The Runaway Bridegroom

by Venkatraman, Sundari

  Abhimanyu had no reply to this. He so wished that Chanda had called Ranveer and told him the reason for her absence. They obviously had gotten quite close over the past few days.

  Ranveer calmed down with great difficulty and walked back to sit in the chair he had just vacated. He took a few sips of water and also a couple of deep breaths. He looked at Abhimanyu. He trusted his second-in-command. Not only that, he valued Abhimanyu’s advice.

  “What do you think I should do Abhi? I want to rush over to Jaipur and find out what the hell’s happening. At the same time, I’m not hundred percent sure about Chanda.”

  “You mean you don’t know whether you’re in love with Chanda. Is that it?” asked Abhimanyu.

  Ranveer shook his head vigorously. “It’s not about my love for her. I’m not sure that she loves me enough. If she did, she wouldn’t do this to me. Would she?” It was a call for reassurance.

  Abhimanyu didn’t say anything as he didn’t know enough to dispel his friend’s doubts. Instead, he asked, “Will it be so difficult to wait the week out?” That’s what Abhimanyu would have done. But then, Abhimanyu was quiet and calm by nature. Ranveer being a go-getter, sitting back and waiting for things to happen was just not acceptable to him.

  He had been toying with the idea of confiding his life story to Abhimanyu. That’s what he had started to do in the beginning and got sidetracked.

  “Abhimanyu, you’re my best friend. I’ve a secret that I’ve not been able to share with anyone. I’m married,” he said baldly. There was just no other way to say it.

  A small smile broke through on Ranveer’s tense face when he caught the astonishment on Abhimanyu’s face. His expression was priceless. Abhimanyu was always composed, dependable and stoic. In all these years, Ranveer had never seen the older man ruffled by anything. Even now, when absolutely shocked, Abhimanyu didn’t utter a word and waited for his boss to continue.

  “I don’t quite know whether my marriage will hold up in a court of law.” Another deep sigh shuddered through Ranveer. “I got married to an eight-year-old girl at the grand age of thirteen. I know the custom’s ancient, but believe me when I say that my family’s extremely old school. I wasn’t given a choice. In fact, when I told my mother that I didn’t want to get married, she cited the reason that I was too young to understand.” Ranveer’s voice was bitter as he recalled pleading with his mother. She hadn’t thought that he was too young to get married.

  “In the end, I just ran away. I tried to get away before the ceremony, but could only do it after the deed was done.”

  It was a wonder Abhimanyu managed to keep his jaw from dropping as he heard the bizarre tale from Ranveer. The Ranveer Singh he knew was a computer whiz kid who ran the company almost singlehandedly, paying the salaries of fifty-plus employees - totally acceptable in the twenty-first century. The same man was the victim of child marriage was mind blowing. Never for a minute did Abhimanyu believe that Ranveer could be spinning him a tale. Ranveer was quite honest and he had never heard him tell a lie. Okay, he hadn’t talked about his marriage, but that was an omission and he couldn’t quite blame the young man for that.

  “I was lucky that Dave and Jane took me under their wing. At first, I was too ashamed to tell them the truth. But over the years, I had to tell them why I’d run away from home. You know the rest of it,” he said, his shoulders hunched, as if the whole world rested on his manly shoulders.

  Abhimanyu had never seen a defeated Ranveer before. Even at the beginning, when the company was floundering for funds, doing badly on the stock market, Ranveer had always been cheerful and confident. Today, he appeared shaken.

  “You haven’t lost faith in Chanda, have you?” asked Abhimanyu, getting to the crux of the matter. He realised that was what was bothering Ranveer and hence the crushed look.

  “I don’t quite know what to think. I haven’t known her long, but I know she’s too straightforward. I don’t think—”

  “There you have your answer. I feel you should give her some space and wait the week out.” Even as he said it, Abhimanyu was sure that Ranveer wouldn’t be able to do that. It was just not him to sit back and wait for things to happen.

  “Tell me something Abhi. What happens if I take this week off too? I don’t give a damn about the gossip that might spring, so let’s not go there. Otherwise, do you think the company will fall apart if I stay away for a while?” He was joking, of course. He had structured the management in such a fashion that it could function independently of him.

