APRIL 14, 2021
EPISODE 11
With uncharacteristic aggression, Pallavi stuffed the vendor bills into the folder, threw the folder into the cabinetāand slammed the cabinet door shut.
Krishna was draping a saree on a mannequin. She cast a sidelong glance and asked, āWhy all this hostility towards furniture?ā
Pallavi began to deny it, but then sighed, and said, āI wish Raghav Rao had not been there yesterday evening.ā
āThat was my fault,ā Krishna declared ruefully.
āNo,ā Pallavi assured her. āA man has a right to come and go from his house as he pleases.ā
Krishna whispered loudly, āIt must have been terrifying.ā
āInitially, yes,ā Pallavi admitted, āBut once I was confident that he didnāt recognize me, I enjoyed his company.ā
āReally?ā Krishna was astonished.
āHe can be charming when he tries. Andāthough heās not a nice manāwhich is a shameāheās nice to look at.ā
āAgreed,ā Krishna said, abandoning the mannequin and joining Pallavi at the desk.
Pallavi continued, āWhen he thought I was Farhadās cousin, he was friendly. But when I called him later to tell him where I had left the ring, he was rude. No, more than rudeāhe was crude.ā
āWell, he does have a right to be, Didi,ā Krishna said. āIn his mind, youāve made a fool of him. Not once but twice. Did you expect him to thank you for returning the ring?ā
Pallavi shook her head to indicate that that would be an unreasonable expectation.
What Pallavi was not telling Krishnaācouldnāt tell Krishna!āwas that yesterday while in Raghavās office, their hands had touched.
Accidentally.
They had been studying the Palace model. He was excited about her suggestion regarding the school. They both reached out to lift the roof on the stable block and their hands met.
Her hand was beneath; his was on top. He didnāt remove his hand immediately. It stayed on hers for just a bit longer than was proper.
Andāthough she is as innocent as innocence can be about men and sex and all thatāshe knew in her body that he felt what she felt.
It wasāelectrifying.
There is no other word for it.
In that moment, she had understood what some of the girls at college meant when they spoke about that powerful sensation impossible to resist. Moreoverāin that moment, she also understood what had been missing between her and Mandhar.
Krishna was saying, āMen donāt like being bewildered. He must be wondering why you returned the ring. Whether your true identity is the girl at the casino or the girl in the burqa?āOr why disguise was necessary at all?ā
Pallavi said, āI wishāā but she broke off her sentence.
āWish what?ā
āI wish I had never met him, Krishna.ā And for reasons she couldnāt understand herself nor explain to Krishna, Pallavi burst into large hot tears.
Krishna tried to comfort her.
But Pallavi wouldnāt allow herself to be indulged.
She brushed the tears away quickly and said, āForgive me, Iām worried about money for Mansiās wedding.ā
It was quite a conversational pivot, but Krishna was ready to help change the topic if that is what Pallavi required.
Moving behind the desk to take over the laptop, Krishna said, āLet me show you something.ā In a few moments, she pulled up a website and angling the screen, she said to Pallavi, āWhat do you think?ā
Pallavi looked, scrolled, clicked in silence.
Krishna observed her and when Pallavi met her eyes, she asked, āWell?ā
āImpressive,ā Pallavi responded. Looking back at the screen, she asked, āAre you suggestingā?ā
āPrecisely.ā
āWhy donāt youāā
āāIāll call her now,ā Krishna said.
āWhatās her name?ā
āKirti.ā
***
An attractive young woman about twenty years old entered the Jayati Jewellers flagship showroom in Banjara Hills. She was immediately recognized, approached, and escorted to the corporate offices.
I have described her as attractive, Sistersābut I feel I ought to say that she was not looking her best. There were dark circles under her eyes. Her energy was anxious and angry.
She was shown into Raghavās officeābut found Farhad there instead.
Farhad looked up and couldnāt contain his surprise, jumping to his feet.
āIs he here?ā she asked.
āNo,ā Farhad said. āBut I can take you to himāā
āI have no desire to see him. Just give him a message. Tell him that I know about the money. I know he has been paying for everything.ā
Farhad attempted to mitigate the matter by saying, āHe was only trying to make your life comfortable, Kirti. He meant no harm.ā
The womanāKirtiāgave a humourless laugh: āIsnāt that always the case with him, Farhad? He never means harm but he causes it. I donāt understand why you stay with him.ā
āHeāsāā Farhad tried.
She held up her palm to indicate she would not hear any excuses.
āJust tell himāwe do not need his money. Iāve closed the account. Here are the funds. ā She removed a large envelope from her purse and placed it on the desk. Lifting her eyes to meet his, she said, āTell him that if he doesnāt leave us alone, weāll leave Hyderabad.
Edited by JalebiJane - 4 years ago