APRIL 14, 2021
EPISODE 11
With uncharacteristic aggression, Pallavi stuffed the vendor bills into the folder, threw the folder into the cabinet—and slammed the cabinet door shut.
Krishna was draping a saree on a mannequin. She cast a sidelong glance and asked, “Why all this hostility towards furniture?”
Pallavi began to deny it, but then sighed, and said, “I wish Raghav Rao had not been there yesterday evening.”
“That was my fault,” Krishna declared ruefully.
“No,” Pallavi assured her. “A man has a right to come and go from his house as he pleases.”
Krishna whispered loudly, “It must have been terrifying.”
“Initially, yes,” Pallavi admitted, “But once I was confident that he didn’t recognize me, I enjoyed his company.”
“Really?” Krishna was astonished.
“He can be charming when he tries. And—though he’s not a nice man—which is a shame—he’s nice to look at.”
“Agreed,” Krishna said, abandoning the mannequin and joining Pallavi at the desk.
Pallavi continued, “When he thought I was Farhad’s 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 rude—he was crude.”
“Well, he does have a right to be, Didi,” Krishna said. “In his mind, you’ve made a fool of him. Not once but twice. Did you expect him to thank you for returning the ring?”
Pallavi shook her head to indicate that that would be an unreasonable expectation.
What Pallavi was not telling Krishna—couldn’t tell Krishna!—was that yesterday while in Raghav’s 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 didn’t remove his hand immediately. It stayed on hers for just a bit longer than was proper.
And—though she is as innocent as innocence can be about men and sex and all that—she knew in her body that he felt what she felt.
It was—electrifying.
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. Moreover—in that moment, she also understood what had been missing between her and Mandhar.
Krishna was saying, “Men don’t 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?—Or why disguise was necessary at all?”
Pallavi said, “I wish—” but she broke off her sentence.
“Wish what?”
“I wish I had never met him, Krishna.” And for reasons she couldn’t understand herself nor explain to Krishna, Pallavi burst into large hot tears.
Krishna tried to comfort her.
But Pallavi wouldn’t allow herself to be indulged.
She brushed the tears away quickly and said, “Forgive me, I’m worried about money for Mansi’s wedding.”
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, “Let me show you something.” In a few moments, she pulled up a website and angling the screen, she said to Pallavi, “What do you think?”
Pallavi looked, scrolled, clicked in silence.
Krishna observed her and when Pallavi met her eyes, she asked, “Well?”
“Impressive,” Pallavi responded. Looking back at the screen, she asked, “Are you suggesting—?”
“Precisely.”
“Why don’t you—”
“—I’ll call her now,” Krishna said.
“What’s her name?”
“Kirti.”
***
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, Sisters—but 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 Raghav’s office—but found Farhad there instead.
Farhad looked up and couldn’t contain his surprise, jumping to his feet.
“Is he here?” she asked.
“No,” Farhad said. “But I can take you to him—”
“I 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.”
Farhad attempted to mitigate the matter by saying, “He was only trying to make your life comfortable, Kirti. He meant no harm.”
The woman—Kirti—gave a humourless laugh: “Isn’t that always the case with him, Farhad? He never means harm but he causes it. I don’t understand why you stay with him.”
“He’s—” Farhad tried.
She held up her palm to indicate she would not hear any excuses.
“Just tell him—we do not need his money. I’ve closed the account. Here are the funds. ” She removed a large envelope from her purse and placed it on the desk. Lifting her eyes to meet his, she said, “Tell him that if he doesn’t leave us alone, we’ll leave Hyderabad.
Edited by JalebiJane - 4 years ago