Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters from India Box Set (The Malhotra Bride; Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom)

by Sundari Venkatraman

  “Good Morning Shikha, how was your weekend?” he asked, a wide smile on his face. All these days that she had been working here, Ranveer hadn’t said more than a ‘Hi’ in greeting and that too without a smile. What the hell had come over him?

  “Good Morning Boss. Not too bad but yours seems to have been great,” she said, curiosity getting the better of her temper.

  Ranveer’s grin became broader. “Yep, the best ever,” he said, his voice adding to the cheer.

  Shikha had the strong urge to shake him up and clenched her fists to stop herself from doing so. She gritted her teeth and gave him a tight smile before leaving his cabin. She couldn’t take his joyous state any more.

  She bided her time. Usually Abhimanyu came to the office first, followed by either Shikha or Ranveer, one after the other. The rest of the staff came in almost half an hour later. Shikha waited for Chanda to get to work. She would teach the young lady the lesson of her life.

  MEERA AND MOHAN decided to take the astrologer’s advice. They planned to trace their absentee son-in-law and try to make Chanda’s marriage with him work. For that, the two of them decided to travel to Veerendra’s village to meet his family.

  Jaswantpura was a half-a-day’s journey by road. Meera and Mohan left with their driver quite early in the morning and reached the village before noon. They drove around the village for ten minutes looking for Veerendra’s home. They had visited the Choudhurys but once before Chanda’s wedding.

  As their driver parked in front of the wooden gate, a couple of small children ran to look out at the car, a not very common sight in the village. Meera and Mohan got out and gave the kids a tentative smile.

  With a determined expression on their faces, Chanda’s parents walked into the compound, keen to trace their errant son-in-law.

  Twenty

  Meera and Mohan walked into the compound in a determined stride and reached the open door. The kids that had been watching them ran along their sides.

  They stood at the doorway and Mohan called out, “Choudhryji.”

  Surendra walked out from his father’s bedroom when he heard the call. His hair had gone a shocking white with barely a few black strands in between. But, otherwise he looked exactly the same as he had appeared during his son’s wedding to Chanda.

  Before he opened his mouth, Mohan called out, “Surendraji, kaise hein?”

  Surendra gave the couple a vague smile as he was baffled as to who his uninvited guests were. Moreover, the man seemed to know him. Good manners prevented Surendra from directly asking them who they were. He invited them in, “Please come in. Sona,” he called out, “Bring some water.” It was obvious that he didn’t recognise his daughter-in-law’s parents. Mohan wasn’t too surprised as living in the city had changed him and his wife quite a bit. Even their style of dressing was very different today as compared to fourteen years ago.

  As Mohan and Meera sat down on the worn out sofa, Sona walked out with a steel tray on which were two tall steel tumblers of water. She pulled her sari further down her forehead when she noticed that there was a male guest. She offered the water to them and waited for further instructions from her husband.

  A small smile lifted the corners of Mohan’s lips as he said, “I think you haven’t recognised us, Surendraji. We are Chanda’s parents. You must remember Chanda, your son Veerendra’s child bride.”

  Surendra’s face turned red with anger. “Don’t take that name in this house. Veera is dead as far as we’re concerned,” he said rudely. Then, realising that it wasn’t fair to the guests, he said softly, “Do excuse me, Mohanji. I don’t mean to offend you. In fact, you’re more of the affected party then we are. But that boy has brought us nothing but shame.” There was so much regret and pain in Surendra’s voice while Mohan didn’t miss Sona’s lips twisting in anguish. Her hands holding the tray shook, rattling the empty tumblers.

  “Surendraji, all that’s water under the bridge. We can’t change what’s already happened. Let’s try to do something about the future. Tell me something, where’s Choudhryji?” he asked, looking to the left and right.

  “Pappa’s having a fever and is resting,” said Surendra, addressing Mohan’s question first. Then he said, “You have a big heart, Mohanji, that you are ready to forget things so easily. I am not able to condone my son’s behaviour.”

  “If Choudhryji is ill, then maybe this isn’t a good time to visit. We will come next week, I think,” said Mohan, as he got up from the sofa.