  Abhimanyu smiled as he said, “Don’t you worry about that Ranveer. You’ve trained us all too well to hold the fort for a while. You go on. Just one question - do you plan to visit Chanda?” Somehow Abhimanyu wasn’t for the idea.

  Ranveer shook his head as he said, “No, I’m planning to go back home. Let me get my wedding annulled and await Chanda’s return. Don’t you think that’d be a sensible course of action? I’ll go crazy waiting the week out here.”

  Abhimanyu smiled, seeing the determination on Ranveer’s face. At least, he had a goal to look forward to now.

  “In the meanwhile, Abhi, I’d be grateful to you if you can get rid of Shikha. Give her a month’s severance. I don’t think she’s adding any value to RS Software. What do you think?”

  There wasn’t a peep from his Executive Assistant. “Abhi?”

  Abhimanyu looked at Ranveer. “Since it seems to be a day for confessions, I have something to tell you. I’m in love with Shikha.”

  Ranveer was startled, to put it mildly. He was glad that he hadn’t said anything demeaning about his secretary. He definitely didn’t want to hurt or offend Abhimanyu.

  “She has a drinking problem. I’m trying to work out a way to get her treated. Do you mind—?”

  “Take your time, Abhimanyu. I’m sure you know best how to deal with the situation.” He got up, indicating the meeting was over. His mind was already planning his trip back to his hometown. He decided to drive down in his car as it would give him some time to think of his plan of action.

  Thirty

  Ranveer left the office immediately. He just wasn’t in the mood to do any work and couldn’t quite face being there without Chanda’s presence. He was quite amazed at how he had got used to having her around in just a few weeks. Pushing his worry to the back of his mind, he concentrated on the mundane tasks at hand.

  He went to his car service centre and had his BMW completely fine tuned. He later got the petrol tank filled up before going home to his row house. He booted his computer and checked out the route that he would be taking and updated the GPS on his cell phone. He sent some important emails that couldn’t be postponed and set up the ‘vacation responder’ on his email as he wasn’t sure whether he would have internet access at Jaswantpura. Of course, he planned to take his laptop along with him.

  Ranveer meticulously packed a suitcase full of clothes. It would take at least two days of driving before he reached his village which was 700-odd miles from Delhi. He decided to leave Tuesday morning and drive on till he reached Ajmer. It would take him anything between six to seven hours to reach the city. Going online, he booked himself a room at Mansingh Palace, Ajmer. He had been to the five-star group’s hotel in Agra and liked the service. Since he would be driving throughout the day over two days, Ranveer was very particular that he got a good night’s sleep. After receiving confirmation of his room booking, Ranveer got up to get some coffee. His stomach growled in protest as he hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was past seven.

  He went down and was relieved to see his cook at the kitchen counter making dinner. “Maharajji, will that take long?” he asked as he caught the subtle aroma of biryani. The cook turned to look at Ranveer and nodded. “Biryani aur sabzi thaiyaar hain. Garma garam roti abhi ban jaayega do minute mein,” he assured Ranveer before going back to kneading the dough.

  Ranveer gave up the idea of having coffee and walked to the washroom on the ground floor.
He came back to the kitchen and was pleased to see that a roti was already ready. He took a plate and served himself some food and went and sat in the hall in front of the TV. When he got up to serve himself a second helping, Ranveer told the Maharaj that he needn’t come for the rest of the week. The older man nodded his head before asking, “Masala chaas banadoon?”

  Ranveer nodded at him before saying, “Aap bhi khaana khaalijiye.” The cook brought a tall glass of buttermilk and placed it on the table in front of Ranveer. He smiled, thanked the young man politely for the offer but refused to eat. He took his leave and left Ranveer’s home, shutting the front door quietly behind him.

  The long evening stretched out in front of Ranveer. He sat in front of the TV switching channels, not able to concentrate on any of the shows. He couldn’t help but be aware that Chanda hadn’t bothered to call him for the third day in a row.

