the wrong path again.

Manasi smiled and nodded. Whenever Mandar Dādā talked to her like this, she didn't feel helpless anymore. Mandar Dādā was the captain of their team.

Mandar turned around and stepped out of the house to get another box. He found Farhad in front of him, with his arms full, and took his burden.

Farhad leaned close to Mandar's ear. "You can just say, 'No comment.' You don't owe these reporters anything."

Mandar smiled, put the items in the courtyard, and followed Farhad out through the door again. He thought, these reporters are just doing their jobs. Raghav said, they're pursuing a video of him arguing with Pallavi at their wedding reception. If they're about to report that Pallavi held Raghav responsible for defaming her, causing Bābā's heart attack, putting Nikhil in jail, and forcing her into marriage, Raghav deserves that embarrassment. Pallavi told me not to worry about her. But Farhad is telling me to be careful, and I should listen. Farhad is sensible, and obviously Raghav has given him plenty of experience with bad publicity.

Realizing that Mandar wasn't avoiding them, the reporters formed a line facing him, and asked him their questions in turn. Sharada and Sulochana came out of the house and stood beside Mandar.

"What is your reaction to the video of Mrs. Pallavi and Raghav Rao?" one man asked.

"I haven't seen this video," Mandar replied. He should see it before trying to comfort Pallavi, he decided, as the reporter played it for him. Mandar felt a shiver as soon as he saw Pallavi wearing a white saree. He could see the animosity on Raghav's face as he ordered Pallavi not to make a scene in front of his Amma and Kirti. How dare he talk to her in that tone! Pallavi's voice was uncharacteristically dull as she informed Raghav that she was a widow. She must have been terrified of this Rākṣasa who had forced her to marry him, but she kept her composure as she stood against him alone.

Mandar heard a sob escaping from Āī's throat as Pallavi was saying that Raghav was the reason that her family didn't want to see her face. He put an arm around Āī, who was trying not to cry.

"Your reaction, Mandar Deshmukh?" the reporter asked as the video ended.

"Pallavi was never at fault," Mandar replied. "She is an exemplary daughter-in-law who lifted every burden of my family. If anyone mistakenly thought that she wasn't a good person, that was only because of lies told by Raghav Rao. All of you, trust me, Pallavi will never feel rejected again. She will receive her rightful husband - me, and her place in our family."

Farhad sighed. He couldn't blame Mandar for telling the truth about Raghav. He was more worried that Mandar, trying to keep his commitment to Pallavi, would suffer for rejecting his true self.

"Has Mrs. Pallavi agreed to return to you?" asked the woman next in line.

"Yes," Mandar gave her a reassuring smile. "We are living apart for a few days to adjust, but our reasons for getting married are still strong, and we believe in our marriage."

"What would you like the public to know about Raghav Rao?" was the next question.

Mandar hesitated, thinking, should I say, Raghav Rao is a racketeer who corrupted my little brother and sent him to jail? No, it would only hurt Nikhil if the news reported his disgrace now; he is trying to be a good boy. Mandar thought, could I say, Raghav Rao is ruthless and selfish; he doesn't care if he humiliates a child, ruins a girl's wedding, or drives a father to attempt suicide! But how can I say that? I haven't even talked to Amruta and Manasi yet. Bābā wouldn't want his suicide attempt to be in the news, and Nikhil said that Raghav got Bābā out of jail. If I didn't owe Raghav that much ...

"I owe my life to Raghav Rao," Mandar finally said. "When I was lying unconscious in the road after the car hit me, Raghav stopped and took me to the hospital. That same Raghav Rao is a gūṇḍa who harassed my wife relentlessly for months, and tried to wipe out my father's life's work illegally. My family is more important to me than myself, so I want that gūṇḍa to answer for his crimes." As he spoke, Āī took Mandar's hand in hers, and squeezed it gently.

Farhad looked away. Mandar was trying to be fair to Raghav, but he was obviously troubled by the pain that Raghav had caused his family. Would that make it impossible for Farhad to spend time with Mandar?

"Are you sure that he saved your life, Mandar Deshmukh?" another male reporter asked. "Can you explain why Raghav Rao confessed to the hit-and-run that was thought to have killed you? Or why the car from the hit-and-run was in Raghav Rao's possession?"

Mandar's knees buckled with the shock of what he had just heard. As Sharada struggled to hold him upright, Farhad stepped between Mandar and Sulochana, and put his arm around Mandar's waist. Mandar put his arm on Farhad's shoulders, and willed himself to stand.

"Mr. Mandar Deshmukh, did Raghav Rao save your life, or did he cause your accident?" the man repeated.

