“I'm glad too, or you may never have found me.”
She slowed down the car. “What do you mean?”
“I was so sad when you avoided taking my calls that I wondered if jumping from my office window would end all seuffering. I considered the thought closely today.”
“What!” She drew the car to a side of the road and stopped. “I'm sorry if you thought I was ignoring you, RK. I'm really sorry I hurt you. I didn't even realize it.” She shook her head as if to clear a daze. “Don’t think like an idiot again, about ending life. What’s there to think so negatively? Am I not in front of you? And see, we’re going to our marriage. There’s so much excitement all around. How can you feel gray? Cheer up!”
Despite myself, I smiled. I was indeed an idiot as she’d lovingly said.
“I care only for you and will always be by your side wherever you go, whenever you need me,” she added in a loving tone as she fidgeted with the steering of the stationary car. “You should start understanding and realizing this, RK. Do you know what your problem is?”
“What?”
“You're too focused on physical nearness. The moment you don't see me or hear from me, you tend to break down.”
I thought about it. Maybe she was right.
“Become stronger mentally,” she added. “I'm always there for you even if I'm not physically around. Always remember that.”
She wiped the tear coursing down my cheek while I stopped her eyes from flooding. I’d never imagined she could be emotional, my little business woman. Then she resumed driving and soon we reached the court.
Ragini flashed a huge smile as I emerged from the car while Shalini resumed her businesslike front.
“Rags, did you speak to the priest not to leave?” she asked her sister. “And the registrar? I hope he’s still around?”
Ragini nodded. “He is, but there was no priest here. I brought one from a nearby temple.”
Shalini smiled at me proudly. “Isn’t she smart? And resourceful?”
Ragini held up her hand to interrupt the joking. She was clutching a camera in her hand. With a pang I remembered the expensive video camera I’d purchased in America. Had I known about my wedding, I’d not have damaged it, I thought ruefully.
“Let me finish,” Ragini said. “I spoke to the registrar about the delay and he agreed to wait. Any day a bribe is more attractive to these officials than their regular salary.” She paused to look from me to her sister. “But you’re both quite late, beyond sane limits. I called Shell’s cellphone but there was no response. What happened?”
“I was driving with full concentration. It’s difficult to manage such a big car in the traffic and answer the phone at the same time. I forgot my hands-free device at home today,” Shalini explained, turning to regard her new car proudly. Her sister patted the car and peaked inside with relish, going around it admiringly.
“Wow!” was all she said finally. “Amazing car!” She turned to her sister excitedly. “This calls for a joyride!”
“Later, on another day,” Shalini said promptly. “Today, only RK gets joyrides. By the way, have you told the registrar we’ve arrived?”
“Not yet. I think he’ll demand a further bribe since you’re late,” she said, consulting her watch, and then catching sight of me, winked. “I don't mind the bribe but I guess this means I'd remain a bachelor for life.”
“Why?” I asked suspiciously.
“Because I'm marrying you,” Shalini explained with a laugh, pinching me. “Didn't you understand her meaning? There’s still time for you to decide.”
“Decide what?”
“Well, she’s prettier, in a flirting mood, and ready- and we’re standing right in front of the marriage bureau,” she replied in a mirthful tone. “Take your pick now- which sister do you want?”
Ragini broke out laughing.
“Stop pulling my leg,” I said annoyed. “You both are crazy, speaking whatever comes to mind. How can you talk like that on a solemn occasion?”
“Father calls us headstrong,” Ragini said helpfully at which her sister laughed again. “You called us crazy. In a way you both are right.”
“Stop it, Rags,” Shalini admonished. “He’s in no mood for all this.”
I’d been walking in a dream so far, led by Shalini. But my mind had struggled all along to make sense of the sequence of events and the rapid developments taking place in my life.
“What happened?” Shalini asked, seeing my steps falter. Her colleague from the office had joined us by this time.
“This should be done properly,” I insisted, choosing to put my foot down at last. “This is the first marriage in your family,” I said. “Only your sister is present. On my side it’s okay, as it’s not the first marriage in our family. My brother Sujat is already married and so is my sister, Madhubala. Both were married with traditional pomp. I think we should go the traditional way too. Let it be time consuming. I'm in no great hurry.”
“Aren't you?” she asked with a glint in her eyes, but I ignored her mischievous look.
“This might not be the right time for a traditional wedding. Mother would oppose the marriage if she hears who the groom is,” Ragini confided. “Father is anyway busy with the cops. We had a burglary recently and are facing harassment over recovering our own things which we lost in the robbery.”
“Why?” I asked, unaware of the burglary. I did remember mother saying something about a burglary taking place in the neighborhood recently. Had she been referring to the Nanda household?
“Oh, it’s the usual story of incompetent, corrupt goons in every state,” Shalini said jovially. “It’s nothing unique about a particular city’s police force. They’re the same everywhere, from north to south and east to west.”
“They're all citizens of this land,” I said in agreement. “But what happened at your place?”
“We were all away at our respective chores during the day. Someone possible kept tabs on us and took the opportunity to burgle the house while we were away.”
“Do you keep a lot of cash in the house?”
