by Gauri Mittal
“Okay, I won’t go there, but till when?” I said.
Aarav realized Geetika was in the room. He stood straighter, removing his hands from my shoulders. “Sorry, for barging in here, Geetika. I must be interrupting your work.”
“Not at all, I’ll go to the ward. You guys can talk here freely,” she said, winking at me from behind Aarav’s back as she left.
Once the door had shut, he took my hands in both of his, about to say something that, from his expression, seemed significant. Before he could start, I interrupted him.
“I just saw Ashima,” I said.
“Oh. So that’s where you were.” He shook his head.
I pulled my hands away from his. He looked at me in dismay. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“She is in love with you, and she is dying,” I said. “I am taking away the only reason that currently maintains her will to live.”
“What do you mean, Madhavi?”
“I think we should break up till she recovers somewhat. I don’t want her to die. I don’t want someone else to die because of me. Like my parents did, and Peaches, who guided my way to the cave and saved my life. I saw them, Aarav. In the rubble, at the apartment complex. Those bodies that I said I couldn’t recognize. How could I not? It was them, but I couldn’t bring myself to accept the truth.” I sat down on the seat near where he stood.
Aarav took my hand, but I pulled it free again. “I have said what I had to.” I did not meet his eyes.
He took my chin between his finger and thumb and tilted my head up to face his. “What if she doesn’t recover?” he asked. “What if she remains in this state for many years? I am not a toy, Madhavi. I do not deny she is in pain, but I cannot sacrifice this life, the worth of which I understand, now that I have been saved miraculously from an apocalyptic situation, only to be united with you.” He let go of my chin.
“I… I already told her… that we were not together,” I said, lowering my eyes.
“I will explain it to her. I will tell her the truth and make it clear that your intentions were only to lessen her pain.”
I said nothing.
He sat by my side and put one arm around me. “Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Then look into my eyes and accept this truth. Your parents did not die because of you. Peaches saved your life, and she did not die because of you. If you want to honour their lives, you need to let go of thoughts that stifle your spirit and live a happy life.”
Tears filled my eyes, and my throat got thick with emotion. “You too, Aarav. You are a good son and brother.” I held his hand tightly. “Let’s honour the life of both our families and promise to live a happy life.”
“Together,” he said, kissing my forehead, a sheen of tears covering his eyes.
We sat like that, together in silence, for over ten minutes, my head resting on his chest, my hand in his. Finally, I spoke, “What was it you were going to tell me before I interrupted you?”
“Oh, that.” He chuckled. “You should not be alone, and the elections are not for another five months. Even after that I do not want you to stay alone there. So, I wanted to ask if you would marry me and live with me in one of the family cabins on 2nd Street.”
I looked up with a jerk.
“What? You don’t want to?” he asked.
“I do.” I smiled, resting my head back on his chest.
Chapter 16
Aarav and I announced to our friends in secret that we had plans to get married. Vishwaroopum and Ayesha were shocked. Geetika was excited, and Pranav was absent.
For twenty days after Aarav’s proposal, I stayed overnight in Geetika’s hospital cabin. It had been emptied for me, and Geetika’s outpatient department had been shifted to another room. Ayesha had fetched my essentials from my room on 1st Street, while Vishwaroopum arranged a mattress for me, and he and Aarav would patrol outside the hospital cabin every hour or so to make sure Kalkani’s members were not trying anything mischievous.
I met Geetika at the cafeteria. “Have you seen Pranav lately?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “Must be at the admin office, as usual.”
“I haven’t seen him for the past two days.”
“I think he already knows about you getting engaged to Aarav,” she said. “I saw him visit Ashima yesterday. She knows too—Aarav told her. I believe she, in turn, told Pranav.”
“She knows too? Is she okay?” I asked.
Geetika did not say anything. “I’ve gotta go. I have a patient who’s been vomiting since morning.”
After Geetika left, I deliberated visiting Ashima. Would seeing me make her feel worse? Not able to decide, I stayed put, working on the speech I was to give on the coming thirtieth of the month.
I, along with Aarav and Vishwaroopum and advice from some other supporters, had charted out around ten goals in total that would be the main focus if I became the president. I was to lay them in front of the public in the coming days.
The first plan was about introducing a minimum-wage system. Where everyone was supposed to get a minimum of two coupons a day over and above the work they did and the hours they put in. I remembered the old man I had met on the farms some years back. He had passed away the year before. He had been too frail to work, and there needed to be a social security system for such individuals. If such plans were implemented right now, they would become a part of the system for the new, re-established society in Iddis.
There were others, like identifying people who were specialists in their fields among the survivors and helping them re-establish their professions in the form of research offices. Among them was Geetika, Dr Rajeev, and the nurses and other health workers in the hospital were to train the willing laymen in the medical sciences to work as health workers.