  “Wait, don’t go away,” said a feeble voice from across the hall as Veerendra’s Grandpa came walking out of his room, leaning heavily on his walking stick. While his facial skin was folded over with wrinkles, his white moustache was as thick as ever. He walked slowly across the hall as Surendra moved swiftly to help his father to the easy chair that was placed to the side. “Do sit down, Mohan. I am so glad to see that you have it in your heart to visit this old man after what my grandson did to your daughter,” he said, the pain obvious in his voice.

  Mohan and Meera moved forward to touch the old man’s feet. They had great respect for Choudhryji that hadn’t disappeared even though their son-in-law had vanished into thin air.

  There were tears in Choudhryji’s eyes as he blessed the couple who were kneeling in front of him. He touched Mohan’s shoulder and said, “Do sit down, Mohan, and you too Meera.” The two of them went back and sat on the sofa. “Sona, get lunch ready for our sambandhis,” he ordered, still the patriarch.

  Surendra’s head was bent in shame as he didn’t have the guts to face his errant son’s parents-in-law. His father continued to hold court. “How are you all, Mohan? How is little Chanda nowadays? She must have grown up to be a beautiful young lady. Tch! We are the losers not being able to receive her as our daughter-in-law.” There was raw pain in the feeble old voice.

  “As I was just saying to Surendraji, please let bygones be bygones Choudhryji. Let us look forward to the future,” said Mohan. Meera nodded her head.

  “But what’s the use?” said the old man. “We don’t know where Veera went. There’s just no way we can set right the wrong that he did to your family and especially to Chanda.”

  “Well, actually, Choudhryji, that’s what we came to speak to you about. We had been to an astrologer a few days ago. Vidyasagarji is a learned man with forty-five years of experience in the field of astrology. No prediction of his has ever gone wrong over the years. We—”

  Choudhryji raised a weak hand to stop Mohan mid-speech. “I don’t mean to be rude, but we have lost faith in astrology, Mohan. That’s just a load of rubbish,” he said, his voice bitter. They had been to half a dozen astrologers after Veera had run away. None of them had been able to help them locate the boy. None of them could recommend a pooja or havan that would bring Veera back home. They couldn’t even tell Veera’s family whether he was alive or dead. So what use astrology? He told Mohan all that.

  “I can well understand your frustration Choudhryji,” said Mohan, his enthusiasm unabated. “But things have changed. I believe Veerendra’s horoscope was written wrong. Vidyasagarji could see that within a few minutes of reading the horoscope that you had given me. I—”

  “What?” This was Surendra, a small light of hope dawning on his face. While he lived in denial, his love for his son hadn’t decreased over the years. Surendra found it easier to remain in a state of anger over the missing boy rather than breaking down in sorrow. Sona had been standing behind the door leading off the hall towards the kitchen overhearing the conversation. She hadn’t followed her father-in-law’s orders after she realised that their guests were none other than Chanda’s parents. She walked out on hearing her husband’s exclamation, her heart beating hard with new optimism.

  Mohan turned towards Veera’s father. “Hahn Surendraji! The astrologer was kind enough to create a correct horoscope to match the date, time and place of birth that was mentioned in the original horoscope that you had given us. And moreover, he predicted a beautiful future for y
our son and my daughter,” said Mohan, not bothering to control the happy note in his voice.

  Surendra looked at his father askance. This was news indeed! And there was hope too! He turned towards his father to see a tear rolling down the old man’s withered cheek. “Pappa,” he called out as he rushed over to kneel beside his father, holding his right hand. The old man’s hand was chilled.

  Meera felt quite emotional too as she held on to her husband’s hand tightly. She could so well relate to their anguish as it was so close to their own. And they still had their daughter with them.

  Choudhryji said, “Are you sure, Mohan? You won’t give any false hope to this old man, will you? I can’t take any more disappointment regarding Veera.” His voice broke as he mentioned his favourite grandson’s name.

  Mohan walked up to Choudhryji and held his other hand. “Why don’t you send Surendraji to Jaipur? Let him meet the astrologer and find out for himself. Surendraji, you can take a copy of your horoscope and see what Vidyasagarji has to say about it. Once you are convinced that he is a talented man, you can go ahead and talk to him about Veerendra. What do you say?”

