Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Mandar, tumhī malā pohāyalā śikavāla kā?" Mandar, will you teach me to swim? Pallavi asked, seeing that he had almost finished his enchiladas and was slowing down.

"Ho, śikavīna kī!" Yes, of course I'll teach you! Mandar smiled at Pallavi. Swimming together would give him time to get comfortable with Pallavi's body, as her friend more than as her husband, without the pressure to make her feel desirable that he expected when they would begin married life and she would be unclothed with him for the first time.

Pallavi felt relieved that Mandar didn't find her request immodest. Of course, she averred to herself, it was his recollection of swimming for hours as a child that had inspired her desire to share the exercise that he enjoyed. Her own experience of Raghav's mockery as she flailed in the pool, Raghav tenderly carrying her out, Raghav's scowl as he told her that she could have hurt herself meant nothing! She would forget about the dangerous sensation of Raghav's skin against hers when she would look at Mandar's nearly naked body with rightful desire. Pallavi wanted to see her husband Mandar's smiling face dripping wet, to feel his dependable and shapely arms protecting her in the water ...

"Welcome back, Mandar!"

At first, Mandar did not recognize the friendly male voice that intruded on his thoughts. He looked up with a smile that faded as soon as his memory identified the man standing beside their table.

It was Ved, whose voice Mandar hadn't heard in seven years. Vedant Pillai, who had tried to kill Pallavi, was right before his eyes! Ved, who had escaped from prison and tried to blackmail Mandar on his wedding night, was a free man again. Mandar felt petrified, remembering Farhad's and Raghav's warnings all at once.

"Pallavi Bhābhī! Do you recognize me?" Ved affected a shy smile as he lifted one foot to rub his other leg. "I should have called you Bhābhī all along, as I'm your husband's college friend. My name is Vedant, but you can call me Lion."

Pallavi's mind took her back to the night Lion had fought with Raghav. She had been naïve to believe his lie, that he was Krishna's cousin Abhijit, until he had held her at gunpoint. What was she going to do? If Lion tried to hurt them, as he had tried to kill Raghav in this same restaurant before ... she couldn't lose Mandar again!

Mandar managed to stand up and look steadily at Ved. "Stay out of my sight. I will defend my family and my wife no matter what."

"Easy, Tiger!" Ved put his hand on Mandar's shoulder. "I know you want Bhābhī all to yourself, and you deserve to be happy, my friend." Turning to Pallavi, he said with mock innocence, "Do you like the names Lion and Tiger, Bhābhī? In our college days, Mandar knew where I hunted, and I knew where he hunted."

Mandar perspired at Ved's innuendo. Would he have to tell Pallavi the truth right here, in a public place?

"You tried to kill me. Who says Bhābhī and does that?" Pallavi scoffed, summoning her courage into her defiant words.

"I feel remorse, Bhābhī. That's why I was released from prison. I was clearly not in my right mind when I frightened you. I saw Raghav going to Mandar's house to meet you, and Mandar's little sister putting haḷadī on Raghav, and you doing a victory dance about something that Raghav said to you. I thought it meant that Raghav was forgiven for hitting Mandar with his car, and you were a relative that Mandar's family chose for Raghav. I didn't find Mandar working in the shop, so I guessed that he and his wife were having fun somewhere that Raghav Rao's friends could afford. Was I delusional, or did I see the future? I learned that your name was Pallavi Deshmukh, and yet somehow I didn't remember Ci. Sau. Kā. Pallavi from Mandar's wedding invitation! Just because the girl in the shop was special to Raghav, I stupidly assumed that her relationship to Mandar must be like sister and brother - can you believe it?"

Mandar's cheeks were burning with embarrassment. He tried to keep his eyes on Ved, to anticipate what Ved would do.

Ved laughed and resumed. "I thought I could hurt Raghav by harming the girl that he liked, or by killing him, but now I like yesterday's news better. Raghav's ladykiller ego took a hit when everyone found out that Bhābhī didn't marry him willingly."

"Did you release that video?" Mandar demanded.

"I wish!" Ved laughed again. "No, my aim was off the mark. When I learned that you were presumed dead, I thought, Raghav killed Mandar and he doesn't want his trusting wife to know. It didn't occur to me that Bhābhī was faithful to you, and Raghav would suffer more if the world knew that he forced himself on her. You don't owe me for the video, Mandar; I only saw it in the news. I owe you for taking Bhābhī away from Raghav. For six years, I've watched Raghav mismanaging the business that I built, and now finally, he feels more pain than I do, watching you with the woman that he can't have."

"Don't mistake me for a thing like Jayati Jewels that can be taken away, Vedant!" Pallavi spoke up again. "If you don't keep your distance ..."