We planned to send volunteers to the surface to find undamaged cellular towers and connect with other survivors through satellites.
Another plan I was to talk about was introducing aerobic physical exercises and yoga as part of a daily mental health curriculum. I’d already identified a few people who knew the latter well.
We were running out of medicines that were not past their expiration date. It had been brought to my knowledge that people like Ashima, who suffered from cancer, were about to lose their lives because of this matter, as were those who were frequently contracting infections due to the breakdown of internal body barriers from radiation sickness. I wracked my brains about a solution for the matter, but nothing came to me.
This was why we decided to include the introduction of yoga into our daily routine. It was to strengthen the body and mind and decrease the chance of relatively healthy individuals from falling into remission. This would consequently decrease the burden on hospital supplies.
Vishwaroopum suggested venturing into the forest at the edge of the cave along with a few volunteers from among the survivors of the local village to look for medicinal plants. They could be used to make basic medicines like painkillers.
Two days later, I was in the hospital room, when Geetika entered. “I want to talk to you about several things,” she said.
I figured it was about the plan to venture to the forest on the surface. We’d decided it was a good idea, but Geetika was against it. “What if they contract radiation sickness?” she asked once she was seated across from me.”
“But the radiation would have lessened in the air now, and we eventually have to venture out to test the air, water, and soil,” I countered. “It will have to start with some of us.”
“Anyone can go. Why is it only him who has to go?” she demanded.
“Who do you mean?” I asked.
“Vishwa,” she replied.
My eyes got big. “What did you just call him?”
“What? He’s almost my age, why can’t I?” she said.
“Well, you can, of course, but why so suddenly?”
She gave a small laugh. “He asked me to marry him yesterday evening,”
she said.
I looked at her, too shocked to reply immediately.
“I guess Aarav’s proposal inspired him. I said yes, but we won’t be marrying for another six months or so. At least until these elections are over.”
“That’s great news,” I said, trying unsuccessfully to imagine Vishwaroopum proposing to Geetika. “I am happy for the both of you.” I smiled at her with sincerity.
“What about Pranav, though?” she asked. “I know he likes you, but shouldn’t you at least tell him yourself about your engagement? He is your friend, after all.”
And she was right. I’d put it off for too long.
*
I met Pranav in the admin office that evening. The clerk went into the PMC room and fetched Pranav as I waited in the lounge.
He entered, his face looking haggard. “You’re here,” he said.
I nodded. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you these past few days.”
He took the seat opposite mine. “So, you’ve decided,” he said.
I said nothing.
“When are you marrying him?” he asked.
“In three weeks, we will register in the admin office and get a new identification and room number in the family cabins,” I said.
He let out a deep sigh. “Why so soon?”
“Well, I… it’s not safe for me to stay on 1st Street anymore. The security there is not as good, and Aarav wants me to stay with him as soon as possible because of the threat.”
He knitted his eyebrows. “What threat?” he asked.
“It seems someone has been planning for me to have an accident while alone in 1st Street.”
His eyes widened, and he got up suddenly. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“I… uh, I thought you were busy,” I answered, not knowing what else to say. “I have been looking for you.”
“I have a fair idea who is behind this.” He gritted his teeth. “I am going to kill him.”
“Gulshan Prakash? The Kalkani’s leader?” I asked.
“No, it’s the general,” he said. “Gulshan knows he will never be elected. The Kalkani are the only people who support him, while there are many people who support the general. He has struck a deal with the general to withdraw his candidacy and lend support to the general in exchange for the Kalkani getting priority treatment in all aspects of city life and after. And it’s probably so that he’ll them continue to smuggle their addictive drugs inside the city. I believe they send a man or two on a mission every six months.”
He walked around the short-legged table between the two chairs and came to sit beside me.
He looked at me with eyes full of desperation. “I can’t do this without you, Madhavi.”
I looked away, feeling uncomfortable.
“You won’t even look at me?” he said. “I can leave the presidency for you. I will step withdraw if you agree to marry me.”
I shook my head. “I never asked for your sacrifice, Pranav. You are burdening me with your words.”
Suddenly he brought his hands behind my back and pulled me towards himself. I put my hands against his chest to push him aside. “Let go!” I cried.
“Why?” he yelled, his voice rough and angry. “Why can’t you see that I love you? You see his feelings. What about mine? Do you know how I felt when Ashima told me you had agreed to marry that bastard?”
He loosened his grip around me, and I stood up, backing away from him.
“Can’t you see?” he said in a harsh whisper. “Can’t you see my heart? From the time I rescued you until now, I have been devoted only to you. I bet you have no idea that there have been many women in the city who approached me, but I rejected them all because of you. If I give up the presidential candidacy, will you marry me and refuse him?”
I felt trapped. I wanted to run away from Pranav. The man in front of me was nearly unrecognizable, and I had no idea what that person was capable of. I couldn’t take it anymore.