  Surendra held on to his father’s hand tightly, willing him to agree to Mohan’s suggestion.

  Twenty-one

  On Monday morning, Chanda breezed into the office, her feet on wings. She could still not believe her luck. She had had such a wonderful weekend and she hugged the secret to herself. She didn’t want to mention anything to anyone as she worked for Ranveer. She didn’t want to become fodder for the office gossip mill. But her black eyes glowed with excitement, unaware of what was in store for her.

  After a couple of hours, when Chanda went to the washroom, Shikha waylaid her. The latter had ensured that the rest of the female staff were busy in the canteen or at their desks. It was just the two of them.

  “Hello Chanda!” came the saccharine sweet voice of Ranveer’s secretary. Chanda turned around to see Shikha standing in front of the wide mirror studying her own reflection. Chanda smiled naturally and replied, “Hello Shikha!”

  “So, how was your weekend? You seem to be glowing.” Shikha managed to keep the anger out of her voice.

  “It was good,” Chanda toned down her enthusiasm and spoke softly. She definitely didn’t want to share confidences with this woman, of all people.

  “Oh, and what did you do?”

  A small frown gathered on Chanda’s forehead. What right did Shikha have to question her like this? She didn’t like her tone of voice. She wasn’t her friend, so why the inquisition?

  “Oh, this and that, nothing special. And how was yours?” she asked, more out of politeness than any interest.

  Shikha took the plunge. “Oh, I had a super time. Do ask me what I did, go on!”

  Chanda stared at the older woman in wonder. Whatever was happening? Why did Shikha want Chanda to know what she had done during her weekend? What was she trying to establish? Chanda’s lips moved in the semblance of a smile that was forced. “So what did you do?”

  “I had the time of my life. Ranveer and I—,” Shikha gave Chanda a keen look when she heard the younger woman make a choking sound. Did she imagine it? She couldn’t find any change in Chanda’s expression. Shikha decided to continue. “Ranveer and I had the time of our lives, you know. I’ll let you in on a secret.” Shikha’s voice became a dramatic whisper. “Our boss is sweet on me. He just couldn’t keep away during the weekend. The other night, after I left for home, I was quite irritated. He called me on Saturday, insisted on coming home and took me out for lunch.” Shikha described Abhimanyu’s visit and made out as if it was Ranveer who had met her.

  Chanda felt pity for Shikha. Obviously, Shikha had no clue that Ranveer had spent Saturday and Sunday with Chanda. Somehow, Chanda wasn’t too surprised at the way the woman spun a yarn. She had seen her for what she was - an absolute humbug. She could only pity her.

  Shikha got quite irritated when Chanda showed no reaction. She had expected the younger woman to appear shocked if not heartbroken. Why was she so stoic? Could it be that she wasn’t bothered? Maybe Shikha had imagined that Chanda was interested in Ranveer. Shikha felt a sense of solace stealing over. She had finally arrived at the right conclusion or so she believed. Ranveer had tried to show some interest in Chanda, the girl hadn’t returned the compliment and hence he had withdrawn.

  Shikha smiled at her own logic and was free of anxiety. How she came about this conclusion was truly a mystery. That very morning she had got irritated with Ranveer’s cheerful mood. She had sat and pondered for more than an hour before reaching the conclusion that even if Ranveer had taken Chanda home to his house on Friday, she must have returned to her hostel first thing on Saturday morning. That’s when she decided to spin Chanda a story to make sure that the girl believed that Ranveer was keen on Shikha and none else. She liked Chanda’s indifferent reaction. The young lady wasn’t interested in Ranveer, obviously. Shikha’s smile widened as she could now act benevolently towards Chanda as she didn’t see her as competition.

  “So, little Chanda, do tell me. Do you’ve a boyfriend?” asked Shikha, pretending a friendship she didn’t feel.

  Chanda couldn’t control the frown that formed on her forehead. She gave Shikha a penetrating look before saying, “No, I don’t.”

  “Hey, I’m sure you must like someone here at work. There’re some good looking young guys around. You know, closer to your age.” She gave Chanda a sly look. “What about Parth? You do spend a lot of time with him seeing that he’s your supervisor. Would you like me to set him up with you?”