"It was a pleasant surprise to see you two, but I won't intrude any more. I have other business here," Ved said smoothly. "Mandar, you make sure my Bhābhī has everything she needs, and I'll ask you for nothing more."

Mandar understood that Ved was blackmailing him again. He would have to tell Farhad about it. The same man who had once threatened to out Mandar was now warning him not to come out. Mandar had to keep Pallavi happy in their marriage, and thereby torture Raghav, or else Ved might hurt Pallavi, or even kill her to make Raghav suffer - that was the equation! Mandar felt uneasy in his stomach at the idea of living a good man's life for the sake of hurting someone else. He wasn't Raghav, who had found pleasure in hurting Pallavi! Mandar desperately wanted Farhad to be there, to listen, to tell him that he would always have his loved ones.

As if Bāppā had heard Mandar's prayer, Farhad walked into the Aqua Legacy restaurant at that very moment, striding right up to Ved.

"Why did you text Yuvaraj Holkar to meet you here?" Farhad demanded.

Pallavi and Mandar were too astonished to say anything. Only a few hours ago, Farhad had suggested that Yuvaraj Holkar was dead. If he was alive and working with Vedant Pillai, they had to warn Devayani and Rashmi!

"So, you know about my meeting!" Ved replied. "I shouldn't expect less from Farhad Nawaz, the man who figured out what no one told him at Jayati Jewels. You were able to identify every employee who was transitioning into my new line of work. Now, you're going after my contacts on the outside. Do you really need to hear from me why I'm meeting Yuvaraj?"

"Yes, I saw the text message. You told Yuvaraj that you want to be his supplier again. I also know that it's not true. You're well aware that Yuvaraj stopped pushing drugs in November 2018. So, obviously, you're expecting him to show up with police to bust you, and they won't find anything. Yuvaraj isn't coming. What did you have planned for him?"

At that, Ved pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at Farhad's chest. Mandar's heart sank, and Pallavi grabbed his hand, afraid that if they moved to protect Farhad, Ved would shoot.

"Yuvaraj betrayed me! He called the police and told them where to find me on the night I escaped from prison! I lost two years and four months of my life because Yuvaraj Holkar wanted to be law-abiding for some girl in Kolhapur. All right, I wasn't able to lure him out of hiding today, but now that I know he's working with you, I won't tell you what I had planned. I'll show you!"

At that, Mandar shook off Pallavi's hand and lunged for Ved, who saw him coming and pushed back, managing to stay upright. Pallavi screamed, "Mandar!" and saw that Farhad was moving ... Farhad was giving Vedant a clear shot!

Mandar knew it was too late to reach for Ved's hand that held the gun, but what else could he do? He would block the bullet's path to Farhad with his body if he could, but Ved's arm was already extended.

Vedant pulled the trigger, but there was no explosive flash as the bullet fell out harmlessly. Incredulously, he pulled the trigger again, and then one more time, while Farhad's smile grew into a brilliant grin. By now, Mandar was punching Ved furiously, unwilling to take a chance with the next bullet. The gun fell from Vedant's hand as he doubled over with the wind knocked out of him.

Inspector Swami marched in with several officers, arrested Vedant, and took him away.

"Farhad, what was all of that?" Pallavi demanded, gently touching his shoulders and cheek as if she couldn't believe he was unharmed. Mandar came to Pallavi's side, frowning as it dawned on him that Farhad hadn't needed his self-sacrifice or any protection, really.

"Please don't worry, Bhābhī. Sorry, I mean, Pallavi jī. Vedant being free was a threat to all of us, and I had to provoke him somehow to attempt to murder me and get sent back to prison. I got an idea two nights ago, after Akash told us that Yuvaraj hadn't been seen at drug-using parties ever since he came to Hyderabad to meet Vedant."

"Your idea was to tell Ved that it was Yuvaraj who got him caught and sent back to prison, and you predicted that Ved would plan an attack on Yuvaraj the same way he went after Raghav!" Mandar exclaimed, realizing that Farhad had done it to protect him. Now, Ved would never suspect that Mandar had had him arrested at the Hotel Crosto on the night of 1st December 2018. Thanks to Farhad, Mandar didn't have to worry about Ved plotting revenge.

"Never put your faith in anonymous informants!" Farhad said, winking to reassure Mandar that he understood, a restaurant was not the place to tell Pallavi who had really called the police and why. "I didn't tell Vedant the name of the girl that Yuvaraj liked, but even if he finds out, he won't hurt Akash's sister Rashmi, as long as he thinks that her happiness with Devayani is torture for Yuvaraj."

"He shot at you and nothing happened. Why?" Pallavi wanted to know.

"I knew that Vedant always stores his gun loaded, just like Raghav Anna. They've done that since the old days at Jayati Jewels. So, it was easy to switch the real bullets with dummy bullets, without Vedant noticing."