  SHIKHA SPENT THE WHOLE DAY brooding at her desk. She was so angry with Ranveer and the absent Chanda that she wanted to throw something. Keeping Ranveer’s warning well in mind, she controlled her temper and set out to work. She was concentrating so hard that she didn’t realise it was lunch time until she looked up to see that most of the seats in the office were empty.

  Not having any friends in the office, she was still quite cut up that even Abhimanyu hadn’t bothered to call her for lunch. Ranveer hadn’t got back to his cabin and she presumed that he was still sulking in the conference room. On her way from the washroom, Shikha noticed that Abhimanyu was in his cabin on the left side of the office. She pushed the door without knocking and asked him, “Have you had lunch?” She didn’t bother with any kind of a greeting as she didn’t think much of Abhimanyu.

  Abhimanyu looked up from his computer to see Shikha sitting on the corner of his desk. She reminded him of a spoilt brat. Many of her mannerisms suggested a drastic need for attention. And then there was this sadness lurking at the very back of her eyes. Hearing the way she spoke so confidently, it would take a very mature person to note these and Abhimanyu was definitely that.

  He took a sip of water from the bottle near him and took his own time answering her. Shikha tapped her foot impatiently against the side of his table. She so wanted to shake up his calm demeanour. She didn’t bother to make the effort as she was quite aware that it would be a very difficult task. If she had mentioned that to Abhimanyu, he could have easily advised her that she had come the closest to shaking him up in all his thirty-two years.

  “Have you?” he asked, aware that she hadn’t.

  “Why would I ask you if I’ve already had lunch?” she asked him rudely.

  “Oh,” drawled Abhimanyu, getting up from his chair, “you wanted my company. Let’s go.”

  “As if I care,” said Shikha as she stepped out of the cabin ahead of him. She gritted her teeth in anger. Why had she gone to ask him? The answer was obvious. She hadn’t bothered to get friendly with the rest of the staff. She thought that they were all too young and immature for her taste. Her eye was on the big chance and hence she had cultivated a relationship-of-sorts with Ranveer. She told herself that she put up with Abhimanyu only because he was Ranveer’s Executive Assistant and she needed to do a lot of coordination with him.

  Abhimanyu had a mysterious smile on his face as he watched the slender woman walking ahead of him. She could be quite beautiful if she was stripped of the permanent sneer on her face. It would be a challenge but he was very much up to it.

  He walked ahead and held her elbow as she moved fast. She turned to look at Abhimanyu in shock. The man had guts, if nothing else. Not able to shake him off, Shikha walked with him to the elevator, her jaw aching with tension. They got in and went to the canteen. There were only about thirty people in the large canteen. Most of the staff in the building had already had their lunch and left as it was past 2.30 pm.

  Shikha and Abhimanyu got their lunch trays and went to sit at a corner table. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Abhimanyu asked, “Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?”

  “Wouldn’t your wife mind? You can’t spend all your free time with me,” she said sarcastically.

  Abhimanyu caught on immediately that she wanted to know whether he was married. He couldn’t imagine Shikha asking him a direct question. She would rather die than admit to being curious about someone’s personal life. And he was happy that she wanted to verify his single status.

  Shikha’s jaw dropped for the second time that day when he replied, tongue-firmly-in-cheek, “I’ll divorce her if she interferes too much.”

  She stared at him wondering whether to take him seriously or otherwise. She had been quite confident that he was a bachelor and just wanted to be objectionable. But his reply shook her up. Then she noticed the twinkle in his eyes and realised that she had been had. If anyone had told Shikha that Abhimanyu had a sense of humour, she would have laughed at them. But to her amazement, Shikha realised that the man in front of her not only had a funny side to him, he also knew how to laugh at himself. That’s when she decided to have dinner with him and find out more. There was also the reason that Ranveer had so obviously slipped out of her fingers, presuming that he had ever been held in them in the first place.

  ON THE SAME DAY, Chanda was in her hotel room in Mount Abu. The facilities were quite basic and she was on her way to a solitary meal. She was a resilient young woman who was also quite optimistic. She pushed away her problems to the back of her mind and decided to make the most of her holiday. There was a group of people going on a trek first thing on Tuesday morning. She decided to join them and booked herself on the tour.