  What? Chanda gave Shikha a disgusted look. What was she trying to do now? Immediately Chanda realised that Shikha probably wanted to ensure that Chanda left Ranveer alone. A tiny smile lifted the corners of her lips. She hid it in a hurry. With a straight face Chanda said, “Actually Shikha, there are but a few months before my final exams. I’m not keen to tie myself down with any guy just now. So—” she shrugged, “thank you for being so kind. But I’m sure you understand.”

  Shikha nodded her head wisely, her permed locks bouncing around her face. “That’s my girl. You should take your studies seriously. All the best!” She smiled widely, only this time it was the most natural smile that Chanda had seen on her face.

  A relieved Chanda managed to get out of the washroom in one piece. Whew! That had been close. She needed to be more careful not to visit the washroom alone.

  AT ABOUT 6 PM, the chat icon popped up on Chanda’s screen. “Shall we play TT if you’re done for the day?”

  Chanda wondered how they were going to get away with playing TT in the gym room with Shikha present in the office. But then, she was just Ranveer’s secretary and not Chanda’s keeper. The chat screen flickered again as Ranveer said, “Chanda!”

  “Yeah, I’m done. Let’s go.”

  “See you at the gym in ten minutes.” The chat went off. He was obviously a man of few words.

  Chanda packed her bag and went to the gym on the floor below. She had managed to find out the location during lunch. She kept her fingers crossed that she wouldn’t meet Shikha. She needn’t have worried. Shikha and games didn’t go hand in hand. Ranveer arrived there a couple of minutes later. There were a few others at the sports facility, playing games and using the two treadmills. The gym was large and quite classy. While it was enclosed completely with the heater turned on mildly, the long windows of plain glass gave a wonderful view of the garden below with a number of trees that reached up to the level of the fourth floor.

  Ranveer placed his backpack next to Chanda’s bag on the long bench that was provided for that purpose. “So,” he said, “all set?” His brown eyes turned velvety with the smile that sent a glow to Chanda’s heart. Her answering smile was just as enthusiastic as she nodded, her ponytail bouncing at her nape. She had tied up her hair as she intended to play hard. Ranveer’s smile turned into a grin seeing the determined expression on her face. It seemed that Chanda never did anything in half measures - whether
it was watching a movie, checking out the counters at Dilli Haat or playing a game of table tennis.

  Ranveer wondered if and when she would pay him that kind of dedication.

  The next couple of hours were the best in Ranveer’s life. Chanda was a quick learner and she kept him on his toes. He enjoyed teaching her and now they were playing a tough game. She moved around like quicksilver and Ranveer almost drooled at her moves. The attraction he felt towards her was too powerful. He wondered whether she felt anything for him at all. A small sigh escaped him as he missed yet another serve that Chanda sent his way. He was obviously distracted.

  Chanda looked at him in concern. Was he bored playing with a novice? She checked her watch to see that it was almost 8 pm. It was time she left. She looked at Ranveer and said, “I think it’s better I left, Ranveer. The curfew is 10 pm on weekdays.”

  “Have dinner with me,” said Ranveer. He just didn’t have the heart to part with her.

  Chanda nodded her head but insisted, “If you’ll let me buy the meal.”

  Ranveer smiled at the innocent face in front of him. She was really a baby. He wondered whether she would ever notice the attraction he felt for her. He decided to let her get away with it this time round and said, “Okay, your treat.”

  Chanda smiled as she excused herself to go into the washroom. She was sure that she wouldn’t be plagued with Shikha’s company just then.

  But where was the woman? It was a wonder that she hadn’t turned up as Ranveer had been here at the gym for quite a while. Chanda didn’t know that Ranveer had pretended to leave the office and made sure that Shikha left the premises before stepping into the gym. He was quite tuned into his secretary’s malicious nature and he didn’t want Chanda tainted by that.

  Chanda had a quick wash and applied some light makeup before stepping out. Ranveer was waiting for her and they left the building to go find dinner.

  Twenty-two

  Ranveer dropped Chanda at her hostel just a couple of minutes before 10 pm. She watched him driving away and felt a sense of being abandoned. She went up to her room and was glad that it was one of those rare times when all her roommates were already fast asleep.