APRIL 21, 2021
EPISODE 19
I have said it beforeâand I will say it again, Sistersâthat the sound of a slapâthe sound of a human palm smacking a human cheek is a terrible sound. It hurts the ears more than the slap itself. It is the sound of humilation. The sound of something irrevocably breaking. Nothing returns to the same state after there is a slap.
Both women were in momentary shock.
Pallavi touched her cheek as though she could not believe what Aayi had done.
Aayi pressed her palm against her own quivering lips. She reached out to Pallavi as though she would embrace herâbut then withdrew. âForgive meâIâm so ashamed!â she cried, and ran to the door.
But Pallavi was quicker and had the advantage of longer limbs. She got to the door first and with arms spread she blocked Aayiâs departure.
With eyes swimming in tears, her face red with fury, she said, âNo! No, Aayi! You asked me a questionâso you shall hear the complete answer. Then you can slap me twenty more timesâyou can kill me if you chooseâbut you will know everything before this day ends.â
Aayi was sobbing, her face bentâunable to meet Pallaviâs eyes.
Pallavi grabbed Aayiâs armânot very gently, I might addâand led her back to the bed. Then she turned to the armoire and opened it. Sliding her hand between two sarees, she withdrew a sheet of glossy printed paper. It had one ragged edge, as though it had been torn out of a booklet.
âWhat do you see?â Pallavi asked, handing Aayi the sheet.
Aayi examined it. She said, âRaghav Rao. His photo.â
âHis hand! Look at his hand!â Pallavi demanded.
Aayi squinted through her tears. And then brushing the tears away, her eyes widened. âMandharâs?â She met Pallaviâs eyes.
âMy family ring. The one I gave your son on the day we were engaged,â Pallavi stated. And speaking this sentence undid her. She fell into sobs, her shoulders shaking.
Aayi pulled her into her arms and both women clung to each other and wept.
In time, the storm passed. Pallavi poured water from the jug at her bedside table, and they shared a glass in silence.
âI went to see Mr Rao that night,â Pallavi began. âI wanted to know how he came to have my ring. I adopted that disguise because I didnât want him to be able to identify me laterââ
ââIn case, he was involved in Mandharâs disappearance,â Aayi finished for her.
Pallavi nodded.
Aayi pushed back a lock of hair which had freed itself from Pallaviâs plait. âMy dear girl,â she sighed. âMy poor child.â
âI donât know why there has been a video circulating about the meetingâwhat it impliesâthat he misbehaved with me. That is false. He was a gentleman. I imposed myself on him. I fell. He helped me. Gave me his jacket. Put me in a car. I had the ring. I returned it,â Pallaviâs words jumbled out in a fashion that could not be understood. She gathered her thoughts, and said, âNone of that is important. This is importantâMandhar sold the ring to Jayati Jewellers sometime after he disappeared. He left usâhe was not taken by forceâand then he sold the ring to finance his escape.â
Aayi âs head dropped back against the headboard, she sighed, her eyes shut tight, and she said, âThat worthless boy! Had he died, I would have preferred it.â
Her words thundered in Pallaviâs ears. âYou knew?â
Aayi opened her eyes, touched Pallaviâs cheek, and said, âI didnât realize you knew any of it.â
And so it was, Sisters. This night in which Pallavi expected to make all the revelations turned into a night of surprises for both.
The private detectives which Aayi had spent a fortune on had brought results. Mandhar was discovered in Mumbai. For where else could one hide so easily?
âRemember that three-day trip I took to see my brother in Indore?â Aayi asked. At Pallaviâs nod, she continued, âI stopped in Indore but I went to Mumbai first. I saw Mandhar. He was living with his wifeâyes! wife!âa very pregnant wife.â
âWhat!?â
Aayi said, âWhy do you think Iâve been after you so persistently to marry and build a new life for yourself. Away from all of us! Away from this sham of widowhood!â
Pallavi asked, âHe married again? So soon?â
Aayi took Pallaviâs shoulders and said, âPallaviâhe was already married to her before he married you.â
The information was coming too quickly for Pallavi to absorb. Questions were arising at a speed she couldnât cope.
âWait!â she cried, clutching her temples. âStop, Aayi. Tell me! Am I not married to Mandhar?â
Aayi shook her head. âNo. You are not married to him. He is a bigamist. You are free.â
You are free!
âOh!â Pallavi flew off the bed. Relief flooded her veins. She grasped the murti of Lord Ganesh from her dressing table and clutched it to her bosom.
Free!
A knock rudely interrupted her soaring heart.
âSharda? Pallavi?â It was Baba.
Aayi indicated with her hand that Pallavi should stay in the room and say nothing. âIâll bring your dinner. Then tell you the rest. There is more that you must know.â
***
The next morning was not just a new morning but a new world to Pallavi. She felt different. Like her pre-Mandhar self. No! Not even that. She felt as she had never felt before. There was relief at having revealed everything to Aayi. And though their circumstances had not essentially changedâthere was still heavy debt and there was still Jagdishâthe problems seemed manageable.