“Thanks to her,” Ragini nodded towards her sister. “Mother has told many of our neighbors about her rich daughter's high salary and ambitious plans to buy a house soon, and the big car she’d booked. She already had one car. Word about affluence travels fast. The maidservant might have overheard mother or maybe someone else did and decided to act.”
“But who’s harassing you folks?”
“Forget it, RK,” Shalini interrupted, brushing the topic aside. “We're here to celebrate something good today, not discuss corrupt officials.”
“Did the police say something?”
“They can only think of different ways to harass citizens they’re appointed to protect and help. Sometimes I feel we should outsource our governance back to the British. They were better- at least on the administrative front.”
“The sub-inspector who visits our house frequently in connection with the theft has made an offer to father,” Ragini revealed. “He wants a fifty-fifty split for recovering the booty. He explained it’s not a bribe though.”
“That's preposterous!” I found it diabolical in a way. “How can he make such a demand? Wonder why all these people never call it a bribe.”
“Grow up, baby,” Shalini said. “I thought you knew their modus operandi. You should if you're an inhabitant of this land, an educated, intelligent one at that. You should know your rights as a citizen. This is one of those rights- what you can expect from the police force and those who employ them.”
“Assume me to be dumb and elaborate a little, please,” I said testily. There was frankly much for me to learn in terms of practical encounters with corrupt people.
“Doesn’t it ever occur to you that gangs sometimes operate in neighborhoods with somebody’s permission? When cops receive a complaint, they often have an idea which gang might have committed the robbery and hence are able to quickly retrieve the booty- but, for a price some
times.”
“Horrendous. I did hear of such things before but never believed,” I said. “It sounds like a joke.”
“What did you imagine- that they’re a force of bright, intelligent people who can sniff and locate the criminal at will? Many of them are simply crooks in disguise, dulled by corruption. How can they think? They don't investigate to find out who robbed your house. They sometimes know in advance who’ll do it,” she said.
I felt dazed. “So the next time I see a patrol car going past my house, it might mean they’re keeping tabs on residential houses to note which owners have stepped out- to relay the information to their unofficial friends, so that we find the house burgled on our return?”
Brushing back a strand of hair from her forehead Shalini took a deep breath. “Discussing any such topic is like opening a Pandora's Box. Let’s leave it for later. Do you have anything further to say regarding the marriage arrangements?”
“Well- for us, this is our only marriage,” I repeated firmly. “I still think we need to do it the proper traditional way. At the minimum, our parents should be present. It’s an occasion for celebration. There's nothing to hide.”
“You're right about everything- only my parents don't think that way,” she replied. “Neither are they so broadminded. You already heard what Rags said. If my mother knew who I was marrying she’d think of ingenious ways to stall our marriage and cancel it. You don't know her properly yet. So for the time being, this is the only way if you want to marry me anytime soon. We got to be street smart, baby!” she winked. “For the same reason, my surname would continue to remain Nanda for some more time till we're at peace with everyone on either side of the family divide.”
“And, Shalini Nanda, I suppose you'd also continue staying with your parents?” I threw up my hands. “If nothing will change, what’s the use of such a marriage?”
“A lot of use. First you’ll stop pestering me to marry you and your broken heart will mend. Second, I'll move out of my father's house this weekend,” she revealed. “My parents are okay with that.” She paused dramatically. “As a result, the best change for is that you can move in with me.”
Move in with her! The thought was exhilarating, and intoxicating. I’d always wanted that. Here was an open invitation to realize my dream. Of course, as husband and wife it was natural to live together, but I found it too good to believe. My fortune was at last changing for the better! Ragini clarified the situation further.
“Both your jobs are in Gurgaon, not really in Delhi. That's a fair distance to travel in the kind of traffic jams we have. So Shalini has decided to shift to Gurgaon this Saturday. Everyone in the house is okay with that.”
“That's another reason why I've been so busy and couldn't return your calls,” Shalini added.
I stared at her dumbly.
“I was busy with real estate brokers looking at houses on most evenings after office and on weekends as well,” she explained. “A house takes times to finalize. So you see I haven’t wasted my time.”
I nodded. Renting a house was much quicker these days, but the trips to see the prospective houses were time consuming nonetheless. You wanted to look at the house yourself before entering into a rental lease. I had myself talked to my parents about moving to Gurgaon to save travel time and energy. All the pieces started falling into place now. I looked at her brightly. She’d thought of everything beforehand and was so well organized regarding her approach to life. She was all the Aurum Metallicum I’d ever need in this life.
“Satisfied now?” She asked. “At peace? Have I answered all your questions? If you have some more, ask them quickly, as I may soon get busy with my office again, leaving you feeling bad.”
I sighed. She never did give much choice. But the wait of several years of forced celibacy at Bangalore was finally turning out worth it. I felt thrilled as the significance of the marriage soaked in. Shalini would at last be mine! I’d waited for her with parched lips for so many lives, I thought philosophically. The wait was about to get over.
** The End **
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Subir Banerjee is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur from where he did his Bachelor of Technology. While in college, he co-founded the institute’s newsletter and was on its editorial board for a year until graduation. Following that, he spent close to two decades in the Information Technology industry before taking to writing full time. He is fond of writing across genres, and has several fiction novels, including one on nonfiction dealing with alternative therapy, to his credit.
Will She Be Mine? Page 18