“You saved my life,” I said, my voice filled with indignation, “and for that reason, I will still consider you a friend. I will pretend this never happened.”
My hand was on the door to the exit. “If I become the president, I will throw him out of this city,” he said, his voice threatening.
I walked out, not turning back.
Chapter 17
On the sixth day of my putting up in Geetika’s former OPD, in an unsurprising development of events, Kalkani’s leader, Gulshan Prakash, withdrew his nomination due to “ill health”. We knew that the general’s support had just increased by the two-forty-plus-member tribe of Kalkani.
On the following thirtieth of the month, a verbal fight broke out between Pranav and General Varishth during the election rally in the announcement hall. Pranav accused Varishth of allowing the Kalkani tribe to harbour drugs and weapons. The general branded Pranav a liar who was maligning his image without proof.
Since the prime minister’s demise, the administrative power in the city was equally distributed among the members of the PMC, but the security forces had again fallen under Varishth’s control. In addition to being a member of the committee, the man still retained his position of general. Thus, there was no chance of a security check taking place, even if requested.
It was my turn to speak, and according to plan, I first discussed the points of my manifesto with the public. There was a big gathering, and I received a more than satisfactory applause after the first part of my speech was over. Then I went on the offensive.
“I have been informed that a complaint has been filed against the qualification of General Varishth’s candidacy,” I said.
This created an instant murmur among the crowd.
“I am not at liberty to announce the reason, as it has not still been officially released by the PMC.” I said no more, but the seed had been planted.
The night there was a ruckus in the hospital by Kalkani’s goons. Geetika’s former OPD room was broken into, but I had already moved in with Aarav. Vishwaroopum was staying in the cabin in front of us, and some of his most trusted people, the local villagers he had known for many years and survivors who had been a part of the city construction, had taken up residence around our cabin.
For the last twenty days, Aarav and Vishwaroopum had been with our supporters, busy getting the registrations of the room numbers exchanged and converting Aarav and my tiny newly married home into a secure fortress.
Some of the guards who had a bone to pick with the general had agreed to ally with Vishwaroopum and consequently with me. They saw Pranav only as a friend of the general, assuming he would lend his support to the general if he came to power, due to Pranav’s prior closeness with Varishth.
Though we were legally married according to the city’s rule, our home was not a sanctum of married bliss, rather the central office of my election campaign. Aarav had had to give up his job at the communications office for the time being once our marriage was official, for safety reasons, and he passed over his responsibility of heading the school over to Dr Riddhima, Yashika’s mother.
The day we registered our marriage, Lakshmi came to congratulate us. She was very happy to see Aarav, the man who had saved her and her baby’s life, was now happily married. She told me the families in the farms and the women of 1st Street were in support of me. Her words motivated me.
Though Pranav was a strong orator and his campaign was going better than Shakuntala, he was still not as strong an opposition as the general. For though he had always held influence in the city, and survivors who had been a part of the construction of the city were his supporters, he had never been a very popular public figure.
He never attacked me in his speeches. Actually, he never mentioned me at all. By and by it dawned on to me that Pranav had no desire to win against me, because if he decided to do so, his tactic would have to include attacking me.
I hadn’t visited him since that day in the admin office lounge, and he had avoided me as well. We only met every fifteenth day at t
he announcement hall during campaign events. Sometimes we saw each other in the cafeteria, but during meals, Aarav was always with me, and Pranav did not look in our direction. Instead, he had begun to hold unofficial casual talks with people in the cafeteria, listening to their problems and offering solutions in exchange for their support to his candidacy.
Two months before the election, only two candidates remained standing—me and Pranav. But what led to it was bloody murkiness.
The day before the first rally of the third month, dated 14th of April, Aarav had slipped into his old communications department in the evening while everyone was at dinner. He had hidden in the washroom and sneaked into his former office, which held a small printer. After the lights on the entire street had been switched off, he got to work. He took out a connection lead from his old drawer and connected his phone to the printer. After completing his work, he slipped through the window and went to the hospital, spending the night in Geetika’s now empty former OPD.
The next morning, right before breakfast, the three halls of the cafeteria were covered with A4-sized posters of the general’s picture, wherein he was shaking hands with the members of the Kalkani tribe, two guns and a stack of white power visible in the latter’s hands.
The general was late to the rally, and when he arrived, he declared the photos as morphed. But everyone knew we did not possess the ability to alter photos in our underground facility. The blow lost the general most of his supporters from among the public, those who, earlier, had liked his tough and seemingly disciplined demeanour.
The general was now, suddenly, in a desperate situation.
By the end of the third month, there had been one case of attempted break-in at Aarav and my cabin in the middle of the night, while all the streetlights were off. One of the patrol guards who was our ally had been injured while trying to defend against the three assailants. People heard the commotion and ran to help, but they escaped into the darkness of the city.