  When thoughts of Ranveer intruded, Chanda crossed her fingers and kept her faith in Lakshman. He had promised to sort everything out and she knew that her brother would. And she refused to feel guilty about not contacting Ranveer - not before sorting her marriage to Veerendra out. While the situation had been the same the last week, the shock of seeing her father-in-law had made Chanda rethink the situation. If and when she spoke to Ranveer, it would be as a free woman and not otherwise. On that thought, Chanda went to bed and had a peaceful night’s sleep.

  Thirty-one

  Both Meera and Mohan had taken astrologer Vidyasagar at his word and were very sure that Veerendra would be in Delhi. Ram and Lakhan somehow convinced their parents that they would go to Delhi and do their best to locate Chanda’s long lost husband. They didn’t mention Ranveer to them. The duo’s trip to Delhi had two purposes - to look for Veerendra and also to meet Ranveer.

  They flew to Delhi on Monday and checked into a hotel. They decided to give Ranveer a surprise visit first thing on Tuesday morning. In the meanwhile, they contacted Samrat, the private detective highly recommended by the twins’ friend. Ram thought that a name like Samrat sounded quite fraudulent, but Bharat’s friend had insisted that the man was a genius.

  Both the brothers were rather skeptical when Samrat agreed to meet them immediately. From what they knew about the man, he worked on his own and sometimes hired a couple of guys as freelancers. How could he be free the moment they contacted him? Not left with much of a choice, they invited the detective over to their hotel at 7 pm.

  Samrat arrived a few minutes before time and the receptionist called their room at five minutes to seven to announce his arrival. Lakshman looked at Ram askance before requesting the receptionist to send their guest up.

  The man who entered their room appeared nothing like a sleuth. Their idea of one was that he would be tall and muscular, strong and fit enough to combat bad guys. But this man standing in front of them was thin and nondescript. Would he be suited for the kind of work they had in mind for him? ‘Well, procrastinating will get them nowhere,’ decided Ram before offering their guest a seat. Well manners prompted Lakshman to provide Samrat with a glass of water before they spoke to him.

  After the introductions, Ram said, “Actually Mr. Samrat, this case might be a bit complicated as it’s being opened after fourteen years. By the way, is Samrat your first name
or last?” he asked, not able to control himself.

  A twinkle appeared in the detective’s eyes, catching the attention of the brothers. So far, Samrat had appeared like a simpleton. Suddenly, his eyes shone with intelligence that seemed to light up his dark face. He grinned, his teeth glowing white. His whole personality changed right there in front of their eyes. Ram stared at Samrat, amazed at the transformation while he waited for his reply. He eyed his brother, wondering whether he had noticed the change too. Of course Lakshman had. He too waited silently. The brothers always worked this way on any project. While Ram asked the questions, Lakshman watched silently, observing things cleverly.

  “It’s neither, Mr. Maheshwari. The name my parents gave me is Rajesh and my surname is Khanna. Can you imagine anyone taking me seriously if I announce myself as Rajesh Khanna? The first couple of ventures that I tried to pick up fell apart just because of this. That’s when I coined this name for myself. Samrat seems to work well with everyone.” The visitor’s face was serious once again.

  By now, both Ram and Lakshman were convinced that they had got the right man for the job and explained everything to him. They briefed him on Chanda’s marriage, Veerendra’s subsequent disappearance and the information they had gathered from the astrologer. They also handed over a faded wedding photograph of Chanda and Veerendra and another close shot of Veerendra given to them by his father.

  Samrat told them that he would need a full week, all expenses paid with separate fees for the complete project. He quoted figures and took an advance. Just as he got up to leave, he was surprised to hear Lakshman speak. Samrat had laid a bet with himself that the younger one wouldn’t open his mouth that evening. Of course he didn’t mind losing it as he heard the question, “What do you think are the chances of locating Veerendra? I know it’s quite early yet. But you must’ve an idea as you obviously come with a rich experience in this line.”