Mandar's thoughts were racing. When my DNA sample was taken yesterday to compare with the hit-and-run car, that car came from Raghav! Has Raghav confessed? When? Why? Raghav didn't mention it on the phone with Farhad just a half-hour ago. Pallavi and Kirti and Farhad all say that the accident was caused by someone named Sunny Ahuja. And Farhad says that Raghav met Dr. Janaki when he took me to the hospital; that has to be true. Should I tell the reporters that I was admitted to S. K. Venkatesh Criticare Hospital by Raghav? Sulochana Kākū is standing right here, and if she alerts Dr. Janaki that I know ... Farhad warned me.

"After the car hit me, I was unconscious," Mandar said. "I don't think I saw the car, I remember nothing about going to the hospital, and I didn't know that Raghav confessed. I have to finish unloading my friend's car so that he can go to work, so please excuse me."

As Mandar moved to the car to attend to the remaining boxes and bags, followed by Farhad, Farhad's phone rang. A minute later, Farhad excitedly told Mandar, "That was the administrative head at Alanka Institute of Medical Sciences. The Records Committee met today and decided to invalidate your death certificate."

"Farhad, that's amazing! Wait, why would they call you? You did this for me? I only told Amma at breakfast ..." Mandar was almost shouting with excitement, and without thinking, Farhad pulled him into a hug.

"Yes, Mandar, I was listening, and I thought, this is a chance to do something good with Raghav Anna's influence."

Sulochana had stepped in front of the reporters. "My name is Sulochana Deshmukh. I am Mandar's Kākū, and I'll be happy to tell you all about what Pallavi did with Raghav Rao while Mandar was gone."

"Sulochana, āttācyā āttā gapa-cupa gharāta zā!" Go into the house quietly-silently right now! Sharada took her by the elbow, but Sulochana shook her off; she was not going to miss her moment of publicity.

"Pallavi is greedy, treacherous, promiscuous ... just what you might expect of an orphan girl!" Sulochana declared. "She convinced Mandar to marry her, and brought only bad luck to this family. On the wedding night itself, Mandar was almost killed in an accident. Then Pallavi found out somehow that Raghav Rao was covering up the crime, and contrived to meet him. Raghav enjoys making a tamāśā of girls' ruined reputations, and Pallavi let him take liberties with her shamelessly, until his mother thought that they had gone too far, and told them to get married. Raghav thought that their sex life was casual, and since neither of them believed in the sanctity of marriage, it would be a joke between them, but as you see in this video, Raghav didn't know Pallavi at all. He thought she was an unmarried bad girl, but she was a calculating widow. She wanted to blackmail Raghav Rao for his role in Mandar's accident, and walk away with his wealth, of course!"

Sharada was shaking her head and tapping an index finger on her temple to signal that Sulochana was delusional, but it was hardly necessary. The reporters were visibly bored by Sulochana's effort to smear Pallavi. They all knew that the video's selling point was the indomitable pativratā Pallavi standing up to the lecherous villainy of filthy rich Raghav Rao, and Mandar being discovered alive gave this modern Sāvitrī the vindication of a happy ending.

Keeping an eye on her boys, Sharada noticed Mandar grinning widely as Farhad hugged him. A woman's voice brought her back to the line of reporters in front of her and Sulochana.

"Madam, who are you? Are you related to Mandar Deshmukh and Pallavi jī?"

"I am Sharada Deshmukh, Mandar's mother. I am Pallavi's mother equally," Sharada declared. "Whatever this Sulochana says is made up by her own imagination. She has brought no proof, so it is slander. All of you have an obligation to report the truth. Do not defame an innocent person like Pallavi."

"Of course, Madam. What is your reaction to the video?"

Sharada took a deep breath and tried her best. "The truth is that Pallavi was faithful to Mandar's memory, and Raghav tried to ruin her by falsely claiming to have a casual relationship with her. Pallavi did not want to remarry, and Raghav forced her. I myself tried to stop the wedding, but by the time I arrived there, the saptapadī had already taken place, and Pallavi refused to leave with me. As you can see in this video, she wanted Raghav to understand what a despicable thing he had done. If you can do a serious investigation and find evidence to hold Raghav accountable for whatever he did against the law, I will cooperate. However, as far as I saw, Raghav did not confess any crimes in this video. There is nothing to be gained by showing this video to the public. Raghav respects Pallavi now, and I hope he will never harm an innocent person again. Everyone grows from life experience, and young people more easily accept their mistakes and learn to do better." Sharada shot a look at Sulochana. "The injustices that life brought upon Pallavi are being cleared away at last. Pallavi and Mandar have a chance to be happy. So, I request you not to disrupt their life with this video from three months ago."