Aayi knocked on the bedroom door as Pallavi was dressing. She had brought her a cup of tea. The elation Pallavi felt was not reflected in Aayiâs face. It was the opposite. By unburdening herself, she had burdened Aayi.
But Aayi managed to meet her smile. And then as her eyes fell on the bed, she gave a laugh, âWhat on earth!?â
There were at least dozen sarees discarded on the bed. Pallavi was half-draped in one and had another over her shoulder.
âI canât seem to decide what to wear today,â Pallavi explained, throwing her hands up in an exaggerated manner.
Aayi, with hands on her hips, looked Pallavi over. And then as a thought struck her, she indicated the suitcase on top of the armoire. âHelp me get that down.â
âThatââ Pallavi was about to say, âthat is the suitcase I packed for my honeymoonâ but she caught herself in time.
Aayi unclasped it and threw it open. At the very top was the dress she had worn to the casino.
Aayi touched it, gave a wink, and said, âExcept for this, of course, select something from here. This is the young woman you are. This is how you should dress going forward.â
Pallavi sat on the edge of the bed, and as she shuffled through the items each evoked a memory of where it had been purchased and how she had imagined the scene of its wearing. There was also a large pouch of toiletries and makeup. She unzipped the pouch and her fingers found a bottle of perfume. She removed the cap and brought the bottle to her nose. The scent of vanilla and geraniums filled her spirit.
Aayi was right. This is who she was. This past year she had forgotten all that. She had adopted the disguise of what the world wanted her to be.
Is that what Raghav Rao had unconsciously seen? That she was not a shop-girl. That she didnât belong there.
She gave herself a mental shake to dislodge his words from her mind.
âThese are either too showy for the shop or more suited to the beach,â Pallavi said to Aayi.
âTrue.â Aayi said, âButâhereââ fishing out a coral chiffon saree, âthis will be nice.â
***
Pallavi arrived late at the shop. She had taken time to dress, apply some light makeup and curled her hair to leave it free to cascade down her back.
Krishna was on the front steps looking from side to side as though waiting for her.
Pallavi ran up to her, drew her into an embrace almost jumping with joy.
Krishna resisted, and said, âDidi!â Her voice was a warning.
But Pallavi was too happy to notice. She continued, âI have so much to tell you, KrishnaâI hardly know where to begin!â
âIâm bursting to hear every detail,â came a voice from the back of the shop.
She knew the voice.
Raghav Rao!
And as she stepped within, she saw him leaning against the far wall. His arms folded across his chest. His ankles crossed. He was wearing the same dark blue pin-striped suit from the casino but now it was paired with a crisp white shirt open at the neck.
His eyes measured her form in a slow perusal. And then met hers with a gleam. The insinuation was clear. He believed she had dressed to correct his opinion of her earlier appearance. That she had been offended by his âold maidâ taunt and immediately remedied the matter to show herself at her best.
Pallavi was caught. To protest that she had not dressed for him would give weight to his words.
âWhy are you here?â
âI have so much to tell you, I hardly know where to beginââ he used the same language she had earlier used to mock her, âbut ladies first.â
Krishna was immediately behind Pallavi and said, âMr Rao says he now owns our shop!â
âWhat!â Pallavi exclaimed.
Raghav lifted away from the wall and stepped forward.
Krishna stepped back instinctively putting Pallavi between herself and Raghav.
He said, âMiss Krishna, if you insist on spoiling surprises at least get the details correct.â
Krishna moved closer to Pallaviâs back at this direct address.
Pallavi pointed at Raghav as if she were warning a terribly mischievous child. âLeave Krishna be. Speak to me. What is this about?â
âI need a coffee,â he said.
âIâll get it,â Krishna took a step towards the backroom.
âNo.â Pallavi halted the girl by catching her arm. Her eyes trained on Raghav she said, âThis is not Falaknuma Palace. And Krishna is not your Remmy.â
His brow lifted at this. âRemmy will be touched that you remember his name. But warm water poured over brown granules is not coffee. Weâll have a cup at the cafĂ© around the corner.â
âKoffee Kahani,â Krishna supplied the name of the cafĂ©.
âSeeâMiss Krishna knows that her storeroom coffee is an insult to proper coffee.
âIâm not going anywhere with you, Mr Rao. Tell me this instant what Krishna meant by you owning our shop.â Pallavi crossed her arms to show she was firmly planted.
He shrugged, âAs you wish. Miss Krishna, leave the shop and draw the shutters down. Give us half an hour before returning.â
âAbsolutely not!â Pallavi said.
He stated: âI will speak to you only in private. Either here with the shutters down. At the cafĂ© around the corner. Or you can come to the Palace. Remmy will no doubt be happy to see you again, Sana Begum.â
Edited by JalebiJane - 3 years ago
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