"You were able to get Ved's gun without him noticing. Were you having him followed?" Even as he spoke, Mandar realized how naïve he sounded. Of course Farhad would stalk Raghav's enemy to protect Raghav's life and Pallavi's. In Farhad's world, it was natural to have enemies. And to store guns unsafely!

Farhad stopped grinning when he noticed that Mandar looked worried. "Yes, and it's good that I did, because Kirti was in danger. Sunny's new roommate, known as Sher Singh, was none other than Vedant."

Pallavi shivered as thoughts of what Ved could have planned for Kirti sank in. Mandar put his arm around Pallavi; she took a deep breath, and asked, "Yuvaraj could be dead, right?"

"Right, Pallavi jī. Vedant thought he was texting Yuvaraj, but I had taken over the phone number. In a few days, we could tell your friends that they're not in danger, if we get evidence of Yuvaraj's death. Akash and I got the police to contact Yuvaraj's parents, and their DNA samples are being taken today."

"Then are you free now to plan how we could approach Vipul Kadam?" Mandar asked.

"In fact, I already got Jagadish Swami to hand over his records of Sulochana Deshmukh's furniture purchases and deliveries since December 2018, and then I added a few flourishes to your idea, so our plan is ready for action," Farhad said, grinning proudly again. "Pallavi jī, the plan will work better if Vipul Kadam doesn't see you with us. Would you allow me to drop you off at the shop?"

"Actually, my customer Mrs. Mehra is right over there," Pallavi replied. "I'll stay here for our meeting, and then go to the shop." Watching the two men's excited faces, she added, "Mr. Kadam isn't a trustworthy witness, and we don't even know what new information he could tell us. He could go straight to Sulochana Kākū, but she will find out soon enough that she's in trouble, so go ahead with your plan. Both of you, keep each other safe!"

A few minutes later, Pallavi was sitting with Aparna and Ashutosh Mehra, who had ordered horchatas for themselves and Pallavi.

"Pallavi, I have been thinking about you for a long time, but I only found out your name yesterday." Aparna was saying.

"Aparna jī, excuse me, but I don't understand what you just said."

"Sorry," Aparna conceded. "Obviously, you don't recognize us, and I should have expected that, Pallavi. We first saw you when Raghav Rao had invited us for MahāŚivarātri pūjā at his house. We heard you saying that Raghav had burned your raw material, almost demolished your shop, threatened to kill you with a truck, and tried to drive you out of Hyderabad, and just then he had had you kidnapped by fake police and kept in his house all night. We should have assisted you to leave safely, and to hold Raghav accountable, but we were so disgusted that we simply told Raghav that we wouldn't deal with Jayati Jewels anymore, and we got away as quickly as we could."

"We are sorry that we didn't behave with you like real devotees of Bhagavān Śiva jī," Ashutosh added. "Ever since we left you behind that day, we felt guilty and worried, but without knowing your name, we couldn't look for you. After seeing yesterday's news, we acknowledge that if we had defended you, Raghav could have been stopped before he forced you to marry him."

"The video has exposed Raghav for defaming your character and marrying you by force," Aparna resumed. "If you would like the world to know about Raghav's other crimes against you, or anything else about Raghav and his business practices, we can connect you to legitimate investigative reporters and the courts."

Pallavi struggled to hold back a nervous laugh, as she thought, how many more people will I meet who don't understand that the video incriminates me and not Raghav? Surely, the talk has already started, and soon, everyone will hear that I could be convicted of bigamy. Of course, Raghav's crimes should be prosecuted and punished, but that could take months or years. I'm being punished right now for what isn't my fault. I wouldn't have lost two years and eight months with Mandar if Raghav had tried to find him and return his engagement ring. We won't get justice for the hit-and-run because Raghav hid the car. I can't come home as Mandar's wife yet because Raghav shamelessly put Nikhil in jail and married me against my will. Even when I was almost killed in that taxi explosion, and that poor taxi driver suffered burns, it was because Raghav chose to go into business with someone like Vedant Pillai. Raghav is paying for my lawyer, and trying to protect me, but does Raghav feel shame? What if I told Aparna jī and Ashutosh jī about how Raghav earned the capital to start Jayati Jewels? That would punish Raghav right now. Maybe then Raghav would feel the depth of shame that he should feel.

"Pallavi, are you all right?" Aparna's voice brought Pallavi out of her thoughts. Pallavi looked at the two concerned faces in front of her.

"Excuse me for a moment, please." Pallavi got up and went to the washroom, where she splashed cool water on her face. She had been angry at Raghav many times, she had wanted him justly punished, but wanting to hurt him just for the sake of hurting him was a new feeling. Pallavi was trembling with nervousness. Her bladder suddenly felt full, and she hurried to the toilet to relieve herself. Vedant had tried to shoot Farhad, and he could have planned another explosion for Kirti! Vedant had burned the taxi driver while trying to kill Pallavi, just because he had seen Raghav ordering jewelry pouches from her! Pallavi felt as powerless as she had felt when Mandar had tackled Vedant. She wanted to feel empowered, tough, capable of hurting someone the way Raghav had hurt her. This was a scary feeling. Could she do it?

Śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt. It is better to follow one's own dharma imperfectly than to be perfect in someone else's dharma. Āī's advice echoed in Pallavi's mind as she adjusted her saree. Am I following my dharma? I want Raghav to feel shame, but that's to awaken his moral conscience and make him a better man, not to show him his place for what he has been. Maybe it's foolish to believe, like Amma, that I've won and Raghav's conscience is here to stay. I may never get justice by following my dharma, but humiliating Raghav wouldn't be justice either. Revenge isn't my dharma, and hitting Raghav where it hurts most won't make me feel better.

As she washed and dried her hands, Pallavi remembered what Bābā had said when he had found her crying because Anasuya from the orphanage had told her that some of the children in her care had been separated from their mothers who were unable to give up drugs and sex work. "Pāpa soḍalyāvara miḷakata kamī hoīla, mhaṇūna anekāṃnā pāpācī zāṇīva asūna tyāṃnā te soḍāyalā zamata nāhī." When giving up sin means a drop in income, many people who are aware of their sin are unable to give it up. "Āza nāhī, udyā-paravā nāhī, paṇa kadhītarī tyā striyā dhandā soḍatīla aśī śakyatā āhe, āṇi tevhāṃ tyāṃnā āpalyākaḍūna uttejanācī garaza paḍela, mhaṇūna āzapāsūna āpaṇa tyāñcyākaḍe sakārātmaka nazarene pahāyalā have." Not today, not tomorrow or the day after, but there's a chance that those women will leave sex work someday, and then they will need encouragement from us, so even from today we have to look at them with a positive perspective. "Tulā jī kāhī ghṛṇā vāṭata asela tī tū gharī yeūna bola, paṇa cāraçaughāta bolū nakosa." Whatever disgust you may feel, come home to talk about it, but don't talk publicly. "Tyā mulāṃnā tyāñcyā āyāṃviṣayī lāza vāṭāyalā lāvalī tara te tyāñcyā āyāñcyā pāpāhūna krūra pāpa hoṇāra nāhī kā?" If we make those children feel ashamed of their mothers, won't that be more vicious than the sin that their mothers commit? Pallavi knew that even though Bābā himself couldn't forgive Raghav, he would expect her to feel compassion for the past prostitute who was now trying to look after Damayanti.

Pallavi returned to the table and faced Aparna and Ashutosh with a smile. "Thank you for offering to help. I have support from Mandar and our family and friends. We will think about what to do. Now, please tell me about the special occasion for which you need sarees."

"My sister's daughter is getting married," Aparna began, "and this will be the first occasion for most of our family to meet my sister since her transition. You see, for most of my life, I thought I had a brother. When she came out as transgender, my sister's marriage ended and it took a long time for her daughter to accept her. I want to show my support for my sister at every wedding event by wearing a saree that conveys my pride in her womanhood. Would you be able to design such sarees, Pallavi?"

"Aparna jī, that is a lovely gesture, and I will do my best to design the perfect sarees for you."

"Thank you, Pallavi. Once you show me the designs, I will see how many of the ladies attending the wedding would like to wear similar sarees, and I hope it will be a large order."

"By the way," Ashutosh interjected, "what Raghav did to you has nothing to do with our choosing you. We have seen your work, and it is exquisite. You are truly a perfectionist."

"Thank you, Ashutosh jī. Where did you see my designs?"

"At the Nizam family wedding last month," Aparna said. "They gave me a handwoven saree as an honorarium, and it's my favourite saree now. When my niece's wedding was announced, I knew that Pallavi Deshmukh would get my business. I had no idea that Pallavi Deshmukh was you, the girl from MahāŚivarātri, until I saw the video in the news yesterday. Isn't that ironic?"

Pallavi frowned at the irony. She wouldn't have gotten the Nizam family's order if Raghav hadn't given them a deep discount on jewelry. And now her work on that order had brought her business from Ashutosh Mehra, who would never do business with Raghav.

"Would you like a design based on symbols of pride, such as the pink triangle or the blue-pink-white transgender pride flag?" Pallavi asked with a smile.

"Actually, since it's my niece's wedding, I don't want any design that would take attention away from her," Aparna replied. "Can you show me a design that is supportive of my sister's gender identity without being overtly political?"

"I will do my best, Aparna jī. I have hundreds of designs collected in my tablet, but I don't have it here with me. As soon as I can look through it, I will find something to show you." Pallavi smiled as if it would be no problem, but she did not know where to begin.