Mandar and Farhad had finished bringing his baggage into the house, so Nikhil and Sharada went indoors with them. Only Sulochana remained outside, so the reporters quickly dispersed.

Manasi had brought water and snacks for everyone. Mandar called Subhadra and gave her the good news about the Records Committee's decision. Subhadra said that she would call the hospital and the city health office to make sure that the death certificate expunction request was sent and received.

Then Mandar asked Farhad, "The hit-and-run driver's name is Sunny Ahuja, right? Then why did Raghav confess? Why did Raghav have the car?"

"Sunny was the driver, and Raghav Anna was only there by coincidence," Farhad confirmed. "When Sunny hit the brakes, he slumped over in his seat. Kirti was next to him, and she climbed over him, using her full weight to push him upright. Kirti heard Raghav Anna shouting from behind the car, and she looked out of the driver's side window. At that moment, Anna saw Kirti, and he assumed that she was the driver who had hit you. Then Sunny drove away with Kirti, and Anna took you to the hospital. In the morning, after he was informed that your family had taken you home, Anna found Kirti's friend whose car she had borrowed, bought the car from him, and hid it in a shed."

So, Raghav concealed evidence, just so that his sister could forget about leaving me to die! It might be too much to expect a criminal to value my life, Mandar thought, but it is still infuriating. He looked around to make sure that Sulochana Kākū wasn't around, as Farhad looked at him with sympathy, and continued.

"Two weeks ago, on your birthday, Pallavi jī found your engagement ring that Anna had kept, and he lied to protect Kirti. Anna said that you had dropped the ring when you hailed a rickshaw near the Hotel Crosto on Outer Ring Road. Pallavi jī went there and found the watchman who had witnessed your accident. Anna, who thought that the watchman had seen Kirti driving, paid him to say that Anna was the hit-and-run driver."

What Raghav did was witness tampering! Mandar shook his head, thinking, Raghav believes that having money entitles him to buy his way out of any crime. He has no conscience!

"Fortunately, Pallavi jī believed in Raghav Anna's conscience," Farhad said. "She guessed that he was protecting Kirti, and she asked me to help by getting Kirti to confess. I did it, but Anna stole the recording of Kirti's confession, and turned himself in to the police along with the hit-and-run car. Then Pallavi jī realized that Kirti doesn't know how to drive. She tricked Kirti into exposing her boyfriend Sunny as the one who was driving drunk."

While Farhad was explaining to Mandar, his phone rang and he answered. Raghav's information technology team had sorted through the CCTV footage of the news agency from which the video was shared, and they had identified a few individuals who weren't regular visitors.

"Mandar, I'll have to go and see who might have leaked this video, and report to Raghav Anna. Please take good care of yourself and Pallavi jī, and tell her I'll see her at home tonight, but she can always call me if she needs anything. If I have time this afternoon to look into your questions, I'll call you and pick you up, all right?"

Mandar understood that Farhad was hinting at a visit to Dr. Janaki. "Yes, I'd like that," Mandar replied. "Farhad, thank you for everything yesterday and today. There were a lot of surprises for me, but you helped me to cope."

Nikhil and Manasi were already busy moving Mandar's belongings to their proper places by the time Mandar saw Farhad to his car and returned. Sharada came in front of Mandar, and remarked, "Farhad-śī tujhī ātā çāṅgalī maitrī zamalī āhe, ase disate." You've forged a good friendship with Farhad by now, I see. "To svabhāvāne agadī guṇī mulagā āhe, āṇi tyācyā āī-vaḍīlāṃnī suddhā tyālā barobara mārgadarśana dile asaṇāra." He's quite a virtuous boy by nature, and his parents too must have given him proper guidance. "Phakta Raghav-cī kusaṃgatī āḍa ālī, mhaṇūna Farhad çukīcī kāme karato." Only Raghav's bad company got in the way, that's why Farhad does work that is wrong. "Zoṃvara Pallavi tyācyā gharī rāhateya, toṃvara tujhī tyācyāśī bheṭa ghaḍata rāhīla, āṇi kāhī nā kāhī tujhyā zabābadāra vartanāçā tyācyāvara pariṇāma hoīla, ase malā tarī vāṭate." As long as Pallavi is staying with his family, so long you will continually meet him, and your responsible behaviour will have some effect on him; at least, I think so.

Mandar nodded. "Ho, Āī." After last night, he knew very well what effect he had on Farhad, and he could not tell Āī how Farhad had affected him. He had to leave for the shop right away; Pallavi was waiting for him.